Stories

For several years I have been asking Work and Income case managers for support in paying a gym membership so I can keep fit in a safe environment. Their reply is usually “go out and exercise on the roadside.”

My name is Jane and I live in Torbay. I use a mobility scooter and find travelling to the Albany shops has become a nightmare.

Karin had been invited to a wedding in Australia. Excited, she began to plan what she would wear to the black tie event.

Communications, especially those which are private and sensitive between bank staff and people with a sight impairment, continue to show a lack of sensitivity with simple everyday tasks.

I was aboard one of Auckland’s new electric ‘accessible’ trains when the electric wires came down in front of the train while it was travelling between stations.

I am vision impaired, I have retinitis pigmentosa which was diagnosed in my teens. My brother and sister also have RP. When I was at high school I began to wonder what sort of work I could do.

Elaine, Claire and Hannah have recently experienced difficulties getting from A to B via public transport; something most people take for granted.

Jeanette uses a wheelchair for mobility and has a mobility card allowing her to park in disabled parking spaces. She finds that these spaces are usually taken up by couriers, people using the ATM machine or “someone just going to get their lunch.”

In September 1984 I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. I was 32 and “my life ended on that day”. The next decade was spent either in a hospital, hospice, or some other disability related institution.

Living in a rural area and having a disability makes access to most types of disability service or medical support difficult. Susan tells her story.