Disability Rhetoric: Navigating London+ with Physical Disabilities
What Is This?
This blog is devoted to resources and inspiration for navigating physical disabilities in London and in other foreign countries. Hear my experience as an able-bodied traveler primarily in London, and check out accessibility resources for multiple foreign cities. This post serves as a guide for those who need it, and as a crucial conversation piece about an important topic in rhetoric.
London
During my experience abroad, I realized London might be challenging for those who navigate the world differently than I do. Due to the historical features of this city and country, I would consistently ask myself how peers with physical disabilities I know at JMU and from home, would be able to immerse themselves into central London independently. My friend Emma gave a speech at the University of California, San Fransisco for medical students about her life. Her experience living in a wheel chair provides a personal account of the challenges socially, emotionally and environmentally that may occur as a result of society-built limitations for differently-abled people.
What I found extremely unnerving was the lack of elevators, or lifts, in the London Underground System. In the center of the city where the most popular and historical attractions are based, there were only escalators and stairs in the train platforms of the most used form of transportation.
The culture in London, as in many European countries and large cities, is based heavily on public transportation. This is not only the easiest and fastest way to get around London, but also the social and cultural norm. Being unable to participate in this custom may create social tension for college students wishing to share in travel experiences. It also takes away from foreigners’ ease of transport, participation in the cultural experience, and opportunity to learn about London.
The London Underground system began construction in 1843 before the Equality Act of 2010 disability was in place. For this reason, the Underground was not a system that took into account the ease of the physically disabled. Milestones of the Underground detail consistent improvements from 1842 through 2011. So, the Underground has partially adapted since the 1800s by adding lifts to many Tube stations, and by creating navigational Tube maps to navigate the imperfect system.
Another aspect of London inaccessibility is the lone spiral staircases in historical buildings. There are often not lifts or other disability support systems in place, making it impossible to access everything in extremely old buildings adapted as stores, museums or accommodations. This is true of much of historical London including portions of St. Paul’s Cathedral, The Tower of London and Bedford Estates. Take a look at this short film about positive building accessibility efforts in Chiswick, England.
In my program, our living building Madison House and our classroom building both do not have accessibility between floors. This begs the question, could a physically disabled student fully participate in the London semester program? Would they feel left out due to the inability to travel to other floors to hang out with friends in flats above or below the ground floor? In addition to this access issue, inside both JMU-rented locations there are also steps leading up to the front doors. This would make it impossible for disabled students in the program to even enter and exit their home without assistance. The autonomy of a student in this program would be disrupted due to this old city’s failure to fully adapt in the 21st century.
Prague
I visited Prague in the Czech Republic for a few days in December at the end of my trip. This city's public transport includes a trains system called the Prague Metro, a Street Tram system, as well as an International Train Station. It is extremely easy to navigate the Metro with three lines total, but there are several inaccessible stops. I also rode the Street Tram, which has a mixture of accessible and inaccessible cars as some were made as early as the 1960s. This is the may most locals and city dwellers travel short distances, as it is a very convenient system. This system's stops or boarding platforms are all accessible. The International Train Station and Airport are also both accessible if you arrange access a bit ahead of time. More information can be found on WheelChairTravel.org.
Amsterdam
Amsterdam in the Netherlands has a lot of resources for disability support. Their main forms of transportation run under the operator Gemeentelijk Vervoerbedrijf or GVB and includes a the train, tram, metro, bus and ferry systems. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol offers many services to for support for the planes and trains upon arrival. A large part if the culture in Amsterdam is biking culture, which felt extremely extensive to me as an American. I often joke that if you were not almost killed by a biker when you accidentally stepped into the bike lane, you did not visit Amsterdam. Star Bikes is a bike rental service that also provides bikes designed for disabled visitors. Additional resources for disability support in Amsterdam can be found at iamsterdam.com.
