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Catriona McLees's avatar

Hi Jane, have you come across https://www.accessable.co.uk Their accessibility statements are very thorough and they are working with VisitEngland to get more and more tourism businesses listed. They visit the venues to compile the guides.

I also recommend https://www.outdoormobility.org for their excellent Tramper network, allowing access to lots of countryside. Hope that helps!

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Jane Harrison's avatar

Catriona, thank you so much for these recommendations, both new to me and look like they’ll be really helpful, I like the sound of the countryside access. Still learning as I go, so appreciate you passing on what you know 😊

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Naira Wilson's avatar

Jane, I think you should write or set up a travel app/ blog to get venues/ hotels etc…to better promote (develop!) their disabled access - and help those seeking disabled user friendly spaces. you could visit them and give them a rating and they in turn would get the disability pound and not the hound pound!!! Harrison on wheels - accessible venues! This is such an important post…

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Jane Harrison's avatar

Naira this is a brilliant idea, ... if I ever get some spare time I’d love to look into it, and you thought of a name already! And hound pound, that’s genius, I wish I’d thought of it, gonna have to use it somewhere! Xx

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Sue Annis-Brown's avatar

Jane, this is another brilliant and thought provoking piece. You manage to strike such a great balance between humour and conveying the absolute frustration of living in a world where disability access/information is still not given the thought and consideration it should be.

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Jane Harrison's avatar

Thank you so much Sue, I really appreciate your thoughts. I try my best šŸ˜‰

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Victoria Williamson's avatar

Hi Jane, thanks for this. I'm still walking, sometimes with a stick, but I'm aware that I find getting around more and more difficult, just the effort sometimes to drag myself up those stairs, so I do think about accessibility more and more.

I see you are in West Yorkshire, I'm not so far from you, Holmfirth, possibly the least accessible town in the country! Maybe we could meet for lunch sometime, in some suitably accessible cafe! ā˜ŗļø

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Jane Harrison's avatar

Thank you for reading Victoria. Yes I try to avoid stairs wherever possible, although I do still have them at home, they are my stairs and I know them if that makes sense, but it is a case of dragging myself up them!

I would love to meet, maybe we could find a halfwayish suitably accessible spot! (I’m in Leeds). I’ll email you 😊

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Eliza's avatar

Love this Jane. It's a maddening thing to encounter just how much of an afterthought accessibility is. Great to see the economic argument made, as the basic human one doesn't seem to have landed widely!

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Jane Harrison's avatar

Thank you Eliza, yes sad if that’s the main impetus for things to move on, but if it means progress? Xx

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Eliza's avatar

it's my one and only hope in regards to our climate crisis. the old way starts looking expensive as well as stupid. money motivates

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Jane Harrison's avatar

šŸ™

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Robin S. Tanner's avatar

Your posts are great, your tone is so accessible, if you will. I hope some publisher snatches you up and your work goes further out in the world.

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Jane Harrison's avatar

Wow thank you so much Robin, that’s such a lovely thing to say. It’s tricky working out how to grow.

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Maggs Weston's avatar

Jane I love reading your stories, I laugh and I cry. Your descriptions take me vividly into your world with the joy but also the struggles you have to endure, many of which none of us will ever have to overcome.

Hopefully we will all meet up at some point. Lots of love Maggs xx

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Jane Harrison's avatar

Thank you so much Maggs, I really appreciate your thoughts. Really hope we can all get together in person, if not soon we should do another Zoom? šŸ’•

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Debra Cross's avatar

I remember 4 legged Jason, you used to coax him with bread if I remember correctly? If so, does that work on Jason 2! x

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Debra Cross's avatar

Also, you haven't changed, from that pic.x

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Jane Harrison's avatar

You are too kind, hopefully my fashion sense got better if you meant pic 1! šŸ˜‰

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Jane Harrison's avatar

Ha yes, well remembered, Jason 1 loved bread, he used to do a little bread dance in anticipation! As for Jason 2, yes it's all about the sourdough! I wonder if I can get him to dance for it šŸ¤”

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