Wheel-Trans customers say registration process asking them to 'prove' their disability again

Steve Kean has been using the TTC since the early 1990's. He says while the system is significantly more accessible than it was back then, there are still cracks.

And, he says,the process to re-register forWheel-Trans service is one of them.

"It's putting the onus on us to prove that we're disabled,I don't think that's right," Kean said.

Kean, who uses a manual wheelchair, rides the conventional transit system but also uses the TTC's Wheel-Trans service when needed, which provides door-to-door rides for the cost of one subway trip.

He's among thousands of customers who signed up for Wheel-Transprior to 2017andhave received recentnotifications to re-register for the service. That process involves answering questions about their needs, and having a doctor fill out a portion of the forms.

Kean, along with advocates, say the process is long, tedious, and anxiety-inducing. The TTC says the changes are based onAccessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) guidelinesand help ensure equity, as customers who signed up after Jan.1, 2017 went through the same process. But the fear with someis that they will no longer be eligible for the service they need.

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After the customer completes the process, they are are grantedconditional, unconditional or temporary service, as per the guidelines.

Conditional service could mean that the customer has to use the conventional transit system for part of their journey or during certain times of the day.

"People who use wheelchairs full time should get automatic full acceptance," Kean said.

TTC says processin line with legislation, is offering support

Cameron Penman, head of Wheel-Trans at theTTC,says this process ensures all of its customers have been equally assessed, and that this is a process the service has been going through for the last six years.

"We are mandated to put these eligibility categories forward by the AODA and we are doing our best to apply that legislation," Penman said, adding that the TTC has sent out communications about why it isasking customers to fill out these forms, along with options for support throughout the process.

"We want to get the eligibility right so it matches your needs and abilities," hesaid.

Penman says more than 8,000 Wheel-Trans customers have re-registered, and around 11,000 customers are still going through the process. The questions are designedto get a "fulsome picture of what their needs are," he said.

"I can assure you 99 per cent of the time we will get your eligibility right based on those questions ... the vast majority will still have access to door-to-door trips most of the time."

The TTC says if acustomer does not agree with the result, there is an appeal process in place. Penman notesthe TTCalso hasresourcesin place including staff who will help customers learn how to use the system.

Lawyer says accessibility problem exists

Gabriel Reznick, a lawyer at the ARCH Disability Law Centre says while conventional transit has become more accessible over the last few years, there are still huge barriers that make it impossible for some people living with disabilities to use the system, including broken elevators and crowded buses and subways that don't allow for mobility devices.

He says this process is formulaic rather than personal.

"The process isin line with the law up to a point where persons who should be eligible for unconditional service are determined conditional because they answered a question in a certain way," he said, noting a successful case his office represented for a Durham woman who fought her conditional status under the same legislation.

He says the law centre is ready to help clients navigate the appeals process.

"What we're hoping for is that when the assessments are done they really do consider the purpose of the legislation, not creating additional barriers and that it's a fair process and done really respecting the person with the disability."

A silent form of protest

Meanwhile Jonathan Marriott, former chair of the Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit, says he resigned from that position because he didn't believe the system wasmaking progress toward meaningful change.

"Accessibility isn't a transaction, it's not about monitoring and looking at metrics and administrative functions," he said, adding these points were noted in his parting remarks.

"I really encouraged the TTC to approach accessibility from the point of empathy and understanding that the decisions being made impact hugely on people's lives. And for accessibility to really be meaningful, it's important to interact and really understand the systemic barriers that people are facing every day and to remove these barriers and not add to them."

Keanhas had his challenges using the conventional TTC system, recallingtimes when he wasn't able to get assistance ontostreetcar ramps and feeling"stranded."

He says hehas yet to fill out the forms tore-register ina "silent form of protest."For its part, the TTC says there is currently no mandated deadline. Kean says when he does re-apply, if he doesn't get unconditional status, he will appeal.

"It would be frustrating, I would be very very angry," he said.