The decision to put a swing for wheelchair users behind a padlocked gate has been described as “complete othering”. 

Child wheelchair users in Clonakilty can use a swing especially designed to accommodate them in a local park.

The difficulty is the swing is behind a locked gate and fence.

“There’s a new padlock on the wheelchair swing in Clonakilty,” disability activist Evie Nevin told Lunchtime Live.

“The problem is, to open the lock you will need to buy a key from the IWA [Irish Wheelchair Association] website that is €34.50 - €20 for the key, €14.50 for the postage.”

Ms Nevin said the IWA were “not consulted” about the decision.

“Prior to that, there was a standard padlock on it and myself and the Clonakilty Access Group approached County Councillors and said, ‘This is a barrier to the very people this is swing is for’,” she said.

“The key was only available Monday to Friday from 9 to 5,” she said.

“So, if you had a child you wanted to bring to the playground at the weekend, you couldn’t get it.

“You had to go to either the local shop or local hotel to pick up the key.”

A lot of effort

For many parents of disabled children, this presented them with huge logistical difficulties.

“If you had a profoundly disabled child who couldn’t be left alone in the car, you’d have to find a blue space [to park in],” Ms Nevin said.

“Take a child out of the car, go get the key, bring the child back in the car, go the playground and do the whole thing again to dropping the key off.”

The council said the swing is locked behind a fence for health and safety reasons but Ms Nevin feels this is unnecessary.

“My point is there’s a barrier around it,” she said.

“There’s a sliding lock that a small child wouldn’t be able to reach.”

Ms Nevin also objects to the financial cost of the key.

“It’s complete othering,” she said.

“Other children - able bodied children - and their families can walk into the playground and don’t have this financial barrier in place.

“It’s so disappointing as well because I hear so many parents of disabled children who say they have never gone to the playground because it’s just too much hassle.”

Ms Nevin feels there is a simple way to improve access to the park.

“It could be easily solved if the council just provided the keys themselves and give them to the families locally who want to use the playground,” she said.

Main image: Disability activist Evie Nevin pictured in front of the swing. Image: Evie Nevin