Incident was regrettable says Board Chairperson David MacCallum

Pat and the Elephant apologized, Costello is holding out

After much reluctance on the Board’s part, I had a meeting this week with the Pat and the Elephant board representatives, Chair David MacCallum and Tom DeBlois.

Pat and the Elephant (P&E) is Charlottetown’s wheelchair transportation service.

On March 6th, 2009 I was abused by their general manager when he threatened to abandon me downtown during a snowy and cold winter day in Charlottetown. 

Abuse from Pat and the Elephant.

The issue is a serious one since most people with disabilities are vulnerable and abuse from caregivers while common is not acceptable.

David MacCallum apologized on behalf of the Board. He said Pat and the Elephant regretted what happened. Why does a person with a disability have to go to such lengths to be heard and believed?

In bringing the issue up, first privately and then publicly, I expected to get even more abuse from the public. Pat and the Elephant is a charitable service. Criticism will always raise alarm bells with supportive members of the public. At first the P&E ignored my complaint. That’s why I went public. Otherwise the matter could have and should have been dealt with in private.

I believe in the tip of the iceberg: if you see ice in the water, 90% of it is hidden. As expected the video and two articles got the matter stonewalled. Boards are generally reluctant to hear criticism even when it’s in their best interests. “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” said King Solomon. Modern customer service practice says listen and learn from your customers. Criticism is an”apple of gold” that helps organizations to see holes or faults in their service.  Tom DeBlois is an experienced businessman and I believe he understands the concept of customer service.

The Board promised a meeting and I persisted. After the typical stonewalling like “No one every complained about that before” we moved on to the truth.

David MacCallum apologized on behalf of the Board. He said Pat and the Elephant regretted what happened, perhaps in the heat of the moment. MacCallum stated that Pat and the Elephant tries to deliver the best service it can to Islanders with disabilities. P&E is also aware of the vulnerable nature of people with disabilities and the need to use extra care when dealing with them. MacCallum committed to bring the matter of next moves to the Board on April 20th, 2009. We will await his reply.

MacCallum tried to put the blame on me until I showed him the driver’s comment

“I enjoy the company of 98% of our clients. The other 2% are the people who I can just not please. That being said, I have driven you Stephen many times. That being said , I would place you most certainly in the 98%. You always would engage in conversation and the trips were always pleasant.”

The Board failed to serve Islanders with disabilities in not believing its customers right out of the gate. It took two NJN Network articles, a YouTube video, more abuse heaped on me and considerable stress to get Pat and the Elephant to listen to a simple truth – your dispatcher is rude, abrupt and emotionally abusive.

In my years of disability advocacy I’ve see this over and over: able volunteers who deny how the disabled feel or their experiences. The able bodied should be encouraged to take sensitivity training on disability issues.  A prime example is the Province of PEI that scheduled the DSP reform meetings right in the middle of my daily rest period, when it could easily have moved them to the morning. Or the public meetings that were inconsiderately scheduled for winter nights when the disabled would be at risk of falls if they went out.

It’s quite typical to blame or denigrate the whistle blower. Our employee, our company, our government can do no wrong. It’s your fault for complaining. I got comments like that and MacCallum at first tried to take the same tack. Thankfully for other people with disabilities I can screw up my courage and stand up to bullies. MacCallum is no bully. He is a kind and gentle man. He tried to defend Trent Costello who has a long way to go in showing care and kindness to those in wheelchairs.

I am waiting for Costello’s apology. If he’s a man he will admit he was wrong and get over it. Then he should get some training on how to deal with customers in a modern customer service organization with a extra classes on the disabled.

Some people will whine that I should suck it back and shut up. Forgetaboutit! If we don’t fix this thing, people with disabilities, already the lowest members of our society will get even lower. We need a hate crime law to push back and get treated like anyone else.