Access discussion with the RSPB...
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My email to the RSPB:-
As a disabled newcomer to birding and to the RSPB, I m a tad baffled by some of the reserve information. Some - lets say Marshside, though it s by no means unique - display the international wheelchair symbol, suggesting ease of access for those of us who need it, while clicking the Accessibility link gets me this:-
Important note: This is a natural site with unimproved paths and trails -
the access around this site may not be suitable for all visitors. If you have
concerns, please contact the reserve or regional office before your visit
to discuss your requirements.
Sorry, but the two things are mutually incompatible.
I don t expect the countryside to be redesigned to accommodate my needs, but where the wheelchair symbol is displayed I DO expect it to mean what it says. Can you explain this apparent dichotomy?
Their reply:-
Dear Mr Graves
Thank you for contacting us about this.
You have caught us at an awkward moment.
My team are reviewing the entire suite of reserves to ensure that the messages we are giving out accurately reflect the reality of the visiting experience.
As an aside, we are not great supporters of the wheelchair symbol because it can be interpreted in many ways and is used somewhat indiscriminately in too many places (not just by the RSPB).
Our audit of the provision for access by disabled visitors has started at our busiest sites. If you look at some other reserves on our website under 'Accessibility' e.g. Minsmere, Rye Meads, you will see the level of detail we are trying to deliver. The idea is to provide enough information for any visitor to be able to assess whether or not a visit is suitable.
Carrying out this exercise for all our sites
will take some time - there are over 120 visited reserves.
Many of them have used the wheelchair symbol for years but we now believe
that this can be misleading and will be asking the site staff to re-assess
its use.
In the meantime, as a 'safety net', we have put in the stock phrase you quote.
The text for Marshside will be rewritten as soon as we can carry out the audit. I'm afraid I cannot at the moment tell you when that will be but we certainly hope to have a more accurate set of information for the majority of our sites by the end of the year.
Thanks again for contacting us - I would be happy to provide any more information on this topic.
Best wishes
Graham Burton
Head of People and Reserves Team
My response:-
Dear Mr. Burton,
Thank you for your reply.
I don't actually think that the interpretation of the wheelchair symbol is
the problem, as in the disabled community it means just one thing - unobstructed
access - it's in its deployment that it all falls to pieces. A wider variety
of symbols are available, which give greater clarity( http://www.disabledgo.info/Help.asp
), but only three are really relevant here, I think:-
I probably don't need to say this, but they mean independent wheelchair access,
aided wheelchair access, and ambulant access with walking aids and no more
than three steps to climb, which, I believe, should cover the disability spectrum
of RSPB reserve users. An indication of the gradient, for all sites, would
be very helpful, especially for older people - one doesn't need to be disabled
to have trouble with steep slopes, as at Inner Marsh Farm, below.
Until your audit is complete, it may help to put a message on the Reserves
index page to the effect that disabled people MUST check the accessibility
information before setting out, because there will always be some who just
see the wheelchair symbol and jump in the car - they shouldn't, but there
are just as many dumb disabled people as there are elsewhere.
There is one other access matter. On Monday, I visited the Inner Marsh Farm
reserve (Burton, Wirral), which is my nearest. Big mistake - but that's my
problem. What may become a problem for the reserve is the access path, which
is grassy and muddy - a lethal combination on a steep slope, as here. I know
from personal experience (I was Chair of the Ramblers' Association Merseyside
& North Wales Area when I was fit, and Footpaths Officer for my local
group), that paths like this will slowly get wider and wider (how fast it
happens depends on usage), as people take to the grass to avoid the mud and
the risk of slipping - a few barrow-loads of gravel on the path, at this stage,
to give grip in bad weather, will go a long way towards preventing the sort
of erosion that isn't just unsightly but expensive to remedy - and visitors
would stay cleaner, too. I would have made this point locally, but there was
no-one around.
Now, if there was a remedy for spiders in hides, I'd be a happy bunny! ;-)
Regards,
Ron Graves.
Their response:-
Dear Mr Graves
Thanks again - your advice noted. We are looking at the use of symbols - at
the moment they do not quite fit with the Countryside for All standards set
by the Countryside Agency.
We will get there though!
I will pass your IMF comments to the warden.
regards
Graham Burton
Head of People and Reserves Team
And mine, which is where things are for now, at least:-
Hi,
Just a quickie - I've downloaded the CA's document, but it'll take a little
while to read it properly. I'm not sure that their standards really apply
to private areas like reserves. The RSPB isn't so much in the business of
providing access as providing information about access - to its own
reserves, not to the countryside in general.
Regards,
Ron Graves