L’azile

I know I have already written about the STM’s crappy service when it comes to Paratransit and I might be tempted to apologise to my handful of readers because really, this is not what I want this blog to be about. But yesterday was an all time record in corporate stupidity and utter lack of consideration for those of us who rely on this service to get around the city.

So, yesterday morning, I wait and wait for the gawd-damn taxi or minibus or whatever it was supposed to be to show up. After a half hour (which is the requisite time I am expected to wait before contacting them to ask “where is the transport?”), I call. After waiting on the line for about 10 minutes, I am told unceremoniously that my reservation has been cancelled. Just. Like. That.

Needless to say that I was quite pissed off. I mean, wtf?! But I did not have time to debate it with the woman on the phone nor to ask the reason for this decision as I was going to be late for a meeting. So I did the only thing I could do and called a taxi and high-tailed it to the office, arriving 10 minutes late for my meeting, pissed off and stressed out. Thankfully, the guy I was meeting with was really nice and understanding, not to mention hilarious, and we had a really fun and productive meeting so at least that was something.

Continue reading… foiled by the STM’s Paratransit service yet again

Question : Vous embauchez un plombier pour faire des travaux chez-vous. Vous vous entendez sur un taux-horaire et sur le moment où il passera pour effectuer ces travaux. Trois jours ouvrables avant le rendez-vous, il vous rappelle pour confirmer et en passant comme ça, il vous informe que vous devez lui fournir ses outils. Vous trouvez ça normal ? Moi non plus.

Eh bien, la Coopérative de solidarité Novaide, une entreprise d’économie sociale qui œuvre dans le secteur des travaux ménagers, trouve ça tout à fait normal et, vu le monopole qu’elle exerce dans plusieurs quartiers de la ville de Montréal, on peut dire qu’elle est morte de rire.

Continue reading… cordonnier mal chaussé

As a wheelchair user, naturally I use the Montreal Paratransit Service of the Société de transport de Montréal to travel to and from places that are just too far to get to using my own power or that of my power wheelchair. I have been using this service for almost 20 years now and it has often been the bane of my existence, to the point that I have always tried to find apartments that were close to work and to all the goods and services that I am likely to need on a regular basis. Unfortunately, there are times when I need to use adapted transit services as I do not drive and after all, Montreal is a big place.

I often get remarks from non-disabled people concerning adapted transit that eloquently reflects how clueless people are regarding this service. Things like: “Oh, you are so lucky, you get door to door transportation, like a limo service” or “There may be a few hassles once in a while but at least it is free, right?” or “Ok, maybe you have to pay a fare like us but it is far below the real cost of the service you get”, etc., etc.

Continue reading… mini-buses trying to disguise themselves as surveillance vehicles

This expression has always amused me in its conceptual representation and I find it unfortunate that it can not be directly translated into French. I have never been amused however by what it stands for.

It has now been almost a month since I had my hip surgery and while convalescence has been challenging at times, in the last week or so, I think that things have indeed gotten better. The pain is much more manageable and the long incision left from the surgery is for the most part healed. In principle, in a couple of weeks, I should be able to start rehab.

Continue reading… phoning it in

I came across this article (edit: no longer available) the other day in the online edition of the Toronto Star about the impact of new flying restrictions on persons with disabilities. I kind of figured that this latest modern-day obsession would just make things even more complicated for those who already have to put up with more than enough weirdness and frustration when travelling.

I have not flown much; a few times to Los Angeles for the CSUN conference and twice last year to Winnipeg and Tunis for conferences related to the Word Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). These last two trips could not have been more different. When I flew to Winnipeg, I was walking with the help of an artificial leg. However, while travelling to Tunisia six months later, I ended up having to use my motorised wheelchair due to health problems.

Continue reading… on a wing and a prayer