Community Development Stories
|
President of the RSA in Papanui
I'm the president of the RSA in Papanui, and I also work at CCS in Christchurch. We're fully accessible at the RSA: we've got a good entrance, accessible toilets etc. The way I see it, access isn't just for the person in a wheelchair. It's right through to the able-bodied person when he breaks his leg, the aged etc. Those sorts of changes benefit everybody. If we have a nice sloped entrance for a wheelchair, that's also a nice sloped entrance for an elderly person coming through. If we have a nice light bright atmosphere, that caters for people with vision issues, but it helps other people too: again the aged have often got vision issues.
We have two or three people with disabilities who come in regularly. Paul is a good example. He's is a younger guy who has cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair with head-activated controls.
I think it's a good thing in two ways. Firstly it's good for Paul because it's another way he can get out into the community. And it's good for the other RSA people. It allows them to interact with people with disabilities in a way that they wouldn’t if they met them on the street. A lot of people aren't quite sure how to deal with people with disabilities: they tend to stand back or overreact. At the RSA they're comfortable because they're on common ground. They talk to them, and they see them as people. Paul, for instance, likes to come down and have a drink, especially when the rugby's on. I either hold the bottle up to his mouth, or he'll drink out of a cup. People are going to see that and realise something they didn't understand: that people with disabilities might like to have a drink just like anyone else. It might sound silly. But those simple little things knock down a few more of the barriers.
BJ Clark, RSA President, Papanui, Christchurch
For advice on ways to make your Canterbury Community Group more accessible:
EML: CCS Disability Action's Barrier Free Advisor
TEL: (03) 365 5661 Ext 871
For contacts in other local areas go to the Barrier Free Website