Disabled are treated worse than others

Re: Lack of accessible taxi takes toll, by Dave Battagello, July 31.

I have had the unique experience of living the first half of my life as a healthy, “normal” child and young adult, and the second half with a physical disability, affecting my mobility.

And in that time I found it downright pathetic and hurtful that as so-called minorities go, the disabled must be by far the largest group in the world and yet are the least respected.

I have witnessed the LGBTQ community form a huge, politically powerful lobby in the U.S. and Canada, take huge strides and representation in media, to the point of now being overrepresented.

I have seen immigration issues take centre stage in political arenas, both here and in the United States, and I have witnessed accommodations for these people in every aspect of day-to-day life. And yet in that same time, I have not seen the disabled make any positive progress at all.

When was the last time there was a disabled person as a regular character on a popular television show? Are there any pop culture icons who are disabled? Are there any film stars? Politicians? Irrespective of any of that, I have lived life as a disabled person for the past 15 years and know for a fact that we are not being given fair consideration compared to other minority groups. Despite the fact that I am an intelligent man with a tremendous resume with experience, education and training, I was not able to get even close to finding a new position after losing my previous management job. I walk with a pronounced limp and use a cane or arm crutch most of the time. I believe that is why no one would hire me.

One cannot understand the frustration felt by a person who merely wishes to live their life as anyone else does but is prevented from doing so.

All this poor woman needed was a taxi with the room and a ramp so she could enter the vehicle. She didn’t get one.

To me that is just as shameful as had she gone to a grocery store and it did not have a ramp or automatic doors. In my view, taxi services should be required to have a minimum number of disabled accessible vehicles on duty at all times.

Jon Brown, LaSalle