Sporty Nakita Wright was left disabled from the waist down after an accident at surf school seven years ago. Since then she and her family have been fighting to get their house adapted so it is wheelchair accessible.
The 14-year-old was told she may not walk again after a freak incident on the Algarve, Portugal in 2015. Undeterred, the teen is now a wheelchair basketball athlete and her mum Natasha Wright, 44, said she has “taken everything in her stride”.
She dreams of playing in the Paralympics and has made the final deadline to prepare for the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Her homelife however is difficult as her house is not adapted to fit a wheelchair user and the family have been waiting seven years for it to be resolved.
Nakita’s injury happened when she was just eight as she was lying flat on the board and practising jumping up. Suddenly she experienced intense pain and could not stand, much to her family’s shock and concern.
She was diagnosed with surfer’s myelopathy after two months which mostly affects young adults. She is thought to be the youngest person in the world with this diagnosis.
Her condition is worsened by their house’s lack of adaptations, with Natasha still having to carry her daughter up the stairs which can be dangerous. Nakita also now has sustained scoliosis due to her attempts to move herself and strengthen her upper body.
The family, from Trowbridge Wiltshire, had to leave their rented accommodation and move into a Selwood Housing property on August 18, 2017. They were told by the occupational therapist that this house would be adaptable to Nakita’s needs.
“We started looking for properties, we wanted to stay in the local area for family support and Nakita was getting to an age where she was looking at secondary school – I wanted her to be as independent as possible,” said mum Natasha.
"Selwood Housing took us on as a priority case and we went to see a property in the perfect location. We didn’t think it was adaptable but we received a call from the occupational therapist who said they had gone to the property and it could be adapted so we should go for it.”
Sadly, this was far from a dream house. Natasha said: “When we moved in it was an absolute mess, it needed replastering and redecorating as the last owner was a smoker. Before we moved into the property and after we accepted it, they came in and replaced the bathroom and kitchen flooring.
"I believe there was asbestos in the glue which was holding the tiles down which is a safety risk and something they needed to do by law.” This has been their home ever since the accident but Nakita has lived half her life unable to move with ease around the house due to lack of adaptations.
To add salt to the wound, there was also a vacant bungalow which Natasha believes “had been passed over to Selwood over 20 years ago for adults with learning disabilities.” She added: "The whole time we were looking it remained vacant - it was frustrating to be looking for properties when you know there's the perfect one just empty."
The housing company gave them a voucher to have work completed and most of this went on repairing the floor. Over Christmas that year they expected to receive grants to make the home accessible but Natasha claims they were then told they wouldn’t be given these after all.
At the beginning of 2018 the family were put back on the housing list and offered three different properties over the space of six months. None met the family’s needs so they stayed put despite Nakita having to shuffle around the house.
After this, Natasha claims that Selwood refused to help and said “they didn’t owe us anything”. She said: “We were waiting on the grants officer to release the grants when they turned around and said they wouldn’t do the adaptions.”
“They said we should go back on the housing list but as we weren’t homeless, we weren’t a priority. Selwood had six months to relocate us but we had no communication until the end of the six months.”
Nakita and her mother continued with their solution of carrying the teenager but Natasha said this is not a permanent fix. “She’s a teenager and doesn’t want to be carried and she’s getting bigger so it’s dangerous for me to carry her,” she explained.
Covid provided another set back to their struggles as they were unable to progress with anything. This is when their local MP Andrew Morrison got involved to advocate for their house to gain the necessary adaptations.
A year later in 2021, they received planning permissions but little has progressed since then. “It’s just a joke really – we're in a property which is big and falling apart and needs upgrading," said Natasha.
While a stairlift has been fitted recently, this is only a small part of the changes that need to be made. “We just wish Selwood would be a bit more understanding. We can’t visit family and friends because their homes aren’t accessible either,” said Natasha.
“Mentally it’s affected her an awful lot – it seems to me like they’re fobbing us off all the time. I’m not moving now – we will get these adaptions done.”
A spokesperson for Selwood Housing said: "We deeply sympathise with the challenges Ms Wright and her family face following her daughter’s accident. We have made contact with Ms Wright to discuss her concerns and how to take this matter forward.
"Ms Wright moved into her home in 2017, after considerable discussions to determine the suitability of the property between Selwood Housing, Ms Wright and the family’s occupational therapist. This move was prioritised through our direct lets process, in recognition of the family’s circumstances and the fact that they had been threatened with being made homeless from a privately rented property.
"The direct lets process meant that Ms Wright’s housing needs were prioritised, rather than going through the usual Homes 4 Wiltshire bidding process, which can take considerably longer. Later that year, Selwood Housing was advised that the property was no longer suitable and because a significant extension to the property was not financially possible, it was agreed that the only option was for Ms Wright to move home.
"We spoke with Ms Wright about finding alternative accommodation that would meet the needs of the family. This was again through the direct lets process, so that the limited number of potentially suitable homes available could be offered directly to Ms Wright.
"After other potentially suitable homes were ruled out, one remaining property was confirmed as suitable by the occupational therapist and this home was offered to Ms Wright. Ms Wright did not feel that property was suitable and refused the offer.
"Understandably, the family wished to stay in Trowbridge so that Ms Wright’s daughter would not have to change school and to stay close to their network of family and friends, which meant that properties outside of Trowbridge were not suitable. For this reason, we also offered advice on exploring properties with other housing associations through a Homes 4 Wiltshire application, so that as many homes as possible could be considered.
"Another property that Ms Wright was interested in was unfortunately not an option because it is designated as supported living for adults and there are restrictive covenants in place which prevent us from letting this property to Ms Wright.
"In the meantime, we asked for recent kitchen adaptations to be included as part of a grant for accessibility modifications at Ms Wright’s current home. This took place and the work is being planned."
Cllr Phil Alford, Cabinet Member for Housing at Wiltshire Council said: “We understand how frustrating this is but unfortunately, where funding has been agreed, works have been subject to delays caused by shortages of materials and contractors. We are working closely with our contractors to ensure that works can be carried out as soon as possible and are communicating this to affected residents.”
