Disabilities Are Around You All the Time

From among a list of Key Facts published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2023, a statistic stands out:

An estimated 1.3 billion people experience significant disability. This represents 16% of the world’s population,
or 1 in 6 of us.

As the word disability spans many conditions, it often means different things to different people. I use the definition listed in the Accessible Canada Act, a Canadian law since 2019. Taken from the Definitions of the Act, disability means

any impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment—or a functional limitation—whether permanent, temporary or episodic in nature, or evident or not, that,
in interaction with a barrier, hinders a person’s full and equal participation in society.

Calling All Forgotten Customers With Disabilities

Published a few years ago, this article describes the ongoing difficulties disabled people face as they attempt to travel. The Disability Scoop article published on January 21, 2020 reports a group of disabled persons using wheelchairs on an Amtrak trip were asked to pay $25,000. Individual tickets cost $16.00. This was a special or unique incident for Amtrak after first reading the story. The available cars didn’t have proper fittings for the wheelchairs. Removing the installed seats had a price tag of $25,000. A change in Amtrak’s nationwide policy added the $25,000. Some agencies weren’t notified.

Travelling by wheelchair isn’t new across North America. In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law. The Act was intended to at least encourage accessibility. Twenty years on, and Amtrak doesn’t have a communication policy that addresses the needs of the public. A slogan might be Buy a Ticket from Amtrak and Prepare for Surprises.

The term, valued customers, was part of the response by Amtrak. This term is a tired one. The term, forgotten customer, is appropriate when a disabled person encounters customer service issues.

How does Amtrak accommodate veterans who need wheelchairs to travel? On the Amtrak website there’s ticket information stating veterans receive a 10 per cent discount.

This scenario once again points to daily living activities that are unknown by anyone without a disability. A question comes to mind: Does Amtrak have a personnel policy and hire disabled persons with different disabilities?

I’m a Canadian so travelling on Amtrak isn’t a frequent experience. At this time, I’m not veering into how Canada’s rail system handles the needs of a disabled person. I hope it’s different and Amtrak can take Canadian experiences and make changes.

Update on this story posted in late January 2020 states that Amtrak has suspended the policy relating to this incident. Amtrak has responded in the U.S. media that the seat removal wasn’t meant to be directed at the disabled. This article remains on this page because disabilities still need attention in many areas of public transportation.