![]() ![]() I pick up a bottle of drink and I can’t see what it says. "I’m really passionate about Braille, I use it all the time. "I don’t mind making the Braille labels for companies," she continues. "Even products in supermarkets don’t have Braille on," she explains, "the only things that do are some medications, and bleach. She learned Braille at age 4, but says "there’s not Braille on anything." She brought it up with her college, and they agreed to put more Braille in place - but it only happened once she asked. Uneven and damaged pathways don't help (WalesOnline/Rob Browne) For various reasons, she’s been unable to get a guide dog or mobility lessons, but says there are things that could easily be done to make life easier for blind people. Although Passenger Assist is part of the service at train stations, not all stations are manned 24/7 so this often isn't actually available.Īll this means Lela rarely goes out on her own - "it’s like a security blanket" to have someone with her, she explains. Lela added that not enough train stations have audio announcements, including her local ones in Barry. unless you have a certain app that you can scan." "Bus timetables are inaccessible as well, because they’re printed on paper or on flashing notice boards. "The only bus stop I’ve come across that has audio announcements on is the 95," she says, "and none of them have braille. This sort of thing is commonplace for Lela - but what really stings is that so many of the issues are fixable. "At one point I was going to the bus stop about two weeks ago and someone had left his motorbike on the wall sticking outwards and every time I knocked it the alarm went off! Fair play, he moved it once I pointed it out." ![]() Having someone travel with her is like a 'security blanket' for Lela, but it's also a necessity (WalesOnline/Rob Browne) Lela explains: "There's a lot of uneven pavements in Barry which I’ve found, and lots of cars, motorbikes and bins on the pavements. If I had been going on my own I probably would have toppled straight down them."īarry Island isn’t really an exception - neither much worse, nor much better, than most other towns and cities. "Obviously are really shallow," Lela explains - adding: "They have no tactile paving, no handrails, no indication whatsoever that there were steps. ![]() There’s step-free access to the promenade but it requires stepping into the road - albeit into an area marked ‘keep clear.’ There aren’t any proper road crossings for a considerable distance, and cars pass by regularly. ![]() Next to the pavement where a taxi dropped her off, a steep and uneven flight of stairs led down to the beach - with no handrails or tactile markings in sight. We met Lela on the promenade in Barry on a quiet, chilly weekday morning. She uses a cane to navigate as she’s been completely blind since birth - but all too often a trip around Barry or further afield brings her into contact with barriers that make the world a difficult place to navigate. Lela Patterson rarely leaves the house on her own. This is what they had to say: Lela Lela Patterson says things like tactile markings, Braille, and audio assistance that would help blind people aren't as widespread as they should be (WalesOnline/Rob Browne) These three people have shared with WalesOnline the constant frustrations of dealing with a world that treats access as an afterthought. Lela is blind and barely ever goes out on her own because she’s been unable to get mobility training and the public transport system rarely uses braille or audio narration.Īnd in his work as a writer, Ciaran constantly finds himself having to ask for basic accommodations to remove barriers to access that he encounters as someone with cerebral palsy. ![]()
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