Can my housing association tell me not to go over door threshold in my powerchair?

Liv84

Hi there,

 I have a bit of a strange one. I moved to a housing association property last year, sadly both the front and back entrances are not level and I need to use wedges or ramps to get in and out of the property in my powerchair.

My OT is great, she's been working with the housing association and local authority to help me gain my independence. I was turned down for a disabled facilities grant because at the time I worked and earned too much, but my OT found other funding.

The asset manager for the housing association is the biggest barrier for me, at first my only option was to have work down at the back entrance because my powerchair was too big to get through the front door, which he approved. I will be getting a smaller powerchair soon that will fit through the front door, meaning less work need to be done and I won't have to leave the back garden gate open, and unlocked when I leave the home.

 He denied permission to clear a couple of bushes and level the front path rather than replace the back door and build a permeant ramp because the property door thresholds need changing because the powerchair going over them will damage them meaning I can't use wedges or temporary ramps to enter/exit until the door thresholds are changed.

I have been using a wedge and temporary ramp that my partner puts out for me when he's at home, for nearly a year but it seems like we shouldn't have been doing this, because the asset managers basis for denying the work needed is that the door thresholds will be damaged when a powerchair goes over them. I know many other powerchair users, with similar door thresholds that use wedges and ramps to enter and exit their housing association homes with no complaints from their housing association, so I have to ask are we in the wrong for doing this or is the Asset Manager of my housing association out of order, if so, what can I do? please help. Thank you for reading.

woodbine

@Liv84 good evening and a warm welcome to scope, the only suggestion I can think of would be to go to someone above the asset manager and ask them if they think what you are asking for is reasonable.

Liv84

Hi @woodbine, Thank you. My poor OT was in shock she's working so hard for me. I will speak with her tomorrow and see if she can ask for me. I never though I would be told I can't go over a door threshold in my powerchair