For nearly two decades, Shane Hryhorec has navigated life in a wheelchair, but he encountered a particularly ironic barrier at the office of Health and Disability Minister Mark Butler in Port Adelaide.

Upon arriving for a scheduled half-hour meeting in July to discuss disability-related issues, he was confronted by stairs at the entrance.

A sign instructed him to “ring bell for rear delivery and wheelchair access,” yet there was no doorbell in sight.

“I was fortunate to have my phone with me,” Hryhorec shared with 9news.com.au, noting the irony of the situation.

After calling his office, staff members emerged, visibly “embarrassed” and “ashamed,” as they scrambled to figure out a way to grant him entry.

He was taken around back and had to wheel past rubbish bins, old campaign corflutes, up a non-compliant ramp, and past the smokers’ area to get inside.

“The staff were just clearly fumbling, and you could tell they were like embarrassed to have someone in a wheelchair visiting them and having this kind of experience,” he said.

“When I got inside, there was nowhere for me to wait, there was no spot.

“So I was just stuck in a walkway next to someone’s desk, watching them design flyers or brochures for public transport.”

The ordeal ate into the meeting and left him with only 10 minutes of the federal minister’s time.

“I’m asking him in this meeting about what can he do to make life better for people with disabilities, but what hope do we have of achieving that if his office is not even accessible?” he said.

“The pin dropped at that point. It was a bit of a helpless cause.”

Hryhorec addressed the missing doorbell with Butler, but said he received some pushback until his staff confirmed it was not there. 

A few days later, he followed up with the office and was told the doorbell had been fixed. 

“I run into those issues all the time, but I don’t run into those issues at an office for a minister or an MP. Not often,” he said.

“Sadly, this is such a common occurrence for people with disabilities.”

Hryhorec said his experience “shook” him.

He was unsure whether to share his story, and it took him months to build up the courage to do so. 

Since sharing his experience online, he has received more than 1.5 million views and received support from other people with disabilities, who have run into similar issues.

Hryhorec also lodged a complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission to make Butler’s office more accessible.

He argued that the lack of accessibility also meant his office had not hired anyone with a disability.

“The problem is laws need to change, but the people that we need to speak to to change those laws are the same people like Mark Butler, that you can’t even get inside their office,” he said.

“The only way people can work together is if they have an equal seat at the table and if they can even get inside the building.”

A spokesperson for the minister said the office complied with the Disability Discrimination Act, but acknowledged the current set-up “was not good enough”.

“Of course, Australians living with a disability should have access to federal parliamentarian offices,” the spokesperson said.

“We know this is not good enough.”

Butler’s spokesperson said the minister had spoken to the Department of Parliamentary Services about installing a disability access ramp at the front of the building and renovating the reception area for ease of access three years ago, in October 2022.

But they were quoted about $100,000.

“As this expense would be a cost to taxpayers, the office decided to retain the existing accessible entrance,” the spokesperson said.

Butler’s spokesperson said they requested the Department of Parliamentary Services for a better office in late 2023 and early 2024.

A property with a ”more inclusive design” was identified, and discussions are currently underway to secure that property.