Blogging had become a strangely insular experience prior to my mental health break; the words I wrote seemed solely between me and my laptop screen, despite my wonderful “audience” of subscribers who read them.
My words suddenly didn’t hold weight, they didn’t seem important or “worth” the huge drain in energy that my writing sucks from me. In a world full of inaccessible sites, ignorance and blatant discrimination, my reviews seemed insufficient and miniscule. Barely a bead of moisture when a flood of change is needed.
Recently, however, I was reminded of the good that my work here does in the world. The importance of my voice in changing things for the better.
When self-propelling my manual wheelchair alongside my husband in a local town, I was met by a cheerful man who greeted me warmly. Being the constant source of chatter that I am, we got talking and he mentioned that he was on that town’s council. Being a historic site, there are significant access barriers in that particular town which are very understandable. However, there were so many oversights that an abled person would never notice.
The ramp to the accessible toilet was very steep for anyone wheeling up it. The door to this “accessible” toilet opened outwards so a mobility aid-user would have to reverse on a significant slope whilst pulling on a heavy toilet door. A very difficult manoeuvre for even the most experienced wheelie and an impossible task for some. Plus, some of the rain drainage metal grids were parallel with the only dropped curb crossing in the area so a wheelchair wheel or a cane/ walking stick would easily get jammed whilst using this crossing.
Strangely enough, he listened.
He understood my concerns and has brought these things up in the town council meeting. I could even see them in the online record of the minutes which were typed up as a future agenda. Some of these concerns were easily fixable but could have been huge pitfalls for a disabled person in the area. Potentially ruining their day and becoming barriers to ever visiting the area again and spending money in the local economy.
My voice was enough. My lived-experience mattered. Change is happening. It may be on a small scale initially but, in a world of access barriers, something altered for the better.
Therefore, I truly hope my voice will continue to shine a light on the businesses that are doing things *right*. The hotels, restaurants, attractions and local sights that you can all explore with less barriers and have an easier holiday experience.
Accessible tourism matters; it holds so much untapped revenue for businesses and it is morally right to change the little things and listen to the voices of disabled people. Opening the door for these visitors helps so many more people along the way and can also help businesses to thrive.
This blog site is a two-way street really; businesses can explore a wider customer base through my write-ups and also disabled people get to see access before they travel. Viewing photos of an accessible hotel room in advance and asking me questions about my experiences can change holiday plans and habits forever, allowing everyone to experience things they might have not done before.
With renewed joy, I look forward to partnering with fresh hotels, restaurants and attractions. Giving them my accessible consultancy onsite to allow for improvements and showcasing their wonderful venues to my base of potential customers.
Let’s welcome tourism for all together.
