Back to index of Nerve 24 - Summer 2014

Old Swan fight for disabled people's rights

By Martin Ralph and Sue Ferguson

Mitch Mitchell is a disabled person who lives in Old Swan, Liverpool. He spent most of his working life in factories, and it was the result of accidents in his work place that led to his present physical disability. He is now totally dependent on a wheelchair for all his mobility needs. Once outside of his home he faces even bigger problems as there are many mobility obstacles to be overcome. A short trip to a local shop for an able-bodied person is like an assault course for Mitch and people like him.

Mitch, and his wife Beryl, have been raising their issues and concerns with Liverpool City Council. They have been highlighting the serious lack of wheelchair accessibility that arises out of the dangerous condition of the payments (uneven and broken pavings and tarmac) and a lack of dropped kerbs (even where these exist they are not necessarily fit for purpose).

However, since July 2013, despite making telephone calls and writing many letters, there has been no serious response from the local Councillors and (at the time of writing) not even an acknowledgement to a letter sent to the Mayor.

The Council claim to take disabled access seriously - and have invested a great deal in the commercial areas of the city. But making Liverpool a business friendly city is being done at the expense of other residents. For people with disabilities, wheelchair users, the partially sighted, the frail and elderly, there is an acute problem that could easily be remedied if there was a will to do so, but instead the problems are just intensifying.

To highlight the problems and raise awareness with others, Mitch has taken over 200 photographs of the many difficult or impassable pedestrian areas. He explained how he and other wheelchair users often have to travel on the road, and asks the question, 'if a wheelchair user is killed on the road then who would be responsible - the driver or the Council?'

Mitch and Beryl are members of Old Swan Against the Cuts (OSAC), set up in April 2013 with trade unionists, unemployed and disabled people to campaign against the cuts. Disabled people in Old Swan, with the support of OSAC, are demanding safe and equal access to their local environment.

At one of the OSAC public meetings held in Old Swan, Billy, a wheelchair user, spoke about the many problems of disability access to a wide range of local residents. Other issues raised included the current fight for public education at the local universities and colleges and an update on the current fight against the bedroom tax in the Bootle area by Reclaim.

Because of the cuts for disabled and elderly people, library services, Sure Start, the fire service, the Post Office, housing benefit and jobs, OSAC have decided to stand in the local elections. Use your vote in the Old Swan to make a statement for disabled people's rights and for no cuts in services.

OSAC has now published a report 'A FIGHT FOR DISABLED PEOPLES’ RIGHTS, Dangers in Old Swan - road and pavement inaccessibility', based on the evidence provided by Mitch.

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