Answer: I think that the onus really does lie with those of us who have a disability. We should not wait for others to make provision for us but get off our proverbial backsides and make things happen. The first thing we need to do is admit to our disability. Daft as it may seem nearly everyone I have met who has a disability doesn't want to be thought of as disabled. Someone might say "Yes, I only have one leg, am blind and have heart failure; bit I'm NOT disabled!" I have no idea why we are so unwilling to admit to our limitations, as if it is something to be ashamed of.
We need the equivalent of "Black is Beautiful" or "Glad to be Gay" to own our disabilities and flaunt them, not hide them away. Only this way will people see that they are actually in the majority. Most people are either young and small, elderly and frail, disabled and sick etc.
I like the "Crips with a Chip"s (cripples with a chip on their shoulder) movement. But most people will never be part of that radical wing, they still need to be part of a positive movement that rejoices in our diversity rather than trying to make do with "average" provision.
Question: In the October 2004 issue of Birdwatching Magazine you wrote, "Our trips overseas have taught me that simplicity of design is king - we had far fewer problems in Kenya or India than we did Canada and Australia because all facilities were more basic and simple and so much easier to use." Can you elaborate, perhaps with a story?
Answer: In Kenya one of our party, Brian who is the dba treasurer, had a puncture in his wheelchair tire on the way into lunch. One of the waiters asked if he could transfer Brian into an ordinary seat whilst he sussed out a solution. He returned before the meal was over with the puncture repaired. As people cannot afford cars but lots have bikes, repairing punctures happens all the time. In the West such a problem might have taken days to fix.
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