Connect culture is about building an inclusive world bringing people and cultures together

Here, when we say an building an inclusive world, I would like to mean specifically but not exclusively, disabled and non disabled people. We all have multiple identities with families, friends and communities and increasingly we are cosmopolitan beings, we enjoy and share different and separate cultures.

Connect culture seeks to build bridges, make accessible places and information to people who needs it - which is affordable. I am much influenced into this approach by DrScott Rains who pushes tirelessly and persuasively for inclusive tourism and design.

I love these three cities, I would like to be able to say I have helped in giving you access to the city, not just physical access but provide you with a holistic experience. You will not be able to appreciate a place if you cannot get into a building or spend all your time researching to find the accessible entrance or being stressed out because you do not know when you will find an accessible toilet.

About Eleanor

I was born and bred Malaysian of Chinese ethnicity - thereby I was brought up in a multicultural neighbourhood in a country with a Muslim majority, and significant percentage of Hindus, Taoists, Budhists and Christians. By faith I am a Catholic with Zen tendencies and a huge Anglican influence as a result of marriage. I speak four languages reasonably, my mother tongue is Cantonese, my working language is English and I have picked up Mandarin and French along the way.

I have lived in 3 continents of South East Asia, Europe and the USA, Lived and worked in Malaysia,  UK (Yorkshire, South east, West Midlands),  France (Strasbourg) and the United States (Texas and Massachusetts). I think this gives me the widest perspective culturally. I am not a tourist, I believe tourism is a form of consumerism but I believe in travel because it widens our horizons about different cultures and perspectives and make you open to opportunities and meeting people.

And I am disabled, I use a wheelchair. I need facilities to be accessible for me to be able to get there. I frequently travel on my own - I like traveling independently. I have to do a lot of rsearch before hand to make sure I can do that - however, there is always an element that you cannot completely prepare for and that is the challenge and adventure. I do not enjoy it when my battles is with people's attitudes - that they have put barriers to stop me from functioning well. This can be their ignorance or  bureaucracy or by having physical barriers when they were not needed (such as steps or stairs)

I am a parent of two beautiful young people - I understand the joys and challenges of that. I am also a divorced woman and appreciate that journey and the inequalities that  still exist between man and woman.

Lastly, I am an information specialist as well as an access advisor. I am the Access and Information Coordinator for Disability Awareness in Action. I believe in the power of good and accessible information. I have the paper qualifications for those roles. Currently I am a member of Equality 2025, Access Association West Midlands, member on the British Council Disability Advisory Panel. I am also a member of the Women Policy Forum (W.A.I.T.S) in Birmingham and Trustee on Artspace and Executive Committee member on the Council of Disabled People, Warwickshire and Coventry.

At present, I am planning the adaptations to be made in a flat I have just bought in Coventry.