I’m so pleased the issue of wheelchair users having to pay more than everyone else for U2 tickets has caught the attention of the mainstream media, sometimes there’s nothing more powerful than the voice of a reporter on your side when you’re trying to affect change! I just wanted to point out a couple of things:

• We’ve succeeded in changing the minds of the promoters! They’ve decided to make some of the wheelchair seats available in the cheaper price categories, so to my fellow wheelchair users, I hope you can make it to the show by taking up this offer!
• For what it’s worth, not once have I contacted the media myself, all coverage of this has been initiated by reporters calling me, and I’m so grateful for their support of this cause

Thanks for everyone who posted comments in support of my letter or tweeted about it on Twitter, just goes to show we can make change if we put our collective minds to it eh?!

Red

Dear Sir/Madam,

I recently rang Ticketek to purchase tickets to the U2 show in Auckland on November 25th, which I’m really excited about. I heard prices of $40 being advertised on the news which was great, and I would’ve happily stumped up $100 for a ticket. So imagine my disappointment when I was told that the minimum cost of a ticket, for a disabled person using a wheelchair, was $179!! Given that I have to bring a support person with me most places I go, and when you add on the booking fee, that brings the total cost of admission to almost $380.

Honestly, I find that borderline offensive. Having recently spent time in Europe, LiveNation and other promoters often subsidise a disabled person’s entry fee to concerts, or that of their support person’s, because they appreciate this exact quandry. I understand you can’t have designated disabled seating in every price bracket, but it’d be great if this was acknowledged by reduced admission like they consistently do overseas!

Why should regular able-bodied folk be able to choose to buy cheap tickets, but people with disabilities are asked to pay through the nose?

I’d appreciate your thoughts on this, as I’m sure the media would, and any changes to this pricing structure would be gratefully received.

Kind regards,

Red Nicholson

But you know, this is nothing new. I’m constantly frustrated at the complete disregard for disabled patrons by concert promoters here. Many disabled people are unemployed or on a benefit, yet they’re consistently being asked to fork out top dollar to see a band?!

[EDIT] There are tickets to this concert on sale for $39.90, which are unavailable to wheelchair users. The cheapest ticket for a wheelchair user is $179.90. That is more than four times the minimum ticket price offered to able-bodied concert-goers.

Unbelievable.

Let me detail the gross under-representation of disability issues on the campaign trail so far:

• Public meetings held at inaccessible venues (read: heaps of stairs)
• No mention of disability in any of the main candidates manifestos/policies
• No reassurance that current disability advocate roles within council will exist under the new Auckland Council

Quite simply, disability isn’t on the agenda. And given that the Rugby World Cup is just around the corner, not only is it an embarrassing omission by the mayoral candidates, it’s also downright stupid. You can expect many of the visitors to our shores next year will use a mobility aid of some kind, whether it be a wheelchair, cane, or even glasses. And don’t forget they’ll be bringing family and friends with them, so by ignoring accessibility issues (let alone making them a priority!) a huge economic opportunity is being wasted.

Have you heard any of the Auckland Supercity mayoral candidates mention anything around accessibility, or disability issues?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

All right. Let’s assume you’ve managed to get to Termini okay, which is the central transport hub of Rome. If you’re a power wheelchair user, or don’t really deal with stairs particularly well, you can forget about using the metro in Rome. So it leaves you with only one option really: stay in Termini. And I’ll be frank: Termini sucks. It’s a tired-looking, run-down, seedy and bloody expensive area of Rome. We stayed at The ‘Yes’ Hotel [TripAdvisor link] and it was, well, just okay. Small, expensive, and fairly run-of-the-mill. But it was accessible, which was cool. Needless to say we left the hotel fairly quickly, and went in search of some food, which brings me to the next (fairly major) issue I had with Rome: where are all the curb cuts?!

As you can see in the photo above, curb cuts were few and far between, which meant long periods of rolling my wheelchair along the cobblestones. Which was fine, until a car came along. And a scooter. And a pram. Oh, and another scooter. And a bike. And a crowd of tourists. I tell ya, sometimes there weren’t even any footpaths! So it was a on-the-road free-for-all which, to be honest, would’ve been quite exciting if I wasn’t so concerned for my well-being!

And therein lies the beauty of Rome, really, in the sense that it was just so chaotic, and so hot, and so overwhelming, that it was unlike any other city we visited. Every corner you turned, 2000-year-old buildings were crumbling, roads were melting, and statues glistened in the 30 degree heat. We had the best gelato I’ve ever tasted, some beautiful pasta in Piazza Navona, and some equally-expensive but utter rubbish meals in the Termini area. We took the iPhone Lonely Planet Rome Guide with us, I can’t recommend it enough! It really sorts the great from the average.

Despite my caveats: make sure you plan ahead, mind the (lack of) curb cuts, and be prepared to spend more than you’d anticipated, Rome is a marvellous city and not one to be missed. The Colosseum is simply overwhelming, the Trevi fountain is breathtaking, and at the end of the day, my 100-kilo electric wheelchair and I spent 6 beautiful days in the Eternal City.

If you’d like to know more about my trip, or thinking about going to Rome yourself, leave a comment below!

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.