Almost 24,000 wheelchair users in the UK are waiting for
social housing because of a ‘massive shortfall’ in accessible homes, a national
charity has warned. Aspire, which
provides assistance to those paralysed by spinal cord injury, has published
research showing just over 5,000 wheelchair accessible homes were built in 2013
- lower than any year since 2005. It found 14% of people with spinal cord
injury are discharged to a permanent accessible property after completing their
rehabilitation with the NHS. By matching freedom of information responses on
wheelchair accessible properties to wheelchair users, it estimated it would
take 6 years to meet current demand, without even taking into account new
wheelchair users. Download a copy of the report from the Aspire website.
