Axed service helped Carrick woman continue swimming at leisure centre

Disability Action has been notified by the Planning Service that it will cease funding its Access Service next week.

Discussions with Minister Edwin Poots have seen the reinstatement of 25% of the original funding but what was a comprehensive service has, according to the charity, now been decimated.

Disability Action warns it will no longer be in a position to examine planning applications to ensure that in future public buildings continue to be accessible, nor to provide advice and advocate for disabled people experiencing discrimination and exclusion.

Richard Burnside from Carrickfergus tells how the service helped him: “My wife has MS and enjoys the benefits of a visit to a swimming pool as it allows her muscles to relax.

“She is dependent on me for assistance with changing. When the new Carrickfergus Leisure Centre opened, it provided a unisex changing facility but this was located on the first floor and was therefore not accessible when using the pool. We would have had to access the pool via the busy reception area.

“Disability Action’s Access Service supported us by explaining the law and our rights.

“They advocated on our behalf with the result that the Council agreed to refurbish one of their family rooms adjacent to the pool. We are now able to enjoy the new swimming pool and we have Disability Action to thank for this.”

Orla McCann, Access Manager for Disability Action, explains this example serves to highlight one of the many issues with existing Building Regulations for disabled people.

“Although Building Regulations outline that unisex accessible changing facilities should be provided, they do not stipulate where these should be provided within a building. Also, Building Regulations only require a minimum standard of access and focus on physical and sensory disabilities, whereas Disability Action advocates for the highest standards of access provision and takes a pan-disability focus. Without our intervention in planning applications, new developments will fail to meet the needs of all disabled people.”

“Disability Action appreciates that the Planning Service is facing difficult times but for the Minister of the Environment, whose Department has an annual budget in the region of 129 million to pass the impact on to direct line services for disabled people is not acceptable.”