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Councillors urged to Borrow My Wheels

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 Councillor Tony Mulqueen, Amy Moynihan and Councillor Paul Murphy make their way down Bank Place in Ennis during the Borrow My Wheels Project, organised by the Enable Ireland adult service users as part of European Disability Day.  Photograph by Declan MonaghanWITH the intention of highlighting how wheelchair users navigate their way around the streets of Ennis, Enable Ireland service user Patricia Kelly contacted several county councillors and TDs. Her idea was to ask the elected representatives to ‘Borrow My Wheels’, which would highlight the challenges involved in steering a wheelchair through the county capital.
“The aim of this is to give you an insight into the difficulties wheelchair users face on a daily basis, which would be more difficult if the proposed budget cuts were to go ahead,” Patricia explained in her email to the local politicians.
So, last Thursday morning, councillors Tony Mulqueen, Paul Murphy, Mary Howard and Joe Arkins were pushed around the streets of Ennis in a wheelchair. The event was organised in conjunction with European Disability Day and ahead of this week’s budget.
“When you’re walking around with full mobility you can take it for granted. So I just wanted to experience what it was like in a wheelchair,” Ennis Councillor Tony Mulqueen explained.
His chair was pushed for about 40 minutes, during which time he viewed Ennis from a fresh and insightful perspective.
“I didn’t realise that the footpaths were so narrow in parts of Ennis. The slopes on the footpaths surprised me. I didn’t realise either how narrow it was at the roundabout near Dunnes Stores and Glór. The girl who was pushing my wheelchair said that one or two of their members had fallen off their wheelchairs there,” Councillor Mulqueen revealed.
“What Enable Ireland want is that if the council are doing footpath improvements that they would consult with people who are wheelchair bound,” he said.
During his albeit short experience, Councillor Mulqueen found that drivers and pedestrians were courteous, while the set of traffic lights halfway down Clonroad was helpful.
“I found that traffic gave way to us. In Clonroad there is a pedestrian traffic light there now but for quite a few years there was no traffic light there. It was a very busy junction to cross,” he noted.
Enable Ireland’s adult services are located in the Clonroad Business Park, where people over 18 and under 65 who have a primary physical disability are catered for. Services include a day programme, physiotherapy, wheelchair accessible transport, rehabilitative training and a residential respite service.
“We have an advocacy here, which is a group that get together and talk about the law and rights. In conjunction with European Disability Day, we decided that we would come up with an event that would highlight people’s awareness that wheelchair users face on a ground level,” Margaret Burke, a support worker with Enable Ireland in Ennis, told The Clare Champion.
“We were talking small, normal, everyday things that they face, which even the smallest of cuts would affect. So they all got together and we came up with the theme Borrow My Wheels.
“We invited councillors from around the county to come and borrow our wheels so they could experience the issues users face – small little things like going to collect our money or going to Dunnes; things that we do from the centre here every single day. These are difficulties that we encounter and that we overcome,” Ms Burke added.
She said the four councillors and their helpers embarked on a journey around Ennis.
“We headed up town, we went to the bank and we went down Parnell Street and over to the post office. They were in the chair so they could see themselves what it was like. Then they all came back and sat down with us and spoke as a group.”
Enable Ireland help their service users in every way possible.
“Whatever they want to do we support them all the way, from going to college to going down to the bank. I’m honoured to be on the journey with these amazing people,” Ms Burke said.
Enable Ireland’s Adult Services in Clare aim to work in partnership with those who use their services to help them achieve maximum independence, choice and inclusion in their communities. They are funded mainly by the HSE and deliver programmes using the FETAC service accreditation standards.
Enable Ireland in Ennis can be contacted on 065 6843047.

 

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