How easy is it to navigate Cork city on crutches? Adrienne Acton found out

Having had two surgeries back-to-back, I recently found myself manoeuvring around with the aid of two crutches. Wonderful things once you get the hang of them.

That is, wonderful things until it’s time to leave the security of your house and venture into the big, bad world on your own.

So, I decided put on my grown-up pants and got a lift as far as the bus stop in Macroom, to catch the No.40 into Cork city, to see how I got on.

I sat among all the college students heading for UCC and MTU to navigate their education, while I hoped to simply navigate the city without falling down.

Never before had I noticed that the last step of the bus was so far from the ground. Neither had I previously noticed how dirty the ground is.

With two feet and two crutches, the amount of sidestepping around dog poo, chewing gum, fag ends, and spittle leaves you doing a strange dance from side to side in order to keep yourself and your hardware as clean as possible.

Having said that, maybe a bit of chewing gum stuck to the bottom of the crutches would be an advantage, as I found the paths along Patrick Street are so slippery when wet that the crutches kept sliding from under me.

I wasn’t alone. Another lady with a walking stick on the street caught my eye and we gave each other a knowing look, a look of solidarity on this slippery ground.

I met up with my friend, in her wheelchair, and she showed me the city through her eyes.

On to the South Mall. This was where the reality of having a disability hit home.

It was fine for me with just crutches, but many of the buildings are not easily accessible for wheelchair users. I’m sure if you made a scene outside, someone might find a way to get you in, but where is the dignity in that, I ask you?

“It’s so frustrating and demeaning,” my friend told me, and it didn’t end there.

We went across to Princes Street, where she pointed out that the place can be completely off limits to her during the summer months, not because there are tables and chairs outside restaurants, but because there are often too many menu boards and signs along the footpaths.

“And if I can’t go down this street, neither can those that are with me, it makes my disability a problem for everyone,” said my friend.

Along to the Coal Quay, where we had to go half the length of the street before finding a spot to come off the footpath. Something I’d never have noticed in my fitter days.

My friend showed me the street signs and road signage poles that block the footpaths, and the cobbles may look lovely, but the small wheels on the front of her chair get stuck and twisted in them.

I carried on my hobble around the city, and found that you have to be extra-alert. Not only do you have to avoid all the filth on the street (this includes vomit), but you have to keep your eyes open for people who have their face stuck into their phones and are liable to knock you over.

Here’s the other side of this story.

I went into Dunnes in Merchants Quay for my breakfast, where Vicky organised what I needed for me and carried my tray to the table without a bother.

The escalator was under repairs, but before I had even a moment to worry about getting upstairs, a member of the shopping mall team directed me to a lift.

I popped into McDonalds for a coffee and the lady at the counter (Denise Wethers) insisted on carrying it to a table for me.

My bus driver on the way home complimented me on how well I was managing and asked if I needed any help. Everywhere I went, people opened doors and made no fuss.

At Wilton Shopping Centre, my friend and I went into Penney’s for a few bits. While browsing, a member of staff told me not to join the queue but to head straight for till number 10. There, they opened the till and allowed my friend pay for her purchases there too. It is a very commendable policy.

Outside Penneys, we had coffee in one of the cafés where the server insisted that I sit down and she would bring what I wanted over without me having to queue.

So, my verdict is this.

The people of Cork are amazing. They’re kind and thoughtful and treat you in the best manner they can to make life as easy as possible.

However, the state of some of the city streets and footpaths is shameful, and some of the businesses need a rethink on how they do things, in order to include everyone.

And the litter is just as disgusting as ever it was, whether you’re on crutches or not.