Caithness disability campaigner talks frankly about distressing verbal abuse she encounters

A prominent disability campaigner in Caithness told the paper about the distressing verbal abuse she encounters when out and about in public places.

Louise Smith, project officer with Caithness Disability Access Panel (CDAP), said her emotions were triggered by watching a Channel 4 programme called Trapped, Disabled, Abused which covered the issue of domestic abuse as encountered by disabled people.

"Presenter Sophie Morgan talked about how she became disabled in a car crash at the age of 18 and how she then ended up with a series of partners who abused her," said Louise.

"However, I have noticed a different form of abuse from my wheelchair. Out and about shopping, eating, just doing everyday things, people I interact with, people I don’t necessarily know, seem to feel they have the right to verbally abuse me. This typically takes the form of begrudgingly giving help and vocalising discontent, or talking about giving help but painting a picture of them being put upon by this."

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Louise says such behaviour leaves her feeling depressed and inadequate. "So imagine, I’m spending good money in a local business but treated with contempt. Where is the courtesy of customer service?

"Don’t get me wrong, a lot of businesses are very helpful and supply accessible toilets alongside level access. But recent examples of businesses exerting power over me include:

• where no accessible toilet was provided it was suggested that I travel a considerable distance to the public toilet
• when entering a premises I was told to wait until the staff member was ready to take me in although I hadn’t requested help
• when struggling to safely access a toilet with incorrectly placed handrails, I was told that a lot of money had been spent to provide the facility."

Louise has been suffering from relapsing remitting MS since 2008. She says she has had a number of relapses in the first few years which damaged the myelin sheath that surrounds and insulates her nerves. It means that the electrical impulses travelling along nerves are impeded and have led to her current state of disability.

"This means that I am now in a wheelchair with a lot of the damage focussed on my right leg and arm."

Nevertheless, as project officer with CDAP, she has worked tirelessly over the last few years to improve local accessibility including the provision of accessible toilets in Caithness. She led a campaign to award certificates to community buildings and hotels that had upgraded their disabled toilets.

Louise adds: "We have attracted funding to help with this work. Funders include Your Cash Your Caithness, and the Greencoat Stroupster Community Fund and the Achlachan Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund, administered by Foundation Scotland.

"Since I stopped shielding I have been lunching out and identifying access issues in and around Thurso where I live. I am happy to help publicly used premises to improve things for disabled users."

Louise highlighted the Pentland Hotel in Thurso and the Peerie Cafe in Scrabster as being "particularly helpful". She says the Peerie Cafe recently completed a modification in the toilet to make it more suitable for the disabled.

Louise finished by saying: "So please, people, can we remember that disabled people are people that need to be considered as equal?"

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