Access Denied Diaries

So many webpages are written with light type on a light background. If large text is unreadable to you (it is for me) and white text is placed on the 'on trend' pink background, there may be nothing intelligible on the webpage for blind and low vision people.

You can see how seriously Labour takes access for all, by the Hamilton offices they occupy ...

I have been working as a volunteer at Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) Tauranga for over eight years.

In all that time, CAB has never had a specifically designated mobility carpark.

I have taken all my pets to my local vet practice for the last 30 years. I recently requested that a front door access ramp be provided, but they fobbed me off.

I was trying to access the public transport system in my local area of East Auckland, so I could independently go to the shops, the doctors and the mall.

The closest bus stop to my house is across a busy main road. I am unable to cross the road by myself due to my visual problems and being unable to see three dimensionally. There is no pedestrian crossing available. I couldn't cross the road, so I couldn't catch the bus, so I couldn't travel to where I needed to go.

I wanted to order lunch, around 11:30 am today, using the delivereasy.co.nz online platform.

An access barrier for all disabled people is the total lack of money - in the Government's 'Wellbeing Budget 2020' - to make violence prevention and response services accessible and appropriate for disabled people. The new national strategy for family and sexual violence says it is for all people. Yet people with disabilities have been completely left out of the funding allocated in the budget.

I asked a life guard at my local pool about the hoist for disabled people. The life guard completely spoke over my head and ignored me. She treated me like I was stupid, even though I had asked the question.

I encountered an access barrier when visiting the New Zealand Parliament grounds in Wellington. I wanted to go up and down the parliamentary stairs, but I was prevented from doing so. This made me feel angry as it confirmed to me that our Government is NOT "walking the talk". They are NOT committed to creating an accessible New Zealand for all.

I took my ten year old grandson to the playground at Western Springs, Auckland, which has been refurbished in the last year. He wanted to enjoy a swing.

My grandson is wheelchair dependent, so he was looking forward to using the accessible 'bucket swing'. There is now NO swing, or any other equipment, suitable for a physically impaired child. The refurbishment is definitely not an improvement. We were both extremely disappointed.