NJN Network

Denver Westwood Blogs reports the Denver Colorado “city is recruiting citizens interested in ticketing those able-bodied but ass-lazy drivers who park in handicapped zones.”

We could use that here. We’ve seen hale and hearty teenagers parking in accessible parking zones. One day at the Zellers Mall, two Aliant service trucks parked in the disabled zones while the service men went inside for something or other.

The story goes on to say “Denver uses volunteers to try to keep those parking spaces free for those who need them. The volunteers take eighteen hours of classes and operate in pairs for safety.

The program has been around for fifteen years, and it seems like a better idea now than ever. After all, the most notorious bit of parking enforcement in town in recent memory occurred when a rather feisty, unofficial volunteer decided to confront a federal judge about his hoggish habits.”

After that, we could get the “lazy-ass” PEI Council of Persons with Disabilities to actually work on the problem of accessible parking. Other than collect fees, no one has seen them working on the problem for a decade.

EDITORIAL STAFF

The Guardian

Kay Reynolds, a champion of the rights of the disabled in Prince Edward Island for more than half a century, died Thursday at the Prince Edward Home in Charlottetown. She was 85.

The funeral is to take place Monday from Central Christian Church at 11 a.m. Visiting hours are Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. at MacLean Funeral Home Swan Chapel.

Reynolds fought for the rights of the disabled since she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1949.

She was instrumental in the formation of the P.E.I. Council of the Disabled and the first Island Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society and had long supported the work of Pat and the Elephant, the specialized transportation service utilized by Islanders with disabilities.

She served as a member of that service’s board of directors and continually fought for funding to help preserve it.
For her work, she was named Islander of the Year, an award sponsored by The Evening Patriot.

Reynolds was born in Dartmouth, Oct. 11, 1923, was educated at Prince of Wales College, and graduated from the P.E.I. Hospital School of Nursing in 1945.

Reynolds was a young mother and professional nurse when she was first diagnosed with MS.

She was able to continue working professionally for five years after the diagnosis, but her deteriorating health forced her to leave her job and that’s when she began helping people in a different way.

Reynolds loved nursing, particularly working in the maternity ward so caring for others came naturally to her and she continued to do it.

She taught home nursing for St. John Ambulance and ran the nurses’ registry until an hour before she moved from her home to the Dr. Eric Found Centre. She later moved into the Prince Edward Home to live but remained active in various charitable organizations until just recently.

A Guardian story on Reynolds which ran prior to a 2000 fund-raising dinner in her honour for Pat and the Elephant stated:
“When Kay took on the challenge, there was no Council of the Disabled, no Multiple Sclerosis Society on the Island, virtually no wheelchair ramps, no automatic doors, disabled parking spaces, access to jobs, independent-living facilities, powered wheelchairs and scooters, no Pat and the Elephant transportation service . . . no recognition that those with challenges have an equal right to live a full life on their own terms.”

There have been many positive changes in the years Reynolds has fought for the rights of the disabled and in 1993 her contributions were recognized when an independent living centre in Charlottetown was named in her honour.

Her involvement and positive influence continue. She sat in the provincial legislature as part of a very vocal and successful lobby to obtain provincial government funding for the first drugs available to treat multiple sclerosis.

Reynolds says the growth of Pat and the Elephant is one thing that gave her a sense of great satisfaction. It means she and many others have their independence and can contribute to their community.

She served until just recently on the board of Pat and the Elephant, the Council of the Disabled, Kay Reynolds Centre and the Quality Control Council for the Beach Grove and Prince Edward homes.

Reynolds insists she is simply one of many doing this work but she inspired many to get involved and to see their abilities, not their disabilities.

I am not renewing my disabled parking sticker with the PEI Council of the Disabled because I don’t have to. They didn’t earn the $10.

If more people don’t renew they will start paying attention to us and do what we need them to do. It’s a protest vote against their indifference to disabled parking.

Did you ever hear the Council say people parking in blue zones should be towed away? Or there should be more blue zones. If it wasn’t for stores like Sobey’s,

Superstore, Wal-Mart and Home Depot how many disabled spots would there be? The Council doesn’t care.

The PEI Council is not advocating on behalf of Islanders. We hear those stories from the disabled over and over.

The Council didn’t advocate to change the Canada Pension application process. They refused to advocate when Canada Revenue tried to take away the Disability Tax Credit. I worked on those projects with no help from the Council.

The Council refused to advocate with the Binns’ government when he DSP was cutback $1 million.

The final straw was the July 08 Guardian letter supporting the removal of accessible parking on UPEI. They said the maximum distance is 70 metres from the door to the curb when its 50. Then the executive director said whatever the UPEI committee decided was OK.

The law is what matters but to the Council anything you want to do with a disabled person is OK. They are spineless, afraid to speak out in case they lose government funding.

Only the City of Charlottetown and maybe Summerside have given the Council the right to issue permits. The Charlottetown by-law says we need a “permit as issued by the PEI Council of the Disabled or its equivalent.”

Well I’ve got a permit from the Council and I have a disability.

The PEI Highway Traffic Act says the “vehicle prominently displays a valid emblem approved by the Minister” That’s what I have. To make sure I emailed Graham Miner Registrar of Highway Safety. As long as you have a permit, that’s what you need.

I have a permit and it’s good as long as I’m disabled which will be until I die.

I’ll be darned if I’ll pay them to ignore us.

October 21, 2008
The Journal Pioneer
Editor,

I am writing in regard to Stephen Pate’s letter, “Return disable parking to UPEI” about UPEI taking out the disabled parking spaces to make them into parking places for truckers.

I agree with Stephen’s letter that they should put them back in.

The disabled people are much more important than the truckers. The disabled shouldn’t have so far to go to get where they need to be.

I write this in hope that they put the disabled parking places back where they once were.

Nicole Clements,
O’Leary

Ed Correction: Faded Blue is second on the lineup. Thank you.

Faded Blue will open Rockin’ the Guild in Charlottetown on Saturday night.

Disco Rockin Llamas and Intoxicado will join them as the three bands taking part in the fundraising concert at the Guild, starting at 10 p.m. on February 23rd, 2007.

Rockin’ The Guild is a fundraiser for PEI Disability Alert, a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to improving the lives of Islanders with disabilities.

Doors open at 9 PM.

Faded Blue is riding high on the success of their latest single “Turn It Up which has received air play on K Rock and across Canada. “Turn it Up” can be downloaded from the group’s website www.fadedbluerocks.com.

The Halifax rock group features P.E.I. guitarist Nick Gauthier, Tyler Lopez, Bryan Page and Mark Clazie.

Faded Blue has made appearances on Breakfast Television and Christmas Daddies where they wrote and performed a Christmas song, “Here & Gone”. They have toured Atlantic Canada and this performance will be their second on PEI, with another scheduled in March.

Disco Rockin’ Llamas is a relatively new group with two members from the popular group Stride, Ashley Gorman and Eric Wood. Joining them are Scott Doyle of Mystery System and Laura Oakie a well known musician and singer. They are just back from a performance at the ECMA’s in Fredericton where the joint was jumping.

Intoxicado, formed last year, is known for its hard driving rock sounds.

“Fans will warm to the bluesy guitar work, strong rhythm section and singing,” says a press release promoting tonight’s show. “The group has a tight sound that keeps the audience on the floor.”

Metro Credit Union is a corporate sponsor of this event.

The Guardian, Charlottetown, January 9, 2008

Commentary by Stephen Pate

There are 22,000 people on PEI living with a disability, according to Statistics Canada’s 2006 census. They represent a sizable block of spending power that is voting with its feet, or wheelchair, to shop at the new box stores ignoring stores which lack accessibility.

If a store lacks accessible parking, automatic door openers, ramps, guides for the blind, they are missing out on the spending dollars of 40 per cent of the population.

Since the last census, the number of people with disabilities on PEI has risen to 22,000 which represent about 60,000 people with their families. About 40 per cent of Islanders are in a family relationship with a person with a disability.

When Islanders with disabilities go shopping as a family unit, they are looking for parking first. Can they park the car close enough so that their family member can walk with a cane, walker or use a wheelchair to get into the store safely? For persons with vision disabilities, being close to the store reduces their risk of difficulties with snow or other sidewalk obstructions. As well, they can be assisted with aural walk signals.

Without being legislated or pressured, large corporate stores understand the relationship between accessibility and shopper spending. I recently discovered box stores in West Royalty have between two and eight accessible parking places per store. Five stores have doors that automatically opened as all shoppers approached while others had button operated doors.

One store even posted a large sign that offered to help a shopper with a disability in any way possible. I asked what that meant: it means the store will provide a shopping assistant, someone to pack bags, someone to put the bags in the car and even someone to help the person with a disability fill out a job application. No wonder that store is the largest in the world.

In contrast, Charlottetown’s large downtown mall has 5 accessible parking spots around ‘dizzy block’, but only one spot is near an accessible entrance. Three other mall entrances are not accessible, since they have steep ramps and no power door openers. Ironically, one of those inaccessible entrances is the entrance used to visit the PEI Council of the Disabled.

When I asked why the downtown Post Office doesn’t have accessible parking, I was told it wasn’t their responsibility and was given confusing instructions on whom to contact. Other merchants have responded in a similar manner. It’s always someone else’s job to ensure accessibility. Even government offices and buildings like the Legislature are by-and-large inaccessible. Fingers get pointed in all directions and little is done.

For Islanders living with disabilities, it’s a tiresome routine. We don’t want to be complainers, beggars at the table of mainstream society. Please allow us to enter your store sir, like poor Oliver Twist asking for food. Who starts their day looking forward to fighting their way into a restaurant for lunch, or a store for bread or their place at work?

However, out in West Royalty some savvy merchants have figured out the shoppers with disabilities have lots of money and their will spend their money the easiest place they can. Their accessible parking lots are ample. You’ll even hear people say all the accessible spots are full from time to time.

Money talks but the downtown merchants and government departments aren’t listening.

The Festival of Lights on July 1, 2007 continues to be a difficult event for people living with disabilities. Disability accommodations were poor to nil. The person entrusted with looking after the disability enclosure on Sunday night was abusive. This would be a new all time low for those living with disabilities and no doubt reflects a lack of sensitivity to disability issues on the part of event planners.

The people who attend the Festival are wonderful people. They show every kindness and extend courtesies whenever the need arises.

The abusive treatment came during the evening. The disability shelter had been taken over by non-disabled people, who seemed quite content to be sitting there. I could only see two wheelchairs among 50 people. We left and sat outside. At a point the crowd made it impossible to see so I went inside by myself. Same 50 people, most of them not visibly disabled and now only 1 wheelchair.

I moved towards the front corner to be near my family. A kind woman moved a chair out of the way. All of a sudden a woman in a yellow volunteer/security shirt started asking me where I was going. She was pretty officious and talked in that condescending way people like we’re stupid or can’t hear.

I told her I was going over there by my family. No I couldn’t do that since she needed an escape corridor.

Then the abusive behavior started. She told me to sit at the back, that other people had “reserved preferred seating”.

“Wasn’t this supposed to be for the disabled?” I asked.

“Don’t be rigid,” was her reply. I guess she meant it would be rigid application of rules to allow people in wheelchairs to sit in the disability area.

“Do these people appear to be disabled?” I asked again. It was obvious only one man at the back was in a wheelchair. Back of the hall, back of the bus.

“You’re judgmental,” was her reply.

“I’m not being judgmental. I’m stating what appears to be a fact. Nobody you are saving seating for is disabled.”

“You’re being rude.” I didn’t even get a “Sir”

So in the space of a minute I was called three names for trying to sit in the disabled shelter. I guess the security person / attendant thought the non-disabled people needed to be protected from “men in wheelchairs”.

This person obviously received little training on disability issues so she was reacting badly. This is the first time I’ve been abused by staff or volunteers at the Festival. However, there is apparently little training on disability issues.

There appears to be only slight planning for people with disabilities by the Atlantic Superstore Festival of Lights. There is no disability parking anymore, washrooms for those in wheelchairs are non-existent, there is no special first aid or emergency help. My wheelchair tires went low on air – no one in any emergency service had an air pump.

Wheelchair access to the beer area was poor to impossible. Yes, people in wheelchairs drink beer too. The beer area is so primitive. In Quebec, Ontario and the USA beer is sold at events throughout the venue. Only in the Maritimes are beer drinkers such animals you have to cage them up with security guards.

Final exit is unsafe, especially in a wheelchair. Ten thousand people are pressing though two small exits, while some people try to enter. At the Toronto Dome Stadium, they can exit 50,000 people in 20 minutes: they open more doors. Why isn’t the fence constructed that sections are removed so that people can exit? If there was even an emergency, people would get trampled. People in wheelchairs could get killed.

An advocate for persons with disabilities says Charlottetown’s new buses should be accessible to everyone, but four buses purchased for the city’s new transit system can’t be used by people in wheelchairs. Deputy Mayor Stu MacFadyen said people can use Pat and the Elephant, a not-for-profit organization that provides transportation for people with disabilities.

“In talking with Pat and the Elephant and talking to people, that’s working well. And the city will still subsidize Pat and the Elephant and we’ll go from there.” The executive director of the Canadian Paraplegic Association of P.E.I. said using Pat and the Elephant costs $6 per ride, while the new transit system will cost $2.

Um, does the public transit that nondisabled people use have a cutesy name like “Pat and the Elephant,” too, or is that just a special bennie that goes with getting charitable paratransit services? Just wondering. From article

There are some election stories that don’t make it to the papers.

One is playing out this afternoon on the soccer fields of Charlottetown. Loose joints have replaced the $5 bill and the pint as the election gift of choice.

Things have changed.

I usually spend Saturday at the Farmer’s Market. This week I was working instead of socializing over coffee and french toast. I handed out 500 Campaign of Hope flyers and received great feedback from the shoppers.

One woman laughed that her children got the message in the sign: Stop Taking Money from People in Wheelchairs.

The Charlottetown Farmer’s Market has been going for decades. It has become not just a place to buy organic produce and other food items. It is a year-round Saturday social event. There are just as many food vendors as there are produce vendors. The high and the low of Charlottetown and environs like to pass the time on Saturday there over cappuccino or fresh coffee.

The patrons revel in the social atmosphere and conversation. I’ve gone there in a group or alone and always meet old friends and make new acquaintances. Want to know what’s happening? Mingle at the Charlottetown Farmer’s Market.

Saturday was windy and cold. The prediction was rain which would have been devastating to handing out flyers but it stayed dry. The flyer synthesizes all our messages: 18,000 Islanders with disabilities aren’t covered by the Disabity Support Program so ask your election candidate if he/she supports reform.

Despite the cold people were in an upbeat mood. One man who rushed by me came back and talked about his brother who got Post Polio Syndrome. A woman stopped to ask for help for her son who got turned down for Disability Support Program assistance. Another woman wanted to donate.

There were lots of friendly smiles and encouragement to keep up the good work. One woman laughed that her children got the message in the sign: Stop Taking Money from People in Wheelchairs.

Danny Murphy drove by three times until he stopped near enough to reach out for a flyer and ask what the sign meant. We talked about the need for more support beyond the $168,000 he helped Rotary raise this spring. The government in the budget promised to return $900,000 and we still need another $10 million. All money goes into the same pot, helping Islanders with disabilities.

Catherine Hennessey rushed by. Tim Banks was another rushing soul. Shawn Murphy offered to get me a coffee. Some people, despite having both hands full with groceries or food, would lift a finger and take the flyer. Jeanette MacAulay, Deputy Minister and one of the government officials involved in the DSP cutbacks, smiled and her husband took the flyer.

After 2 hours in the cold, my body was starting to shut down so I went inside for lunch and a coffee. I went outside afterwards to hand out the last 100 flyers and then pack it in. I could have stayed for two more hours but that was enough. Another day of social activism for the disabled complete.