{"id":9148,"date":"2021-11-26T09:25:36","date_gmt":"2021-11-26T14:25:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/old.petermcgill.org\/?p=9148"},"modified":"2021-11-26T15:59:34","modified_gmt":"2021-11-26T20:59:34","slug":"article-is-our-district-accessible-to-people-with-reduced-mobility-by-paula-bernardino","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/old.petermcgill.org\/en\/article-is-our-district-accessible-to-people-with-reduced-mobility-by-paula-bernardino\/","title":{"rendered":"ARTICLE: Is our district accessible to people with reduced mobility? BY: Paula Bernardino"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This piece was submitted to the Citizen Journal project of the Peter-McGill Community Council. Please note that the opinions expressed in these articles do not necessarily reflect those of our organization. This project aims to create space for the voices of residents, students and friends of the neighbourhood through articles, photos, videos, and podcasts in any language. Are you interested in contributing? Contact us at benevolat@petermcgill.org<\/a>!<\/em><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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We need to talk about accessibility for people with reduced mobility. On a scale from 1 to 10, how many of us are aware of the challenges and what seems like little details that prevent people with reduced mobility to enjoy every day tasks like going for a cup of coffee at the corner of the street or simply crossing the street safely at the corner?<\/p>

My father, 75, needs a wheelchair when outside after a complicated cervical surgery in 2013 that left him with reduced mobility in his legs. On October 22, while running errands on the Plateau, he was hit from behind by a car somewhere on Avenue Mont-Royal. The driver did not stop (maybe did not see my father) and luckily my father and the wheelchair remained straight. But he did end up at the emergency for a couple of hours with a deep cut on a leg, a small cut on the head… and major repairs to his wheelchair were required. The thing is, he was at the corner of a street waiting for the light to turn green but… he was in the street, not on the sidewalk, because the sidewalks in that area are crowded and crooked. So technically, this incident was his fault… but what choices do people in wheelchairs sometimes have given the state of our sidewalks?<\/p>

And yes, this happened in another borough, but it could\u2019ve easily happened here in Peter-McGill. Below is a picture on the corner of Mansfield and Pr\u00e9sident-Kennedy. Look at the height between the sidewalk and the street. I\u2019ve often seen people in wheelchairs circulating in the street in that area. Can we blame them? Continuing on the topic of sidewalks, what about when there\u2019s construction nearby and signposts are installed right in the middle of the sidewalk, blocking the access to people in wheelchairs?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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The sidewalk on the corner of Mansfield and President-Kennedy\n(Photo courtesy of Paula Bernardino)<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Let\u2019s now reflect on accessibility. Since my father\u2019s been in a wheelchair, whenever he needs to go somewhere for the first time, I always go check out the premises and nearby area the day before to ensure it is wheelchair accessible. For example, this summer he was coming downtown to shop for a new desk. I suggested we go to the Canadian Tire at Place Alexis Nihon. The day before I realized the main elevator was out of order so I made sure there was a plan B \u2013 and there was \u2013 a back elevator was made available \u2013 phew! But we could not go to Bureau en Gros across the street on St-Catherine St. because the desks are on the second floor of the store and there\u2019s only a mechanical stair to take customers there!<\/p>

A few weeks ago, he also had an appointment at 2020 University, the building on Pr\u00e9sident-Kennedy and boul. Robert-Bourassa. I told him we could meet for coffee after his appointment. But I walked for an hour in that area and was not able to find an accessible spot. Luckily, we ran out of time for coffee. I was relieved that he was not going to go through that disappointment.<\/p>

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Lack of accessibility: entrance of the A&W and Caf\u00e9 Bagel on President-Kennedy & boul. Robert-Bourassa (Photo courtesy of Paula Bernardino)\n<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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As I was preparing this article, I found this interesting information on the website of <\/span>Qu\u00e9bec Accessible<\/span><\/a><\/span>: <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cDid you know that Quebec was one of the first provinces in Canada to adopt a law promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities?\u00a0<\/span>The Quebec government adopted the\u00a0Act to secure handicapped persons in the exercise of their rights<\/em>\u00a0in 1978. <\/span>Quebec\u2019s current law<\/span><\/a><\/span>\u00a0lacks teeth. <\/span>Unlike laws in\u00a0<\/span>other provinces<\/span><\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>countries<\/span><\/a><\/span>, <\/span>it only applies to the public sector (ministries, government agencies and municipalities), and it has no clear goals or penalties to ensure compliance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

That is indeed a big gap that this legislation applies to the public sector only. People with reduced mobility have the right to enjoy everyday pleasures like going for a cup of coffee at the new coffee shop around the corner.<\/span><\/p>

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Photo courtesy of stopgap.ca\n<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

I love the work of the <\/span>StopGap Foundation<\/span><\/a><\/span> which began with the launch of its first Community Ramp Project in\u00a0Toronto’s<\/em>\u00a0Junction neighbourhood. Through building materials donated by local hardware brightly coloured ramps are installed to\u00a0close the gap<\/em>\u00a0that exists between sidewalks and elevated storefronts. Wouldn\u2019t it be nice to see something similar in Montreal?<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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