Recently I reluctantly went camping and while it started out great unfortunately a few
challenges did arise. Now I still was able to have a pretty good time it's just that the good old Becker Muscular Dystrophy did an amazing job of reminding me it was still
there. Sadly while camping at a place known as McRae Point Provincial Park I experienced things no one
with a disability should ever have to face. Things that left me feeling very
frustrated as it seemed to me that Ontario Parks simply doesn't care about the
needs of campers with disabilities. It's simply disappointing to feel as if your needs don't matter.
Unfortunately they are currently making the huge mistake of overlooking and even ignoring the unique needs faced by campers with disabilities. With their outdated facilities and lack of accessibility related to their bathrooms big changes and updates are needed. As it stands now inaccessibility at Ontario Parks campgrounds are having a negative impact on our community. That is until something changes.
So what was the problem?
It comes down to a lack of accessibility concerning their bathrooms, as the ones they claim are accessible definitely are not. It's as if they believe that it's just good enough to put up an accessibility sign and to just add in a few grab bars in a bathroom stall and it's good to go. That might have worked 60 years ago but it takes more than that today. Now I am guessing these washrooms were built in the late 60's meaning they are long overdue for an update to today's standards.
The biggest issues revolve around their restrooms and the small size of the
accessible bathroom stalls. First it's impossible for those in wheelchairs to
use them along with others affected by a wide range of disabilities. Simply put
their small size ends up making it hard for anyone with a physical disability
to use them safely including me.
What happened to me?
Well their failure to provide true accessibility certainly had a negative and
even traumatizing affect on me, now I won't go into detail but just imagine
being trapped in a tight bathroom stall sitting down with weak leg muscles
making it nearly impossible for you to get back up onto your feet.
The entire issue was created by the placement of the toilet being set too low
to the ground when to achieve true accessibility the toilet needs to be set a
bit higher. This since lower toilets can create major difficulties for those
with weakened upper and lower body strength. You'd certainly be amazed at how a
toilet set at the right height makes a huge difference for those with
disabilities and unfortunately at Ontario Parks all their toilets sit way too
low creating difficulties no one with a disability should ever have to face.
So what am I trying to achieve by sharing this experience?
That when it comes to using a restroom if it claims to be accessible it should
actually enable the person with the disability to use it freely without
worrying it won't suit their particular needs or even worse put their safety at
risk.
So what's the solution?
In the end I believe this is a great opportunity for Ontario Parks to address
the issues of inaccessible washrooms on their properties. To start focusing on
making camping accessible to those of all abilities, now I truly hope they
don't believe that their vault toilets are the solution, if so then they must
believe we only deserve to use non flushable outhouse style bathrooms that
shockingly don't provide us with any kind of lighting and are honestly
disgusting. I truly hope this isn't the case.
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| Ontario Parks - Vault Toilets just a fancy name for an outhouse |
My one hope is that Ontario Parks aims to take advantage of this learning
opportunity to commit to upgrading their outdated facilities with a new focus
of showing everyone who visits their campgrounds that they take the needs of
visitors with disabilities seriously. Who knows one day they could actually
become the perfect example of what it means in providing true accessibility to
those with disabilities. But as of today they do get a failing grade.
So let's just hope they take advantage of this opportunity to improve!
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| Not my vehicle but another campers Minivan I was admiring |
See while visiting McRae Point Provincial Parks beach area I was admiring the Toyota Sienna you see pictured above when the owner approached the vehicle. So I asked her how much she liked the minivan, she said they love it some much that some friends of theirs actually ended up getting one as well. She asked if I had kids I said we don't but mentioned I needed one to transport my mobility scooter. To my surprise she mentioned that she knew a man who had the same minivan with a lift installed inside which allowed him to transport his mobility scooter.
It was a great little chat and it left me feeling positive about the possibility of one day finding a quality minivan or SUV capable of transporting my mobility scooter, after all when we are able to get the right vehicle my wife and I plan to drive it for a very long time!
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