Tag Archives: accessible

Disabled ticketed on Victoria Row in Charlottetown

Closing streets presents confusion for police and public

Ticket issued to car with sticker for parking in disabled zone

There is plenty of confusion in Charlottetown over closing streets and the effect on disabled parking. This week and last people with disabled stickers were being ticketed or chased off Victoria Row near the entrance to Confederation Centre.

City Councilor Rob Lantz says that shouldn’t be happening. He is working on a solution with City Police. Lantz is a refreshing voice of reason in a City riddled with bigotry and prejudice.

On Tuesday a senior who could barely walk was told to get her car out of the disabled zone by City Police. Several vans and trucks parked up and down the street doing deliveries. A half ton truck drove the wrong way up the street. Commercial vehicles have no need but apparently are more important than the disabled. Continue reading →

What is your favourite beach?

Send us your favourite beaches and tell us if it’s accessible

Panmure Island, Kings County PEI

It’s summer and beach time. We need your help to cover all the beaches. Please send us your favourite pick along with a digital photo if you have one. It doesn’t have to be on PEI, although our beaches are great. Continue reading →

CBC sinks to new low of press release journalism

Will they correct the misleading story on the wheelchair ramp at Brackley Beach?

Press release journalism results in false story

CBC’s code of journalistic ethics says that “The information conforms with reality and is not in any way misleading or false.” Yet in the case of their June 18th story they claimed Parks Canada had spent $500,000 making Brackley Beach more accessible. Parks Canada spent the money but the beach is not accessible by any reasonable standards.

Will they correct the story or is this another example of the lazy and arrogant news reporting at CBC Charlottetown? Continue reading →

Nothing about us without us at Parks Canada

Parks Canada stumbles with half million dollar white elephant at Brackley Beach

Brackley Beach ramp $500,000, 500 feet and not accessible by wheelchair

The new wheelchair accessible ramp at Brackley Beach in the PEI National Park is not accessible. Half a million dollars was wasted on the monstrosity that towers 18 feet in the air and 500 feet long. Parks Canada forgot to include people with disabilities in the design process.

“The fight is between stupidity and the people who make these decisions…they do things without us. They don’t ask our opinion ahead of time.” Continue reading →

CBC says PEI beach is now wheelchair accessible

Updated – According to CBC but it’s really not when you check

Beach wheelchair at PEI's Brackley Beach image: CBC

CBC – Prince Edward Island National Park officially opened for the season Friday, with some upgrades and additions for people with disabilities.

See – Parks Canada $500K wheelchair ramp not accessible

Visitors to the park’s popular Brackley Beach will notice a new pedestrian ramp this season. The $500,000 structure is designed to make the beach more accessible to wheelchairs. Continue reading →

Parks Canada $500K wheelchair ramp not accessible

Wheelchair ramp at Brackley Beach PEI goes 18 feet into the air, too high and too hard for people in wheelchairs

Parks Canada wheelchair ramp at Brackley Beach not accessible

Parks Canada has spent $500,000 on a wheelchair ramp at the PEI National Park that is not usable by people in wheelchairs. Encouraged by the story on CBC Compass PEI beach is now wheelchair accessible. we went to Brackley Beach to try it out.

The ramp is simply not designed with wheelchair users in mind. The ramp forces the person with the disability to push themselves up a steep and difficult 18 foot climb before descending to the beach. Parks Canada could have made the beach accessible at less than 25% of the cost by simply putting the ramp through the break in the dunes.

Once at the bottom of the long ramp, there are no beach wheelchairs and no platform to leave the wheelchair you came on. Apparently, you have to call ahead to get the beach wheelchair delivered. Parks Canada should have stored the beach wheelchairs on the beach where there are needed.
(Video after the story break)
Continue reading →

Kafkaesque captcha at PEI Newcomers Association

PEI Newcomers email captcha - gotcha - click for larger image

First off, let’s admit it’s a wonderful sunny day on PEI. Yesterday was so warm at 3 PM, I had to dig out last summer’s shorts and put them on. Today is a little colder but so nice out of the wind. Spring or summer is here.

I was downtown wheeling around in my wheelchair on errands. Surprisingly two offices I visited – IRAC and PEI Newcomers – don’t have automatic doors.

They should have their entrance doors with a button to make them accessible for the disabled. I wrote Moe Rogerson (IRAC) and Kevin Arsenault (PEI Newcomers) and asked them about it.

PEI Newcomers don’t trust the Internet. They have a web form to send them messages.

However, the web form has a captcha invented in a Frank Kafka nightmare. It is only three letters long. No matter what you enter it comes back “Validation string is not correct.”

Click on the image to see what happens. I tried it 5 or 6 times and got bored.

Maybe they get tired of whining Chinese immigrants who want help or their deposits back. Just put a little eternal loop in the email form and ipso presto – no annoying immigrant emails.

I asked Kevin about that too.

Update – November 27th, 2009 – Kevin told me to take him off my email contacts after I asked about the accessible door and now he is retiring to move on to greener pastures.

NJN Network

Windows 8, Technology, Bob Dylan, Music, Musicians Resources, Disability, Lifestyle