In a city that’s notoriously inconvenient for wheelchair users, Trinity has become the one place where I know I will be granted the same amount of opportunities as anyone else. A place where I don’t have to call ahead, turn down invitations or be helped up steps. This is largely due to the incredible and often under-appreciated work done by Trinity’s Disability Service.
Last year when I sent Trinity an email a meagre two weeks in advance to say I would be returning to college in a wheelchair, I was immediately contacted to discuss my needs. Not only did they deal with all of the usual problems such as steps, broken paths and accessible bathrooms, but between the Disability Service and the School of Psychology, it was arranged that none of my lectures would clash with my ongoing rehabilitation schedule. I was also given a parking permit which allows me to get in and out of college independently, and the availability of spacious disabled parking means I don’t have to worry about people parking too close to my car for me to get at the door.
I know accessible bathrooms may sound like an odd thing to get excited about, but in Dublin, they are hard to come by
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To my surprise, I also found that this level of accessibility extends to Trinity’s gym, which is equipped with wheelchair-friendly machines, and full of extremely helpful and friendly staff who are more than willing to go above and beyond to help me in any way they can. I was impressed to see that even the pool is accessible, with a chair and lowering platform to rival the facilities used by our Paralympic team in the National Aquatic Centre. They even provided me with one-on-one training sessions every week, which means I actually go to the gym more now than ever before.
I know accessible bathrooms may sound like an odd thing to get excited about, but in Dublin, they are hard to come by. About 1 in 20 of my old favourite places to go have accessible bathrooms, and even those bathrooms are too small to fit my chair or are used as a place to keep the cleaning supplies. Those that are accessible generally can’t be locked from the inside or don’t have a mirror – I guess they think wheelchair users don’t care about their privacy or appearance. And so, sadly, it has come to the point where I get overexcited when I see a bathroom that has the bare essentials.
Here Trinity has outdone itself once again, with one of the only four fully accessible “Changing Places” bathrooms in the entire country located in our own humble Arts Block. Here there is a wet room and shower chair, changing facilities too, as well as a beautiful full-length mirror suitable for individuals with a wide range of disabilities.
This collection of efforts may not seem like much to the average student, but to me they were the difference between completing my degree and wasting away at home
This collection of efforts may not seem like much to the average student, but to me they were the difference between completing my degree and wasting away at home. There was no problem big or small that the Disability Service did not help me with. From issues with my exam timetable to career-guidance workshops, instead of seeing me as a burden they were always interested in how they could help. This was huge for me, because it showed me that getting such basic things as a bathroom are not so unreasonable.
Unfortunately, Trinity’s high standards of services are not seen everywhere. Excuses given by the majority of places in Dublin about not having facilities because they are a “protected building” aren’t so convincing when you consider a path was made through the cobblestones in Trinity’s historic Front Square.
Trinity has made the decision to treat everyone equally, and this is reflected in both policy and practice. I can only hope that the rest of Ireland will soon follow suit.
