#AccessDeniedDiaries by Nikita
Our family was returning home from a dinner out one evening. My Mum uses an electric wheelchair, so we called a taxi with a lift to take us home.
The driver got us in and tied up some strops around the wheelchair. Following that, the driver drove very tightly around the corners. Every corner caused Mum's chair to tip at a 30-45 degree angle, leaving myself and another family member to catch and hold this very heavy electric wheelchair.
Read more#AccessDeniedDiaries by Natasha
I encountered an access barrier when I was going around the block in my mobility scooter.
I was almost at the end of my journey, near my house, when there was an unexpected construction site. The pathway wasn't accessible!
Read more#AccessDeniedDiaries by Andrea
As a person with low vision, the following are frequent barriers for me and other visually-impaired Kiwis ...
Read more#AccessDeniedDiaries by Hope
I encountered an access barrier when I tried to watch a documentary in my high school history class. The documentary was not captioned properly - it had very inaccurate autogenerated captions - and so I could not understand it as I am Deaf. I didn't do very well on the assessment.
Read more#AccessDeniedDiaries by Andrew
I was using a computer screen reader to read my email, which included a promotional flyer from the Chemist Warehouse. The graphics in the email were unlabeled, which my screen reader converted into audio as ...
Read more#AccessDeniedDiaries by Dot
I went to use the accessible bathroom in the new shopping complex in Frankton, Queenstown. I had visited the facility before and applauded it, sharing with others this good example of planning using universal design principles. It was one of the best accessible bathrooms I had come across.
To my horror and absolute frustration I discovered that the toilet had since been 'disabled' by having a stainless steel pipe installed with a back rest, to stop - I guess - the toilet lid going back too far and damaging something. This made it very difficult to maneuver on the toilet seat.
Read more#AccessDeniedDiaries by Tracy
Mobility Parking for a wheelchair user isn't fun. Here's how it goes for me and many of my peers ...
Read more#AccessDeniedDiaries by Lesley
I was checking in with Air New Zealand and I couldn’t see the hand-held barcode zapper for my luggage. I had already explained that I am visually impaired, but the attendant said crossly, "Just like you do at the supermarket!"
Read more#AccessDeniedDiaries by Eva
Councils don't allow wheelchair accessible carparks in front of schools. They have to be on school land, which is not always possible, and not necessarily the closest carpark. This makes it very difficult to pick my older son up from Nelson Intermediate (his brother is a wheelchair user), or to go to teacher interviews, or other school social events. I end up having to park way down the street.
Read more#AccessDeniedDiaries by John
I have tried to use a Travelscoot - "the world's lightest foldable electric mobility scooter" - on public transport, such as buses, a number of times. I've had bus drivers refuse to allow my Travelscoot onboard as a mobility device, or to give me any assistance with loading and unloading it.
Read more