Anna, 34: "I should also be able to swim"

The lack of accessibility makes it difficult for people with functional variation to bathe, something that Anna Pettersson in the organization Young Funkisar in Skåne notices. Many of the municipal bathing areas are not adapted for wheelchairs.

- That's a big problem. It is not possible in so many places to get into the water if you need a wheelchair or have walking difficulties, says Anna Pettersson, 34 years from Kristianstad.

Her desire for the municipalities is that in more bathing places, investments in railings, lifts, handicapped toilet, dressing rooms and float aids.

- It's difficult to get up if there is no railing. Then you have to have two steady people who can help one up, or you can try to lift yourself up on the butt. Then you get pretty sandy, ”says Anna Pettersson.

Why is it important for wheelchair users to get down into the water?

- I should also be able to swim? It is in water I move the most smoothly and it is a good workout. Walking training is easier to do in water, and then try to perform it on land, says Anna Pettersson.

In Kristianstad there are few places where wheelchair users can get down to the water, where Kantarellbadet is one of these. That not all baths are adapted is partly due to priorities in the municipality's economy. For example, a lift for wheelchairs costs about SEK 100,000.

- It is a challenge for the municipality to ensure that there are the right resources and staff that are well-versed. We are trying to improve, but this is a development area that must be prioritized, says Ulrika Cedell, head of cultural and leisure management in Kristianstad.

See the feature above where Anna takes SVT Nyheter Skåne to one of the bathing places.