EILEEN Drumm is known as a determined woman who has never let her disability get in her way.

But in a frank interview with the Impartial Reporter this week she says Enniskillen is simply “not wheelchair friendly”.

Renowned for her highspeed scooter, she says that when it comes to navigating your way around the town, those who are less able-bodied often have to “grin and bear it”.

On a wet Monday morning this week, Eileen parked her scooter under shelter at the Clinton Centre before walking the short distance over to the Impartial Reporter office.

“I am lucky that I can walk a bit before I get chesty and out of breath, others aren’t able to do that,” she says.

“It’s often hard to find somewhere to keep the scooter dry.

“I usually bring a cushion in with me when I am having lunch in town. But I was at the Buttermarket the other day and I forgot I had left the cushion outside on the scooter in the rain. When I came out again, it and the scooter were drenched. When something like that happens, there is nothing else to do but just grin and bear it.” Asked to describe what it’s like to make her way around Enniskillen in a scooter, Eileen replies: “You only have to look outside the front door of your office and there is the perfect example of what it’s like.” A red van is parked right outside the door, blocking a dropped kerb.

“There is a dropped kerb on both sides of the road there,” says Eileen, “But if a car is parked on one side, there is no point in trying to cross.

“When that happens, you have to go on another half a mile or more to get to the next dropped kerb. And if the same thing has happened there too, then you have another half a mile to go.

“Some of the dropped kerb are really steep too,” she says, “It means it can be hard for a small scooter or wheelchair to get up them -- they just don’t have the power.

“That is why I have the high speed scooter for Enniskillen.

“When you are in a wheelchair or a scooter, you always have to plan your journey, every time you go out of the house. You always have to be thinking ahead.” In an attempt to illustrate the challenges she faces on a daily basis as she makes her way around Enniskillen, Eileen has uploaded a video on to Youtube entitled: ‘Not Much Fun In The Rain’.

“I think the title says it all,” she says, “If you are in a wheelchair in bad weather, it’s not much fun in the rain.” Access to shops is a particular issue that Eileen encounters on a regular basis.

“There are some shops you just can’t get into with a scooter or a wheelchair. I am lucky that a can walk a bit. I can park up and walk in. But there are plenty of others who can’t, so those shops just aren’t accessible to them.

“The likes of Asda or Tesco have aisles designed for trollies, so there is no problem there.

“But certain shops need to bear in mind that not every wheelchair is a ‘one size fits all’. A lot of wheelchairs are designed for the individual’s needs, and that creates access problems.” At the Buttermarket Eileen says she believes the disabled parking bays are not wide enough for those using wheelchairs.

“And in one area at the Buttermarket, there is a dropped curb on one side of a footpath, but not on the other,” she adds.

“In some areas of the town there are gratings and drains on the footpaths. In Omagh they are covered over.

“If you are in a wheelchair or a scooter, you get jolted the same way you would if you were going over a speed ramp. You wouldn’t notice them unless you were in a wheelchair or a scooter, or even pushing a pram. There is one outside the O2 shop here.

“That is why I always make a point of staying on the other side of the road when I am in that area.

“Enniskillen is not great for wheelchair access you know. It’s not. Derry is very hilly and so is Dungannon.

“Omagh is pretty good though since they widened the footpaths in the town centre a number of years ago.” Determined to address Enniskillen’s access issues, Eileen has contacted the local Transport NI office and the PSNI.

“We did an audit of the town and they assured me they were going to do a few bits and pieces like fixing footpaths,” she explains.

“They did tell me six to seven years ago when we were setting up Shop Mobility that there was a scheme for Enniskillen. When or if it ever happens I don’t know!” But besides the logistics, Eileen says it is often people’s lack of consideration that presents the most difficult problems for wheelchair users.

“People parking up on footpaths is a real problem,” she says, “It makes it hard for anyone like me or anyone with a pram to get past, they don’t leave much space.

“It is very inconsiderate. I know a lot of people don’t realise what they are doing. It’s just a matter of educating them on these things.

“But it’s not hard to figure out that by parking on a dropped curb you are preventing someone from getting off the footpath.

“In saying that, people are very good. When they realise their mistake they are always very apologetic.” Watch Eileen's thought-provoking video 'Not Much Fun in the Rain' here: