Halifax, Nova Scotia reverses its long-held bus pass policy, devolves when faced with the opportunity for growth, slaps its blind citizens in the face, and codifies segregation
Written by admin2 on February 9th, 2009Filed under: Themes, Blind Visionaries
“This bus pass is a passport to socialization for us. There is an issue of justice here.”
The following terrific article, titled “Metro Transit nixes passes for blind,” appeared in the January 23-29, 2009 edition of The Halifax Commoner. It was written by Ryan Baker:
Dennis McCormack has used Metro Transit to get around Halifax Regional Municipality for more than 40 years, just like thousands of other Haligonians.
But McCormack is different from the people sitting around him on the bus. Nestled next to his bus pass is a plastic card from the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.
McCormack has a condition called albinism, leaving him with less than 10 percent visibility in his clear blue eyes.
For as long as he’s taken the bus, McCormack has used a courtesy pass from Metro Transit. Those free rides—for him and all visually impaired people—are coming to an end.
“It’s hard to say goodbye to something that was so good for so many people who needed it,” says McCormack. “It was an aid to a different life, it encouraged people with vision loss to mix in (with) society.”
Metro Transit announced its decision to stop giving courtesy bus passes just days after Christmas, ending a partnership nearly half a century old. The passes expire June 30.
“There’s other (disability) groups that can get on transit buses now, and we can’t extend free passes to everybody,” says Lori Patterson, for Metro Transit. “We’re just trying to be fair to everybody.”
Patterson says the main reason Metro Transit decided to stop giving free passes to the CNIB is that the addition of low-floor and wheelchair accessible buses makes transit more accessible to people with other disabilities.
Prior to these new features, blind people were the only disabled people who could easily access public transportation, so providing about 500 bus passes a year was manageable.
Assuming all 500 people purchased an adult pass for $60 a month, Metro Transit would make an additional $360,000 every year.
Now that transit is easily accessible for people with any type of disability, several groups petitioned Metro Transit for the same privileges as visually impaired people.
Other groups claimed the benefit was unfair and threatened legal action.
McCormack says blind and visually impaired people have more difficulty traveling compared to those with other disabilities—they cannot drive cars or walk as easily, or as far, as deaf people or wheelchair users.
“This bus pass is a passport to socialization for us,” says McCormack. “People who don’t have their sight don’t often want to go out, they want to hide.”
Students, adults and even seniors fork out money so they can commute—so why were visually impaired people treated differently?
“A number of blind and visually impaired individuals live on very low and fixed incomes, says Jennifer MacNeil, coordinator of Halifax’s youth chapter of the Canadian Council for the Blind.
“The extra money that we will now have to pay for the bus pass will be taking away from some other necessity that we may need, such as food or heating.”
The unemployment rate for blind and visually impaired individuals in Canada is a staggering 70 per cent, a 2005 CNIB study found. This is compared to a nation-wide unemployment rate of just below six per cent at the end of 2008.
McCormack and MacNeil say blind people have a harder time finding work than almost anyone else, and the jobs they are able to get often pay less than for people who can see.
“Without this method of transportation freely available to us, it may isolate an already isolated community,” insists MacNeil.
“If (blind) people who are looking for work can’t afford a bus pass, they may miss out on a job opportunity.”
McCormack is quick to point out he is not attacking anyone with a disability who wants similar benefits; he just feels the city is making the wrong decision.
“They’re going to turn back the clock into a more segregated society,” he says. “There is an issue of justice here, and the visually handicapped are the losers.”
Patterson says the free passes have been extended until the end of June to give the visually impaired time to find alternative means of transportation or come up with the money to buy their own pass.
“Obviously they’re not happy with the decision,” she says, “but we can no longer continue to offer (bus passes) free to one group.”
The CCB or CNIB aren’t planning to contest Metro Transit’s choice, but MacNeil hopes something will happen sooner rather than later.
“The decision is new and fresh, and I’m assuming people are still trying to figure out a solution.”
Ryan Baker can be reached at ry804957@dal.ca.
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When Irked Magazine contacted Dennis McCormack for a comment, he had this to say:
“I am disappointed that Transit is removing the pass. This must create financial hardship for blind Seniors, working age adults and parents of blind children. It is astonishing that the other groups were not asked to make any contributions. Every blind user of transit (435 persons in this city) will experience an immediate increase in their cost of living. Seniors groups will continue to have their income indexed to the cost of inflation. Blind persons have the highest unemployment rate, and their income is well under the national average according to all studies done in Canada.
I am legally blind with albinism and my wife is blind from RP.
The issue involves a higher principle. Those with sight and those without sight owe their origin to the Divine. God puts his stamp on all of us. We are made in his image and can help others through our service marked by love which transcends all else. If we act like we do not believe this, we end up with injustice to blind persons. We become power brokers, not justice seekers. At the heart of things, I worry about this moral principle. Blind persons have been helped over the past century because those with sight and those without sight have followed this moral principle. They do not always realize where they got their values from but they have always made special provisions for those without sight.”
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Losing the bus pass is a big blow to the blind community of Halifax. I understand the pressure that Metro Transit is getting from other disabled groups. If Metro Transit could issue a pass similar to the senior one this may be a solution. We the blind community thank Metro for all the years of free passes and hope a solution can be reached – Christina Lewis, co-ordinator of the Nova Scotia Divison of the Canadian Council of the Blind.
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I know this is a very touchy issue. I am a wheelchair user (I know it is not politically correct, but I say *uck political correctness when referring to myself. I try to be politically correct when referring to others, I am who I want to be.)
I have been using ALF (Accessible Low Floor Buses) since it started in 2002. It started with 2 routes (#7 & #9). Now we are up to 19 routes, and on August 31, 2009 Metro Transit will be adding 3 more routes (#1, #17, AND #18). This will make [22] routes, plus the Metro Link, ferries and the MetroX when it starts service. Just about 50% of Metro Transit’s all day routes are wheelchair accessible (not counting the rush hour only routes or community transit).
I have several comments I would like to address and/or clarify. (Why does the media only ever cover half the story?)
First – for how many years has the Persons With Disabilities community fought for equal rights?? Being included and treated equal to the average person. So why is the Visually Impaired community wanting to continue to be treated special over the average Joe or other disabled people?
Second – The problem, according to Metro Transit, with extending the free bus passes to all disabled individuals is A) CNIB/CCB are the only organizations that have a photo ID of their members. Other disabled organizations do not have a Photo ID program. B) Metro Transit does not want to take the responsibility or expense of issuing Photo IDs. C) Ok at what level of disability do you issue a pass, and what is the cut off point? Do you issue a free pass to anyone who claims they have a disability? (Better arrive early the day they start issuing the passes if that is the case, everyone will apply.) The same thing with if you go to your doctor and ask him to claim you’re disabled. Just a repeat of the parking passes. Everyone and their dog has one of those.
Third – I take exception to the comment by Dennis McCormack.
McCormack says that visually impaired people have more difficulty traveling compared to those with other disabilities—they cannot drive cars or walk as easily, or as far, as deaf people or wheelchair users.
Why does one disabled group say that their disability is worse than another’s? Yes, a visually impaired person cannot drive. But due to my level of disability, it is very difficult to transfer into a non-modified vehicle (ramped). What happens when a visually impaired person comes to a set of steps, or a bus with steps (yes there are still some of them around)? Climb the steps. What happens to a wheelchair? I sit there at the bottom of the stairs and wish that someday… I could go on about this pity me party, but that is not me. Just irks me that we fight against each other instead of working with each other.
Enough of my ranting – Just one disabled person’s comments. Sorry for the spelling mistakes. [Ed's note: No problem, we caught 'em.]
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BLIND PEOPLE CAN’T DRIVE…. “Period”. I am gainfully employed, can afford the pass, unlike many other visually impaired folks, but the point is, I cannot drive, unlike many of the “Other Groups”…