ODSP & Volunteering

[W. McG]

Hi!

A friend of mine, call her Jean, on ODSP had been volunteering at a seniors tea room for five years. Jean enjoyed it very much and it was very helpful for the seniors. She had been receiving the $100 for the bus pass - the bus pass in Toronto costs more than $100 - while she was volunteering. Every six months she had to submit a letter from the seniors residence stating she was volunteering and once a year she had to attend an appointment with Social Services to receive the bus fare money.

Last July Jean learned that the volunteer bus fare allowance was no longer going to be allowed for more than six months and where a person volunteered for the six months was expected to hire her after the six months or she had to leave the volunteer position.

Without the bus fare being paid, she can no longer afford to volunteer. The seniors residence has lost a lot of volunteers as a result of this and Jean has lost her feeling of usefulness and pleasure at being able to be helpful to others.

I was wondering how the volunteering and bus fare allowance was handled in other areas of Ontario. This program change in the Toronto area for people on ODSP hit with no notice to anyone, not the volunteers nor the organizations people were volunteering for. 

I feel as though this is another assault to people on ODSP.

W.

[Darlene]

Actually there was a lot of notice about this change, and it only
applies to people who started volunteering after a certain date. I
think it was April 2009. Your friend should be able to keep getting it
if she's been doing this volunteer placement since before then.

You must remember that this money was ONLY available in Toronto, not
anywhere else in the province, as the funding actually came from
Ontario Works, which is funded by the city (for the most part anyway).

Some agencies provide transit fare to their volunteers. For most
people the actual pass is a waste of money; only time it was ever
worthwhile for me is when I was working and had a child in daycare. I
was making 4 trips daily, 5 days a week.

If you do the math, folks who only go to and from an employer, or a
volunteer placement, even if they go 5 days a week it's cheaper just
to buy tokens.

I'm lucky that the place I volunteer will reimburse my fares when I
lose that $100.

[katkit]

In peterborough, all adults on ODSP can get a bus pass for $21 whether
volunteering or not, if you are on ODSP you get a bus pass for $21.
Used to be for OW too, but not anymore. It counts for regular transit,
which is fully accessible at all stops, they are not allowed to leave
a wheelchair patron at the bus stop and it also counts for the
wheeltrans

[W. McG]

Thanks, Darlene!

I'll pass that info onto my friend and see if she can get it changed.

W.

[W. McG]

Gee,

I wish the TTC had $21 for people on ODSP.

 I also wish that they had a rule that they were not allowed to leave a disabled person at a stop. There have been times when 4 TTC buses wouldn't take me and I froze waiting for the 5th one. In winter now, I usually only use Wheeltrans as a result, even if it is only 1 bus ride away.

How did you manage to get these things put into effect there? Wonder if it would work here?

W.

[justice4odsp]

I wish Kingston spread their municipal subsidy to Access Bus passengers.
It's a non-profit charitable organization and Kingston gives them the
money to operate, But they don't have a contract with the service.
Therefore, the city says they can't give the subsidy to low income
wheelchair passengers who can't use Kingston Transit yet because it is
not fully accessible and my scent allergy (that triggers an asthma)
attack sends me off the bus.

All low income people, working or not, get the municipal transit subsidy
for Kingston Transit only. They can't use it on the Access Bus. I,
therefore have to pay over $200 per month for the bus.

justice4odsp

[katkit]

I realised I have let a couple of things be omitted.

#1 You are only really to use the access bus if the place you are
going is not on the regular bus routes/close to the regular bus
routes. If your destination is on the regular route, you are to use
regular transit.

#2 Bus drivers can refuse a whellchair passanger if the bus is very
full and there is standing room only, but then strollers and such can
be refused in that circumstance. If there can be room made forthe
wheelchair, they are let on, only if it is very full and there is
absolutely no room for the wheelchair/stroller can they be refused.
But in 95% of circumstances, the wheelchair passanger is boarded.

[Atb]

On a side note the volunteer allowance was originally mandated through
OW, its in (or at least was, I haven't read them lately) the OW
directives. It was optional for each municipality to offer it to ODSP
recipients but mandatory for OW recipients. The allowance also wasn't
just for bus passes though it became known as that because that was
the normal use for the allowance. Theoretically even if you received
MSN transport allowance that covered a transit pass you were still
eligible for the volunteer allowance. The allowance was actually set
up to cover extra costs associated with volunteering, to encourage
people to volunteer & as such possibly improve their employment
prospects. I can definitely empathize with your friend W, I know many
people in your friends shoes. Unfortunately everyone suffers as a
result of that policy.

As for the discounted bus pass, many municipalities offer it but not
enough do. I wish my municipality did; my municipality has really poor
service but charges as much as the ttc does. Its absolutely
unforgivable how my municipality treats public transit... We don't
even have an automated telephone service to find out when the next bus
is or if that route is still running at that time. All we have is from
9-4 you can call the office or go online, if you don't have internet
on a cell phone you have no way of knowing when the next bus is.
Justice you have mentioned before that Kingston doesn't allow the
discounted pass to be used on the paratransit, I would assume that is
illegal discrimination under the human rights code. Have you ever
tried to challenge that policy on those ground? Its just an idea but
it sounds like an unacceptable form of discrimination to me.

ATB

[Atb]

Oh yeah I meant to mention, am I the only one who is frustrated by the
law that says people who are blind travel for free on public transit
but if your disability prevents you from driving you aren't eligible
for the same? The ministry says I can't drive (I understand why, its
not safe to drive when you pass out randomly) but I still have to pay
full price for public transit.

ATB

[justice4odsp]

Finally!!!! Someone else who concurs with me. I have been like a broken
record about this difference for years. In fact, when I took Kingston
Transit to Human Rights, that was one of my complaints. I didn't ask to
take the freedom away. I asked that the same opportunity be extended to
all people with disabilities who can't drive and are on a fixed income.
At first I just asked for the same thing. They didn't see how that fits
with discrimination so I laid it out for them. However, that part of my
complaint was considered to be frivolous so I was left with no choice
but to let it drop.

Another argument, by the way, for why the blind ride for free and
wheelchair passengers don't, is that the blind can't use specialized
transit in most cities. I've been in other cities where the blind can
take specialized transit and they pay. I've also been in some cities
where the blind take specialized and conventional and don't pay for either.

When I was on the AODA's transportation standards writing committee for
Ontario I tried to raise the issue as well. The 2 transit reps; one from
Toronto, the other from London, would have no part of making a change.
They cited the Blind Person's Rights Act. Well, I finally read that act
and it's a protection for the blind to take their guide dog everywhere
that they go. It says nothing about free transit.

The challenge is, the idea is entrenched.

The number of people who express shock that I pay for the Access Bus
(the think it is free, or should be free) is incredible. But how do you
debunk the myth? The best I can do is pay my ticket outside of the bus
and when I'm on the lift in full view. Some people might clue in that
we pay, but then again, I doubt it. The world has their minds closed to
the needs of others.

Sorry for the ramble, but it's such a relief to finally hear one other
person point this issue out. I pay, on average, $200 per month for the
bus and, on ODSP, I can't afford much else.

justice4odsp

[justice4odsp]

Hi,

I guess I better read your posts in order. Sorry about the other, long winded one.

I tried to get this case heard by Human Rights but I wanted to do it with the help of a lawyer through the Human Rights Legal Support Centre. They refused to take the case on so I decided to try something different. I called Kingston Access Bus, got a print out of the manifest for my monthly bus trips, along with the total amount spent each month, averaged out the cost, and then created a "Bill" for the City.  I used a Microsoft template and just wrote it up. Here is a copy below (in case it gives a useful tip to people who live in other cities).

The city just ignored it. I may file a case again one of these days, but my other transit case, that was started in December, is dead right now. I don't even know if the tribunal is going to put the case forth. The lawyer kept putting strong arguments forth about my timing for filing the complaint and demanded proof for my allegations, so human rights supported that. I'm not sure they're even technically allowed to do that before the case goes forward and into mediation, but the Director let the lawyer do it anyway. They also only gave me 4 days to file papers and the minimum is 14.  I complained, but they blamed the mail for me getting the papers so late (the date of the letter still only gave me 10 days, not 14).  However, they told me that in order to get an extension (to get my 14 days), I could  go online, search for, and fill out another form  requesting it, and then serve hard copies of the request to transit and to the Human Rights Tribunal instead.  If I have to break my neck to get papers out to transit to ask for the extension that I'm supposed to have in the first place, I may as well reply to the lawyer's nit-picking on me. 

I guess what I'm trying to say is, it's obvious that the human rights tribunal is, in and of itself, discriminatory nowadays. That's why I resorted to making this invoice.

I'm burning out trying to survive. Right now I've been denied all medical treatment by specialists. I have to go back to square one to prove I am physically disabled and I'm not mentally ill. It's a long story but my old medical records, not my new ones, are in the e-health record sharing system and the mistakes contained therein are coming back to haunt me. That's why you don't see me on Fireside quite as much at the moment. It's a long story, which I'll explain after the danger is over. Suffice it to say the big D word (discrimination) fits in here as well.

[justice4odsp]                                            INVOICE

 

 

[contact info removed]

INVOICE # DATE:  9/21/11

 

Bill To: The City of Kingston City Hall 216 Ontario Street Kingston, ON   K7L 2Z3 613-546-4291

For: Municipal Transportation Subsidy Equality

 

DESCRIPTION	AMOUNT
Equalization Billing for Transportation costs.   Note: The City of Kingston only applied this subsidy to Kingston Transit. Those who use the Access Bus and are on ODSP (below the Low-income cut-off amount) cannot use it. This means the new subsidizing policy is discriminating against those who require specialized transit.   I am therefore sending this bill to ask for equality.    I cannot use Kingston Transit as my principal form of transit because: 1.      I have a severe allergy to scent. If a passenger gets on wearing too much, I have to get off. 2.      Bus stops are not accessible or safe in many locations.    This leaves me with no choice but to use the more expensive services of Kingston Access Bus.    Please find attached a copy of the printed manifest for Access Bus showing the amount paid in the month of May plus a receipt for the cost of the Bus pass.  In early May I had not been recommended to limit my conventional transit use.	150.75
TOTAL	150.75

If you have any questions concerning this invoice, contact [me]

THANK YOU!

Note: Due to the size of the file when I scanned the Kingston Access Bus manifest for the month of May, it was too big for emailing.  Therefore I am only sending this summary. If you want a complete copy, please feel free to ask for it.

[abrowne]

Atb,

My disability prevents driving as well.  I pay full fare, but then again there are

no discounted fares here except for seniors and students.  People who are blind

or visually impaired do get on free though when they show their CNIB card.

There are too many stereotypes about disabilities; it is almost as though

municipal governments, including mine and yours, seem to believe that

only blind or visually impaired can prevent driving, but when I took the 

matter of my area's transit to human rights, I cited over 85 conditions, 

and there are probably even more, that can lead to driving restrictions.

By the way, the majority of these conditions affect the young (under 65),

and my research has also shown that it is mostly under 65 that tend to

have medical suspensions.  Older people tend to have family support

and gradually do this on their own without being suspended.

Just among my circle of friends, there are about 7 people that I know

who are under either temporary or long term medical suspensions.

Angela

---

From: Atb <adambar...@gmail.com>
To: ODSP Fireside <odspfi...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 5:26:38 AM
Subject: [odspfireside: 40140 ] Re: ODSP & Volunteering

[abrowne]

Hi,

Neither do most of the disabilities that lead to people being medically 

suspended from their licenses; most are ambulatory and do not use

specialized transit either.  I raised that issue with the Tribunal, but I guess

many people still want to live in the 1950's where everybody had their

"place", making it look like people with disabilities don't want to conform

and accommodate the able-bodied.

Angela

---

From: justice4odsp <justic...@gmail.com>
To: odspfi...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 6:46:34 AM
Subject: Re: [odspfireside: 40141 ] Re: ODSP & Volunteering

[Soraya]

Who is going to pay for all these subsidies, though? Given the state of regional economies I can't imagine where it will come from. Families maybe?

Soraya