Transporting A Crip
I am a person with a couple of mobility disabilities Cerebral Palsy, and the ever so painful Osteoarthritis. In fact the full name of my Osteoarthritis, is Early onset severe Osteoarthritis. A few months ago I switched from using a cane to a walker on a more regular basis.
Calgary Transit Access (CTA) is a shared ride transportation service. They provide rides to people with disabilities who can't other wise use regular Calgary Transit vehicles.
CTA requires clients (including me), book their trips starting 4 days in advance of their travel date up until 1 pm the day before they travel. At the time of booking the agent always me, "Are you taking your walker?"
Well today's trips were no exception to that. It is Thursday Jan. 19 2017. I had a CTA ride to go to my doctors office, and to my school afterwards. I told CTA when i booked my trip for today on Sunday, "I'm taking my walker."
A handibus should have come to take me to my doctor and to school, since handibus is equipt to safely store the walker, and since I have a hard time moving in such tight quarters due to my disability.
CTA does know i have Cerebral palsy and Osteoarthritis. I hand delivered the doctors note about my Osteoarthritis to their office a few months ago and gave it to the eligibility services staff I was assigned to deal with so they can update my file. They also know based on my application form that I have Cerebral palsy. (CP) That is what the doctor wrote on my form before I delivered it to them.
Neither CP or Osteoarthritis are disabilities that suddenly disappear. In fact they don't disappear at all. They impact my every move (or lack there of).
Given the fact that I have Osteoarthritis and CP, do you think that CTA gives riders like me room to stretch my legs, short trips, a place to safely store my walker etc...?
If you said 100% yes. Good you are at least optimistic! But unfortunately you are wrong.
For example take a look at the photo I took today while sitting in the back seat in a CTA cab.
Notice the fact i had no room to move my legs. In fact if I had the walker (which thankfully I decided not to bring, I wouldn't have had a choice but to the walker on my lap.) There were 3 other passengers with me. All of them with a mobility disability. All of them with a walker. 2 of the walkers were put in the back of the car. The third was put on top of me shortly after this photo was taken.
All 3 ladies came from Chinook mall. I assume that when they were dropped off at Chinook mall by CTA they had their walkers with them. As I read the drivers screen while the driver was helping the ladies get in the cab, it said that everyone had a walker, so I knew that CTA had been told by the three ladies they planned to bring their walker with them at the time of booking.
The driver radioed CTA's dispatcher when he pulled up to Chinook mall and saw all 3 ladies had walkers. He told the dispatcher, he can't fit the walkers and the people in his vehicle, and that he would like someone else to get them. Dispatchers reply: "Sorry we did not know these 3 ladies had walkers. As per our policy, you as a driver have to pick them up and take them to their destination. We will put it in their file that they were not ready at the time of pick up since they did not disclose this information to them at the time of booking or to the driver who took them to the mall."
CTA's mandate and mission statement is to provide safe and reliable transportation services to the disabled in Calgary.
While they didn't break any speed limit, go through any red light, hit any vehicle etc...
was the ride safe?
No it wasn't. Instead it was painful to experience.
Will CTA do anything to correct the problem? Based on my experience, no. They'll just say it's their disabled clients fault for bringing their mobility aide with them.
That is just one of many problems CTA has had today.
I was suppose to be picked up at school by 4:15 pm. Like the trip I just mentioned I booked my ride home from school 4 days ago. CTA never came to get me from school. I talked with CTA dispatch at 4:45 pm, and asked them, "Where is my driver?" Their reply was, "Opps...we forgot to give your ride to the driver. Wait we'll find you another one." After a pause they said, "We've found you another driver. Will take you home at 7 pm. Your driver is in a cab." I thought for a second so I could refrain from swearing. I replied back, "I will find my own ride home." The time is now 8:04 pm. if I waited for CTA to get a ride, I'd probably still be at school right now.
CTA is meant to serve disabled people. They are to provide safe, timely, and accessible rides. None of which they did today.
I am a person with a couple of mobility disabilities Cerebral Palsy, and the ever so painful Osteoarthritis. In fact the full name of my Osteoarthritis, is Early onset severe Osteoarthritis. A few months ago I switched from using a cane to a walker on a more regular basis.
Calgary Transit Access (CTA) is a shared ride transportation service. They provide rides to people with disabilities who can't other wise use regular Calgary Transit vehicles.
CTA requires clients (including me), book their trips starting 4 days in advance of their travel date up until 1 pm the day before they travel. At the time of booking the agent always me, "Are you taking your walker?"
Well today's trips were no exception to that. It is Thursday Jan. 19 2017. I had a CTA ride to go to my doctors office, and to my school afterwards. I told CTA when i booked my trip for today on Sunday, "I'm taking my walker."
A handibus should have come to take me to my doctor and to school, since handibus is equipt to safely store the walker, and since I have a hard time moving in such tight quarters due to my disability.
CTA does know i have Cerebral palsy and Osteoarthritis. I hand delivered the doctors note about my Osteoarthritis to their office a few months ago and gave it to the eligibility services staff I was assigned to deal with so they can update my file. They also know based on my application form that I have Cerebral palsy. (CP) That is what the doctor wrote on my form before I delivered it to them.
Neither CP or Osteoarthritis are disabilities that suddenly disappear. In fact they don't disappear at all. They impact my every move (or lack there of).
Given the fact that I have Osteoarthritis and CP, do you think that CTA gives riders like me room to stretch my legs, short trips, a place to safely store my walker etc...?
If you said 100% yes. Good you are at least optimistic! But unfortunately you are wrong.
For example take a look at the photo I took today while sitting in the back seat in a CTA cab.
Notice the fact i had no room to move my legs. In fact if I had the walker (which thankfully I decided not to bring, I wouldn't have had a choice but to the walker on my lap.) There were 3 other passengers with me. All of them with a mobility disability. All of them with a walker. 2 of the walkers were put in the back of the car. The third was put on top of me shortly after this photo was taken.
All 3 ladies came from Chinook mall. I assume that when they were dropped off at Chinook mall by CTA they had their walkers with them. As I read the drivers screen while the driver was helping the ladies get in the cab, it said that everyone had a walker, so I knew that CTA had been told by the three ladies they planned to bring their walker with them at the time of booking.
The driver radioed CTA's dispatcher when he pulled up to Chinook mall and saw all 3 ladies had walkers. He told the dispatcher, he can't fit the walkers and the people in his vehicle, and that he would like someone else to get them. Dispatchers reply: "Sorry we did not know these 3 ladies had walkers. As per our policy, you as a driver have to pick them up and take them to their destination. We will put it in their file that they were not ready at the time of pick up since they did not disclose this information to them at the time of booking or to the driver who took them to the mall."
CTA's mandate and mission statement is to provide safe and reliable transportation services to the disabled in Calgary.
While they didn't break any speed limit, go through any red light, hit any vehicle etc...
was the ride safe?
No it wasn't. Instead it was painful to experience.
Will CTA do anything to correct the problem? Based on my experience, no. They'll just say it's their disabled clients fault for bringing their mobility aide with them.
That is just one of many problems CTA has had today.
I was suppose to be picked up at school by 4:15 pm. Like the trip I just mentioned I booked my ride home from school 4 days ago. CTA never came to get me from school. I talked with CTA dispatch at 4:45 pm, and asked them, "Where is my driver?" Their reply was, "Opps...we forgot to give your ride to the driver. Wait we'll find you another one." After a pause they said, "We've found you another driver. Will take you home at 7 pm. Your driver is in a cab." I thought for a second so I could refrain from swearing. I replied back, "I will find my own ride home." The time is now 8:04 pm. if I waited for CTA to get a ride, I'd probably still be at school right now.
CTA is meant to serve disabled people. They are to provide safe, timely, and accessible rides. None of which they did today.
