Hamilton is celebrating disabilities today, and it's inspirational. Made with funding from NZ On Air.
It takes Kale Hunter about an hour to get to Wintec in Hamilton central.
As the 19-year-old rolls off the bus, he grins. Accessibility to public transport has given him independence - he used to rely on his parents and friends to get around.
Initially Mr Hunter wasn't sure howwheelchairs got onto the bus.
"I didn't know how it worked, I didn't know that it folded out, and I didn't know that it lowered." But now he's a regular face and "a lot of the driver's know me."
He was inspired by the message of Have a Go Day - an annual Waikato event, held today to mark International Day of Persons with Disability.
The annual event is organised by Waikato Regional Council, Hamilton City Council, Life Unlimited Trust and CCS Disability Action.
With over 20% of the population living with a disability, Life Unlimited Trust Community Liaison John McIntosh says the day is all about removing barriers. "Normally it's around lack of understanding on how to work with people with disabilities, how to interact [with the disabled] so I guess days like this are great education for everybody."
Mr McIntosh says people are celebrating people who live with a disability, and the international day of awareness is about creating tolerance and acceptance. "If you make a city good for people with disabilities you make a city good for everyone."
Hamilton City Council's Disability Advisor, Judy Small celebrates her lack of vision and is excited about new technology that could help her navigate the city easier.
She says I-Beacon devices wirelessly transmit location information to users phones, giving visually impaired people verbal information about where they are
"The beacon stores information, it might say the library is on your right and you know you're outside the library and you can go in."
Retiree, Ron McColl is visually impaired and says he relies on his guide-dog or cane to get around.
The main challenges for the pair occur when crossing streets without curbs, as his dog Sam is trained to stop at curbs.
"Cars have got to stop in a hurry because I think it's okay to cross, then all of a sudden a car appears on the road in front of me."
Mr McColl says unexpected footpath closures, or vehicles blocking the footpath are also an inconvenience.
"I've set off to cross a road with Sam, then got to the other side and discovered the access onto the footpath is blocked off, so I'm stuck in the middle of the road and I'm not quite sure what to do."
Despite these minor occurrences, Mr McColl says Hamilton is a "relatively accessible" flat city and most people are really helpful and considerate.
And - he always has the assistance of his guide dog, Sam.
