Group sends message to politicians

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/09/2023 (987 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Horns were honking in support of the 60 people who planted themselves on all four corners of one of the busiest intersections in Brandon on Tuesday, waving signs that said Disability Vote Matters, while chanting “Who matters? We do.”

The corner of First Street and Victoria Avenue in Brandon was one of 10 locations for the provincial roadside rally day organized by the non-partisan advocacy group Disability Matters.

This is election season, which makes it a perfect time to send a message to all parties, said Phillip Emmerson, who at 42 has used a wheelchair his whole life.

“We need our politicians to acknowledge persons with disabilities and challenges just like any other citizen. As a society, we’re behind in acceptance, accessibility, and inclusion. And it’s time for change,” Emmerson said.

The campaign has several goals, including making sure all Manitobans with disabilities can participate in election activities, and those who are eligible to vote can do so.

Additionally, the aim is to bring disability issues to the forefront in the upcoming provincial election and to help those who need it to make informed voting decisions, said Brenda Elms, the executive director of Brandon Community Options.

“If you looked at this 20 years ago, people with disabilities didn’t vote, and now they know their rights — and they have their rights, so we’re helping them get to a voting status within our province and our country, and that’s awesome,” Elms said.

But Elms added they still have a long way to go when it comes to supporting people with disabilities. More people need to realize, she said, that the direct service workers are not paid what they should be, and that causes turnover.

“It’s awful. If you knew how many staff that they see in a one-year period, it would make your head spin, sometimes over 100,” she said. “And, if you look at the stats on how many staff they’ll see in their lifetime, it’s over 1,000 and there’s no consistency.

“We’ve seen some movement in wages over the last year, but that’s just keeping up from what was requested in 2003 that we were supposed to have washed out to us in 2013. It just got to us this year.”

Putting the issues out front is important, said Erin Yurchuk, whose son Tyler is a Special Olympian who will represent Westman at the national competition in Alberta in February 2024.

“Unless you’re involved or have someone dear to your heart in that situation, you may not be aware of the difficulties that folks have on every level. If you’re able-bodied, it’s easy for you to get in and out of your car. But if you’re not … well, now you need help to get on the bus, in a cab, some kind of assistance to get from A to B. And if you live alone or in group housing, you still need those supports, and they all cost money,” Yurchuk said.

Ray Berthelette said he was standing shoulder to shoulder with the others, in memory of his younger brother Wayne, who died two months ago at the age of 60.

Wayne had intellectual disabilities, and before he died spent time in Portage la Prairie, St. Malo and Niverville.

“The services just weren’t there,” Ray said.

“I believe it’s all about dignity. We have to show them more dignity. We need better care for the participants in the programs, and more funding so we can expand what we’re doing,” he added.

While the rally day may have been organized to catch the attention of provincial politicians, Chris Brandon said the focus needs to be on the city’s councilors and mayor as well.

Brandon is someone who navigates Rosser Avenue on a regular basis and said local government can make it easy for businesses to make improvements to accessibility.

“I would like the government to let businesses know that there are grants out there that you can take advantage of. For instance, you could retrofit your business to make your doorway the 36-inch minimum that it needs to be for me to get in. Some of us have full-time jobs and families to raise, and we have money to spend in your community, but if I can’t get into your place of business to spend my dollars, you’re missing out. They’re all missing out,” Brandon said.

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

» X: @enviromichele