The city’s hidden tax on disability

I thought I understood accessibility. Then I travelled across the city with a friend who uses a wheelchair.

What would have been an ordinary journey for me became a complicated exercise in planning, waiting and improvisation. The journey was possible only because we had time, information and patience to solve problems that should not exist. 

A passenger is normally advised to arrive at the airport two hours before departure. For a traveller with a disability, five hours can feel more realistic—not because the flight takes longer, but because every stage of the journey carries uncertainty.

Will there be an accessible taxi? Will the entrance have a working ramp? Will assistance arrive when promised? Will security have enough staff to help? Will the wheelchair be handled safely? Each question adds time. Together, they create a hidden “disability tax” paid not only in money, but in hours, stress and lost independence.

The same problem appears on trains and in metro stations. A staircase may be ten metres from the platform, while the lift is at the far end of a long corridor. In another station, the elevator may be out of service, with no clear alternative route. 

A person who can use the stairs may lose two minutes. A wheelchair user may have to leave the station, travel to another stop, cross a road, or abandon the journey altogether.

This is not a minor inconvenience. It can mean missing a medical appointment, arriving late for work, losing a flight, or deciding not to go out. 

When inaccessible infrastructure repeatedly tells people that travelling is too difficult, society quietly limits where they can work, study, socialise and participate.

The most revealing part of my journey was how ordinary these barriers seemed to everyone else. People walked past the broken lift without noticing it. Signs pointing to an accessible route were unclear or badly placed. Pavements narrowed without warning. Ramps ended at high kerbs. A toilet marked “accessible” was being used as a storage room.

Accessibility is often treated as an extra feature, something to add after a station, airport or street has already been designed. That approach is backwards. Accessibility should be a basic condition of public infrastructure, like lighting, safety and structural stability.

Building an elevator is not enough. It must be easy to find, regularly maintained and quickly repaired. A ramp is not accessible if it is too steep. Real-time information about broken lifts should be available before a passenger starts the journey. Staff should be trained, assistance should be reliable, and alternative routes should be clearly communicated.

Cities also need to listen directly to people with disabilities. Too many decisions are made about accessibility without involving those who experience the barriers every day. Wheelchair users, blind and low-vision passengers, Deaf people, older residents and people with invisible disabilities should be part of planning, testing and monitoring transport systems.

Good accessible design benefits everyone. Step-free stations help parents with prams, travellers with luggage, injured passengers and older people. Clear signs, level pavements, working lifts and safer crossings make a city easier for all residents to navigate.

I returned from that journey with a different understanding of disability. The problem was not my friend’s wheelchair. The problem was a city design that created barriers to access.

A truly modern city is not measured only by new terminals, faster trains or impressive buildings. It is measured by who can use them. Until people with disabilities can travel without adding hours of contingency to every journey, our infrastructure is not merely inconvenient. It is unequal.

Paulina Porwollik is a London-based contemporary dancer, choreographer, model, educator, inclusivity consultant, and disability activist championing limb-difference representation across the arts. Her work spans the UK, Europe, and international platforms, combining performance, advocacy, and consultancy to promote disability rights and equitable access.

Since visiting the Philippines in 2024, she has also been developing work in marine conservation, coral reef rehabilitation, and ecotourism with Build Initiative Foundation Inc.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the author are her own and do not in any way reflect those of Paraluman News.