New Year, New Life

By jenpedler

Accessibility (not) in West Dulwich

Mum, who's 89 and disabled due to arthritis, has for many years retained her independence by using a mobility scooter.
Since she moved to West Dulwich a year ago, she's experienced a lot of accessibility problems.
Lots of the local shops have steps and don't see the need to provide a ramp. The bookshop said they would bring books out for her to look at. I suggested that she went on a day when it was pouring with rain and asked to look at lots of different books!
But dropped kerbs are the real problem. Many of them, like the one here, just round the corner from her bungalow, are not actually level. Once this tipped her scooter over, trapping her underneath until she was rescued by passers-by.
When she complained to the council their response was to 'repair' it with this pathetic piece of tarmac.  It's an insult to disabled people.

That's Mum heading off along the pavement while I stopped to take the photo.  We were on the way to catch the bus for an appointment at the eye clinic in King's College Hospital in Denmark Hill.

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