A couple are campaigning for more shops to have ramps in order to open up their businesses to wheelchair users.

Martyn Kitney from Rochester has Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD) and uses a powered wheelchair to get around.

The 37-year-old, of Weatherly Close, and his partner Hannah Goode crowdfunded £2,500 to get him the wheelchair so he could make the switch from a manual chair.

However the couple, who have four children between then, went on a family day out to Rochester High Street where they found it difficult to get Martyn in and out of the shops.

He said: "For a long time, I was quite independent in my manual chair but my muscular dystrophy deteriorated and I needed my partner to help me.

"Going into shops wasn't a problem. My partner could tilt the chair and push me over steps, but, it wasn't an independent life.

"We managed to get a power chair through fundraising.

"Once we got it, I wanted to be out both by myself and with my family.

"Yet we found that being in a heavier chair, we couldn't get me through a lot of shops.

"In many cases we were met with quite a lot of hostility when we were asking if they had a ramp to help wheelchairs in.

"We understood that a town like Rochester has many listed buildings so that's an impossible ask for any of them.

"But, we also knew the Equality Act; It clearly states that shops should provide 'reasonable adjustments' to help disability access, for example, ramps or even bells at the door for disabled users to press when they need assistance or service.

"The more we asked the more we found that staff either didn't have any idea around what was and wasn't OK. Or, they were incredibly defensive and hostile."

The pair decided to engage with businesses in the High Street to try and get them to provide portable wheelchair ramps and compiled a list of shops which were accessible and also asked able bodied and disabled people in the town for their opinions.

One of the shops they visited, Get Ready Comics, got on board with the couple's message and within a few days, they had bought themselves a ramp allowing Martyn and other wheelchair users to browse in the shop.

Paul Blakebrough, who has owned the shop for three months, said: "I wasn't aware we had an issue with accessibility until they came to speak to me.

"For me, it's important to make our store accessible for anyone.

"It wasn't until Hannah came up to the till to ask if she could take something out of the store to show to her partner and that rang alarm bells and that got us talking."

Paul says obtaining a portable ramp for his shop was simple as he just had to measure the height of the front step and buy the ramp for £90.

As well as supporting people with disabilities, Paul understands that in the current climate retailers should be doing all they can to make their shops accessible to the Purple Pound, a term used to describe the spending power of people with disabilities.

He said: "I see it as an opportunity to lead the way with empathy to support people and allow an access for all approach to shops and places they love."

Martyn said: "The comic book shop were amazing. They wanted to make it accessible and instead of it 'not being a problem', they made it a problem to solve.

"We want stores to show that they are accessible if they are..."

"They wanted to make sure that all could enter even if it was just myself. A few days later and we went into the shop for the first time."

"Although Paul had to work out what was what, it was a quick fix. So, if he could do it, why couldn't the other shops?"

Hannah, who is 30 and acts as Martyn's full-time carer, said: "It made us feel quite isolated and we started talking about it online and lots of people said 'We have the same thing'."

Although Hannah says they have convinced three other shops in the High Street to think about getting a ramp, she has boycotted some brands which don't have them, as she feels it's her responsibility as an able-bodied person.

She got in touch with English Heritage to find out what provisions could be made to make historic buildings ­– such as those in the High Street – more accessible and in doing so, she found out the organisation encourages older buildings to have ramps where possible.

She said: "We were so used to accepting it and now we realised with our powerchair that we can't accept it anymore.

"It's quite disheartening as an able-bodied person."

Martyn added, "We want stores to show that they are accessible if they are. Those that aren't we want them to change and make reasonable adjustments.

"It's 2020 this shouldn't be happening in any town. We've heard from others online that they struggle where they live.

"We can't take on the country but if we can take on our town, then maybe we can raise awareness for others."

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