Mark Warren is a 42-year-old Nundah man, who is living with dwarfism and uses a motorised wheelchair. He is also acutely aware of the additional accessibility challenges he faces as a person living with disability.
But Mark didn’t let the fact that he has a disability stop him from attending his first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival, where he enjoyed “the fanfare, the colour, people coming together!”
Instead of a 1.5-hour flight, he opted to drive his customised van that accommodates his motorised wheelchair all the way from northern Brisbane to Sydney. This significantly increased his travel time to at least 12 hours each way.
But with his wheelchair having previously been dropped and roughly handled by baggage handlers, Mark says he “couldn’t risk it”.
Mark Warren, who is the Marketing Lead at First2Care, says: “All of your costs simply shoot up when you look to travel as a person with disability. It’s the lost travel time, the petrol costs, the countless calls to airlines and hotels to confirm that they are accessible to me. Not to mention the mental anguish and uncertainty that it may in fact not be accessible once you get there.”
He stresses that it was also “challenging” when looking to book a hotel that would ensure both he and his carer would be comfortable, that the room could accommodate his motorised wheelchair, and he would have both access and independence in the ensuite bathroom.
Again, cost is a factor, as he is still looking at $360 on average a night – with a member’s discount – as he says that usually rooms that can accommodate wheelchair users range upwards of that.
Mark says: “It’s simple: hotel and airline staff don’t always know what disability and accessibility means, as it means something different for everyone. Not everyone is trained up and has the awareness to understand what accessibility really means.”
“Sometimes I feel like I’ve been living in a bubble. But I have hopes and dreams to continue travelling, across Australia and to go to Europe and Dubai,” he says.
Published 1-April-2025
