Barriers

I was applying to participate in a market research project, but was declined because the office used for the research panel is upstairs, and they do not have any means to get a wheelchair user into that room.

I have been a member of Prime Research for many years and you have to apply for opportunities to participate via a survey. If you meet the criteria or demographic for the panel they call you to book a session. I have been called approximately seven times, as I meet the criteria, but when I ask if the venue is wheelchair accessible they say, "Oh sorry. No you cannot take part."  They never offer to try and do my interview any other way.

I was trying to enter the medical laboratory in Lower Hutt, to obtain a blood test.

The entrance door is heavy and I could not open it with my disabled hands and arms.

I am currently in the process of gathering documentation for Work and Income New Zealand (WINZ), to prove I still have a permanent disability, via the infamous 'Disability Allowance Renewal' form.

We are trying to get some support for my teenage Moko who has a brain injury after being reversed over by a vehicle, aged 18 months, never to be the same again.

Four years after his accident, an MRI suggested he has pachygyria, which causes Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). The Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) denied his injury claim on the basis that he has FASD, which ACC says overrides the accident. However an official FASD assessment has never been completed. We need the official FASD assessment to be able to move forward but the cost is huge, at over $6500! We have been denied the accident claim after 16 years of battling ACC, and every other government agency. In addition, Whanganui Hospital did not correctly record the original accident, and have refused to amend it. This has also stopped us being able to access support. We get shoved off every time.

I am a support worker and work with people with disabilities. Recently I went into town with a woman who was looking for some cheap dress-up accessories, so we went into one of those low-cost variety stores.

Welly Wellington ... capital of New Zealand, but not for the disabled!

I recently visited Wellington, from the South Island, for a two-night stay.  I attended a one-day workshop about volunteering and Not For Profit governance.

I was appalled, to say the least, at the lack of disability services available. Namely, Powerchair transport. Having gained great confidence using my one-year-old Powerchair, which has allowed me to become very independent, I was dismayed when I began to research my transport options in Wellington.

Grocery shopping since COVID-19 lockdowns, isolation and social distancing, has become quite traumatic for me, both online and in person at the supermarket.

It is a necessity that I now dread doing each week. So much so that anxiety creeps in whenever it's grocery shopping time.

My daughter had an Eye Clinic appointment at Greenlane Hospital. She uses a wheelchair and requires a hoist and changing table to use the toilet. I searched the Auckland District Health Board website and there was no information about accessible bathrooms. We couldn’t attend the appointment without knowing that my daughter could use a bathroom. This is a problem for every hospital visit.

I tried to apply for a custom wheelchair for my eleven-year-old son through Starship Hospital, via referral to Mobility Solutions.

My son currently uses a standard wheelchair from Starship but needs a custom chair with a motor, so he can drive himself when his condition worsens and his wrists and hands become too weak to wheel himself. He is unable to move around safely at school and out in public when this happens, and he misses out on family outings.

I experienced an access barrier when I tried to cross the road in Central Wellington. I couldn't cross the road safely without getting my feet soaked.