Stories

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.

John is blind and has difficulty accessing buildings in Christchurch. Many of them have changed since the earthquakes.

I became blind overnight. I now have a guide dog but I have had some very negative experiences.

I use an electric wheelchair for mobility, it is quite long from the footplate to the small wheels at the back. When I need an accessible toilet I often find them inaccessible.

Going to the hospital and having surgery is traumatic enough – imagine your diagnosis and treatment information isn't presented to you in a format that is accessible, that hospital staff don’t have adequate tools required to communicate with you, and that the waiting rooms overload your senses.

Sarah, who is blind, would love to choose her own clothes as she is fashion conscious. She requires help when shopping for clothes but finds it is fraught with many difficulties. Her family is unsupportive and when they do go shopping with her tend to choose the first outfit she tries on.