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Kimmio, Can I suggest that you try to put balance into your posting in any thread. I would prefer to hear multiple voices, than it be another thread with overwhelming volume of posts by you. This thread started well, with multiple voices.
 
Seeker, I do remember your post about the shower situation. I have a sense that people, including those with visible physical disabilities can be "able-its" with those who have invisible disabilities.

It is funny, when I start a project with new team members, I always share my weaknesses and where I may require support. I ask them their preferred working conditions, and so on. It is just part of what we do to be able to ensure everyone is able to work optimally and to reduce noise. Example: I am shifty in the morning. I can work long hours, and do, but, in most cases 7am is not my best time of day. I can be focussed. If I am missing a condition, speak up (or type it). What are your gifts? What do you need help with? It is via open communication that we are best in most situations? Now.... of course, things that aren't relevant don't' come up. My weight is not relevant to how I do my job.

Jane, your feedback on your health conditions is helpful. Curious, would you share what to do in case of a grand mal with at least one of your coworkers, just in case it should happen during working hours?
 
I am not usre i understand your point kimmio

You state there are financial struggles

You state there are discounts available

But you wont get them because you dont want to fill out a form. I think


But, if i am the company offerening the discount i do have a right and a responsibilitty to ensure that people who need to discount are the ones who get it.

If i just let anyone call up and say i need a discount then i am in effect simply lowering my price for everyone as who wouldn't take the discount if no one cared


I do see the annoyance if everytime you are asking for a discount you have to get a separate form. Not sure fro your post if its a ever tie or one tie thing. Logically to me, it could be something coded on your health card or a separate card, in the same way you get store loyalty cards which give you discounts
 
Anytime you might need an assistive device - say I end up needing a walker and I can't afford to buy one - I think I would have to not necessarily be receiving government financial assistance but I have to qualify for a bunch of government criteria - I think an income/ "means" test - get a doctor's assessment, etc. As a 'working poor' person I may not qualify but it's a big bunch of invasive red tape to even go through applying. Same for a bus pass. Same for taxi savers - it is some government form that requires a doctor to fill. If you are working poor there is little a person qualifies for from the government in the way of supports though anyway so you think "why bother". It's not a good system. I went through a bunch of it years ago and I dread it. Even though I am capable of finding out the criteria, etc. I've helped others get help, too, as my job. I find it dehumanizing to be 'processed' all the time.

I asked at BC Ferries when I went to Bowen Island if I could have the disability rate and she said I have to download a form and get a doctor to sign it, then send it in. I walk with a cane and need help with my balance on the boat - similar issues a senior might have, but even if they don't they only need proof of age at the cashier.
 
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Oh and I was going to a walk in clinic that charges $30 each to fill out forms! So... Without a regular GP people who are poor can't even afford to have the freakin forms filled out for what they need.

My prescriptions are still covered for now but that might change because they changed the rules. It used to be indefinate for people who have qualified for PWD designation but are working. Now they assess income year to year. That's fair. Unless you are only a few dollars over the cut off - then it would be quite difficult. I don't tend to get presciptions often anyway. Anti- depressants are covered for everyone under a certain income. I hope to not need them. Or not for long. (I am seeing a new doctor who will be my regular)

I would like transportation assistance. But I think it'll be a hassle to try to apply for it.
 
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Well logically theproof of age is all that is required for an age related discount. Just like student bus tickets.....my daughter must show her U of T card each and every time she buys a new student fare for the TTC. Otherwise why wouldn't all the 20 somethings say they were a college or university student and get the same discount.

I see the frustration but think it is reasonable to require people to prove need. And i assume that one application for the ferry is all that is required, not one each time.

The other option would be that the person selling tickets would make a judgement call. Hmmmmm. How difficult is it for you to walk. Hmmm. Doesnt look too bad to me........... That would be far worse
 
Yup, i get the form charges. It is unfair. In ontario, ohip no longer pays docs to fill out forms, and it takes away from patient time so many charge. There should be a way,

It. Certainly seems that it should be coded onto health cards
 
Lastpointe said:
Well logically theproof of age is all that is required for an age related discount. Just like student bus tickets.....my daughter must show her U of T card each and every time she buys a new student fare for the TTC. Otherwise why wouldn't all the 20 somethings say they were a college or university student and get the same discount.

I see the frustration but think it is reasonable to require people to prove need. And i assume that one application for the ferry is all that is required, not one each time.

The other option would be that the person selling tickets would make a judgement call. Hmmmmm. How difficult is it for you to walk. Hmmm. Doesnt look too bad to me........... That would be far worse
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But they are not me! I don't ask for more than what I need. And they are not in my body. I have a cane and an obvious CP gate and balance problems . Also, plenty of 65+ have way less physical challenges and they only need to show ID. That is not fair, IMO. But they'd freak out if they needed a doctor to do a functional assessment each time they applied for some discount status - they'd raise hell and MLAs/ MPs would listen.

It's just, even if inadvertently, disrespectful of me as a person in my own body.
 
Pinga - I remember at one time in our small department within a trust company. While many of the other departments, especially the customer service reps (we called them 'tellers' back then), were open from 9 to 5 - in our department we saw clients mainly by appointment, and much of our work did not require direct interfacing with the customer. The department head was more concerned about the job being done than 'punching the clock'. So the new assistant came in at 7:00 am, got a pile of work done in the next two hours, and gradually faded during the day. I arrived, wide awake and bushy tailed, around 8:00 and dug in, getting a lot done before the other two arrived.
One woman was furious about this - we were making her look bad by arriving early and she was even more upset and angry the times the young man left by 3:00 pm. or when I got permission to leave at 4:25 to catch the 4:30 bus.
Just letting people know whether we were morning people or not and building some flexibility into the schedule would have meant we could have had everybody working at their peak performance. Being unwilling to accept individual differences upset this one individual and the harmony of the office.
 
Age related discounts maynot be fair but they are age related.

Does a ten year old really need a cheaper bus ticket than an eleven year old?

At a movie does a child sit in a smaller seat than an adult?

There are lots of price variations based on age. The seniors discounts kick in oartly because most seniors stop working and start getting pensions.

I understand you dont lilke age related discounts.


The issue should be though, howto facilitate getting the discounts you do need. Easily, cheaply

I broke my leg in the summer. I used crutches. I didnt need a discount, it was temporary , though i could see people thought i might want one.
 
We seniors carry id with proof of age - usually our drivers' license. Some businesses require it shown every time - Value Village, for example, requires that you request the discount and show proof of age before the purchase is rung up.
It seems to me that those people who require a discount or other special consideration should be able to obtain one card that they could show at various places rather than filling in forms for every different item or service.
 
Lastpointe said:
Age related discounts maynot be fair but they are age related.

Does a ten year old really need a cheaper bus ticket than an eleven year old?

At a movie does a child sit in a smaller seat than an adult?

There are lots of price variations based on age. The seniors discounts kick in oartly because most seniors stop working and start getting pensions.

I understand you dont lilke age related discounts.


The issue should be though, howto facilitate getting the discounts you do need. Easily, cheaply

I broke my leg in the summer. I used crutches. I didnt need a discount, it was temporary , though i could see people thought i might want one.
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Oh I have no problem with age related discounts but it shouldn't be harder for me to get one. It makes me feel like it's my fault that I have a disability, I am begging, and that lowers me to lesser human being status. Whereas for seniors it's honoring them.
 
I looked up the BC Ferries form and to get the rate you need to be on government disability assistance and have them release personal information to verify AND you have to get a physician to fill it out. I am not on any financial assistance. I have a part time job at the moment and low income. But I don't qualify, then. Seniors only need proof of age no matter their income or their physical ability. That is not fair. It's dehumanizing. This is a very good example of systemic barriers that can unfairly affect people with disabilities. It's not hard to take it to heart after awhile.
 
I think why the discount is given is important.

Seniors discounts are based on a presumptions. I don't think that all seniors discounts are valid. But I may take that to another thread


For assistance, the same questions come up. Not all disabilities equine the sane discounts

My dad filled in the form, git a permanently mobility pass due to his vision loss. Easy peasy

How many different type of discounts are there? Why are they offered
 
For the ferry, I assume the discount is offered because travel is more difficult for people with disabilities and seniors - carrying in bags, keeping balance if the boat is rocking - but a lot of people use it to get to Vancouver Island or the Gulf Islands, etc. to commute for business or visit. It's the only affordable way for islanders to get to the mainland and vice versa (float plane is expensive).

In this part of the country there are many seniors - and many more well off seniors than in other places because a lot of people retire out here - and they travel. As well as low income seniors.

So because there is no differentiation criteria between low income, or ability level for the seniors I don't see why a person needs to be on financial assistance, request their personal information be sent to the ferry company by the government and have a doctor complete a section, all to get a disability discount if you can see the mobility impairment. Sure, I am not in a wheelchair but it is still harder for me to manage - that's obvious enough. So one of the lesser criteria is to not be mobile without personal assistance. Does my cane count? I need help with carrying my bag to travel, and help carrying my tray in the cafeteria - and help stepping on and off the boat at the end of the ramp, and difficulty balancing while walking to the bathroom - even in the bathroom if the boat is rocking it's awkward - is that enough? But a spry 65 year old who is wealthy gets a discount as well as one who might have physical and financial challenges. They want the seniors' business. I get that too - but it is still an unfair process for people with disabilities.
 
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You really think they're going to have people doing that? That's another thing that is so discriminatory! That people think we must be trying to swindle something - or there going to dehumanize us before giving us the benefit of the doubt. People are such a**holes sometimes.
 
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