Letter: Disabled woman feels let down by CAT service

Wednesday, June 16, 1999 | 10:15 a.m.

We've all seen them, people in electric wheelchairs or electric scooters who are able to be a productive part of our society because they have mobility.

There are many such individuals in our community and they need and want the same quality of life that the rest of us are pursuing. My friend is one such person. Her name isn't important, but she is. She is important to her son, to her mother and brother, to me and a whole host of others who know her.

On June 1 my friend was to board a CAT Para-Transit bus to keep an appointment with me. Shortly after that time she called me to say that she wouldn't be there because the CAT driver had dropped her and her chair on the ground.

To add insult to injury, she was unable to be transported to the hospital because the ambulances are not wheelchair accessible. Thankfully, she was not seriously injured, but her already damaged body is still bruised and aching, not to mention the fear and shock.

The cause of the accident was improper strapping of her wheelchair to the lift on the bus. At no time has CAT accepted any sort of responsibility for this event -- all they want to talk about is the excellent training they give their drivers.

Fast-forward to June 8: she and I had another appointment. Courageously, she requested another ride from CAT. When the driver came to pick her up, he asked if she wanted him to use the wheelchair straps or should they just skip using them. My friend came to meet me, but she canceled her ride home and went to a bus stop to wait for a bus that had room for her.

Most disabled men and women cannot afford to buy a $30,000 van and then spend $5,000 to $10,000 more to have it adapted to their needs, so they ride the bus. The buses were bought and paid for with our tax dollars. In a very real sense, they belong to all of us. We must demand that CAT treat our disabled citizens with the utmost care and respect.

ANNE M. GOLONKA