Words: James Exton
While many of us take travelling for granted, for wheelchair users it is a different matter especially in Sri Lanka. James Exton, a wheelchair user describes what it is like to travel within Sri Lanka as a wheelchair user.
Passionate about Sri Lanka, I have been visiting the island for over 23 years. I run “Access the Globe” which is an accessible tourism consultancy helping tourism companies improve accessibility for people with disabilities. I have also been promoting Sri Lanka as an accessible tourist destination. Currently I am helping Walkers Tours to create accessible tours. I first visited Sri Lanka in 1999 for 4 months of Ayurveda treatment but in between treatments, I travelled around the country. From Kandy to Galle, Trincomalee to Kataragama, you name the place and I’ve probably visited there. Before too long I had fallen in love with the country and the people. Everything from the mouthwatering cuisine to the simultaneous nodding and shaking of the head endeared me to the island and so, every year I kept returning.
Back then, wheelchair accessibility in Sri Lanka was non-existent and one of the first things I noticed was how many people would stare at me, mouths agog. Soon I realised that it was because people with disabilities were (and, disappointingly, still are) rarely seen in public. Sad to say that many people still assume a wheelchair user has no intellect, no friends, no skills and no social life. The lack of accessibility and social stigma was even more baffling when one considers the army veterans who experienced life-changing injuries in the Civil war.
James can be contacted at: james@accesstheglobe.co.uk
