a: you might imagine.. Because in -: the.terms of reference of. the -. ” B.C..Coalition of the Disabled, _ . the word ‘‘disability” refers not . only to. those with an obvious difficulty. It refers to anyone: This Friday i is the vraag” 7 of. “Transportation and Mobili- ty. Week for the Disabled”’:— a 7 week that may be of interest to” more friends and neighbors than confined: to a wheelchair, those with. visual or hearing im-. pairments, people with hidden - afflictions such as arthritis, - those’ with mental- handicaps, people with learning disabilities — anyone for whom access. to our ‘normal transportation: systems and public buildings jis _ more than what we would or- - dinarily think. of as just an everyday challenge. - _ There are about three mnillion Canadians with varying degrees of disabilities and at least half of - those are transportationally dis- abled. That is, they experience a restriction or inability to access public transportation systems in a manner the majority enjoys. Getting on and off of buses, planes or trains are listed as the primary problem, But moving about terminals, se¢ing signs, - hearing: announcements, access- ing seating and using wash- rooms also cause many people difficulty or unneccesary embar-— rassment. ; In. order to identify “these probiem areas in.our own com- munity, the B.Cx: Coalition: of the Disabled (BCCD) willbe holding the last of nine provin- _ Gial ‘Task Force on Transporta- tion’ hearings at the. Térrace campus of Northwest Commun- ity College Friday, Feb. 17. En- titled, ‘Seeking Solutions’, the. task force will be receiving input from local service agencies, transportation companies, la- bor .. organizations, businesses, politicians, community organi- "zations and individuals who are aware and ‘concerned. “The. result of this tisk force will be a catalogue of local transportation services, or the lack thereof, and any proposals for change. These could include. | transportation in rural areas, funding for services, access to information, | terminal ‘or station accessibility, special needs train- ling for providers or the new National: Transportation Act. - Also of concern in many areas is ’ the fact, that only. half of the ‘special care facilities in Canada report having their own trans- portation for residents. And of . these, only two-thirds ‘report having a vehicle, which. meets ‘most’? of their residents trans- - portation needs. BCCD Task Force public rela- tions. officer Marilyn Reid vis- ited Terrace last Friday and says there has been-a “good re- sponse’? to the hearings to date _ and she expects the same in ‘Terrace. According to Reid, a major problem in lobbying for change has ‘been the fact that many disabled people don’t look disabled — and. because of this the problem appears to many to -be insignificant. But the problem is very real, says Reid. To be ‘‘manually’’ carried on and off aircraft is very ‘“‘demeaning’’ and most of- ten a ‘‘frightening’? experience as well. Signs are.too difficult to -read, washrooms too small to be ~ practical, doors too natrow or “too heavy to open, PA systems . | impossible. to understand,. the ‘communities — - and even where they do, they may.not necessari- ly .be designed for the disabled. . The Terrace. ‘Hearing will be followed by a major ‘solutions’. ‘conference in Vancouver on Mar: 3 and 4, It is at this conference that the results of the task force’s nine hearings will be combined in a single written report containing recommenda- tions. These recommendations will then form the. basis of an advocacy campaign which will be carried out in the province later this year. The Feb. 17. hearing will be. held in room 1002 at. Northwest Community College beginning at 9:15 AM. The panel: will consist of task force members, Marilyn Reid and Del Tomkin- { son. (both from Vancouver), & BCCD board member Diane Ray of Prince Rupert, Cheryl Groves from Kitimat and Roc- que Berthiaume of Terrace. The Terrace hearing was made possi- ble through the hard work of an energetic and dedicated group of NWCC Community Support Worker students. More infor- mation can be obtained by phoning the local representative, . NWCC instructor Rocque Ber- thiaume, at 635-6511. _ (oF pene iments agp oa i Det A ET ea, ge reat oe Meee a late ‘Transportation and Mobility Week for the Disabled begins. this Friday. And in keeping with that theme during the sign- 7 ing of the proclamation, Marilyn Reid of the B.C. Coailtion id of the Disabled and Mayor Jack Talstra discussed a ae wheelchair “Stalr-Lift” which may be Included In city hall renovations. . steps:to: board a-bus are far,too +} - steep, curbs and stairs are an insurmountable: barrier... and spaces reserved for the disabled so they won’t have to walk so far, — they have been asked about re- peatedly is the B.C, Hydro Han- | dyDART bus system for the disabled. But, she says, these services don’t. exist - in many | In response ‘To the . Editor; - From one Wasp to another, I would like to express my thoughts, re: Mr. Jackman’s presentation of awards! I’m sure Mr. Eric Nichol couldn’t care less, but I would like to present . some facts so that Mr. Jackman’s perspective: could be _ Clarified. - Was Mr. Jackman’s brother starved to death while a prisoner ‘of the Japanese during World War II? The Japanese Emperor did nothing to enforce his people to obey the international rules of war concerning prisoners. The Emperor certainly wasn’t starv- ing} Was Mr. J’s brother be- headed when his plane was shot down under him and he manag- - ed to parachute and land safely in territory occupied by the Japanese? | None of us who occupied this earth during the war years and were called upon to end tyranny, both in Burope and the Pacific, “carry grudges’’, we just remember and resent our gov- ernment’s — two-faced attitude concerning respect. We can’t be regimented to respect someone who is. not worthy . of |. our respect, even if. the Almighty ; Dollar i is one of our Gods! - Rita Kerr, ; | Terrace, B.C. then there ‘are those. healthy |... Ooo “individuals who use parking ||. ... essai . One. ‘solution that Reid’ says - _ Renting out a ‘SKI CABIN... SUMMERLAND SPARWOOD SOOKE... ‘and 87 more B.C. newspapers. All for just $159. ~ You can get blanket coverage » of BC, witha classified ad _in.90 newspapers, ‘ for as little as $159. ~ That’s nearly 3,000,000 readers. Tf you're BUYING, SELLING - orsimply TELLING, IT PAYS TO SPREAD THE WORD. . For more information _ call this newspaper at . 635- -7840 fe OF 1669-9222 - ibn coe iota rast «D. | Provinces — Alberts $128; Manitoba S&S; Sesk. re aero ene Nominations close February 10, 1989 . Forms available from the Terrace Review" 4535 Greig Avenue, ‘Terrace