Access Champion

On our first night in Hull we met up with our friends, at Papa’s restaurant which is located off a roundabout at Great Gutter Lane, Willerby. Disabled parking near entrance. Great wheelchair access with ramps, a fab round table that my chair fitted into with ease. Accessible toilet. Downside- quite dark and noisy I came here as a child, when it was a ship themed restaurant, paying homage to Hulls history. It has fishing nets, buoys, fishing rope, an anchor, old photos adorned the walls too. To a kid, it was a place of adventure. Nowadays, it still sticks to the fishy theme as the majority of the dishes are fish related. Delicious . Staff were beyond helpful and very accommodating, fetching us extra plates and cutlery as requested.

In September I had a 3 night break away in Hull East Yorkshire. Kings Court Apartments In the centre of Hull is this modern apartment complex. Its within walking distance to whitefriar gate, Hull Marina, Princes Quay and St Stevens shopping centre. There is a vibrant mix of shops, galleries, museums and impressive architecture. We found the Kings Court apartments on air B&B. Although not advertised as accessible, we were informed it was. In reality though, the access isn't great. I managed, only because I have limited walking mobility. Our apartment was on the first floor a swift right turn from the carpeted stairs, once you leave the lift. The people who own the apartment, don’t own the entire complex, but maybe tape to highlight where the stairs are would be a consideration for those who are visually impaired to know where the stairs are. As you come in the front door, you're greeted with a selection of 5 doors leading to: living room and kitchen, main bathroom, be...

Now I've done a few access surveys, I thought I'd share a few of the ignorant comments I've had over the years that have inspired this blog... I want to show how disabled people live ordinary lives and how access should be a given. When I applied to go to University, I asked the disability student advisor, who himself was visually impaired, about the wheel chair access and how I'd get into the classroom (it was old and historic, dating back over a century to when steps were high fashion). His suggestion? 'can't you just leave the wheel chair outside at the bottom of the stairs and walk in?' 'No, that is why I need my wheel chair.’ I wrote to them to remind them that in not providing access, they were breaking the law. The response I received was very rude. Needless to say, I declined the offer and that my life took a very different turn. I won't name the University as this happened over a decade ago and they may have changed. Some years ago, whe...

For my next review, I shall compare 2 cinemas of the same chain. Cinemas, like theatres also have audio described, subtitles and hearing loop enabled films. Generally, the Odeon are meant to have Audio description on all of their films, the Vue, depending on what cinema you go to. The Vue Cheshire Oaks are all available with audio description, but at Vue Birkenhead, you have to check the time and film, and the Light in New Brighton states on the website they don't have Audio Description although after emailing them they have since told me they do now have audio description on all films. The ODEON Bromborough is located on the Croft Retail Park. This is a variety of shops like the works (my favourite!), Poundland, Asda and many other brands of retail. There are also restaurants and cafes KFC, costa, Nandos and the Harvester. It is entirely flat and set out in a square so you can't get too lost. There is one set of Traffic lights from Asda to the other shops as Asda is...