The reason that I'm blind is because the gypsy woman cursed me.
You're going to have fun with this.
The wheelchair and ipad and headwand don't define who I am.
Hi I'm Eamon, I'm 31 and I was born in Nelson.
So I'm a T12, L1 incomplete paraplegic.
I was in a car accident when I was four and a half and I'm 31 now so that's 26 years in the chair.
I was wearing a lap belt in the middle of the car and my mum fell asleep and we drove off a bank and I stretched my spinal cord.
So I'm wheelchair, wheelchair bound and I can move my legs a little bit but they're not really that useful for anything.
I came back from overseas because of Covid brought me home and me and my partner we decided to maybe settle down.
This is our home, we've just bought it. This is our first night.
I think this is where I'll choose to make my access until I get a ramp.
So, my old house, the least accessible was the fact there were stairs at both entrances, I didn't have any ramps or anything.
The bathroom.
Just using a wee stool but this will all get modified to be nice and spacious and easy to use.
A possible reading room, or I don't know baby room?
and master bedroom where Erica and I will be sleeping.
Excellent, that's our house.
This is my hand cycle, and just built something at work to chuck my wheelchair on there,
so I can carry it around with me when I go for cycles with friends in Europe.
We can get coffees, because at the moment I just sit on my bike and get someone to bring a coffee out to me.
I bought the wrong size bolts
- They got the wrong bolts - Well that was a bit silly wasn't it - Very silly
Me and Erica love to go for bike rides and coffees with friends and, and gigs and
As much as we can do outside we do.
I'm gonna go after our friends for a coffee, sunday, good day to catch up with friends.
- He kept saying it to me the other day too. - Yeah I know.
- Oh no. - Might be a bit difficult for you to get your wheelchair.
Okay note: I need to do it on level ground.
Your one's inside.
- Yeah we can always meet you at the cafe - Yeah - And then go from there
- We'll see how we go - I know what it's like - We might be, yeah, over people by that stage
Nice one.
So a lot of places that are accessible, it's not enough to just get to a place.
Yeah sure we can get into the bar, which is great and that is awesome, but if there's like high
tables I can transfer up into a high seat to be at eye level with my friends but if
if you can't and there's high stools you can still feel like it's not that accessible.
- Off to dinner aren't we - Yeah
I use a lot of adaptive equipment around home and in the community.
So, for example my car has hand controls.
Luckily I can pull my chair apart myself and chuck it in beside me but I still use hand controls to drive.
Driveway's getting done
You'll see the Riverside Markets very shortly.
I feel pretty included in my wider community.
So, after the earthquakes, Christchurch has been very accessible, everything's been rebuilt,
and code now, so all the old buildings have been replaced with ground level buildings with elevators.
Everyone's very conscious of minorities at the moment, so it's quite a nice time really to go out.
- Have I got any stuff on my face? - No you're okay.
Oh f**k
Just hit a stone, all good.