In recent times, I have received an increasing number of inquiries from people looking for accommodation for a disabled person. Some were after something relatively easy to help with such as wheelchair access or handicap parking and for these people, there seems to be a range of accommodation providers on the Central Coast willing and able to assist.
For others, they needed to be able to get their mobility equipment easily around the whole property. One lady I spoke to said that she had visited five places that promoted an accessible property only to find that, whilst they were indeed wheelchair accessible through the front door, once inside, there was either insufficient access to all rooms or that important areas such as the bathroom and kitchen did not have the required height bench tops, taps, handles, etc.
To this lady, it seemed that many property owners feel that they are doing the right thing by a person with a handicap whilst simply providing access through the front door for wheelchairs or a flat entrance for a mobility scooter or via a wheelchair ramp or wheelchair lift. Now, I accept that each person has different needs but we need to be careful and detailed when promoting these services.
I am no expert on how to fit-out accommodation to provide for all the needs of disabled people but I will be adding a section to my website, bookcentralcoast.com.au where it will list those Central Coast properties with us who offer any degree of assistance to handicapped people as, before I started getting these calls, I had not put all that much thought into the problems that a disabled person has when trying to find something that others can find so easily such as choosing somewhere to enjoy a few days of holiday.
Feel free to let me know if you have accommodation on the NSW Central Coast that is accessible and to what degree it assists and we’ll be happy to have you with us and to promote your place.
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