I live in Rotorua. Over the last couple of years we have had a lovely main block added to our hospital, and our library upgraded and extended.

I have a disability that means I rely on a mobility scooter but I cannot use the lifts, as they are too small. The lifts are designed to the 2001 Standard, which allows for use by wheel chairs but not mobility scooters. This excludes me from getting to the next two floors in the library, the areas I wish to visit. Also the mobility toilets in the new library are accessed through two swinging doors before you can get to the toilet area. This is impossible for me.

An accessibility act could ensure that building accessibility accounts for people with a range of mobility impairments such as myself, not only wheelchair users.

This is my access story, it is one of many. I'm sharing it because I want a law that puts accessibility at the heart of an inclusive Aotearoa New Zealand.

What's your story?

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