Currently, there are over 40,000 wheelchair users in Ireland, which equates to one in every 100 people. Due to the ageing population of Western Europe, these figures are on the rise and by the age of 80, 1 in 3 people will experience a physical disability.
According to Disable Inequality, almost 50% of people living with a physical disability experience difficulty with going outside their home alone.
Enter Louise Bruton and her innovative creation; Legless in Dublin, an access review blog for wheelchair users and those with limited mobility for navigating their way around the Capital, without compromising on their social life.
‘A lot of people say they don’t see wheelchair users out and about and in turn they might forget they exist, the reason you aren’t seeing them out is because they don’t feel that they can go out or that places are catered or suitable for them.
Everyone should have the same opportunity in life but unfortunately, disabled people aren’t included in these plans for social places and that’s what we are trying to change’.
From music festivals to cafes, and restaurants to bars, all are reviewed in terms of access, atmosphere and ambience. By pioneering the online movement, she informs and advises not only wheelchair users but their able-bodied counterparts and offers commentary on life with a disability;
‘It was solely intended to be a guide but then I found out that loads of people who don’t have a disability or know anyone with one, were also reading the blog. Then it became about educating people and opening up their eyes to something they would never have considered before’.
The idea of the blog originated when Louise- who is the only one in a wheelchair in her group of friends- had to constantly check with various venues whether they had disability facilities available or if they were wheelchair accessible.
Soon she realised that other wheelchair users had to be in a similar position so she decided to compile all the information gathered and thus Legless in Dublin was born. So what has been the reaction to the blog;
‘One place that changed their layout because of a legless review was Pablo Picante as they had no tables for wheelchair users; they only had very high tables so in a wheelchair, your chin would be eating off the table.
I pointed that out in my review and they got back to me and explained that they put in a lower table at the right height. It’s constructive criticism. If any business reads a review and changes something I pointed out, they have just proved to their disabled customers that they actually care about them.’
Louise, who began using a wheelchair in 2011, was born with a walking disability and a curved spine, had her right foot amputated at the age of 17 and now wears a prosthesis.
Through her blog, Louise is also a firm advocator in altering the perception of wheelchair users and how they are approached;
‘Just because someone has a physical disability does not mean it’s an invitation for a stranger to start talking to them about it. It’s a huge thing that someone with a disability gets, someone giving them their two cents.
It’s completely not out of malice but if that’s all you see in the person, everything they have ever worked towards, be it intelligence, humour or kindness, is reduced down to nothing as all the outside world sees is the disability.’
Within the past three years, Louise has been inundated with people coming up to her advising her to check out and review various places. She has managed to create hype and awareness over an issue that not many people would initially consider.
She has tapped into people’s consciousness and compelled them to reconsider, not only their judgement of wheelchair users, but to acknowledge their daily tribulations, and that’s some accomplishment.
Words by Eimear Moriarty