Things happen in split seconds. Stephen Cluskey’s life changed in an instant when he suffered a spinal injury as an 18 year old. He lost all power in his back and is now a wheelchair user. He is acutely aware of the lack of real physical access in Ireland. But the way he chose to bring us into his world caused me to raise an eye brow.
Challenging four non-disabled Rugby players – Jamie Heaslip, Shane Byrne, David Wallace, and Felix Jones – to have a ‘wheelchair relay’ from the Aviva to Thomand Park did send shivers through me. It goes against everything I believe in. Would it be like giving men a pair of stilettos for the day? In my eyes, the whole concept looks limited, and makes me wonder could it really raise any lasting awareness?
These feelings of dread eased as I began to watch. There was something very affecting about hearing Stephen’s description of his accident and the ‘near miss’ Felix had in a league game. Could I cope with such life-changing episodes? I'd forgotten how risky a game rugby really is.
When it comes to Rugby's Wheelchair Challenge, when the relay begins, there are cringe moments. Rugby stars stepping in and out of a chair was always going to be problematic. Could we really suspend disbelief? Most of the time we could.
This was because they stuck to the tried-and-tested trick of choosing obvious targets that showed how awful physical access is. Jamie’s odyssey around Temple Bar, as clichéd as the area itself, still was quite stark in showing how awful urban planning is here.
There are also moments of insight too. Shane wondering what would have happened if he met a mate and wanted to take an earlier train reminds us of how insane the advanced booking system for disabled travellers is. Felix’s two-hour push to Thomand was stark, as he reminds us it was normally a 30 minute stroll. Small things that screw your day.
Regular readers of Undaunted know that there is a hell of a lot more to disability access than physical access, and it's in focussing on the physical that Rugby's Wheelchair Challenge puts a limit on its own challenge.
And yet, such a minimalist approach works, if only because it will open the eyes of its target audience. For that reason alone it’s worth the watch.
Rugby’s Wheelchair Challenge airs Friday October 9th at 10.30pm on TV3.
