f . Page 14, The Herald, Tuesday, April 14, 1981 Disabled people find horror stories c on travels CAMBRIDGE, Ont. (CP) — Until this February, one. . najor airline had a form for < digabled persons seeking a * reservation, which read: = “Ig this person offensive to ~ other passengers?” 7 Cinnie Noble, manager of . Handi-tours, a travel agency that deals ex- _ Clusively in tours for the : handicapped, says, ‘there ~ have been a lot of mistakes, ::@ lot of horror stories.” sWhen she took a group to + Hawali recently, she beard comments such as “Why * would blind people travel?” and “Why would they go to : Hawaii?" = Those kind of remarks, = Noble said in an interview, reveal the sort of attitude “that has made it difficult for “disabled persons to enjoy “the freedom afforded other Stravellers. : In addition to her position with the agency Noble Is 3 One of the more annoying i byproducts. of this age of “instant celebrity — when “poster girls, TV per- “ sonalities and half-baked “musicians can go from vobscurity to household _Tenown seemingly over- “night — is the invariable :autobiography that follows. Graham Chapman, from “the British comedy troupe Monty Python, may not be a rookie when it comes to ‘entertainment, but he, like ‘30 many flash-inthe- 7panners, has misguidedly seen fit to grace us with his ‘life history without having much of one to tell. : As aresult, A Liar’s Auto- iography comes off as little more than a diary, a per- Bonal volume for the writer’s consumption alone. Anyone else exposed to it becomes an interloper to the Waat author's desperate struggle _ With hig life's demons — in: Chapman's case, alcohol- ism and homosexuality. Net surprisingly, the reader emerges with an over-all attitude of “Don’t bother me, pal, we've all got problems.” Chapman's demons are neither rare nor notable; he a new procedure to apply for chairman of the Association for Specialized Services Involving Special Travellers. Bunny Waechter, for one, agrees with Noble’s opinion that there have been many problems. Disabled herself, Waechter is working with Wendy Santi of Kitchener, Ont., to produce a pamphlet on travel for the disabled, “It’sa heck of a lot better now,”” Waechter said of provisions for the han- dicapped. “But it’s far from excellent." She is well aware af some of the “horror stories” of. the past. As recently as- 1977, she said, wheelchair passengers had to ‘dehydrate for 24 heurs before boarding a plane. But now they have found a willingness among travel agencies to co-operate with the disabled, although there is ‘still a general lack of serves no constructive or creative purpose in letting us peek through his bedroom keyhole to witness his gin-soaked stupor. Presumably, it's his celebrity that gives him more of a right to write about it than, say, an alcoholic-gay butcher or shoe salesman. But Chapman's fame is not categorical, since it’s not entirely of his own making. Like the poster pin-up girl, he owes his notoriety to the body — in this case Monty Python, of which he is only one-sixth, Disappointingly, Chap man only grazes the subject that would have saved the book: his work with Python — the touring, the creative sessions, the television shows and the films. Surely the latter, which saw Chapman In the title role of Life of Brian and the Jedd - role in The Holy Grail, would have provided more than a simple anecdote about how he, a medical graduate, treated an art de- signer for tonsillitis on the set in Tunisia. Chapman's writing style, smooth and conversational, knowledge on regulations — and needs of the traveller, Waechter sald. She has been encouraged by the changing attitude of both the disabled and travel services to the type of travelling that should be available," As weil, she says the disabled. are becoming - more aggressiveabout what they want. ~ “In order to have a barrierfree trip, you have to ask questions,’’ she points out. . Both Alr Canada and Via _Rail have been making efforts to find out. what they are doing wrong when it comes to service for the disabled and both bre trying to make changes, Air Canada has a training program — called a reawareness prograin — on working with disabled passengers. ° : is also schizophrenic; while struggling to bare his soul, . he sprinkles his narrative with insipld.and misplaced zaniness, as if feeling compelled to live up to his role asaPython.. - . The cover itself, shawing a caricature of Chapman opening his tunic to reveal a woman's torso; the subtitle “Volume VI" and the sticker proclaiming “A No. 1 international bestseller” (lies included “to conform with the Trade Descriptions Act 1968”), and the book's two prefaces (one a “slightly better preface'’) all suggest to the potential buyer a collection of hi- laricus writings in the Python vein. They certainly don’t prepare (he reader for the - opening chapter, a stark and highly effective description of Chapman's wrecked body on’ thé threshold of its final detoxification treatment: No longer a drinker, his dependence on gin at that point had reached 80 ounces per day. His text is interrupted regularly with footnotes which, rather than serving IMPORTANT NOTICE John Cavill, a company spokesman in Toronto, said the airline is trying to get agents to “look at the customer first and then the disability. ” Air Canada does not allow - free travel for attendants of disabled (Via Rall does) but it does allow. blind passengers to bring their seeing eye dogs on board Wheelchair passengers can ship their wheelchairs free with their luggage, and a wheelchair is provided at -both ends of the trip. Regulations on the * mumber of disabled persons ‘allowed on an airplane vary widely according to the size and destination of the plane, Cavill -said. “The prime goal. is the evacuation of an aircraft in‘ an emergency situation, ” he said. - The Canadian transport © commission recently made a decision requiring: Via Rail to provide manual -Chapman writes Python lies to elucidate, attempt to , show the reader that Graham Chapman is a funny fellow. Sometimes they work, but more often the notations are presented -., 8 byplay between~-Chip- '’ man and his co-author- editor and lover David Sherlock, The verbal slap- and-tickle is not only juvenile, it’s tedious. Described by the publishers as a “mixture of wild invention and outrageous honesty,” A Liar’s Autobiography is | generally so frank, so im- passioned, that it could only ‘be a truthful rendering, an honest picture of: Chap- man's ° iess-than-periect lifestyle. But who asked? A Liar’s Autobiography, by Graham Chapman; Methpen,.240 pages, $13.86. Canadian Home Insulation Program | INSULATION GRANTS From May 1, 1981 there will be a CHIP home insulation grant If you are considering insulating your home you should check if you are eligible for a grant. Then send CHIP a request card for your personalized application form which will indicate that grant money has been set aside for you for 90 days. ARE YOU ELIGIBLE? 1. Isita principal residence or non-profit hostel? ‘2. Is it a house or apartment of 3 storeys or less? 3. Was it built before January 1, 1961 in any province* or before September 1, YES NO Oo oO. oo. ~ 1977 in the Yukon, Northwest Territories. or Newfoundland? Hf you have answered “YES" to all the above questions you can obtain your personalized application form for a grant by sending us a completed CHIP request card. This card is available from most insulation material retail outlets, insulation contractors or from your provincial CHIP office. For a tree Insulation analysis of your home call Ener-Save toll-free bitingual heatlines. $-800-267-9563 Ottawa-Hul 995-1801 B.C. 112-800-267-9563 Yukon and N.W.T. call collect (613) 995-1601 ‘Nova Scotia and Prince Eceard fefand are covered under the Home irguia ine Program 1500 West Oo 0 Canadian Home insulation Program Crown Life Place, Suite 800 Georgia St., Vancouver British Columbia V6G 3A1 tel: (604) 666-2717 - or toll free 112-800-663-9529 Canad ‘lifting of disabled passengers at 13 major stations across the count The commission also ruled that self-reliant passengers. who use wheelchairs should be al- lowed. to travel by them- selves without an attendant. Attendants of disabléd passengers travel free: The railway offers other special services, including refrigeration of insulin far diabetics, non-allergenic ' Subdivision. CARRIERS ; @re | REQUIRED] in KITIMAT! A number of routes.are available | in Kitimat and Cablecar , For information on these routes -| call Mrs. Ballantyne at 632-5482 _ pillows for sleeping cars, spokesman, said ac- electrical adapters for commodations can be made _ to request special service at breathing apparatus and an for most disabled pas- least 24 hour in advance. - onboard supply of oxygen . ; : for emergencies. : ” A blind person. travelling with a seeing eye dog on an overnight trip can get a’ roommette for the price of an upper berth. ; Both Air Canada and Via. also provide special, meals. — salt or sugar free — - on request. . Karl NOTICE Okruta, a vie’ : aA PROPOSED GAS PIPELINE m7 Z tee PACIFIC HORTHERN, “Gas LTD. 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