Derry wheelchair user feels excluded from city life due to lack of accessibility

A Derry man who uses a wheelchair said he’s forced to avoid the city due to the lack of access for disabled people.

Tommy Cairns has been a wheelchair user his whole life. He has Cerebral Palsy, which affects his mobility. He also works with a major disability group in the city.

Tommy says he has ‘real difficulty’ walking, ‘especially any kind of distance’. He gets fatigued easily, saying it takes ‘somebody with Cerebral Palsy five times more energy than somebody without to complete a task’.

“If I wanted to go into town independently, it's kind of out of the question, " he said.

“You're kind of confined to Foyleside and the Richmond Centre if you're going shopping, other shops are kind of out of the question.

“I know the geography definitely doesn't help in the town because some of the busiest streets in Derry, Shipquay Street and Waterloo Street, are kind of inaccessible to a person who has used a wheelchair.”

Christmas shopping and other festivities in the city make the holidays an increasingly difficult time to get around as a wheelchair user.

“I tend to just avoid the town, I don't go near it because of the accessibility issues and because of how busy it is. It's just something that's out of the question for me now at this time of year.

“I wouldn't spend money in the town because I can't access it the majority of times.

“Some days I will have somebody with me but it's exhausting for them to push the wheelchair. So I do online shopping, which is handy but you're missing out on the social aspect you get when you go into the town.”

The 'severe lack of parking' in the city centre increases difficulties for wheelchair users according to Tommy.

“There's only a few available parking spaces in the centre. Although I did hear they're putting a motion forward to kind of open up the diamond again for parking but how accessible that will be for people with disabilities remains to be seen.

“In Bishop's Street they've taken away most of the parking spaces as well. So you have to go further up to get a space. There are pay and display car parks but they're not adequate for the traffic in the town, so there's all that that keeps me out of the town.”

The lack of accessibility infrastructure creates social exclusion for many disabled people. Over Christmas there is often no choice but to decline some invitations to events due to their location if you're a wheelchair user.

“The bar scene is out of the question because it takes too much of a toll, trying to get from A to B with most of the bars in Derry.

“If you wanted to go to a nightclub – I'm past all that stage now to be honest – but for anybody younger with a disability there are bars on Waterloo Street with nightclubs up the stairs and they can't access them so they're missing out on that nightlife in the centre of the city because it just isn't accessible.

“Now in the festive period people are having to say no to gatherings and outings because they can't get in and they can't get out.”

"Can't think of anything really inclusive"

When asked about what is available to wheelchair users in the city he said 'off the top of my head, I can't think of anything that's really inclusive'.

“I do go to the cinema quite frequently and that can be accessible at times, but, in saying that, cinemas aren't equipped for people with disabilities either because there's a small quarter sectioned off right at the front of the cinema where you can't see the film because you're too close and then you'd need to climb stairs to get a good seat.

“That all needs to be restructured if you ask me.”

Tommy said leisure and recreation ‘isn't really accessible'. Most leisure centres are lacking accessibility infrastructure according to Tommy.

He used the example of the disability changing rooms at Templemore Sports Complex for people, which he says has outdated equipment or where it does have equipment it is outdated.

He said that while staff are always very helpful, the way the places are designed, a majority of them aren't accessible. Apart from Foyle Arena, which is very good and up to date.

“There needs to be more investment in leisure facilities and public access facilities right across the board. Without the investment nothing's going to change.”

Council was contacted for comment on the issues at Templemore Sports Complex.

Council has a Disability Action Plan but it one ends at the end of 2023.

A spokesperson for Derry City and Strabane District Council confirmed that Council will be implementing a new Disability Action Plan in 2024 to help ensure compliance with its duties under Section 49A of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. 

"Promoting equality is a key priority for Council and we regularly review our services to ensure we fulfil our statutory obligations in compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (as amended by the Disability Discrimination (NI) Order 2006) and promote access to Council, information, services, programmes and events for people of all abilities," they said. 

"While Council has no responsibility for improving access in the City Centre, we endeavour to ensure that all Council sites and buildings, as far as reasonably possible, have accessible facilities available and that staff are trained in disability awareness and appropriate customer care. 

"Council’s Access and Inclusion Officer also offers support to Cultural Organisations to help improve their accessibility with the completion of Access Audits to establish how well a particular environment performs in terms of access and ease of use by a wide range of potential users including people with disabilities, recommending improvements where necessary. Council offers an annual Access Grant Aid programme for Cultural Organisations to apply for funding to address the recommendations listed on their individual Audit."