We moved to the Daintree in 2021. As a result of a significant car accident which had me in hospital for 6 months I am now left with significant mobility issues meaning I can no longer drive and use a 4 wheel walker to get around. That’s just to put this post in context.
We made a conscious decision to move to the Daintree full well knowing I would have challenges, but I thrive on a challenge and am a stubborn sod who rarely admits defeat.
We had fallen in love with the Daintree on previous holiday visits, it’s a magical place isn’t it?
Being disabled has its own set of challenges when you go out, in my case I must constantly check surfaces where I am pushing my walker and ask myself is it safe.
A good example of this early in our time we went to Mossman for shopping and many stores have a big step up to enter the store, if I was in a wheelchair I would not be able to go into that store.
Even something as simple as a path that broken concrete and is not level can potentially damage a walker or a wheelchair if it gets stuck.
I would really love to see the Daintree Coast become a truly inclusive community for all. There are a lot of people with disabilities that must use wheelchairs who love to travel, and they have money to spend.
What makes an inclusive community I hear you ask?
https://authenticlifecare.com.au/blog/7-ways-to-make-society-more-inclusive-for-disabled-people/ suggests the following:
View the incapacity Community as a Valuable Consumer It’s still progressive to work out the incapacity community as a targeted audience and consumer. We are the biggest minority population within the world, yet the foremost underrepresented when it involves marketing products, as we are the last to be thought of.
Accessibility is to do with physical environments, but equally important are attitudes. Just be mindful that we co-exist in shared spaces.
Access to things like beaches is problematic for me for example at cow bay there is sand at the car park before you hit the concrete path, that makes pushing a walker to get to the path to go to the beach harder than it needs to be.
I hear you say who will pay for this stuff? I don’t want my rates to go up etc. There are more than likely grants floating around. I have spoken with council about my experiences at Mossman and will give credit to them a council officer rang me and acknowledged that there is the need to improve things, but it takes time.
If you are an accommodation provider here is a question for you to ponder do, I have grab rails in the shower by default or is it just in a wheelchair accessible cabin/villa? Something as simple as that may mean someone who is challenged mobility wise will spend money with you
I love being here I am enjoying learning about the history of where we live and the rainforest and think the community is pretty awesome. I look forward to contributing to our community to help it grow and prosper.
John Scott
Daintree Coast Resident
