Disability gripes

Lady Lee

For the most part using a wheelchair isn't so bad. At least it helps me get out of the house.

But grrrrr. Public buildings are supposed to be accessible.

During the last week I have had to vote twice - Last week for a new Mayor and today for a new Prime Minister.

Both sites were shown to be accessible.

Well last week I went to the community centre to vote. I followed the signs that said the place was accessible and wound up at -- a set of stairs with no ramp or elevator!!! Huh!!!? So much for being accessible. Hubby went to complain and we were told the disabled access is around the other side of the building (opposite side to the parking so therefore definitely NOT easily accessible). Plus they had to find a person who had the key to the only accessible locked door. And that person also had to have the key to the locked accessible elevator. They we rolled through the entire building around an obstacle course to get to the room where the voting was. Then back through the obstacle course (objects blocking the halls had to be moved) and back down the elevator which was locked behind us and back out the door that was locked before and after going through it each time.

So taday I though this won't be so bad. It is being held in a community room in a retirement home. Should be accessible - right? Well sort of.

No handicapped parking so I had to park the van down the street and wheel myself down the road to the front of the building and waiting for traffic to not hit me along the way. I get to the place that goes from the street up to the special access ramp and find a bump a godd 2-3 inches that I have to get the wheelchair over without tipping over. Turn the chair around and got it up backwards without spilling myself onto the road. And I am faced with another set of stairs that go from the sidewalk to the walkway that leads to the building. Looking around I see another sidewalk to the right of the building and hopefully wheel over to it and discover that it is a well hidden ramp to the front of the building. Phew.

Get to the door and no button to open the door. So while 3 people sit and gab about 4 feet from me I struggle to open the door and roll the chair through it before it closes on me. Once inside the building everything is flat so that is good but after voting I have to get back out the door down the ramp back to the sidewalk down the 2-3 inch hump and down the road.

They ought to make the people who decide these things try to negotiate this in a wheelchair and see just how inaccessible it can be.

Maybe I shouldn't complain. I did get in and out without getting killed, scraped up or run over.

And I got to vote

Frannie Banannie

(((Lee))) Dang, woman! You should take a crew from your local news media (TV and newspaper both) and let them try the routes that are "easily wheelchair accessible" into those places....it doesn't matter that the voting is over, cause it will bring attention to something that needs a solution for all....ALL the time, eh?

So sorry it's like that, chere....hope not many of your sallies forth are that difficult, Lee!

Hugs,

Frannie B

wednesday

write to these people and tell them about the difficulties and close with a signature line:

I'm disabled, and i vote

SheilaM

(((((((((((LadyLee)))))))))))) I'm so sorry...yep contact the media

Lady Lee

some good ideas

I have called Elections Canada and filed a complaint. The woman had to keep putting me on hold so she could take the phones with the voting results

But my complaint is filed

Now I will have to figure out how to complain about the Winnipeg election last week

Might get to the media too but first things first

Gretchen956

Lady Lee I know this doesn't help your situation but I actually work for the State of Washington and one of our areas is working to get communities to improve their access for the disabled. Its a long and tedious process, but first thing we do is form a committee of townspeople usually the group includes some officials and some healthcare workers and usually some disabled people, they team up with us to take the message to their town councils. One of the things that we do is sponsor a local "disability" day where everyone tries to go for one entire day with one form of disability or another and to try to do the things that they normally take for granted.

Since the metro areas and counties usually have more access, we concentrate on the more rural counties and have actually had good success.

Do you have a local health district? They usually have a disabilities section. Of course Canada may work entirely different, but perhaps you could check into it? If you find someone there that works with the issues you have, perhaps you could team with them to help improve the situation (other than filing a complaint). Its a great feeling to be part of the solution.

At any rate, good luck, I had a bad bout of rheumatoid arthritis in my 30s (thankfully its been in remission since), and I found out how hard it was to get around. With you in a chair it has to be much more difficult and frustrating.

Wish I knew more about your system up there, but maybe this will give you an idea anyway.

Sherry

Lady Lee

Canada has some very well orgainzed programs to assist people with disabilities. I've worked for some. And have worked in the past to advocate for the rights of other people with disabilities.

For some odd reason I haven't stopped to think it is now time for me to jump on that bandwagon and use the services available to me. Must be because this is all so new. I'll get there

Shutterbug

They ought to make the people who decide these things try to negotiate this in a wheelchair and see just how inaccessible it can be.

They actually did this in Amarillo, Texas and some local politicians admitted it was very frustrating, to say the least. I'm surprised they kept their language G rated.

I took my elderly neighbor to the hospital to have some tests and pushed him up to one of the doors you described. I started around his wheel chair to open the thing but he put his cane against the panic bar and said push. I pushed and the door popped open. His words, "you would be surprised at what I can do with this cane." Bug

blondie

Good for you LL. I don't look forward to my wheelchair days. I want to get one of those scooters.

Blondie

Lady Lee

Blondie I am supposed to be getting one of those - a gift from a friend but some family difficulties are delaying my getting it here

Shutterbug - yup the cane can come in handy but we need those buttons

Disability gripes

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