Most people in Britain are not able to welcome wheelchair users into their homes due to poor access, according to a new YouGov poll commissioned by accessible housing provider Habinteg.
The poll follows research that revealed under a quarter (23%) of new homes outside London are planned to be accessible, despite a rapidly ageing population.
The YouGov poll, commissioned by Habinteg also found that:
- only 1 in 5 (21%) say a wheelchair user would reasonably be able to access all areas of their home,
- almost 7 in 10 (69%) confirmed that such manoeuvrability would not be possible
Under a third of respondents in England (31%) felt that wheelchair users would be able to make use of the appliances in their home including accessing the wardrobes and opening fridges/ovens.
Typical reasons why homes are inaccessible include steps into the front door, width of doors into and around the house, and bathrooms that are located upstairs. This shocking level of poor access is having a detrimental impact on the health and quality of life of disabled people and their families.
Sheron Carter CEO at Habinteg said that its founding mission was to ensure that disabled people and non-disabled people can live together as neighbours but that the poll results show how far we have yet to go as a society.
She added that:
“They reinforce what we have known for a long time: the government and local authorities are simply not doing enough for our disabled and older population.
We are calling on the government to urgently change national policy to ensure all new homes are built to accessible and adaptable standards. This was promised by former Prime Minister Theresa May in July as part of a new consultation, and we now need the new PM to honour that pledge”
For more information see Over two thirds of Brits say their homes are no-go zones for wheelchair users @ www.habinteg.org.uk