Kerbs and regulations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Maikel has cerebral palsy. He walks with a frame, which gives him more flexibility than a wheelchair, but the same obstacles remain. \u201cEven small kerbs can feel like the edge of a cliff,\u201d he explains. \u201cI have issues with depth perception and spatial awareness, so a few centimetres can feel like a huge drop.\u201d Kerb heights are regulated by Building Regulation No. 28*, which sets the national accessibility requirements for the built environment. Things are improving, Maikel says, but it\u2019s still common to see designs that miss the mark. Mobility starts with access<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Maikel lives in Keila, where the town\u2019s central park is newly renovated and accessible. He gives positive examples \u2013 Tammsaare Park in Tallinn, rail travel across Estonia, and how getting to \u00dclemiste or further is usually simple by train. For everyday travel, he sometimes takes a taxi or rides with a friend. \u201cTwo people in a car \u2013 that\u2019s public transport too,\u201d he grins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But every journey needs to be carefully planned: parking spots, access to the entrance, and enough space to get out of the car. \u201cI can manage,\u201d he says, \u201cbut for friends in wheelchairs, it gets much harder, especially without a designated space.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn our work with the Estonian Chamber of Disabled People, we talk more and more about access as a life-stage issue. It\u2019s not just about disability \u2013 it affects you if you\u2019ve twisted an ankle, if you\u2019re a parent, or as you get older. It\u2019s something that touches all of us eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Access is a daily decision<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf I have to think about whether I can use the toilet, then I have to think about whether I should even go anywhere at all.\u201d For public events, access to a toilet can be the deciding factor. Maikel shares a recent example: \u201cI was at Kultuurikatel for a meeting with the architects\u2019 union. The venue was preparing for the next event, and there were things scattered on the floor that blocked my path. I didn\u2019t want to try going over them, so I decided to head across the street to the Circle K gas station \u2013 but it turned out they didn\u2019t just lack an accessible toilet, they didn\u2019t have one at all. That just doesn\u2019t make sense given the location. Silly situation.\u201d Where are the toilets? \u201cAn accessible toilet is not a storage room,\u201d Maikel says firmly. \u201cIt\u2019s a defined space with clear parameters. It needs to be marked and accessible.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n What could good access look like?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve told event organisers \u2013 the best experience is when no one even notices I was there. Everything just works. I get to enjoy the event and so does everyone else. And then I\u2019ll want to come back.\u201d He adds with a laugh, \u201cI haven\u2019t yet said that an event was too accessible.<\/em> Until that day comes, we\u2019ve got work to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s dream a little \u2013 it\u2019s often the simplest things that make a space truly work. A bench to rest or eat. A toilet whose key isn\u2019t hidden in a city official\u2019s drawer. A shop shelf you can reach without asking for help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRimi\u2019s automated mini-store in Noblessner was a good surprise,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s small, but I fit in, and I\u2019m pretty sure my colleagues would too. Everything worked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even something as everyday as going to the movies can be a challenge. \u201cFor a while, I used to go to the cinema quite often,\u201d says Maikel. \u201cAnd I was almost always the only visibly disabled person there, probably because it\u2019s just not easy to get in. I\u2019ve had to crawl up the stairs on all fours because there wasn\u2019t even a handrail.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n The job market and visibility<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere still aren\u2019t jobs in Estonia that match the skills of disabled people with higher education,\u201d says Maikel. \u201cIf you want something meaningful, you have to either start your own business or rely on personal connections. Look at the job listings \u2013 try the filter \u2018suitable for reduced work capacity.\u2019 The results haven\u2019t changed since I graduated in 2017. Mostly telemarketing jobs. And even those will be taken over by AI soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, he\u2019s hopeful. \u201cIn our podcast Sandid Hoos, we talk to people doing big things \u2013 stand-up comedy, travelling the world, disability or not. There\u2019s no shortage of talent or drive. We just need the chance to be part of society. Without access, we\u2019re left out \u2013 from the economy, from everyday life.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Access isn\u2019t a luxury. It\u2019s the baseline.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn Alicante, the sidewalks were smooth like bathroom tiles \u2013 it felt nice. I want Hundipea to feel like that. Like the streets in Portugal or Spain, where you don\u2019t get tired from just moving around.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maikel hopes that Hundipea will be a place where doors aren\u2019t too heavy, benches offer places to rest, streets don\u2019t wear you down, even low-rise buildings have lifts, and the sea is truly accessible for everyone. \u201cWhy not boat rides? Tallinn already has a sailing group for people with disabilities. I want to drive a speedboat. Hundipea could offer that \u2013 a pier where everyone can get close to the water and experience it for themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s Maikel\u2019s wish for Hundipea?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLet\u2019s keep working together. I hope this place becomes something we can all enjoy \u2013 now and decades from now.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n What do we take from this conversation?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Maikel\u2019s perspective is a good reminder: good public space doesn\u2019t just happen. It doesn\u2019t come from closed rooms or small circles. It takes listening, asking questions, and learning from people who move through the space every day. We are working to make accessibility something you can actually feel, not just something that\u2019s written down. From kerbs and benches to lifts and toilets, the small things shape whether a space works or doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Maikel put it: \u201cThe best outcome is when no one notices I was even there. I get the experience, you get yours \u2013 and I\u2019ll be back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Access that works without drawing attention to itself. Not a luxury, but a baseline. That\u2019s what we\u2019re building toward \u2013 in collaboration with Maikel and others who help us see the city through the eyes of the people using it.
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<\/strong>\u201cAccessible toilets aren\u2019t just hard to find \u2013 they\u2019re often misused,\u201d Maikel says. Sometimes they\u2019re locked away, with the key held by a building manager. \u201cIt\u2019s to stop drug users,\u201d they explain. Sometimes these toilets double as storage rooms for cleaning supplies. In one caf\u00e9 in J\u00f5geva, the door couldn\u2019t even be locked from the inside \u2013 and the space was filled with toys from the kids\u2019 corner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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