| source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/features/a_wheelchair_user_s_survival_guide_to_pu.shtml
Your average able-bodied person assumes that 'disabled loos' in pubs are the height of hygienic spacious privacy. But how wrong this can sometimes be. Comedian and wheelchair user Laurence Clark gives us the benefit of a lifetime's experience of these locked-away special hidey holes ...  Back when I was a student, I gave pride of place on my bathroom wall to a framed poster showing every pub toilet in Liverpool – both gents and ladies. Neatly arranged in columns were photos of over a hundred of these dank, smelly, highly inaccessible cess pits. I decided to make it a personal mission during my three years at university, to conquer each and every one of them. Poor balance and alcohol have never been a good combination for me at the best of times, however. And while this wasn’t a problem on a night out if I was able to stay sitting down, it would suddenly become a real issue if I ever needed to stagger out of my chair and tackle an inaccessible pub bog. One common strategy used by wheelies when drinking in a pub with a toilet that's impossible to access, is to order spirits all night long - the neater the better. But although this low liquid intake approach to bladder control will enable you to minimise the number of times you need to spend a penny throughout the evening, you'll very likely wind up in a pretty ugly state the next morning. It is not recommended. Alternatively, you could choose to go to pubs with a certain well-known fast food chain outlet nearby, since they can usually be relied upon to have an accessible loo. I only ever venture in to use their toilet and nick their straws, since I can't stand the food. Using up their resources without giving them a penny in return, is my small attempt at anti-globalisation activism.  The various disgusting states in which pub toilets are left in can also be a big issue. For example those featuring filthy grab rails and puddles of you-know-what on the floor. On one memorable occasion years ago, I slipped in a toilet cubicle and fell forward into a kneeling position. I spent the rest of the evening making up implausible excuses as to why I had wet knees. Even the best chat up lines in the world couldn't rescue me from that one. One way to avoid slipping and falling over is to pee sitting down. However being both somewhat well-built, and having less than perfect balance, has gained me quite a reputation over the years for accidentally breaking toilet seats whenever I plonk down on them. I was once on holiday in Botswana, staying at someone's house quite literally in the middle of nowhere, when I managed to split their wooden toilet seat in two by merely sitting on it. To make matters worse, this was very probably the only toilet seat within a 50 mile radius. Fortunately, the personal assistant who was travelling with me at the time happened to have a rather large behind, so the owner automatically assumed that she was the one who had broken the seat. But since they were too embarrassed to broach the subject with her and I never owned up to my crime, I got away scot free.  Of course, nowadays more and more pubs have accessible toilets ... or as they are more commonly thought of by pub landlords: handy storage cupboards for smelly mops and buckets which can occasionally double as a bog if some stroppy wheelie threatens to sue.I once asked to use an accessible loo in a bar and was told they couldn't unlock the door because they'd lost the key. Once I'd kicked up enough of a fuss, it turned out they'd had the key all along but the entire room was stacked high from floor to ceiling with crates of alcopops. When I finally got in, after they'd considerately cleared a path to the bog, I felt morally obliged to stash a few bottles away in my bag. I don't even like alcopops! But my all-time scariest experience involving a pub toilet happened a few years ago in Glasgow. I opened the door of the accessible loo to discover I'd disturbed a couple having sex on the floor. Rather than feeling embarrassed and getting out of my way, they instead shouted unintelligible abuse, locked me out and carried on where they'd left off. Since I really desperately needed to pee, I went and got the bouncer to forcibly evict them. They weren't very happy to say the least and I spent the rest of the evening looking over my shoulder, convinced they'd be coming back to get me.  In conclusion: It would be nice every once in a while to throw caution to the wind by going out and getting hammered. However, the reality of the situation is that wheelchair users still need to do a bit more forward planning if they want to enjoy a night on the tiles. |
Beat Disability-By Embracing It
Equity and Inclusivity
Sabeena Jalal
"To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beautyto its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never, to forget."- Arundhati Roy
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A wheelchair user's survival guide to pub toilets
Wholeness - How would it feel to fully and completely accept yourself for who you are right in this very moment?
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Article Written By Liz
Email: liz@accessiblebeyondlimits.com
We are all works in progress, learning as we go, to fully love ourselves, and others. To fully love others, we owe it to ourselves to not only love our positive sides, and all the wonderful qualities that we have. We owe it to ourselves to love the fact that we are fully human, and not perfect. We need to look at and appreciate our darker sides.
There are strengths in our not so pleasant character traits, when we look at things from a balanced perspective. I, for one, have never liked the fact that I am so emotional and open. It’s great when I have fun things going on and I can share and rejoice with friends, and laugh. But when things aren’t as positive, and I am sad or angry, I often wish I didn’t wear my heart on my sleeve.
Looking at this from a balanced perspective, I know that my openness has some times given others the permission they need to get over the fear, and just express where they are at. I have many people — often strangers — sharing their troubles with me. Perhaps they sense my honesty and willingness to just listen and not try to fix them. In any case, I can see my emotional side serving a purpose for other people. The reasons and the whys have become unimportant.
Knowing that our character flaws, or what we see as flaws, can serve a purpose, will help us love ourselves more. We are all perfectly created and wonderfully made. This includes the light and the dark within us. There are no mistakes. We are perfect and whole. Just as we are. Right now.
Life is a journey of self-discovery and striving to be more of who we already are. Appreciating the good and bad makes the journey easier. We don’t have to separate ourselves into good and bad. We can let go of perfectionism, and release shame over our faults. We can simply be who we are. All of who we are.
How can loving all of who you are help you let go of limits, and be more fully able to love others?
To learn more about Liz visit her website at www.accessiblebeyondlimits.com
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I'm Debbie, I've suffered from CFS and Fibromyalgia for five years now and it has got to the stage where I almost constantly need a wheelchair and even going out for a little while in the wheelchair ruins the rest of the day for me and I just sleep.
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I am Accessible - Beyond Limits: "As a woman with a disability, I have experienced challenges with physical accessibility. Over the years I have found that the challenge really lies within attitudes — mine, and those of other people. "
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Article By Liz Van Reenen
I am Accessible - Beyond Limits. What does that truly mean? Is it about wheelchairs and moving office furniture? Most people when they think of "accessibility" think of it in terms of the physical realm. Is the building accessible? Are there elevators? Is the convention going to be accessible for the deaf? Will they have interpreters? Is the bus accessible and equipped with a ramp? As a woman with a disability, I have experienced challenges with physical accessibility. Over the years I have found that the challenge really lies within attitudes — mine, and those of other people. Accessibility is an attitude. It is a return to that childlike spirit within all of us that knows no fear. It is about embracing wholeness and letting this shine through beyond physical limitations. It is about honoring ourselves and others as equal members of society, regardless of outer appearance or ability. I challenge you to think of accessibility in a new way, that will enhance your life and how you live it every day. Ask yourself: am I accessible to the great opportunities that life has to offer me today? Am I open to the endless possibilities that I have in my life? Or do I trot through life like a horse with blinders on, never veering from the path. Never chasing the carrot. Am I living from an accessible place within? Or do I have walls that prevent life from freely flowing through me and manifesting my highest and most perfect good? And not only MY highest good, but the highest good for all whom I interact with on a daily basis. How can you become more accessible to your own personal power today? What do you need to be open to, to manifest what you want in your life?
About the Author:
Liz van Reenen envisions a world with people in it who are accessible. Accessible people are people who recognize their own power and use it daily in their own journeys, to overcome obstacles and realize their dreams.
Vision Statement: To live in a society that believes disability is a state of mind, not a physical condition.
Mission Statement:
To learn more about Liz visit her website at www.accessiblebeyondlimits.com Email: liz@accessiblebeyondlimits.com
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A Warrior on a Wheelchair- living with Friedrich's Ataxia
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Article by Asad Rafi
Using the walker Being diagnosed of Friedrich’s Ataxia effectively ended my chances of going for higher studies abroad. I decided not to pursue with my studies anymore, as the disease was gradually making it more difficult for me to walk. After doing my A-levels at KGS I decided to give up my studies and concentrate on things that interested me. By this time I had stopped wearing a brace for my back and was now in the process of walking with a walker. The walker provided me assistance and prevented me from falling down in the beginning. With the passage of time it apparently got more tough for me to use the walker and I was beginning to fall down a lot Symptoms of Ataxia
I was again examined by the doctor to find out the reason for my falling frequently. I had been told that I had Friedrich’s Ataxia before and was told that my lower muscles were weakening and I got the shocking news that I would be transferred into a wheelchair. With that also came the news that I might not be able to walk again. Friedrich’s ataxia was a genetic disease and it caused progressive damage to the nervous system. It had a number of symptoms involved including loss of hearing, speech problem, etc. By the grace of God I have not had these symptoms effect me too much. There are slight traces of some of these symptoms which is natural but on the whole I have lived a problem free life. Things are very different these days compared to the old times. There has been so much progress in medicine and there is so much research going on in the field of ataxia, which makes me so optimistic about this disease being curable in the near future. Getting started at IBM
I would also like to talk about the time spent in IBM over 15 years which was definitely memorable and very enjoyable time. I had started by doing computer courses and went on to work for them. After completing my A-levels I had joined IBM as I was interested in computers. IBM being one of the most successful computer companies in modern times. As the then Managing Director of IBM was a good friend of my father, he offered me a job and I joined the finance department in IBM. I had been diagnosed of Friedrich’s Ataxia before joining IBM and I used to use a walker for walking. I remember taking rounds of the building using my walker and it felt great.
My transfer into a wheelchair happened while I was in IBM, due to my legs getting weak and making it impossible for me to walk. Let me say that the entire staff and employees of IBM were extremely caring and gave me all their support and courage. They made sure that my seat had a lot of space to maneuver and all my work was done on the computer. I did not need to do any running around for my work which made it very comfortable for me.
I made a lot of great friends a IBM. At one point and time we were five to six friends all working together in the finance department. It was one of the most enjoyable and memorable time I ever had. We used to joke, laugh, tease one another and also used to do our work at the same time. We were extremely lucky to have some extremely understanding managers who would also used to joke with us and engage in some interesting conversation with us today. The atmosphere used to be so entertaining and exciting.
A.F. FERGUSON
A.F. Ferguson which was an audit company and was headed by my father at that time used to do the audit of IBM. Their team compromised of some young boys who were extremely friendly with me. I remember when their team came over for the audit of IBM, we had a ball of a time, used to go for lunch and joke all the time. There were a couple of female auditors with whom I became friends and have kept in touch with them to this day. One of them is among my best friends and her name is Aana. She is married now and lives in England. I always try to meet her when I go to England. Very wheelchair friendly Washrooms For me the only apprehension in the new building was the washroom. I remember at Avari Plaza there being a single washroom which was at quite a distance from our department. So indeed it was quite a struggle for me to get to the washroom and there were not wheelchair friendly. What Zubair, my manager went on to do is what makes him so special and caring. While the building was being made he had my wheelchair taken to the new premises for measurements, so that the washroom being made could accommodate my wheelchair. When the building was ready and I went to check the washroom, I discovered that every floor had got washrooms. When I went to the 12th floor I found out that a separate washroom had been made for me and totally wheelchair friendly. There were rods fitted on each side to help me hold onto something while getting out of the wheelchair. Having a Positive Attitude in Life In the beginning this wheelchair felt like a prison for me because it confined me from where I wanted to go and prevented me from what I wanted to do. Like they say it is not the problems that determine your state it is your attitude towards it. If you can stay cheerful when confronted with a problem half the problem is automatically solved. It is also very imperative to have a positive attitude in life when faced with an obstacle in life like I was. Here I would say that being the only child of my parents definitely made life tougher for me in the beginning. The reason for that all the attention and focus being on me, which made me feel awkward and nervous at times. Of course there was the advantage of enjoying life to the fullest on my own and the immense freedom I had of being on my own was huge. It meant that being the only child gave me a lot of confidence as to how to live your life alone for the future. Photos: 1: Days at Karachi Grammar School 2: Days when working at IBM 3: Being Touristy in London 4: Giving a motivational Talk |
