Twice in past month, Redan resident Janine Lyon has punctured the tyres of her motorised scooter on her way into the city’s Central Business District because people have left shattered pieces of glass on nature-strips out the front their homes.   

Ms Lyon has Friedreich's Ataxia an autosomal genetic disease which causes progressive damage to the central nervous system. She has difficulty walking and relies on the assistance of a walking frame to walk around her home.  

“If I get a flat tyre on my scooter it’s essentially like I’ve broken my legs,” Ms Lyon said. “Without my scooter I can’t get around because I can’t walk into town or drive. It’s my independence, without it I’m housebound.”  

Ms Lyon said while most people are compassionate to the challenges faced by people with disabilities, they may not realise that their failure to clear their footpaths could result in a somebody injuring themselves. 

“People might not realise that broken glass, rubbish on nature-strips or even low hanging branches are a hazard,” Ms Lyon said. “Even just sweeping outside the front of your house every now and again can make a real difference to somebody like me.”

Ms Lyon’s concerns were echoed by Faye Baxter who said disability access across Ballarat needed significant improvement.  Both women have joined the City of Ballarat Disability Advisory Committee in the hope they can be a part of change which empowers people with disabilities in their hometown. Ms Baxter has a vision impairment which leaves her unable to get around the city without the assistance of a walking cane.

“But a walking cane doesn’t help if there is a low hanging branch,” Ms Baxter said. “Or if there are rose bushes or hedges or anything obstructing the footpath.”

Ms Baxter said access from car parks into shopping centres, including in Sebastopol and Wendouree, was often difficult for people with disabilities.

“A lot of the time there isn’t a clear path from the car park to a shopping centre which makes it difficult for a person who may have a vision impairment or another type of disability feel safe,” she said. 

Disability Advisory Committee chair Councillor Belinda Coates said privately owned developments, like car parks and shopping centres and the city’s historical landscape posed difficulties.

She said the city’s recently revamped disability access and inclusion plan was honing in on major issues facing people with disabilities and there were moves for the committee to have more input into future developments.