Pre-Make A Wish Foundation Party

Mikaail is all excited about this party and also told us he wanted to wear a blue shirt.  Yesterday, aunty Yaya went to buy him his shirt - a little big though as the shop didnt have the shirt in his size.

A couple of days ago, he asked who are coming to his party then he also asked if a couple of his cousins are coming.  I told him the who's who on his guest list excluding him - just to tease him.  Then he said he is sad - put his head down and show his sad face.  He is quite a "drama" fella then I told him I was only teasing him and instantly he is happy again!

nEX Shopping Mall

Went shopping at nex Shopping Mall and spent our whole day there yesterday. Wow! It's really huge and I am impressed that it generally wheelchair friendly mall. There are at least 2 wheelchair toilets on each floor. The lifts are also big enough to accommodate at least 2 wheelchairs plus perhaps another 3 - 4 adults in the lift.

There is a good variety of restaurants, fast food outlets and other retailers. Oh, there is also Kim Eng Securities in the building.  Didnt expect to see a business of this nature in a shopping mall!  I suppose there are more people getting into investing so it does make sense to make it easy for retail investors to get to the brokers.

Only one floor is not quite easily accessible to wheelchair users and that's the floor leading to the fast food outlets from where Kim Eng Securities is.  Anyway, depending on which lift you took, wheelchair users would need to get into the wheelchair lift from the 4th floor to 3rd floor.  In order to use this wheelchair lift, you would contact the building security at 6416 6377 for their security to personally come to the wheelchair lift to activate it.  I was there during the offpeak period so the guy was quite fast about 5 minutes after I called him. Thought it might have been much better if there is some kind of intercom button instead. The guy told me that they had parents with strollers, prams and customers with shopping bags calling them to activate the wheelchair lifts. Not at all surprised, really as there are several inconsiderate shoppers no doubt.

The most annoying issue I have is the able bodied users who uses the toilets meant for the wheelchair users!! Without fail, I always encounter wheelchair toilets used by an able bodied adult regardless of man or woman.  I fail to understand why must these able bodied users insist on using the wheelchair toilets especially when the regular toilets are just next to the wheelchair toilets?

 

Wheelchair Access

Brought Mikaail to NTUC Supermarket at Civic Centre last Friday to buy the ingredients for the Chinese Style Carrot Cake.  Originally intended to cook it on Saturday for my family gathering but decided not to as there were too many dishes already planned for the day.

Anyway, I also planned to bring Mikaail for a walk at Causeway Point.  It's a short walk from Civic Centre to Causeway Point.  However, to get up to street level to cross to Causeway Point  from Civic Centre on wheelchair you would need to go around 3 long ramps. 

Rather disappointed that after renovations, instead of shortening the ramps, it remained except that there are more steps and inevitably there are couples sitting along the plant beds!  There is already stairs on the left of this picture.

My opinion is that when the architects or building management renovate their premises, they need to consider the needs of the wheelchair users especially when the greying population is on the rise.

Wheelchair Access Toilet

Moving around on wheelchair is not easy at all and lifts are usually full of able bodied people.  Sometimes when I bring Mikaail out to Causeway Point in Woodlands, it will take awhile before we are able to get into the lifts especially now with the renovation works in Causeway Point in progress.

I note that the main entrance of Causeway Point now has steps!  So it will be a real challenge to get to Causeway Point once the renovation work is completed.  Previously there were no steps so moving around on wheelchairs, pramps or strollers is very easy.  Went by Causeway Point yesterday and I note that besides the ramp, there are also steps by side.  I am really happy that building owners decided on this move.

Anyway, my other grouse is that I personally dont understand why must the able bodied person use the toilets meant for wheelchair bound person.  There was a time when Mikaail needed to use the toilet and it is occupied by a male staff from Courts!  I knocked on the door as there was a high chance that the toilet is used by an able bodied person.  I was right!  He was smoking in the toilet!

There was another time when I brought Mikaail to Harbourfront for lunch.  When he needed the toilet, I brought him into the ladies toilet as there is separate wheelchair access toilet in the ladies toilet.  There were a lot of unoccupied cubicles but the one for wheelchair is occupied.  So we had to wait for the user to vacate.  Not at all surprised, the lady who was in the wheelchair access toilet, really did not have a real need to use that particular cubicle at all.  I reminded her that the wheelchair access toilet is really meant for wheelchair users.  And guess what she said, "Oh, I didnt know you were coming"?? 

Then just last month, we were at a relative's wedding at the Serangoon Community Club.  This time the wheelchair toilet was locked.  When I asked the staff at the Serangoon Community Club, I was told that the caretaker said the toilet was spoilt.  I told the staff if it is really spoilt, shouldnt there be a sign?  I am sure this is not the case.  I believe that the caretaker just cant be bothered to clean an extra toilet as there are members of public who would use this toilet as well.

There must be more awareness amongst the public that wheelchair access toilets are strictly meant for users on wheelchairs only.  Recently when we went for a short cruise on Star Cruise, I liked their concept of managing wheelchair access toilets use. In order for us to use the wheelchair access toilets, we must register at the Star Cruise reception desk for them to revalidate the access card. This way other passengers are not allowed to use the wheelchair access toilets.

Perhaps if the Society for the Physically Disabled could come up with something similar to prevent the able bodied from using the facilities meant for the disabled that would be great!

Hi-Tea at Carousel

Brought Mikaail for HiTea at Carousel, Royal Plaza on Scotts recently. Quite disappointed that the hotel is not wheelchair/disabled friendly at all.  I supposed the building is very old and when the hotel was renovated, there was no provision made for a ramp or direct access from car park to the hotel lift.

When we couldn't locate a ramp at the front of the hotel and the rest of the walkway next to the hotel, we decided to park the car at the hotel carpark.  We assumed that there would be a lift from the hotel carpark to the hotel lobby.  We were so very wrong!  In order to get to the hotel lobby, we had to cross a little road then walk down a flights of stairs followed by about 3 or 4 steps down to the hotel lobby.

As Mikaail was on a wheelchair, it was no easy feat to carry him while seated on the wheelchair!  So my husband carried him, then my sister and I carried the wheelchair plus his backpack.  Either way, it was not easy to carry him downstairs.  We need to pack quite a bit of stuff whenever we bring him out for the just in case.

The other problem we had was there was no disabled friendly wheelchair toilet.  The passageway to the toilet is rather cramped.  We managed to "squeeze" our way to the toilet but again, it is so cramped that we cant push him on the wheelchair.  I had to carry him into the toilet.

Although he did enjoy the food there, I know that I wont be bringing him to this hotel again unless the hotel management decide to make provision for wheelchair patrons.