Matt Laffan, public speaker, Sydney Australia
Matt Laffan, public speaker, Sydney Australia

The politics of access

The Built Environment: The Politics of Access

By Matt Laffan

The built environment is about much more than bricks and mortar, steel and concrete, and the tension between light and shade cast by manmade structures.

The built environment is about the relationship of people within the community of public and private places. It is about the politics of access and within the Australian context, the true meaning of egalitarianism.

Depending upon its design the finished product can be a vivid declaration that the place in question is for all of us, or for a selected few.

We Australians have traditionally regarded the upstairs downstairs way of life that existed back in England with suspicion. The myth being that we had created a classless society. Stairs, however, have always defined the rights of people with spinal cord injuries and whether or not we are expected to join the majority. The environment in which we live, and that which we want to explore, historically has been shaped in spite of us.

Our national psyche commonly adheres to the principal that access is not a privilege but a right. Our collective sense of natural justice is provoked when fellow Australians are unable to access the same buildings and modes of transport and sources of entertainment and education as the rest of us. It is a right now enshrined in Commonwealth and State legislation. However, buildings are still built without access. Wheelchair accessible buses are the exception to the unreliable rule as are accessible train stations.

The job is never finished and I guess in part it has never seriously been begun. Vigilance and agitation are essential. The problem is it relies often on those against whom the discrimination has been made to make it known to the relevant authorities. And the daily task of living can be tough enough, without having to wage a bureaucratic war as well. But the fight must be taken up to the building authorities, property developers and local, State and Federal governments. And it must be fought fearlessly for all of us: the disabled, the elderly, parents with strollers and those who simply believe in an Australia which accommodates all her citizens.

It is a glorious Sydney evening and myself and a lady friend step out for some wine, dinner, conversation and a band we want to hear. The venue we find has it all plus two flights of stairs.

Why can I not get in unassisted? Why should four bouncers struggle beneath the weight of this chair?

I live in the dead centre of this fabulous Harbour city. Why is there a step into the pharmacy on Bathurst Street stopping me from getting in? Why has the Medical Centre in Park Street got a step leading into it? I am a lawyer who works for the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions. Why do I have to rely on police to carry me up the stairs to the Newtown Local Court? Why have most inner city convenience stores got steps at their entry point?

To understand our relationship with the built environment and its importance one merely needs to reflect on what it means to be human. All of us, able bodied or otherwise, have intimate needs. We are husbands and wives, boyfriends and girlfriends, employers and employees, lovers and loners and we share an underlying desire to touch and be touched, to hold and to be held.

Our human condition must be reflected in the environment in which we live. Our desire to participate in society and our ability to do so must be realised. We want to be a part of a community and world that is larger than ourselves, to which we can contribute and have some influence and the built environment is about making sure that those communal aspirations are put into practice.

For those of us with spinal cord injuries it is what I call: Getting beyond the front gate.

It is about stepping outside our home and comfort zone and being exposed to those things which we discover are new. It is about sharing ourselves with others. It is about getting into the work place, enjoying the concert, dining out and having a presence.

It is about access to life. Access to the basics: The bread and circuses as well as the politics and education.

Now with a wink and a grin I will tell you that life is damned good. And it is.

But I am well beyond the front gate. I have bolted. I am grateful to those who have created the spaces and places that have enabled me to access the built environment that is my own. I work independently. With guile good humour and friends I have traveled the world. You won't often hear from me as to the downside of living with a spinal cord injury. I cop it sweet and work on the positives to bring about change.

But once in a while I'll allow myself the luxury to admit that Life can be bloody hard: The trick is what to do about it.

Well individually we can do lots of things. We can be political and endeavour to voice our needs, write letters to proprietors in the hope of creating empathy through education and we can celebrate those who create easy paths for all of us by publicly acknowledging their good work.

Whatever your role or situation the fact is we are here to stay and it is about being brave. I encourage you to push on, despite the steps, and to be seen, for by being seen your needs can't be ignored. And most importantly continue to believe in yourself and in the value, potential and greatness of your fellow Australians.

So that whether you have a disability, or you are elderly, or you are simply a Mum or Dad pushing a stroller or just an Australian who believes in the values of this country remember what egalitarianism really means.

And if it seems that the built environment is keeping you out join me and with a loud and clear voice declare:

We are here and we are coming in.

back to the top of the page

back to Politics