Fight the Good Fight

By Raymond D. Cohen

When you have a disability, what a mixed blessing travel can be! Whether for business or pleasure, travel introduces us to new experiences and often unforgettable adventure. And yet, more often than not, people with disabilities encounter physical, attitudinal and systemic barriers along the way and at their destination. It’s to their credit that so many travellers with disabilities push through these obstacles and determinedly make the most of their trip. But it could be so much more.

Travel is an arena screaming out for equity. People with disabilities face numerous challenges boarding and using planes, trains and buses – and that is if they are even moderately accessible to begin with. And, too, the systemic disincentives for going anywhere in the first place can be daunting. Then there are the financial matters – paying additional fees for personal attendants and specialized equipment, renting higher-end hotel rooms that offer more accessibility features than two-star motels – “backpacking” Europe on the cheap is not an option for everyone!

We’ve also had to swallow ongoing examples of corporate insensitivity. There’s been Via Rail’s fancy dance around purchasing inaccessible trains from Europe (when we build accessible ones right here in Quebec). And Air Canada has been cutting costs by replacing accessible aircraft with smaller, inaccessible ones to serve some communities.

Of course, it’s not all bleak. There are folks like those with the Canadian Transportation Agency (see page 47) doing what they can from within government – and heroic organizations like the Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD) playing David to the Goliaths that are massive corporations. These, to me, represent glimmers of hope within what is too often a repressive arena.

But when it comes down to the crunch, it is people with disabilities themselves who must make the difference. For many reasons, it is up to the disability community to access – and be seen to access – all the rights and privileges society offers its citizens... and this, surely, means all citizens.

So, get out there and explore, conduct your business, move around – and insist on being treated with dignity, in an equitable way. Pursue matters when they work against you – when you are being discriminated against because of your disability. In the final analysis, it will take everybody’s involvement to move the travel agenda to a place where equity is the norm instead of the exception.

Support CCD in its battle for equitable treatment (contact information on page 43) or align yourself with the Canadian Association of Independent Living Centres for support (page 35). You are not alone. It is your right as a citizen to explore Canada fully. It is your right as a human being to explore this beautiful planet of ours.

On the issue of domestic travel, the Canadian Abilities Foundation (CAF) is particularly active. Access Guide Canada (see page 20) provides a very comprehensive solution to uncovering accessible resources, prior even to leaving home or office. Be sure to check it out at www.abilities.ca/agc. This resource depends on your participation to reach its full potential – but early indications are that many people with disabilities, CAF volunteers and facility managers are more than willing to take the time to inform Access Guide Canada of local facilities that practise inclusion in their businesses or services.

So, if you know of disability-friendly restaurants, hotels, places of worship, parks, retail outlets or what-have-you in your community – why not do others a good service and make sure that Access Guide Canada has them listed? The same favour will likely be afforded to you when you choose to explore another community. If your community has already compiled an access guide of its resources, we’d be happy to promote it on Access Guide Canada.

And, while we are on the subject, we are proud to announce that the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce has become the founding corporate sponsor of Access Guide Canada. We are looking forward to a close collaboration moving into the future – with CIBC, as well as other potential supporters.

We at ABILITIES hope you enjoy this special travel edition. You will find this issue chock-a-block full of great examples of getting out there – from coast to coast in Canada, and beyond! You’ll find plenty of role models, too – people with disabilities who are exploring this planet for themselves, and serving as ambassadors for everyone who has a disability – often simply by having the time of their lives!