I’ve blogged once or twice before about the foibles of the so-called ‘accessible’ Auckland public transport system, which in reality is anything but.

So imagine my delight when I visited Vancouver as part of my Wheely Big OE, and found automated, truly wheelchair friendly buses and bus drivers! It might have helped that their former mayor was a wheelchair user himself, but nonetheless Vancouver currently stands as the most accessible city I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting.

Click the ‘read more’ link to check out the video!

Come on now, really? Cerebral palsy and theatre don’t mix! And yet, Bats Theatre in Wellington is challenging that notion by staging ‘KatyDid’, the lead character of which does indeed have cerebral palsy. It’s almost worth a trip down to the capital to see it!

The play is proving so popular that they’re adding extra shows this weekend to cope with the demand. So if you live in Wellington, and fancy a bit of spice with your theatre, grab your tickets now!

Although I’m told, somewhat ironically, that the theatre itself is inaccessible to wheelchair users… sigh!

Isn’t this just a gorgeous image? Captured by the fine folk at Reuters, it shows a group of people in India, with various disabilities, participating in a traditional Indian dance routine. If you’re keen to see some mixed-ability dance back here in New Zealand, maybe it’s time to check out Touch Compass’ upcoming performances.

After writing that wee rant last week about Countdown’s wonderful new inaccessible self-service checkout kiosks, it got me thinking about better alternatives. I struggled at first to think of any company, either in NZ or overseas, that takes universal access seriously enough to incorporate it into any of its product design. And then it hit me. Our much-lauded national carrier, Air New Zealand, have these amazing checkin kiosks in their domestic terminal, one of which is not only totally accessible to those in wheelchairs but clearly signposted too!

You can see the great signage in the picture above, and let me tell you, these are an absolute treat to use. I fly with Air NZ quite frequently, and even though my visits require a trip to the special assistance counter to speak with airport staff, I always check in using the kiosks first, because it’s just such a wonderful experience. Sure, the user interface is great, and the process is simple, but the fact they care enough to put in a dedicated kiosk for those with limited mobility?

Well that, as they say, is priceless.

Halfway through my weekly pilgrimage to my local supermarket, I noticed they’d installed these fancy new self-service checkouts. Wonderful, I thought, this will save me some time!

Wrong.

Unbelievably, despite them installing four new DIY checkouts, not one was accessible for a wheelchair user. The screens were all positioned quite high up, and the EFTPOS terminals even higher, way out of reach for anyone sitting down! Of course, this also excludes children and some elderly folk who might also want to use them.

I find this kinda bewildering, really! It seems like every time we take a step forward in terms of access, someone jumps in and sends us flying 8 steps backward. Good one, Countdown.

If you’re not really one for challenging environments, taking on Rome in a wheelchair is not something I’d advise. Of all the cities undertaken on my Wheely Big OE, Rome was by far the trickiest. And, crucially, one of the most expensive. And it’s not like I can say I hadn’t been forewarned! Plenty has been written about Rome’s unsuitability for wheelchair users, especially those in power chairs. Unperturbed, we decided to go anyway.

I cannot stress this enough: when travelling to Rome in a wheelchair, planning is essential. In order to take the Leonardo Express from Rome’s Fiumicino Airport to the main station, Termini, you have to email the Sala Blu team at trenitalia.it in order for them to arrange the requisite lift service at Termini. Unless you’re comfortable being hauled down steps, don’t forget to do this! Also, don’t expect a readily-available wheelchair-accessible taxi service! We had a few muckups with our flights, and after ringing what seemed like every taxi company in Rome, ended up spending 140euro (which is around $280NZD) on a taxi to the airport. Absolutely criminal.

I tell ya what, if I could cook, or had the slightest desire to learn how, I would be checking Nic Steenhout’s website daily. The man has forged himself a rather unique niche as a self-styled Wheeling Gourmet, with his website providing delicious recipes, tasty blog posts, and tips on how to cook when you’re spending time in a wheelchair! (Because that’s all this wheelchair thing is really, a casual lifestyle choice…)

Nic’s website has also just been announced as a finalist in the 2010 Plain English Awards, for sites that are easy to read, understand, and engage with.

Anyway, if you’ve always wanted to try your hand at a culinary masterpiece, or simply learn how to make a mean chicken salad, make sure you check out Nic’s website, The Wheeling Gourmet. If you’re really up with the play, you can even follow the guy on Twitter.

You know, when this grizzly affair involving the murder of Keith McCormack first hit the news, I wasn’t at all certain justice would be served. The accused, Eric Neil Smail, claimed self-defence, saying that it all became “too much” in his capacity as his best friend’s caregiver. One wonders how such a ghastly arrangement came to be in the first place.

Anyway, as it happens the jury did find him guilty of murder, and not manslaughter as he had so pitifully tried to plead. And today, he was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment.

It’s a sad story all round, really, but I’m glad that it sends a strong, albeit painfully obvious message: disabled people’s lives are valued just as much as those of non-disabled people. I think there was a real danger of establishing a second class of citizen, should this verdict and sentence not have been reached.

You can read the full article here.

This is just so exciting. A group of young people from the UK are organising a beauty pageant for people with disabilities called “Disabled and Sexy”, and I’m not gonna lie – these girls look hot! The pageant is supporting a great cause too, the Jennifer Trust for Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

I find it so so frustrating that disabled people are often seen as asexual beings, thanks in part to the media’s tragic portrayal of us the eternal sufferer. So I’m raising my glass to this lot – I’d love to do something similar down under!

Check out their website for more information.