Today we were reminded how much knowledge and consideration of accessibility is needed in society. Ironically after an Access Matters Aotearoa event. The below description highlights the need for change in the Accessibility for New Zealanders Bill that is at the select committee as we speak.

Today, I attended a work-related event in the city. Again it is a cold and rainy Friday night at dusk with a third weekend in a row of red weather warnings after flooding across the North Island and raining consistently.

My Guide Dog Sienna and I had a ride from the venue to the Civic, where our bus goes from. The timetable showed two cancelled buses after the current one, so we must catch that particular bus. As our bus pulled up, we walked to the front door as usual and waited for the driver to open it.

And waited … and the door still didn’t open. We stood there in the rain, and several minutes later and after knocking on the door, a passenger got off the bus and said that the driver was pointing for you to use the back door. I have some residual vision, but it wasn’t good enough to see the driver through the door to see his hand signals.

We got on the bus and the driver didn’t utter a single a word. We made our way to accessible seats so that there was enough room for us both.

Later, an elderly man pushed the button to get off. The driver stopped and opened the back door. We heard his walking stick got the floor as he dropped it trying to manoeuvre around seats and others from accessible seats to the back door. He struggled gripping seats and in a weak voice said “thank you driver” and tentatively stepped off. There was still not a word or movement from the driver and I noticed the bus didn’t kneel for this passenger who struggled to step down from the bus.

The bus continued and when it was our stop the driver only opened the back door. We stood and Guide Dog Sienna started to lead me to front door as she is trained to do. The driver said nothing, did not open the door or even turn around. I corrected Guide Dog Sienna and we moved to the back door getting off. It was raining incredibly hard at this time and the step down from the back door was steep as the bus was not kneeled.

There would have been a few things that could have helped in this situation. From a General and accessibility point of view. First the driver could have communicated.

I never found out why the front door was not opened. It did not appear broken and no one said. However, getting a replacement bus with a front door that opened if it was in fact broken, kneeling the bus for passengers to get on or off, or any sort of communication with passengers would have helped this situation.

This experience made me consider several things, firstly older adults have disabilities and access needs that are often overlooked or considered aging not something that can be mitigated in similar ways.

Secondly communication is key and many of the adaptations that provide those with a disability access can also assist others who may not have access needs. For example in this case communication.

This situation also highlighted the need for accessibility legislation with clear, measurable and regulated guidelines would make access needs more visible and widely accepted in society.