Kim, a person receiving services from Community Living Wallaceburg, decided to visit her sister in Quebec City. A lofty goal and no simple feat with some barriers to take into consideration for this 1,098 km journey.
With the help of her support team, Kim began by mapping out a plan to identify the best mode of travel. She needed to create a route that would include any necessary stops for rest, food and fueling breaks. More importantly, Kim’s vulnerable health requires ready access to medical facilities. Kyla Simmons, one of two Direct Support Professional that accompanied Kim on this journey shared, “This exercise really opened our eyes to how inaccessible many places still are, even though they meet the mandated accessibility requirements.”
While flying would be the first choice for most of us, it would not work for Kim because she uses a specialized wheelchair that is larger than the average chair. As per the air safety guidelines, the airline required she use one of the airlines seats instead of her chair. These seats however, do not provide the same head and upper-body supports as her chair, resulting in a very uncomfortable flight for Kim in addition to putting her at risk. Kyla pointed out that “the additional luggage Kim would need to carry specialized supports she requires would result in hefty baggage fees as well.” With flight no longer a viable option, the team considered the train but quickly determined travel by rail posed similar health risks and additional travel fees. An 11-hour road trip remained the only possibility.
Mindful that taking one of the two specialized Agency-owned vans might restrict opportunities and cause challenges for others requiring specialized supports, the team reached out to local car rental facilities. “It was a real challenge finding specialized accessible vans for rent, and certainly not as easy as going to the nearest car rental place. The only two we located were based in London and in Toronto,” noted Kyla. Renting a vehicle so far from Wallaceburg would have significantly increased costs for Kim: the extra expense of a staff member picking up the van and the mileage to bring it to her home; the vehicle rental fee; the mileage for her trip; and finally the cost of a staff member to return the vehicle and their mileage.
In the end, the best option to meet Kim’s needs was to use one of its two specialized Agency-owned vans. These provide greater space, accessibility, safety and comfort to accommodate Kim’s higher support needs. “Service Centers had one of the biggest obstacles we had to problem solve. Though they meet the standardized accessibility requirements, they lacked some of the basic amenities and space to support an adult who needs hands-on care,” explained Kyla. Being both taller and wider than a standard vehicle, the van allowed staff to create a ‘makeshift’ area in its rear that was used for the private and more intimate levels of care when needed.
Kim was able to reconnect with her sister and explore many of the wonderful things Quebec City had to offer. She achieved her dream and overcame these obstacles because of thoughtful planning but it would not have been possible without access to this highly accessible and specialized van, which is now out of service.
Please donate towards the replacement of our specialized accessible van so that others, like kim, can reach their potential.