Access Barriers and Motability Musings

I drafted a post on Tuesday about access barriers you may not have thought about.

However hearing the news yesterday around Motability changes, have lead me to want to add to it, so I will add before I post the rest.

If Motability is being changed to reflect more equally compared to nondisabled people’s lease schemes, then maybe mandating other changes would make it fairer?

• Like accessible charging points for disabled electric vehicle users

• Like mandating adaptable EV designs for cars and vans, which currently haven’t been considered in the big EV move (I have additional batteries in my current car to power everything additional needed)
• Like mandating support at petrol stations for disabled drivers at all hours of operation (yes that would definitely help as well as remove lone working for staff)
• Like mandating equal costs around insurance
• Like adaptions being a cost not put onto disabled people (yes we have to fund adaptions on top of the up front costs, unless we are lucky enough to get a grant).

It’s concerning that mileage limits may be lowered as this does not take into account systemic barriers to public transport that so many of us face, if it’s even accessible at all.

So many things build up to show how even with using cars, there is not equitable experiences for disabled people nor is accessibility fundamental.

I hope you enjoy the rest of the post about a barrier I experienced this week.

Have you ever wondered about access barriers you might not have thought about?

Ever forgotten to get petrol or diesel and then gone oops, I should have done that as the warning light comes on?

A mistake many have made I’m sure and you end up in whatever place you find first!
That happened to me, 10.45pm in a place I’m unfamiliar. Only I can’t just find any petrol station as not all will offer help to disabled people and when they do it’s often only between 8am and 4pm or similar restricted hours. The worst part is most stations advertise they do but aren’t honest about the limits and time limits to their help!

So before leaving to head home, realising I was desperate (I could technically have possibly made it home but not them to a garage the next day!), I went onto the fuel service app which advertises garages that offer help. This is an app designed to help disabled people, but garages don’t routinely mark their hours for help and don’t turn it off when they can’t help, until you ask for help!

I did the request help in advance at around 10 stations. Not one answered the call. Meaning I was potentially stuck either attempting a place that couldn’t guarantee or try and make it home. I did the first. It’s not the first time the app hasn’t offered help outside Monday to Friday 8-4, and the last time it was kindness of strangers that sorted me, so I hoped that at least might happen again. If I look pathetic enough someone might help!!

I decided to head for the more expensive motorway services as I reckoned I’d stand more chance there. I was lucky. It did work out and someone was able to help. This time I even had a bit of cash on me, so I could give that too (unusual as most cash machines aren’t accessible lol). If I hadn’t I would have had to give my card and PIN number to either a worker (if I’m lucky) or a helpful stranger. This is a very anxiety inducing situation. And if I say I’ve had my cards cloned or abused more times since being a wheelchair user you may start to see some reasons why!

Anyway, I was sorted, I made it home and I can get out somewhere else to properly top up and did the next day, but another example of a barrier many people might not have thought of!

(Whilst I technically can exit the car, often there’s another car too close behind to do this, in order to access the pump is need to park a long way from the pump and the height etc of everything just generally doesn’t work!).

Wherever possible I get diesel when someone is with me, or failing that can sometimes manage the pay at pump with some skills and energy and have had the occasional success with Fuel service help in the week in the daytime!

Access barriers are everywhere and we often hack our way around them! This time it wasn’t as bad as I feared, I have to hope it won’t be next time.

#Disability #DisabledDriver #Motability #Equality #SystemicBarriers