Today we started off our first day in Galway by doing a walking tour of the city center. We took the public transportation there, which was a very different experience in comparison to the Dublin public transportation system. Driving a car seems slightly more common in Galway as the city isn’t as walkable and the public transportation system only features the double decker buses. The sidewalks seem to be less flat and actually are very much so covered in cobblestones. Actually, yesterday as we were heading to dinner we ran into a man that was in a wheelchair and he was having to move at a pretty slow pace in order to avoid hitting bumps. Because there are no trams, most of the time we must get off the bus and then walk a distance to get to our destination, which could be a challenge for those who struggle with their movement abilities.

Another thing that’s been super notable for me thus far is bathroom access. At the shopping center, it was 50 cents to use the bathroom, and in order to get into the bathroom you had to be able to fit through the very narrow gateway. It wasn’t very accessible or efficient for people that were disabled and for those that weren’t.

Even though a handful of these things were not exactly accessible, there seems to be a lot of other accessible and accepting features. We got to go to the Galway Autism Partnership, which offers so many wonderful opportunities and resources for children, teens, young adults with autism and families who are related to someone with autism. They have created a safe, secure, educational, and alternative environment that allows young people with autism to thrive in their societies. This was a wonderful opportunity and experience to get to learn about. We got to understand how different countries support those with autism and teach those related to someone with autism how to create a safe environment!