A man from Albany who survived a shocking motorcycle crash in Africa says Western Australia urgently needs to remove the many barriers and barriers to access and funding that people with disabilities face.

Bob Rees became paraplegic two years ago when he and his wife were hit head-on by a car while traveling on a motorbike in Malawi.

Chris Rees was killed and Bob suffered spinal injuries that forced him to use a wheelchair.

As a man with a disability at the end of his life, he says he is shocked by the lack of uniform standards for toilets, parking and accessibility for the disabled.

As he tried to recover from his injuries, staff at Fiona Stanley Hospital told the 73-year-old that he would not be eligible for support from the National Disability Insurance Plan because he was over 65 years old.

“When I heard this I was pretty dumbfounded,” Mr. Rees said.

“So the others in the hospital were all getting their NDIS, and I wasn’t getting any.

“What I had to do, with the help of Fiona Stanley, with our occupational therapist in particular, was to go and find out for myself where I could access funds.

“You have to do it yourself. And unfortunately, because of this COVID story, there is less money flowing now than there was two years ago. So that makes it right. very difficult. “

Speaking to the ABC on International Disability Day last Friday, Mr Rees said people who become disabled at age 65 may need even more help from the part of the government to rebuild their lives.

“How many people know about NDIS [and how] don’t you understand that once you’re 65? You know, it’s like Australia’s worst kept secret; you know, it’s terrible. “

NDIS states on its website that “the requirement to be under 65 to become an NDIS participant recognizes that NDIS is part of a larger support system in Australia, with the intention that people from over 65 have access to the care system for the elderly. . “

The need to change his house, car and motorcycle to suit someone who can no longer use his legs cost him $ 100,000.

“I’m just lucky that I can afford it out of my superannuation pension. Obviously there are a lot of people out there who can’t and I think there should be funding for it.”

Brendon Flower, who converts disabled vehicles at BF Customs near Mount Barker, says he has lost several orders because the NDIS qualification process takes so long that people despair and cancel.

“Unfortunately, it can sometimes take a very long time,” he said.

“And I actually lost a few jobs because people just quit. It took six, nine, even twelve months and they got nothing in return.

“I don’t know why, but it would be great if that could change for them. Because, you know, giving people their independence and being able to drive for a ride. It’s just great. It’s great to give that back. to people. “

Since becoming a paraplegic, Mr. Rees has become an advocate for people with severely restricted mobility.

“Either way, I’m a positive person, so I decided that I had to make this second life worth it, and that I go and make it worth it for me and for the others.” he said.

“As a result, I realized how difficult it was for others. And not just for paraplegics or people in wheelchairs.

“It’s huge, the obstacles they have to go through on a daily basis.

“So what I’ve tried to do, especially over the past 18 months, is talk to decision-makers in parliament and council to make their life outside the home easier.”

Mr Rees has approached Albany’s council on several occasions to address issues such as parking and providing adequate space for drivers with disabilities to park and assemble wheelchairs. He says the advice has been “very good” on the matter, but there are other things that can be done.

“There are a lot of things, for example, simple things like door closers in disabled toilets, they are so strong, the majority of them that if you are in a wheelchair you cannot. somehow hold that door and stay open, it’ll fall back on you.

“I have only been walking for two years, like the majority of the population. I went to the Western Australian government for the Department for Disabilities and reported things to them. And I feel like I didn’t advancing nowhere.

“I think that should be a standard for disabled access across Australia, so it has to be a global body that actually does this stuff.

“I think there are too many small advisory boards. You would think the Department of Invalids would neglect everything, but I don’t think they are.”