Dear Editor,
Richmond KPU (Kwantlen Polytechnic University), like their other campuses in Langley and Surrey, offer some unique ACCESS programs for people with disabilities.
These programs are specially designed to support and prepare individuals in their quest for meaningful employment or volunteer opportunities within their community.
However, I was dismayed to learn that in order for an adult with a disability (18 years and older) to even be accepted into the program, they must be able to use public transit to and from the campus and a possible work site, with no support.
On the KPU website, they describe this expectation for the students with disabilities as follows: “...the ability to navigate community and campus safely and independently...”
The fact that this highly specialized ACCESS program (designed for “...adults with a permanent disability or a combination of learning difficulties that hinder scholastic success...”) screens student applications based on such an unreasonable expectation, strikes me as completely absurd.
For many prospective students, this means that the ACCESS program is, in reality, inaccessible.
Over the past few years, many families of children and adults with disabilities have shared their frustration regarding this criteria with the program’s administration.
It’s been noted that, for some, transit independence is an “end goal” that may hopefully be achieved over time, after lots of practice, and explicit teaching. (Incidentally, transit training is no longer taught in life skills programs at high schools in Richmond).
For other parents, they find that while their child with a disability has the capacity to work, travelling by transit works best when there is someone to accompany them.
While their child may have mastered taking the bus, they have been victimized (wallet stolen, bullied, and/or misunderstood) and have decided that this form of transportation is not a good fit for their child.
Denying people with disabilities access to employment programs because they are not transit independent is unfair and discriminatory. It is a sad irony that the program, whose intent is to include and support and encourage, has inadvertently created a barrier to success.
The reason for this entrance requirement was recently explained to me by KPU Access Program staff as follows.”...if the student was placed at a job experience at an off-site workplace, and the workplace had to unexpectedly close early, then that learner would need to get home on their own. A parent could not be called, because they probably wouldn’t be able to stop work to go and pick them up...”
I was very surprised to hear this rationale, and wondered how many times a workplace has to close suddenly and under what dire circumstances this might happen. Perhaps this was an emergency, in which case, I assume, emergency protocols would take place.
The justification provided by KPU is not only unreasonable but appears discriminatory, as it applies only to people with a disability.
I have polled many people, who admittedly have never really stopped to consider how this expectation for transit independence among a vulnerable population is discriminatory, but after some reflection, they have agreed that this is not acceptable and this can be viewed in the context of a human rights violation.
What about you? I would like to know what other Richmond News readers think.
Marie Murtagh
Richmond
