Yesterday we explored Northern Ireland! It is a country with history of intense wars between Catholics and Protestants, a conflict that has been recently pacified, but is still remaniscent today. In our excursion, I noticed improvements in accessibility for individuals with disabilities.  While most of Dublin’s tourists attractions did not accommodate to the needs of individuals with disabilities, due to the fact that most sites where historical buildings that could not be accommodated, all attractions that we visited in Northern Ireland were accessible. Our first stop was in Belfast, Northern Ireland. There were each chose to either go to the Titanic Museum, or the Taxi Tours – I chose the Taxi Tours. 6 passengers fit into one taxi, which was accessible not only to wheelchair users, but also for individuals with hearing and visual impairment. Each taxi provided a sound system that could be connected to hearing aids, and presented a prop (in our case, a large rubber bullet used during the war).

Our next destination was the Giant’s Causeway. This place is one of the World Heritage Sites (UNESCO, 1987) and named the 4th greatest natural wonder in the UK. It is a giant rock formation composed of hexagonal rock columns. It is one of the most famous and most visited sites in Northern Ireland, and it is accessible! Though this is not true for all the trails that lead to the Causeway, an accessible bus takes people up and down the hill for ¢2 and the main road is paved and wide enough for a wheelchair user to go down the hill. There is no accessibility to step on the rocks for wheelchair users due to the tricky elevations of the rocks – To be honest, several of us had a hard time going up!

Our last destination, and probably scariest of all, was the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. This used to by a place where fishermen would go to catch Salmon. The bridge would be built by them in order to get closer to the fish. It was rebuilt several times throughout the past centuries, getting safer every time. However, it was still quite unsteady for me to walk with complete confidence. I can say with confidence that this bridge was not accessible for wheelchair users. On the other hand, the mile long walk to the bridge was. I also so individuals with other disabilities attend. I saw one woman who had visual impairment on her way to the bridge.

Northern Ireland was incredible! With more accessible sites, natural wonders, no rain, and all 18 of us together – who could have asked for more?!