It’s summertime but the living’ isn’t as easy as it might seem to be. An evening sun settles on the streets of Ballina.
Its Thursday and Tom Chambers has just arrived in to town from Newport a man on a mission, he comes laden with leaflets. Documentation outlining the lofty ambitions that the 1995 Barcelona declaration imposed on local authorities across the continent in relation to the right of people with disabilities to equal opportunities. Correspondence exchanged with various government departments, mayo County Council, and Ballina town Council, dating back to 1998,on issues that have not gone away. He brings cuttings from newspapers and excerpts from parliamentary questions time in Dail Eireann.
He comes accompanied by local town councillor, Peter Clarke. Prior to last summers elections Sinn Fein candidate for Ballina Town Council approached Tom Chambers with a view to placing access for the disabled on the election canvass. He followed up this commitment by partaking in an audit of public buildings in town to access the problems faced by people like Tom Chambers, who is wheel-chair bound. This evening the pair are back on the beaten path.
In February of this year, Tom Chambers contacted 31 councillors’ in Mayo by e-mail, Introducing himself as an access officer and disability campaigner, and inviting each to join his endeavour to implement the Barcelona Declaration. His documentation records four replies ,three from the Westport electoral area, and one from Cllr Clarke in the Ballina region.
Tom Chambers refers to a paper cutting in the midst of his paper trail, an article dating back to October 2003when Ballina councillors “moved” to make their town more accessible for wheelchair users with the formation of a sub-committee to address the issue.
“local representatives’ were expressing their views about the town, but what have they done to alleviate the fears of the persons who wrote to them, ”asks Tom Chambers, a wheelchair user for 25 years.
“I would put it to them that if they are to implement the Barcelona Declaration, Wheelchair users should be included from day one ,not invited when the so called experts have done a bit of work.”
During the next two-and-a half hours, as the perspective of a wheelchair user in Ballina is painstaking revealed Tom Chambers will point out to umpteen situations where the “experts” have failed to meet his requirements as a wheelchair user.
“it seems to me that engineers and architects are often not signing off on work that planning permission has been secured for” he says in exasperated tones at one juncture.
He has parked on one-way O Rahilly street at the disabled drivers space close to where Peter Clarke’s seafood business is located. Immediately the absence of uniform parking bay for disabled drivers is readily identifiable in most of Europe with its distinctive blue background and white logo at its centre.
Tonight that parking space is vacant. Its not always the case. Two years ago the department of Transport indicated to Tom chambers that it would consider the inclusion of illegal parking in designated disabled persons parking bays in the penalty points scheme.
“this would have to be justified on grounds of road safety and it would limit enforcement in that if it was a penalty point offence it could only be enforced by An Garda Siochana,” Tom Chambers says, producing the letter from (then)minister Seamus Brennan’s private secretary. From the same file he sequesters documentation received from the Minister of the Environment in June 2004 in reply to an enquiry by fine Gael T D Michael Ring about special funding to provide for footpath adaptation to provide crossings and dish kerbs for wheel chair users.” the selection of works to be funded from grants is entirely a matter for the relevant local authority,” come the reply.
Superbly versed in this sector ,Tom Chambers understands that € 350,000 has been set aside for 2005 roads programme in the Ballina electoral area. Of this 44 percent is ring-fenced for work on paths. How much of this money has been invested in Ballina’s pathways thus far ,he asks.
From the parking space closer to the bottom of O Rahilly Street, Tom Chambers commences the steep haul towards the top of the street where he can gain access to the footpath. Eventually ,as the going get tough, he has to request the assistance of Peter Clarke. Tom Chambers has completed the Dublin City Marathon on four occasions. Turning on to Bury Street it is a monumental struggle to keep his chair on the footpath which narrows alarmingly on the corner. Again some tightrope balancing is required.
At the disabled parking spaces at diamonds Car Park off Bury street, he highlights the crucial need for bays on either side of disabled parking space to allow the disabled driver the space to get out of the car on either side.
At the entrance to Market Lane a sign overhead reads ,”Access to Town Centre”, this is irony in its mendacious form .the negation of Market Lane ,a relatively new shopping district, is nothing short of a nightmare for the wheelchair user. A veritable downhill maze, it leaves tom Chambers skidding out of control in places, reaching for handrails which are either out of reach or dislodged from their concrete foundations. A gradient of 1;20 is recommended in such a situation as are a second ,lower handrail,75mm raised kerbs on open sides and slip -resistant surfaces.” imagine what this would be like on a wet day “ observes tom Chambers. One cringes at the possibilities.
The shape of the handrails here are appropriate and properly sized ,but it’s a different story further down the street where flat, rust-friendly handrails offer no assistance on only one side of a ramp for wheelchair users outside prominent business. Outside Ballina Civic offices, Tom Chambers again struggles to maintain control on the footpath’s uneven layout, and eventually has to call Peter Clarke again. The disabled parking space her is hardly easy to negotiate either .the driver must get out in to the flow of traffic ,and a water drain inhibits the location of the wheelchair. To gain access to the footpath from here, the wheelchair user must return-in the face of traffic-to the traffic lights some 75yards away, around the corner at Dunne’s Stores. I have been approached by people living in Ballina with disabilities and asked to highlight the everyday problems that they are facing. Tom Chambers explains why we are here tonight
From his library of information, he finally produces the ‘disability proofing template for local Government, a hand book issued by the National Disability Authority on the implementation of the Barcelona Declaration
“the ultimate aim and potential of the disability proofing template is to facilitate local authorities in creating a more inclusive society for everyone,” the introduction reads.
“In fulfilling the Declaration Agreement each local authority undertakes to raise disability awareness and to engage in consultative process with disabled people.”
The introduction concludes with definition of disability in this context. It is “the disadvantage or restriction of activity caused by a contempary social organisation which takes little or no account of people (with disabilities)and thus excludes them from participation in the mainstream of social activities”. and right now, Tom Chambers is feeling more than a little bit left out . But he’s not going away.
Its Thursday and Tom Chambers has just arrived in to town from Newport a man on a mission, he comes laden with leaflets. Documentation outlining the lofty ambitions that the 1995 Barcelona declaration imposed on local authorities across the continent in relation to the right of people with disabilities to equal opportunities. Correspondence exchanged with various government departments, mayo County Council, and Ballina town Council, dating back to 1998,on issues that have not gone away. He brings cuttings from newspapers and excerpts from parliamentary questions time in Dail Eireann.
He comes accompanied by local town councillor, Peter Clarke. Prior to last summers elections Sinn Fein candidate for Ballina Town Council approached Tom Chambers with a view to placing access for the disabled on the election canvass. He followed up this commitment by partaking in an audit of public buildings in town to access the problems faced by people like Tom Chambers, who is wheel-chair bound. This evening the pair are back on the beaten path.
In February of this year, Tom Chambers contacted 31 councillors’ in Mayo by e-mail, Introducing himself as an access officer and disability campaigner, and inviting each to join his endeavour to implement the Barcelona Declaration. His documentation records four replies ,three from the Westport electoral area, and one from Cllr Clarke in the Ballina region.
Tom Chambers refers to a paper cutting in the midst of his paper trail, an article dating back to October 2003when Ballina councillors “moved” to make their town more accessible for wheelchair users with the formation of a sub-committee to address the issue.
“local representatives’ were expressing their views about the town, but what have they done to alleviate the fears of the persons who wrote to them, ”asks Tom Chambers, a wheelchair user for 25 years.
“I would put it to them that if they are to implement the Barcelona Declaration, Wheelchair users should be included from day one ,not invited when the so called experts have done a bit of work.”
During the next two-and-a half hours, as the perspective of a wheelchair user in Ballina is painstaking revealed Tom Chambers will point out to umpteen situations where the “experts” have failed to meet his requirements as a wheelchair user.
“it seems to me that engineers and architects are often not signing off on work that planning permission has been secured for” he says in exasperated tones at one juncture.
He has parked on one-way O Rahilly street at the disabled drivers space close to where Peter Clarke’s seafood business is located. Immediately the absence of uniform parking bay for disabled drivers is readily identifiable in most of Europe with its distinctive blue background and white logo at its centre.
Tonight that parking space is vacant. Its not always the case. Two years ago the department of Transport indicated to Tom chambers that it would consider the inclusion of illegal parking in designated disabled persons parking bays in the penalty points scheme.
“this would have to be justified on grounds of road safety and it would limit enforcement in that if it was a penalty point offence it could only be enforced by An Garda Siochana,” Tom Chambers says, producing the letter from (then)minister Seamus Brennan’s private secretary. From the same file he sequesters documentation received from the Minister of the Environment in June 2004 in reply to an enquiry by fine Gael T D Michael Ring about special funding to provide for footpath adaptation to provide crossings and dish kerbs for wheel chair users.” the selection of works to be funded from grants is entirely a matter for the relevant local authority,” come the reply.
Superbly versed in this sector ,Tom Chambers understands that € 350,000 has been set aside for 2005 roads programme in the Ballina electoral area. Of this 44 percent is ring-fenced for work on paths. How much of this money has been invested in Ballina’s pathways thus far ,he asks.
From the parking space closer to the bottom of O Rahilly Street, Tom Chambers commences the steep haul towards the top of the street where he can gain access to the footpath. Eventually ,as the going get tough, he has to request the assistance of Peter Clarke. Tom Chambers has completed the Dublin City Marathon on four occasions. Turning on to Bury Street it is a monumental struggle to keep his chair on the footpath which narrows alarmingly on the corner. Again some tightrope balancing is required.
At the disabled parking spaces at diamonds Car Park off Bury street, he highlights the crucial need for bays on either side of disabled parking space to allow the disabled driver the space to get out of the car on either side.
At the entrance to Market Lane a sign overhead reads ,”Access to Town Centre”, this is irony in its mendacious form .the negation of Market Lane ,a relatively new shopping district, is nothing short of a nightmare for the wheelchair user. A veritable downhill maze, it leaves tom Chambers skidding out of control in places, reaching for handrails which are either out of reach or dislodged from their concrete foundations. A gradient of 1;20 is recommended in such a situation as are a second ,lower handrail,75mm raised kerbs on open sides and slip -resistant surfaces.” imagine what this would be like on a wet day “ observes tom Chambers. One cringes at the possibilities.
The shape of the handrails here are appropriate and properly sized ,but it’s a different story further down the street where flat, rust-friendly handrails offer no assistance on only one side of a ramp for wheelchair users outside prominent business. Outside Ballina Civic offices, Tom Chambers again struggles to maintain control on the footpath’s uneven layout, and eventually has to call Peter Clarke again. The disabled parking space her is hardly easy to negotiate either .the driver must get out in to the flow of traffic ,and a water drain inhibits the location of the wheelchair. To gain access to the footpath from here, the wheelchair user must return-in the face of traffic-to the traffic lights some 75yards away, around the corner at Dunne’s Stores. I have been approached by people living in Ballina with disabilities and asked to highlight the everyday problems that they are facing. Tom Chambers explains why we are here tonight
From his library of information, he finally produces the ‘disability proofing template for local Government, a hand book issued by the National Disability Authority on the implementation of the Barcelona Declaration
“the ultimate aim and potential of the disability proofing template is to facilitate local authorities in creating a more inclusive society for everyone,” the introduction reads.
“In fulfilling the Declaration Agreement each local authority undertakes to raise disability awareness and to engage in consultative process with disabled people.”
The introduction concludes with definition of disability in this context. It is “the disadvantage or restriction of activity caused by a contempary social organisation which takes little or no account of people (with disabilities)and thus excludes them from participation in the mainstream of social activities”. and right now, Tom Chambers is feeling more than a little bit left out . But he’s not going away.
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