The English and Scottish countrysides are breathtaking – gorgeous rolling meadows meet grassy hilltops and lead to beautiful beaches. Simon Mulholland, through his Pony Access organization, is working to make Scotland’s public parks and beaches wheelchair accessible through an innovative wheelchair accessible pony-drawn carriage.
He has had a vision of bringing ponies back into mainstream communities since he started building pony-powered vehicles 20 years ago. First trialed in England, he found difficulty in gaining buy-in from the public and local governments. Now, after moving to Scotland, he’s making headway in a community that embraces his vision for pony-driven accessibility.
His vision, he said, “is about access.” He commented, “Oddly enough, this isn’t really a pony activity, it is an accessible activity.”
Mulholland’s pony-drawn carriages open up new vistas to disabled people. In an interview with the Glasgow Times, he remarked, “If somebody wanted to go bird watching or anything, I don’t care, they want to go and do something and they can’t get there. I can get them there and that’s what it is about.”
He emphasized that his pony drawn vehicle is not a “disabled activity” yet an “inclusive activity.” Essentially, it’s an experience that’s open to everyone, with accessibility being a key consideration from the start.
To read more about Pony Access, see the article in the Glasgow Times.
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