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A podcast talking about how accessible restaurants and cafés and other locations are to wheelchair users and other aides
About the podcast
This is a podcast show about how accessible businesses and buildings are to those who have mobility issues such as wheelchair users, people with mobility walkers and walking sticks and any other kind of mobility devices.
I take note of where I am and I check out the place that I’m currently in and look to see how accessible it is to people with mobility issues and then I’ll do a podcast episode about my experiences with this location which could be anywhere in Australia.
I live on the Mornington Peninsula region which is about an hour’s drive from the city of Melbourne so I’ve covered places in Melbourne and in my local area and also have covered plenty of other places while I’m on holidays somewhere else in Australia. So whenever I’m somewhere I’ll always take notes about how accessible the location is anywhere in Australia whenever I’m travelling somewhere.
I’m also a strong advocate and supporter of the Hidden Disability Sunflower Lanyard movement which originated from London in the United Kingdom in 2016. Where they created a sunflower lanyard for people with hidden disabilities such as autism, dementia, anxiety and several other disabilities that aren’t visible to everyone.
It’s getting recognised worldwide now including here in Australia where you can use it at airports, train stations, tourist attractions, shopping centres and stadiums and other public places such as libraries and businesses.
You can order a sunflower lanyard online by searching for the Hidden Disability Sunflower Lanyard and order it from the official website in your country.
You can follow me on Facebook and Instagram for regular updates by searching for Mobility Access Australia Podcast or clicking on the two links below
Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on various podcast platforms so you’ll know when I post a new episode.
STICKERS FOR BUSINESSES
I recently designed a sticker that businesses can help create awareness of how accessible their business is which includes restaurants, cafes, venues, theatres, cinemas and also accommodation as well.
So keep a look out for the stickers I’ve placed at a few locations now which includes a stadium in Geelong and a motel in Albury on the NSW and Victoria border and many more locations will be added in the future so look out for them!
To apply these stickers onto the window or glass doors you will need to stick them on the inside of the glass as they are internal stickers.
Episodes
Thursday Nov 30, 2023
Thursday Nov 30, 2023
I just got a four month old puppy from a breeder on the 3rd of November 2023 which is an Aussiedoodle and we’re going to be training her as an Assistance Dog for myself. She’s four months old at the moment of this episode as she was born on the 27th of July 2023. It’ll take about 2 years to fully train her to become a fully trained assistance dog which we’ve registered with a local trainer near where we live.
Wednesday Nov 29, 2023
Wednesday Nov 29, 2023
In June, October and November 2023 I attended three disability expos here in Melbourne and I talk about how they were and if they were any good or not. All three events were pretty good overall but some needed a bigger venue.
Friday Oct 20, 2023
Friday Oct 20, 2023
My parents and I recently did a big road trip from Melbourne to Perth where we did around 8,846kms round trip where we left on 14th of September and got home on Sunday 15th of October 2023. The most accessible motel we stayed at was on the Nullarbor in Western Australia in a town called Eucla at the Eucla Motel. I stayed in room 29 and there was a ramp from the car park to the walkway and then they had a small wooden ramp going up into the room itself which had an accessible bathroom with a accessible shower and toilet which had a grab bar next to the toilet. If you are thinking about doing this road trip I highly recommend staying at this motel on your drive along the Nullarbor. They also operate in the Central Western Time Zone which is 45 minutes ahead of Perth local time.
Sunday Sep 10, 2023
Sunday Sep 10, 2023
This was a small country town in regional NSW an hour’s drive from the NSW/Victoria border. The pub was accessible from the back entrance via a laneway where they had private parking available for the public. Inside the pub there’s a dining area where you can order food and then a bar in another room at the front of the pub. They also offer accommodation but it’s not accessible for wheelchairs as the only access is via a flight of stairs to the rooms but downstairs is completely accessible except from the street where there’s a couple steps going into the building from the street. Best access is via the back car park which is completely accessible and flat and they also have a dedicated disabled toilet as well with a ramp going up into the disabled bathroom which is located outside next to the outdoor dining area. I highly recommend this pub if driving from Melbourne to Canberra or Sydney on the Hume Highway.
Tuesday May 23, 2023
Tuesday May 23, 2023
This fast food restaurant in Dickson in Canberra is definitely NOT accessible to wheelchair users unless they have your own portable ramp. Because there’s a dedicated disabled toilet inside the restaurant BUT people in wheelchairs can’t access the restaurant due to a step going into the restaurant from outside on the street and it’s exactly the same situation for Subway a couple doors away too where they also have a step going into their restaurant too! They have a dedicated disabled bathroom inside Oporto which is fine for people who have a mobility walker or are using a walking stick as you can just step up onto the step and open the doors which opens outwards. Then inside the disabled bathroom the lock on the actual door doesn’t work where the door handle is so there’s a latch just above the door handle that people can lock the door that way but if you are in a wheelchair it’s too high up if you are in a sitting position but you wouldn’t be able to get into the restaurant in the first place unless you’ve got a portable ramp with you! I was surprised to see a dedicated disabled bathroom in this store even though it’s not really accessible from the street! I mentioned it to the management and they agreed with me which was great to see but I still highly recommend going to another store instead of this one! There’s another store in the city opposite the Canberra Centre which is 100% accessible due to the store being street level and has automatic glass doors and everything is flat. So I suggest visiting this store instead of the store in Dickson!
Monday May 22, 2023
Monday May 22, 2023
Located on the footsteps of the Parliamentary Triangle, the Brassey Hotel is set on two and a half acres of manicured gardens and lawns. This 1920’s hotel has old world charm with all the comforts of a quality property. Positioned within Canberra’s most prestigious suburb of Barton, you will be a short stroll from all the iconic attractions including Parliament House, the National Gallery of Australia, the National Library, Old Parliament House and Lake Burley Griffin.
Saturday Mar 25, 2023
Saturday Mar 25, 2023
Went to see the Mary Poppins Musical on the 12th of March and the theatre is pretty accessible as there’s no steps going into the building from the street and the disabled bathroom was pretty good too as they had a help button in the bathroom which was great to see! Highly recommend going to this theatre for it’s accessibility to the building and I rate it 9/10 stars for accessibility! I’m definitely going to go back there again to mention this to the staff who were pretty helpful. I’ve uploaded some videos of my time on the Facebook and Instagram pages so you can view them on there.
Tuesday Mar 14, 2023
Tuesday Mar 14, 2023
This episode is about our road trip to Queensland and back to Melbourne in late January to early February in 2023.