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
Monday, 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.
