Jason Forbes
Disability Advocate
Sometimes, you have an experience, and when it’s over, you just have to laugh! Such was an experience I had with a friend of mine.
I was presenting at a conference recently in Sydney, and Manny, who was also presenting, had arrived from Christchurch, New Zealand. Like me, Manny has cerebral palsy, but unlike me, he uses an electric wheelchair to get around.
The night before the conference, we decided to catch up over dinner. I had picked out an Indonesian restaurant near Manny’s hotel, and things were looking good. I met Manny at his hotel for a catch up before leaving for dinner. After Manny had squeezed his electric wheelchair through the narrow corridors to exit his “accessible” hotel, we walked around to the Indonesian restaurant to find Manny could not get in – there were steps!
So, I said, “Let’s just go for a walk and find somewhere else”. There were plenty of places around. After a short distance we came to a pub. But we couldn’t get in – there were steps.
The Queen Victoria Building was nearby, so I suggested we go in there and see what we could find. After wandering our way through and dropping down a couple of levels, we came to a sushi bar. And yet there were more steps! Though this time, there was an elevator. BUT! In order to reach the elevator, Manny had to go up a level to where we were, then come back to where the elevator was to finally come down to the sushi bar.
Once we had finally reached the entrance to the sushi bar, we were told the bar was too narrow for Manny’s wheelchair, and we’d be better off sitting outside. That was fine. There were chairs and tables set up for patrons. The restaurant staff left an iPad with us, so we could order each round as we were ready for it.
We ordered our first round of sushi and were promptly served. We weren’t sure what to expect, so we were a little bemused when we were presented little, tiny portions of sushi on little, tiny plates with little, tiny bamboo forks. A challenge for anyone with dexterity issues! Tying shoelaces or doing up buttons is extremely difficult, or outright impossible. So, when food is presented this way, some problem solving is required. At least there was an alternative to the chopsticks! We were successful in enjoying our first round, and then discovered that they also had skewers which were much more manageable. So, we spent the rest of our time eating skewers. The food, by the way was delicious!
Here’s why I tell this story: We need to be conscientious about thinking through the needs of people with disabilities and how we are going to meet them if we are going to have an effective ministry. I didn’t think through Manny’s needs as someone who uses an electric wheelchair. I simply thought any restaurant will do. I didn’t even think through my own needs as we ordered our first round. It’s so easy to overlook such things, even as someone who is paid to discuss them with churches!
As God’s people, we want to present his gospel in loving and effective ways to all people - and this includes people with disabilities.
This is why we have Disability Advocacy in the NSW Presbyterian Church. As God’s people, we want to present his gospel in loving and effective ways to all people – and this includes people with disabilities. But we often don’t think of situations that are beyond our everyday experience or are usually a non-issue. Our Disability Advocacy service is here to facilitate these discussions, to make the needs of people with disabilities known, and how they can be better incorporated into the life of the church. A great way to start is to contact me, your Disability Advocate, and arrange a time for me to visit.
Perhaps if I had thought through both Manny’s needs and my needs, I would have ordered in at Manny’s hotel. Or contacted some restaurants ahead of time to ask about access. Thankfully, Manny is a man of good humour and took the experience all in his stride, and I have a knack of just making things work. So, we both enjoyed our night out on the town. But not everyone with a disability possesses these qualities. Even as two disabled blokes who do possess these qualities, it’s nice when we don’t have to exercise them!
