Inspired Solutions International

Good day;

My name is Paul Murphy and I, (an entrepreneur confined to wheelchair and a survivor of the drug Thalidomide) along with my life and business partner Barbara Martin, (who has both the personal experience of having recovered from a catastrophic car wreck that took her through a multi-year rehabilitation and professional knowledge as a licensed RN) have seen the important need to help enhance accessibility for all.

We would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to "Inspired Solutions International". This is a Canadian based company that provides assistance and guidance relating to total accessibility.

The term “accessibility” often narrowly focuses on those of us with definable disabilities, however, it better describes the degree to which a product, service or environment is accessible by as many people as possible. In fact it is time to think of the term “accessibility” in the broadest sense when developing new infrastructure and services.

Currently, about 10 per cent of the North American population lives with some form of agility or mobility limitation. 10-12 per cent of that population is confined to wheel chairs or requires other wheeled mobility-aids. These statistics are similar for other countries such as Great Britain, Canada and parts of Europe.

As the population ages, there will be a growing number of people with agility and mobility issues. People spend on average about 8 years, or 11.5 % of their life span, living with a physical limitation.

ISI does not just offer the traditional compliance based accessibility consulting, accessibility reviews, product development and distribution/sales. We believe that to be truly accessible, a business’ staff needs to be given empowerment and tools. That’s why we include as part of our traditional offerings, empowerment training and seminars.

Some may feel that improving accessibility in these tough economic times is not a priority, but with a world population growing older and the desire to bring more people to your business doorstep, I.S.I. believes it is a priority and a benefit for everyone!

At a time when every dollar counts and you want to hold and grow your bottom line, it is the right time to ensure you are doing all you can to achieve accessibility for all your customers – profitably!

Paul Murphy

View my info on LinkedIn

In The News:

Travel Matters: Hotel Rooms, Wheelchair Repair on the Go, Traveling with Attendants

By Aaron Broverman
www.newmobility.com

July 2010

Q: I reserved an "accessible" room with a roll-in shower. When I got there, I couldn't even get into the bathroom. What should I have done?

A: “Just phoning ahead and saying, 'I want a roll-in shower’ doesn't really work,” says Paul Murphy, director of the accessibility consulting firm Inspired Solutions International and a Thalidomide survivor. He says the only way to know for sure is to have the hotel send you digital pictures of the washroom from a variety of angles. “If it's any type of decent hotel, someone should have access to a camera and have the ability to shoot a couple of digital photographs and send them to you — that way you know exactly what you're rolling into.” Of course, if you don't have Internet access, you can get them to send the photos to a friend who can deliver them at a later date.

However, if you get there and it's not what you need, Murphy has another maneuver that has worked for him. “What I've done is say, 'Show me your other accessible rooms that are available or your large regular room.' I will go and assess those other rooms and if the regular room is better but it's a door width issue, I'll ask them to take the bathroom door off the hinges, so I can gain access.” Taking the door off its hinges typically gives an extra two or three inches of door width. Some rooms come with shower seats or transfer benches, so ask about those, but most of the time it's best to bring your own. “The problem is, we do a great job on establishing rules on how the physical structure should be built,” Murphy says. “We don't do a great job of training people on those facilities. The hotel really does want to help you, but they haven't been empowered to know how to help you.” So, Murphy says, it's important to take responsibility for your own access.

“For every obstacle there is a solution: over, under, around or through”

Inspired Solutions International

“For every obstacle there is a solution: over, under, around or through”