One of the major complaints found in the ABC report is that the bus just passes handicapped persons by while they are waiting at the bus stop. I wonder why. Could it be that the driver doesn’t want to take the time to get the wheelchair on the bus? If they did it would take at least five or ten minutes and after all they have a schedule to keep. But, what if there was an accident or a detour of some sort? Then the bus would have to take a different route and chances are it would show up late anyway.
Along the same lines if the bus does happen to stop, the driver might say we can’t take you because the wheelchair lift doesn’t work. So now what do you do? You have to wait for the next bus and hope and pray not only that he or she stops but that the ramp works.
Then there is the problem of training the drivers on how to handle the wheelchairs once they are on the bus. The MTA says their driver training was designed and their buses were built to accommodate an older type of wheelchair and not the more modern motorized wheelchair. They are always updating computers and cell phones adding new features to them so they need to update the wheelchair lifts to accommodate the new types of chairs. It’s only fair and it’s the right thing to do.
On the side of the bus it says “Welcome Aboard.” Is that just for certain people that do not have a wheelchair or is that for everyone?
One ABC interview that was given by a lady named Judy who has multiple sclerosis tells of how the MTA operator did not tie Judy’s wheelchair down and if a sudden stop is made she would go flying out of the chair. According to a disability-rights attorney, the buses are checked everyday to see that the equipment is operating properly. But, in this case, somebody obviously is not doing their job.
I think that people in wheelchairs are being discriminated against and something should be done. These people do not choose to be in a wheelchair and yet they seem to get treated differently.
I’m sure that most bus drivers do not treat wheelchair riders any differently then other people, but for the ones that do they need to take a course in compassion. They need to put themselves in a wheelchair person’s shoes. Would they want to be treated that way? I certainly don’t think so. We need to be kinder to each other and the world would be a much better place.
Debbie Bongiovanni- Commentary
Debbie Bongiovanni is a resident of Southern California. Her commentaries represent his own opinions and not necessarily the views of any organization he may be affiliated with or those of the West Ranch Beacon.
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