I hate public transit

When I was able-bodied, I was a big fan of public transit. I enjoyed how unique every bus route was, how you can "hop on, hop off" any time you want, how it saves you money and the hassle of driving, and especially the atmosphere on board if it's the same group of people who take the same route every day.

But since I started using a wheelchair, things changed.

There is a reason why I started this blog.

Many able-bodied people may find this shocking (or not, depending on who you are) but I believe that public transit has the most discriminatory atmosphere towards people with disabilities.

People with disabilities face a LOT of crap on public transit, moreso than anywhere else I have seen. Most of that crap is not something that can be controlled by the bus driver or transit agency because it often comes from other passengers.

Here's a small sample of what happens on a regular basis for me (approximately once or twice every ten days) on public transit:

• When boarding a bus, a passenger will say audibly, "Great, a wheelchair on my bus." Some will shake their heads at me instead. I'm not blind or deaf...
  
• While waiting for an elevator at a SkyTrain station, one person will express their displeasure at having to share it with a wheelchair user. Some of those people will physically cut in front to prevent it.
  
• For some odd reason, when I board a SkyTrain, some people are not happy about it. I have seen people swear under their breaths at the sight of me. Strangely, getting off never causes an issue.
  
• People hate giving up their priority seats on the bus, even for those who do not need it. Just ask this athletic guy. I could understand if they were elderly or have disabilities as well, but young and muscular athletic-looking people?
  
• Wheelchair users are often the scapegoat if the bus is late. This is true even if you boarded at the very first stop, during a layover WELL BEFORE it was about to leave. I have heard people who get upset at the bus being late saying, "It's because of the wheelchair" to their fellow passengers before – MANY times.
  
• Threats. For a variety of reasons: "making" someone late, or having to "make" someone move from a priority seat, or completely random reasons.
  

Bear in mind not all of these are guaranteed to happen, but at least one of them will likely happen during the next ten days.

Some may see this as "whining" but I do not particularly care because in society, every time someone with a disability points out a problem like this, they are immediately labeled as "whiners" – so it is nothing new.

But reading the above incidents (which occur regularly), don't you think I have a right to whine? There is no other group on public transit that receives the brunt of this abuse more than people with disabilities – not people with baby strollers, not people with bikes, not elderly people, not kids.

Unfortunately able-bodied people do not understand that and sometimes I fear they never will.

When I write something that upsets people, it is very predictable. There will be two groups: one that is very upset, and one that is in agreement. The former is often the able-bodied transit fans online and the latter is often people with disabilities or disability allies. And this pattern comes up EVERY TIME.

Quite often, someone from the disability community will tell me that it's hopeless to try to "educate" the able-bodied people (who I upset) about disability issues because they simply "will never get it."

I don't believe that. That is why this blog even exists. There needs to be a better understanding and awareness of people with disabilities on public transit, who seem to have a target on their backs simply because they chose the bus, SkyTrain, or SeaBus as their mode of transportation.

This may sound paranoid but think about what kind of situations I listed above. Right now there is very little understanding and quite a lot of hostility – and many the able-bodied people who are part of that do not even know that they are doing it. It is not always their fault but when they refuse to listen or learn more about what goes on, it effectively becomes a social barrier to inclusion.

This post will also upset a lot of people (as I expected with my previous post). I will be called a "whiner." I will likely be sworn at through e-mail (which is on the right, by the way, for the people with legitimate questions). Many people will unfollow me on Twitter. Some will block me.

But this is the cold hard truth. And the truth is never easy to take.

Let the past stay in the past

Recently, some of the old so-called "fishbowl" buses have been making their rounds on the streets of Metro Vancouver. These buses are from a previous era and have since been replaced by newer buses.



A "fishbowl" bus, circa 2006.
(Photo courtesy of BuckyHermit at Flickr.)

As expected with the current "vintage" fad ripping through society right now, many people have a sense of nostalgia for these buses. They represent a time when transit was the good old neighborhood service that was reliable, uncrowded and friendly. There are some who dislike the current low-floor buses right now. I get that.

But I have a problem with people advocating for the FULL-TIME return of these buses. As well, I can't help but feel a bit insulted when I see something like this.

While I realize the purpose of this is not to offend, it unfortunately does so. The reason for this is not because of the wording but the purpose behind it. The "fishbowl" buses' biggest sore spot is its lack of wheelchair accessibility due to their high-floor design (and of course, high-floor buses are noted for being notoriously inaccessible or having very clumsy wheelchair access).

By advocating for the return of those buses, it feels like people are looking to step backwards and undo the great progress that public transit has made in wheelchair accessibility. In other words, it feels like people are in favor of discrimination against people with disabilities just for the sake of nostalgia.

This feeling was also sparked by an incident recently that I encountered. There was a person (who I shall not name) who was VERY strongly in favor of bringing back all the obsolete high-floor buses. I informed him that unless they figure out how to make them more wheelchair accessible, that move would be a disaster.

His response? "Make a separate bus for wheelchair users [much like HandyDart]."

It's unfortunate how many people think that is a solution. There are several reasons why that would not work:

1. That move encourages segregating people due to disability. We are not a third world country. It also violates a very vital part of the disability rights movement – the ability to be integrated (rather than segregated) from mainstream society. There are many times when I feel thankful my friends can join me for a simple bus ride to the mall instead of them having to ride separately.
   
2. Handy Dart (Vancouver's paratransit service) has to be booked well ahead of time. For healthy young people with disabilities, this can restrict your access. No spontaneous trips to the mall for you!
   
3. Handy Dart is often not point A to point B like fixed bus routes. That means you could be taking the scenic route to pick up a few more passengers (and load them, one by one) before you actually start heading to your destination.
   
4. The cost per passenger of running Handy Dart is much higher than the cost of passenger using conventional transit. More passengers on Handy Dart means a bigger financial strain on the already cash-strapped system.
   
5. The British Columbia disability transit pass (which costs $45/year) cannot be used on Handy Dart, which only accepts regular fares for a service that gives you much more restrictions than an able-bodied person using conventional transit. If you were able-bodied, would YOU choose that method?

Yes, I realize and understand that there is nostalgia for "fishbowl" buses. I am not against honoring and recognizing the past; in fact, it is extremely cool to do so. However, there is a reason why it is in the past and why we have moved on from it. Returning to the past is not always the smartest move. (Added note: I am specifically targeting those people who are making the suggestion of bringing back all inaccessible buses. I am NOT against preserving history or display it, but rather against the FULL-TIME return of high-floor buses, especially the "fishbowl" buses. There was a lot of anger because of this misunderstanding.)

October is Disability Employment Awareness Month

This has little to do with public transit, but I would like to put it out there just the same – October is Disability Employment Awareness Month.

So it is with a touch of irony that my month started out with a phone call this morning cancelling my scheduled job interview for early this week because the interview and job locations are both inaccessible.

It is hardly the first time I have been denied a job (or a job interview) because of my disability. It has happened so often now that I'm no longer surprised. But that hardly dulls the disappointment and the general bad feelings that come along with this every time it happens.

One of the previous potential employers was outright discriminatory by saying, "We don't hire people in wheelchairs." That in itself is likely violating several discrimination laws. I could have reported him but if you are someone seeking a job, would you try to ruffle some feathers and cause future employers to wonder whether you are a loose cannon?

The more common situation is when they call you, schedule you for an interview, and then either decide or realize that they cannot accommodate you or make the workplace (or even interview location) accessible.

To be honest, that is what bothers me more than the overt discrimination I mentioned earlier.

It bothers me because it shows that there is a real lack of awareness of what is needed to make a workplace accessible. For example, if you see on a resume that the potential employee has first-hand experience with disability issues, it might not be a bad idea to consider whether your workplace is accessible or not. Or you can even send an e-mail to the potential employee, stating that it is for determining whether or not accommodations are possible.

But phoning up the employee, asking him/her the standard screening questions, scheduling an interview time, etc. but not even checking or considering the accessibility issues that are obviously involved – that is when it feels that there is a big gap between awareness and understanding. And to be told, "We have to cancel the interview; we can't hire you because our workplace isn't accessible" gives a much worse vibe than a call earlier saying, "We just want to check whether we can accommodate you. Can you please describe your abilities?"

With the latter quote, I would like to segway into the next biggest issue that I have found – the assumption of one's abilities. I have had previous interviews (not screening questions) where we did not touch on any of my job abilities at all, but rather what I can and cannot do as a person with a disability.

There were a lot of assumptions about that. Some of them sound like a bad joke. For example, I have been asked whether I can use a computer. Obviously I can: I run not only this blog but several others, my background is very much based in online work and multimedia, and I have full use of my hands and upper body. Despite my insistence, some employers were not convinced that I could use a computer because of my disability. Like I said, it sounds like a bad joke but it has happened before.

It is funny how I can take public transit as a wheelchair user going from the western edge of Metro Vancouver to the eastern edge all the way to Maple Ridge (something some able-bodied people would be hard-pressed to do without collapsing from exhaustion), but somebody will assume that I can't press a few keys on a computer!

If you are unsure of whether someone with a disability has the capability to do something, ask him/her. Think of it this way – if the person knows that he/she cannot do it, then why apply for the job in the first place? If someone needs accommodations for using a computer or something else, he/she will mention it; that person might even know which organizations are available to help the company in this process! I certainly do, and I don't need accommodations beyond ramps and elevators.

The key point in all of this is disability awareness. Awareness does not mean bending over backwards to make sure someone with a disability gets in the workplace, but rather being aware of what is expected when you encounter a potential employee with a disability, as well as what attitudes both sides should bring to the table.

To recap...

It is NOT offensive to contact the applicant to ask about his/her abilities, but it CAN be offensive if you book an interview time and make it appear as if things will go ahead before realizing you should have done that in the first place. Doing the latter makes the person feel like the employer is unaware about or unsympathetic to the idea of workplace inclusion and adds to the feeling that your company is inadvertently discriminating against people with disabilities.

Do NOT make assumptions about one's abilities. We know our own abilities, just like how most job applicants know if they are qualified for a job before applying. If there is an issue that could play a factor, we will mention it. This applies in real life as well.

The final and most important thing I will mention is if your company has an "equal opportunity employer" statement, be sure you follow it. While I am not a big fan of these statements (since ALL employers should technically be equal opportunity employers by law), there is nothing worse than seeing a statement like that and then seeing it ignored or violated. It makes the statement meaningless and simply a fashion accessory for the company.

This has been a rant by yours truly. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Wheelchairs don't affect hearing

A common phrase that parents say to their kids is, "If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all."

I have a new phrase I would like to propose: "If you want to say something bad about someone, don't pretend that person is deaf."

Today, I was waiting for a Vancouver-bound bus at Park Royal in West Vancouver. Since it is summertime, there were a lot of young people at the stop who were enjoying their freedom from school. There was a group of teen boys nearby; one of the boys had an injured ankle and was using crutches.

Since the Park Royal stop is a bit narrow and it is difficult for bus drivers to be able to see wheelchair-using passengers through the crowd, I decided to head towards the bus stop pole. I passed by this group. They didn't seem to notice me at first. But then they did, and what I heard next was simply astounding.

One of the teenagers said, "I hate it when a wheelchair has to get on the bus."

The teenager with the crutches said, "I know. They're a bunch of assholes. I've been in a wheelchair before. It's not that bad. They're just making it seem worse than it is."

And they did this about two metres from me, in plain earshot. They did not even try to hide what they were talking about -- no lowering their volumes or speaking in hushed voices. It was blunt and direct, and offensive in the worst way possible.

This reminds me so much of some of the tweets I see on Twitter over and over again, every single week:

Why wheelchair ppl only wanna get on da bus when im late son..wheel yaself to ya destinationless than a minute ago via twidroyd Favorite Retweet ReplyDaddy Grandd
BRANDiGNORANT

Idk why people in a wheelchair get on the bus I mean they can drive themselves wherever they need to goless than a minute ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® Favorite Retweet Replytiffanie rivera
prettyful_tiff

Anytime I'm running late the person in the wheelchair want to get on my bus. Roll ya ass to where u need to go !less than a minute ago via Tweetlogix Favorite Retweet ReplyBelle Starr 
LouLou_Star

Every time I do a search on Twitter looking for content to re-tweet, I come across these all the time. Actually, I could care less about these people because they obviously do not have the reasoning skills to think about what wheelchair users go through. But if you have these kind of thoughts, keep them to yourself. Do not go around saying these things out loud, especially in front of the person you are talking about who has normal hearing.

That teenager has ZERO idea what it is like, yet he not only runs his mouth but also belittles people with disabilities. He obviously has no idea how to treat his fellow human beings. By the looks of it, he is nearing the final years of high school. It is time for him to grow up and be more mature.