The use of reusable cups in places is not something new, or something which I object to at all. Reusable cups are clearly great for the environment. The problem comes with how you wash them, and the fact that washing these reusable cups is a task left to the customer.

This can often make these reusable cups and inaccessible to disabled people like myself. meaning that we run into problems when trying to clean up so they can be refilled in places. Personally this is not something I am able to do, in my experiences places will not refill cup that has been used without your cleaning it first. I even explained that I would be very happy to have the cup simply rinsed out, yet they didn’t want to do this. And while I understand there reasoning for this it resulted in a reusable cup becomes a single cup for me. So then I wonder what the point on me even carrying a reusable cup is if I can’t reuse it?

I do understand the concerns with refilling used cups that are not clean, but if someone is unable to clean their own cup, I don’t see how you can have it both ways. How you can expect them to use something that’s inaccessible to them and not help them to use it.

Let me see if I can explain for those of you reading this who may not understand why I cannot wash a reusable cup. The biggest reason for me is the spoons involved in cleaning it. It is simply energy I can’t afford to use every day. Then we are talking about having to do this multiple times a day. Including finding somewhere to wash the cup out that is also accessible, it all costs more spoons I don’t have.

This is a bigger problem at least for me personally than it may appear. I have struggled for a lot of my life with chronic dehydration, and if I was restricted to the use of only cups require more spoons I can very easily see myself further restricting my liquid intake, and becoming more dehydrated.

If places are only going to allow the use of reusable cups instead of single use cups, this makes Ann accessible to someone who can’t clean their own reusable cup.

Ideas of sustainability seem to cost accessibility, the removal of plastic straws are a perfect example of this. A small improvement in sustainability that was implemented with little or no consideration for the impact on disabled people. It didn’t change anything for non disabled people so the argument was lost.

This example is more easily made accessible. Simply, allow restaurants and coffee shops to rinse reusable cups for customers. It’s not a perfect solution but it is a solution this could work.

All I am really asking is can we please consider disabled people in movements of sustainability. We often need single use products, straws, cups, ready cut fruit, to make the world accessible to us. I’m not asking for sustainability to be forgotten, but simply for accessibility to be considered as part of sustainability to. Disabled people live in the world to.