The Festival of Lights on July 1, 2007 continues to be a difficult event for people living with disabilities. Disability accommodations were poor to nil. The person entrusted with looking after the disability enclosure on Sunday night was abusive. This would be a new all time low for those living with disabilities and no doubt reflects a lack of sensitivity to disability issues on the part of event planners.
The people who attend the Festival are wonderful people. They show every kindness and extend courtesies whenever the need arises.
The abusive treatment came during the evening. The disability shelter had been taken over by non-disabled people, who seemed quite content to be sitting there. I could only see two wheelchairs among 50 people. We left and sat outside. At a point the crowd made it impossible to see so I went inside by myself. Same 50 people, most of them not visibly disabled and now only 1 wheelchair.
I moved towards the front corner to be near my family. A kind woman moved a chair out of the way. All of a sudden a woman in a yellow volunteer/security shirt started asking me where I was going. She was pretty officious and talked in that condescending way people like we’re stupid or can’t hear.
I told her I was going over there by my family. No I couldn’t do that since she needed an escape corridor.
Then the abusive behavior started. She told me to sit at the back, that other people had “reserved preferred seating”.
“Wasn’t this supposed to be for the disabled?” I asked.
“Don’t be rigid,” was her reply. I guess she meant it would be rigid application of rules to allow people in wheelchairs to sit in the disability area.
“Do these people appear to be disabled?” I asked again. It was obvious only one man at the back was in a wheelchair. Back of the hall, back of the bus.
“You’re judgmental,” was her reply.
“I’m not being judgmental. I’m stating what appears to be a fact. Nobody you are saving seating for is disabled.”
“You’re being rude.” I didn’t even get a “Sir”
So in the space of a minute I was called three names for trying to sit in the disabled shelter. I guess the security person / attendant thought the non-disabled people needed to be protected from “men in wheelchairs”.
This person obviously received little training on disability issues so she was reacting badly. This is the first time I’ve been abused by staff or volunteers at the Festival. However, there is apparently little training on disability issues.
There appears to be only slight planning for people with disabilities by the Atlantic Superstore Festival of Lights. There is no disability parking anymore, washrooms for those in wheelchairs are non-existent, there is no special first aid or emergency help. My wheelchair tires went low on air – no one in any emergency service had an air pump.
Wheelchair access to the beer area was poor to impossible. Yes, people in wheelchairs drink beer too. The beer area is so primitive. In Quebec, Ontario and the USA beer is sold at events throughout the venue. Only in the Maritimes are beer drinkers such animals you have to cage them up with security guards.
Final exit is unsafe, especially in a wheelchair. Ten thousand people are pressing though two small exits, while some people try to enter. At the Toronto Dome Stadium, they can exit 50,000 people in 20 minutes: they open more doors. Why isn’t the fence constructed that sections are removed so that people can exit? If there was even an emergency, people would get trampled. People in wheelchairs could get killed.
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