Stations and handicaps

How many stations have you entered and found they are not disability friendly?

Personally, for me stairs have always been a problem but the times they have really been a problem is when the stations have no banister. This normally occurs when a certain station has more than one entrance or exit. For example, with Westminster station I would normally go one way into the station and I never changed it up.  However, one time when traveling with my mum I thought I would go into the station the way she would go in, but no matter how much I tried going down theses stairs I would struggle because the stairs were steep, uneven, the banister would stop half way down and the stairs would have tourists in the way taking pictures.

I face these challenges most of the time. Occasionally this can be made worse by having too many things in my hands or being unfocused on the day. This makes me less able to be hands free. These challenges have made me more vigilant over the years and I find it helpful to figure out my journey before I travel. It also helps me to gauge the type of stairs in advance so that I can build my confidence and walk down with ease.

Most times you may not overcome these challenges but one learns to accommodate for them. However, they can also take you by surprise and one might find that with practice they can get down the stairs with very little help. This for me does not happen that regularly but when it does it is very fulfilling.

So, if you struggle with something do not give up, keep going and hopefully one day you too will find more confidence with the challenges you face.

Written by Ellie, a valued member of the CLIA Care team