Raising Cane

By Lynne Swanson

“This is the first time I’ve ever given anyone a gift and said ‘I hope you never have to use this,’” my friend told me with a hesitant smile as she handed me a gaily wrapped package with a big red bow.

Inside was a cane in three pieces – a brass duck’s head for a handle and a shaft in two pieces – that easily screwed together into one.

For months, I had been struggling with my mobility and constant fatigue due to multiple sclerosis (MS). Not quite 40 at the time, I was determined I wouldn’t use an ugly, dowdy cane for mobility, despite my body telling me differently.

That present, given to me about 15 years ago, was one of the best gifts anyone ever gave me – both physically and psychologically. When a colleague’s young son christened the cane “Fred,” I knew I had found a buddy in my MS struggles.

Eventually, I assembled a collection of chic and colourful canes, all hand-painted to match my wardrobe. I named each one, making them friends and allies. I adopted the philosophy of Ontario’s Jill Summerhayes, who ran a shop, Cane and Able, from her home: “If I have to support myself, I’m going to do it in style.” Talk about making a fashion statement!

My days of resenting having to use a cane are long gone. But little did I know that my enchanting canes would lead to a new avocation and advocacy for people with disabilities. The London Free Press, our daily newspaper in London, Ontario, ran a story about a fashion show I was in to raise money for the local MS Society – and my insistence that anything I wore must match my canes. The fashion writer later asked me to model with one of my canes in a fashion column.

I received tremendous positive feedback about how good it was to see someone with a disability portrayed positively in the media. It gave me an idea for a column. I took a freelance journalism course at night school and submitted a proposal to The Free Press. My first PosAbilities column – about people living positively with disabilities – soon debuted. It has appeared monthly for almost 12 years.

PosAbilities led to other writing opportunities – both locally and nationally, including ABILITIES magazine. Becoming a writer had professional and personal advantages. Within a few years, my MS fatigue made it impossible for me to continue working full-time in human resources. With difficulty and regret, I reduced my workload to a few hours per week, sporadically, with my employer. I began thinking seriously about doing more writing, as it was something I could do in sync with my ever-changing energy levels.

Then, the news director at our local television station (previously The New PL, now A Channel) asked me to develop commentaries on disability issues. I immediately dubbed them Raising Cane. My canes and I were out and about, Raising Cane on issues of concern to people with disabilities biweekly for almost four years on three channels in Southwestern Ontario.

One of my first commentaries was about an accessibility fiasco at London’s newly built Covent Garden Market. The first person to contact me about the problems was a woman who has a vision disability. She had identified numerous barriers for people with various disabilities. Input from other Londoners with disabilities and my own visit to the market confirmed her concerns.

“If a woman who is legally blind could so quickly see and assess these barriers, where was the vision of the planners and builders?” I asked on air. The community and politicians took notice. The city made amends where it could.

London’s Deputy Mayor (now Mayor) told me: “We messed up...We learned...It can’t happen again.” Londoners with disabilities were skeptical. We’d heard it all many times before.

BOOK SMARTS
Then something novel happened — pun intended. A senior manager at London Public Libraries called. A city councillor and the chair of the library board wanted me to review blueprints for our new central library. Not knowing much about blueprints, construction or even barrier-free design, I wasn’t certain that I would be much help.

Because my knowledge came from years of talking to people with disabilities, I offered to help the library organize a focus group of Londoners with disabilities. The library brought their architect and a superb guide, The Accessible Canadian Library, to that gathering.

The library also consulted with agencies ranging from Thames Valley Children’s Centre, which provides services to children with disabilities, to the Alzheimer’s Society. Library staff and the architect considered everything from change tables in the washroom near the children’s section of the library to the choice of colours and carpets for meeting the needs of children and adults with various disabilities. As a result of these efforts, the central London library is probably the most accessible building in the city, and perhaps one of the most accessible in Canada.

A similar process and outcome soon followed for London’s new arena and entertainment centre. A seniors’ centre was next. Then, the city organized a task force to develop Facility Accessibility Design Standards (FADS). All buildings owned, operated and leased by the city must meet these barrier-free standards when being constructed or renovated.

Some of these changes happened because of the awareness I was able to generate for disability issues through Raising Cane. Although it was my face and name on air, I merely reflected the conviction and drive of many determined Londoners with disabilities to make things better.

Most gains were at the municipal level, although there were some small achievements in the private sector. Of all the Raising Cane commentaries I did, one of my favourites was the one where I was on air with a copy of Playboy in Braille. If Playboy can publish in Braille for more than 30 years and some banks and other organizations can correspond in Braille, I asked, why can’t governments? “Our governments need to find the vision to better meet the needs of their citizens with disabilities. Catching up with Playboy is a great place to start,” I concluded. That commentary was a huge hit with the community. It didn’t make one bit of difference to governments.

I covered many issues in Raising Cane, and I’m confident that the series helped influence change. My commentary on how the media portray people with mental illnesses won an award for central Canada from the Radio Television News Directors Association of Canada for best commentary of 2002.

More than two years ago, the station phased out commentaries, including Raising Cane. I do occasional disability segments as news stories. I believe Raising Cane and PosAbilities have had some lasting impact in London, including improved accessibility and greater inclusion of people with disabilities.

I don’t fool myself into thinking I was the one who made the difference. Rather, the television camera and the newspaper column captured people’s attention. I was pleased to be able to speak for the collective voice of others with disabilities in my community. For me, personally, meeting people with every disability imaginable has been an invigorating, rewarding and humbling experience.

GET INVOLVED
Not everyone has access to a regular column or commentary. But there are things you can do to continue this work and make change where you live. You can send letters to the editor of your local newspaper or contact the local media to bring their attention to disability-related issues. You can write to politicians or private sector executives. You can join accessibility advisory committee or other advocacy groups. One person may not be able to make a big difference on their own, but a united effort can make a strong impact.

Money talks. Five years ago, the Royal Bank of Canada estimated Canadians with disabilities have $20 to $25 billion in disposable income. When people with disabilities refuse to do business with organizations that ignore their needs, businesses will eventually listen.

Accommodating people with disabilities makes good business sense. Famous Players is an excellent example. In 2003, the movie chain announced it would phase out its policy to give free admission to companions of patrons with disabilities. Individuals, groups and organizations swiftly reacted and lobbied to have the policy reinstated. ABILITIES gave Famous Players’ decision a “Thumbs Down.” The Canadian Paraplegic Association devoted significant space on their website and newsletter to the issue. In response, Famous Players along with Cineplex Galaxy consulted the community and revised its decision. Not only that, but other movie chains also came along, and we now have the Access 2 Entertainment Card (for details, visit www.access2entertainment.ca). It’s been a great success: more than 10,000 cards have been issued.

In June, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act was finally passed. The law was passed because, for more than a decade, people with disabilities organized, rallied, lobbied, demanded, insisted, advocated, agitated – and refused to go away. Kudos to David Lepofsky for his tenacious and tireless leadership.

As focus shifts to implementation of the Act, there are great opportunities for others with disabilities to get involved. Young people are especially needed. I hope that Ontario’s experience will help clear the path to change across Canada.

People with disabilities won’t turn back. We’re moving forward because together we’re a force to be reckoned with.


The Agents of Change series of articles is funded by the Government of Canada’s Social Development Partnership Program. The opinions and interpretations in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Government of Canada.