Pushing for change — Albany man Bob Rees on a mission to make city more wheelchair friendly

Sixteen months ago, Albany man Bob Rees’ life changed forever. In a split-second, an African adventure turned to tragedy, when Mr Rees and his wife Chris were thrown from their motorcycle after being struck by a car on a narrow bridge in Malawi. On route to the hospital, Mrs Rees spent her final moments holding the hand of her husband of 47 years. Mr Rees lost his ability to walk after breaking his back, pelvis, leg and hand. Since arriving back home to Albany last Christmas, Mr Rees has used a wheelchair every day. Now, adjusted to his new normal, he said it has opened his eyes to the barriers faced daily by people with disabilities. He is now on a mission to see Albany become WA’s most wheelchair friendly city. “I am determined that I am going to walk again,” he said. “But while I am in a wheelchair, I can see a lot of things in town which are wrong. “I think that people who have been in a wheelchair for quite a while may accept it or they give up fighting it, but things can be fixed.” With the help of Brendan Flower of BF Customs in Porongurup, Mr Rees has had his car and beloved motorcycle modified to allow him to live independently. But Mr Rees said a big challenge was finding disabled parking bays with the space he needed to assemble his wheelchair beside his car. “I have actually been into town and had to turn around and come home because I couldn’t find anywhere to park,” he said. “Most of the ACROD bays in town are just like a normal parking bay with yellow stripes, but there is no extra space. “So if somebody parks next to me I can’t get out, or if a car pulls up next to me while I am away, I can’t get back in. “It is like whoever has gone and dreamed up half of this stuff has never been in a wheelchair.” Mr Rees said parking wasn’t the only barrier for wheelchair users. Uneven paving, lack of disabled toilets and self-closing doors at the entrance to local businesses posed daily challenges overlooked by non-wheelchair users. “I have heard other stories of people in wheelchairs, young and old, who want to go out and go into town but they have to give up and come home,” Mr Rees said. “It is not good for them mentally, it is not good for their health. “I just think that is all wrong. “You do feel like a second-rate citizen, you really do.” Mr Rees has been collaborating with the City of Albany to address some of his ideas to make Albany a hub of accessibility. “The thing is with a wheelchair it is so easy to become a spectator of life instead of being a part of life,” he said. “I want to encourage people, so instead of a disability it is a ‘do-ability’.” Mr Rees said thanks to his close support network he’s still able to enjoy his passion for bikes. But it was important for the community to do what they could to make public spaces and activities accessible to everyone. “I think it is just my nature. I don’t give up,” he said. “My wife is not with me but she would want me to live my life. “Really this isn’t for me, it is for others and for the town.” City of Albany executive director infrastructure, development and environment Paul Camins said making public places and infrastructure within the community as accessible as possible was a priority for the City. “We have an Access and Inclusion Strategy that was developed in consultation with community and has resulted in significant improvements in this area, but we welcome feedback from residents with first-hand experience of accessibility barriers that we can assess and address,” Mr Camins said. “The City are also partnering with National Disability Services in a campaign to raise awareness of the importance of ACROD parking bays for permit holders next month. “We’ll be meeting further with Mr Rees to look at the areas of concern he has raised with us, and consider any changes we can make to help him and others with affected mobility to access and enjoy our city and amenities.”