Environmental ScanKerri MacKay

Adapted Physical Activity

I actually had a harder time finding barriers to people with disabilities than I thought, even in “old-fashioned” ‘downtown’ Transcona. Having spent four weeks in a wheelchair and with a walker following knee surgery [and living all my life with a malformed joint in my arm and right hip causing using crutches to be difficult], my eyes are often more open to life from the perspective of someone who has to overcome obstacles and barriers like these on a day to day basis. However, things are always harder to find when you’re actually looking for them.

On a ten-minute drive through the nearby community, this is what I found:

Regent Chiropractic Clinic – Open Saturday, but not open to all . . . So unless I’m sort of missing the point, aren’t chiropractors supposed to help a person regain mobility and help with chronic pain? I’d guess that there’s a large population of people who could be benefiting from this clinic, if only they could actually get inside it, which would be people using mobility aids [wheelchairs, walkers, canes, crutches]. Unlike some establishments, there is no ramp at the back of this converted house that would help to make this clinic accessible to people with mobility impairments who may have difficulty with the four steps to enter the clinic. The stairs also look fairly rugged, which could pose a challenge to people with more profound gait differences.

Greater Grace Temple Apostolic ChurchSo, Jesus may have compassion for people with disabilities in the Bible

[Matthew 20:33], and ministered to them within the church [Matthew 21:14], but apparently his 21st century followers have seemed to miss the boat on allowing all of the people Jesus loves into their place of worship.

This church may be looking for some redemption, but if it is building a ramp, it’s not built yet. I also checked out the side and back of this church, and there are steps to enter through the side door. Once again, especially with the “ladder” to get into the front of the church, a person with a mobility impairment and/or using a mobility aid would have difficulty entering the church. The “ladder” would quite possibly also pose a bit of a hazard to a person who is visually impaired.

Bernie Wolfe Community School – PlaygroundIn the summer of ’09, I worked at the daycare in this school, and watched this play-structure being built piece by piece, and watched the kids eye it in eager anticipation for the day they were going to be able to play on it. However, I realize now, that while there are many playground options that could have been built at this school for the money they spent on this one, they did not choose an option that was accessible to a child using a wheelchair, walker, canes or crutches, at a school which is very accessible to a student with mobility aids. The height of the structure, also, could pose problems for any child with balance problems.

Transcona Collegiate – Elevator

If I’d been doing this project last year, I probably could have gotten all of my pictures within Transcona Collegiate—as of my graduation in 2009, only the main floor of the building was ‘accessible’.

The elevator is a new addition to the school, circa 2010. There is now a student with a wheelchair attending the school, which causes me to wonder how many students in the past have had to attend different schools due to the lack of accessibility.

However, the elevator itself could be a potential barrier to a person with a disability. While I was at the school on Monday, I overheard the student and his aide discussing the keys to the elevator with the custodial staff, particularly, the placement of the keys to the elevator when the caretaker was on breaks—one key is kept in the office, and one with the custodian. (Since there are two keys and one student requiring the elevator, who is accompanied by an adult, I’m unsure why the student’s aide is not able to carry the key.) And since the only accessible bathrooms are on the main floor, the student having a key to the elevator during the day is important. It also flags concern if more than one student requiring use of the elevator attends, or in the case of an emergency.

So while this elevator is allowing this student to attend Transcona Collegiate, there are still things to work out, and things to work out when future students with mobility aides also attend.