Melbourne, Australia
— Your editorial *"Conflicting curbs on the
disabled" (The Age, 19/1) draws attention to the
multi-purpose taxi program. Working full-time in a senior
position has always been both rewarding and challenging
for me. But some of my biggest daily challenges involve
physical independence and mobility in the
workforce.
I use a wheelchair and have
diminishing strength in both upper and lower body
muscles. I am a daily user of the multi-purpose taxi
program. My wheelchair is collapsible and provided I have
someone at each end of the journey to assist me, I can
use a normal taxi to and from work.
This, however, often meets with
consternation from drivers, as they are not keen on
lifting the chair. I point out that my collapsible
wheelchair is lighter than a large suitcase, but this is
apparently different. I have had drivers see me waiting
in a wheelchair and continue driving even though they
were booked.
At work I use a power chair and
this gives me considerable independence.
However, I have given up trying to
attend meetings off-site on my own. If I call a
multi-purpose taxi (one that can take a power chair), I
cannot book for a specific time. Having called well in
advance, I have sometimes waited for more than two hours,
only to be told that a special taxi could not be
located.
Conducting business this way is not
possible and so I resort to attending meetings with a
colleague - one who is strong enough to push the
wheelchair and negotiate the often wheelchair-unfriendly
CBD. I have also been asked for an extra "disabled fee"
and told I would not be allowed to leave the taxi until I
paid. It was only when I threatened to call the police
that the driver grudgingly lowered the exit ramp. While
corrupt drivers are a minority, it is the rorting by taxi
drivers, not disabled people, that is discrediting the
system.
I rarely meet other people in
business who use wheelchairs. The obstacles are many and
yet I am sure there are many who, like me, feel they have
something to offer and feel better for being engaged in
the community. Let's provide encouragement to people with
disabilities, not suspicion and more barriers.
Wendy Brooks,
Port Melbourne
