Mik Scarlett lives in Camden Town
MIK Scarlet has spent a lifetime experiencing a world of unnecessary obstacles – and has also spent a life time campaigning to highlight and dismantle them.
A broadcaster, journalist, campaigner and consultant, Mik has used a wheelchair through out his adult life.
Diagnosed with a form of childhood cancer, he had a related condition that affected his spine as a teenager. Today, he has become a leading authority on access and equality.
Currently around 22 per cent of the population is part of the disabled community, and it rises to 50 per cent for the over 60s.
But our world is designed in a way that not only ignores this but actively, unintentionally, makes life much more complicated than it needs to be.
Mik, a familiar face in Camden Town where he lives, has a unique experience as a wheelchair user.
“Some disabled people will know what it was like to be able to do what ever you liked, as they may have had an accident,” he said.
“Other people are born with a disability. I was a member of the walking wounded in my childhood.
“Then, later in life, I had the experience of losing lots of what I could do so I have that understanding of what it is like to have an accident and wake up different. I could understand both.”
And he has seen how badly organised society is for people with disabilities.
“If I was 20 again, I would face the same issues I faced when I was 20, nearly four decades ago – and if anything it has got worse,” he said. “People are not living up to their moral and legal obligations to ensure our society is inclusive to all.”
Mik grew up in Luton and its post-war redevelopment gave him an approachable environment.
“The town had been bulldozed, and rebuilt using the usual 1960s obsessions – horrible stuff,” he said. “People said what they did was an architectural crime but for me it was great. It had a shopping centre that was completely flat. The town centre was redone and I could get about. There were accessible loos at either end of town. “I was made to feel welcome, I had independence.
“By the age of 18 I was just doing what any 18-year-old was doing. It wasn’t a big deal. But when I started going to other places there was a big, big difference in how I could live. London was very difficult.”
Travelling the world making TV shows, he notes how some countries understand the importance of holistic – and rigorously enforced – planning laws.
“In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king, they say,” added Mik. “I disagree, because sight would be a useless thing to have in such a place. The world would be for the majority – it would not need colour, or light. In a world filled with wheelchairs, if you could suddenly walk, life would be really hard because nothing would be designed for you.
“But we can build an inclusive world if we want to. It is really quite simple. Build a building with only steps and I can’t come in. Add a ramp or a lift and I can.
“Our world must recognise there is more than one way to get around.”
Camden today could be a world-leading area, he says – but policies have meant it is even harder today to get about than it was decades ago, he adds.
From new cycle lanes cutting pavement widths, to poorly-sited bus stops, new buildings which architects focus mainly on aesthetics and not usability, low traffic neighbourhoods that use blanket rules to stop everyone using vehicles, Mik says he sees inequality every time he leaves his front door.
Paradoxically, the Disability Rights Act has made the situation worse, he argues.
In the past, Mik could rely on staff at businesses to go out of their way to help. It does not happen that way now. Many are worried if they offer to help get up a step, it highlights their lack of access, he said.
“The act is not clear,” Mik added.
“It says people need to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to make sure the disabled are not discriminated against. “This means there is an excuse that something is not affordable or manageable. Its a get-out clause, a bit of paper that just does nothing.
“This has to change.”
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