A wheelchair user has said Belfast’s nightlife is lacking for disability access after she was left unable to get home after a concert.
Cáitríona Brauders (27) from Dungannon had been enjoying a Moncrieff a concert with her boyfriend at the Mandela Hall on Wednesday but became stranded when her mother’s accessible car broke down.
Speaking to The Irish News, she said that after trying every option she could think of, she was told there were no accessible taxis available within 50 miles.
Taking shelter with her boyfriend in a bar across the street, they were left with nowhere to go by closing time at midnight.
She said staff at the McClay Library at Queen’s University, open 24 hours for students, were able to provide assistance even though there were no suitable toilet facilities.
It was only the next morning by 11am that one of her mother’s friends who also had an accessible vehicle was able to collect her.
Left feeling “so uncomfortable, sore and frustrated,” Cáitríona said a staff member at the library had told her “Belfast has let you down tonight”.
She told The Irish News she was not speaking out to look for pity, but from frustration at the limitations disabled people still face in the city.
“My mum’s mobility car had broken down on the Boucher Road, but that night there was just no disability taxis anywhere,” she said.
“If it wasn’t for the staff at the library I don’t know where else we could have gone that night,” she said.
“The staff were just really amazing, phoning round taxis for us. There wasn’t even a taxi that could take us five minutes away to a hotel.
“They even tried the ambulance service and airport taxis but there was literally nothing.”
After library staff cleared it with security for her to stay, she said one man even brought them pizza and chips and refused to take any money.
“It was really just the kindness of strangers at that point. It was very humbling to have so many people rallying around and trying to help. But as well as the transport, another huge issue is that there were no accessible changing places.”
This meant she faced 14 hours of not being able to use the bathroom.
“With my condition, if I don’t use a hoist to get on to the toilet I would just be left with weeks of pain. The worst-case scenario is that I could break ribs.
“For anybody with a similar condition to myself or needs a changing place toilet, you’re constantly thinking that if you go anywhere that’s more than half an hour away you need to limit the amount of drinks you have or the hours you’re away.
“If an able-bodied went to Belfast and was told there was nowhere for them to use the bathroom, there would be complete uproar.
“For us we’re supposed to put with it. I don’t usually go public with these things but the other night was just too frustrating.”
