James I have some experience and understanding with the problems that wheelchair users have to face. In a recently refurbishment a pub, that I shall not name, has made provision for people with disabilities by providing a ramp and a disabled toilet facilities. I noted that the ramp, which is not too steep to climb, has a major design fault! For once at the top there is no flat platform so when you are sitting in your wheelchair and you push the door open with your feet your wheelchair can fall over backwards down the ramp. The disabled toilet, which has a radar lock on it's extra wide door to accommodate any wheelchair user, who manages to get in the Pub not to fall backwards out of his or her chair on the ramp, has also a major design fault in that it has no pull handle so it is difficult to open from a sitting position in a wheelchair. These badly design facilities were installed in January 2005 by someone who has not given enough thought to their design.

I'm telling you this as my way of saying without being confrontational for you to put yourself in a wheelchair and think. With your mobility and bladder control where ever you sit in the Melbourne you have only one door to go through to urinate. Ask yourself this question how many doors will the wheelchair user have to get through to do the same thing. The Melbourne toilets were not designed for wheelchair access there will be problems but at least he can still go to his regular pub after having his amputation. Please think how you would feel if you could not go to any or all of your usual places to meet your friends because of a disability.