Invictus Games: How accessible are host cities like Sydney?
The Invictus Games has raised questions about whether host cities like Sydney are prepared enough to cater for the needs of veterans with physical disabilities.
Disability advocates believe the games will also highlight the accessibility challenges that local people with disabilities deal with day-to-day.
Andrew Emmerson is one of those.
He spent a few hours showing AM reporter Katherine Gregory around the city from his point of view.
Frustrating transport and infrastructure access
Mr Emmerson is a 47-year-old paraplegic and has limited use of his arms, so he relies on a wheelchair to get around.
"It's a lot better nowadays than it was in the past," he said, as he showed our reporter how he navigates the tourist hotspot of The Rocks in central Sydney.
He finds it one of the more challenging areas of the city.
"There's a lot of shops I can't get access to, that can be frustrating at times — do they have ramps inside?
"And then you've got to draw attention to yourself and go that extra mile.
"It's just that thinking that you might have access to all things and everything, but the answer is no."
Mr Emmerson wanted to check out the newly installed lifts to access the Harbour Bridge, but found getting there from Circular Quay was challenging.
Stairs were in the way and they had to take a very long route up and down hills.
"It is unfortunate that there are still quite a few places that are inaccessible for people with mobility issues," Mr Emmerson said.
"It's horrible, but you think if you can't do it one way, do it another way."
He said the light rail construction will make it harder for disabled people, including the visiting veterans, to access parts of the city.
And he pointed out that while accessibility on public transport has improved, there are still train stations that don't have disabled access.
And if they did, he would still need assistance to figure out which trains go through the platforms with that access.
"It's a bit unfortunate that you need to make people aware you're here; you can't get straight on and off."
Serena Ovens, chief executive of the Physical Disability Council of New South Wales, said accessing public transport is still a major issue for disabled people.
"In Sydney and probably in most places in Australia we have put quite a bit of infrastructure in over the last 20 years for people with disabilities, however, we've still got a long way to go.
"Buses in Sydney in particular, we have upwards of 90 per cent of all buses being accessible buses, which is fantastic," she said.
"Trains and train stations, we're still at 50 or just over 50 per cent of trains and train stations accessible, and for a country like ours it's actually disappointing we're not further along."
Accommodation 'varied'
Injured veteran Joel Vanderzwan, who has been in a wheelchair since shattering his spine almost a decade ago, warned that finding a place to stay could be a sticking point.
"Accommodation is very varied," he said.
As Ms Ovens pointed out, what hotels consider accessible might be quite different from what is actually needed.
"I would require a roll-in shower but an amputee could use a bathroom with rails in it," Mr Vanderswan explained.
"Potentially with the influx, there is only reasonable accommodation for one hotel room in a hotel, or two.
"Not every hotel room is set up for myself or someone with a worse injury," he said.
Chief executive of Invictus Games Sydney 2018 Patrick Kidd thinks the hospitality sector has done well so far to cater for the influx of people with special needs.
"Accessibility comes down to facilities, it comes down to having trained people, but it also comes down to having the right culture, the basic approach and empathy to create the right environment," he said.
"So there will be some individuals who might have things they'd like to be improved upon."
Wheelchair seating: no online booking and you can't sit with your friends
Given his experience with attending big events, Mr Vanderzwan said visiting veterans might also feel limited by not being able to book tickets online to the Invictus Games.
If you require a wheelchair, you need to book over the phone.
"Having to call up, that can be quite a long wait; you really have to be prepared," he said.
Ms Ovens told AM that people in wheelchairs also have to sit separately from their friends and family.
"It's a step backwards in having the same right as anyone else to make a decision about when and where they sit," she said.
Mr Kidd said it is an issue.
"All of the seating is as flexible as we can make it," he said.
"Obviously if you require a wheelchair, you will need to sit in a different place and it will be difficult to be able to sit with your family members directly there, so that will have to be managed."
'We're getting better … not perfect yet'
The City of Sydney Council says it has helped businesses and the hospitality sector prepare for the needs of disabled veterans.
"We've shared a lot of information about how to be more welcoming," Councillor Jess Scully said.
"We're also working on our accessibility map.
"It helps people see where there are accessible public transport options, where there are steep inclines or steps in the city, and helps them find alternatives."
But she thinks boosting accessibility for disabled people has been too slow a process in general.
"We think that the money we're seeing invested in the rebuilding of the 30-year-old stadiums could be much better spent on improving day-to-day lives of 20 per cent of Australians who are living with disability," Councillor Scully said.
"And that means making major train stations accessible, our light rail, our ferry stops accessible, so there is a lot of work to be done."
The New South Wales Government says it has been working on making the city more accessible for the Invictus Games.
This includes transport upgrades like re-fitting some state transit buses with more wheelchair spots, putting in the lifts to access the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and installing transportable changing and toilet facilities for disabled people at the event site.
Minister for Disability Services Ray Williams said the games reveal the need to focus on accessibility.
"I think we're getting better.
"It's not perfect yet, but certainly I think we are leaders to some degree in terms of our accessibility, especially in the transport areas, for countries all around the world," he said.
Andrew Emmerson and disability advocates like Serena Ovens hope this focus on accessibility will remain long after the Invictus Games are finished.
They both point out the lifts to the Harbour Bridge came only after a decade of their campaigning, and just in time for the games.
"We have more than 1.37 million people with a disability in NSW and they have to use this city and this state day-to-day," Serena Ovens said.
"So it's great we can use major events to highlight the needs, it's really important for our tourist trade that we include them, and it's really good if we can highlight where things aren't working and look to fix them."
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