Friendly Shelburne accessible to local disabled woman

Photo/MARNI WALSH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS has affected the body, but certainly not the spirit, of Shelburne resident Debra Ellis. "The definition of accessibility is that which enables someone to achieve their potential" says broadcaster, author, advocate for the disabled, and now Ontario's 28th Lieutenant Governor, David Onley.

Although the disabled have received legislative concessions with the Disabilities Act of 2001 and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 - setting standards requiring workplaces to be more accessible - Mr. Onley has said, that the employment prospects for Canadians with disabilities have hardly improved in the past two decades.

In November of 2006, Shelburne Mayor Ed Crewson cut the ribbon at McKelvie Burnside Village, a complex of 20 apartments. These new apartments were the first supportive housing units in Dufferin County offering 24-hour on-site staffing assistance for seniors and the disabled.

There are 24 residents at Mckelvie Burnside, seven of them are physically challenged. At the time that the McKelvie Burnside was getting ready to open, Meanwhile, Debra Ellis, a vibrant woman in her prime, was living alone in Orangeville, fighting to maintain her independence despite the ravages of Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

After several falls that required 911 assistance, Debra was brought to the McKelvie Burnside residence with the support of the March of Dimes. The disease had caused paralysis from the waist down and changed life as she knew it.

The staff at the residence provide the assistance that Debra needs to perform the everyday tasks of dressing and bathing that we all take for granted. She continues to prepare meals despite limited use of her hands, and is able to type with one finger to correspond and keep track of life's business.

"There is no such thing as a typical MS." says Debra, "The symptoms are always different. My abilities are slowly going away, I expect it to happen, I just don't know when or to what degree….but it will happen."

Before MS, Debra enjoyed dancing and gymnastics; she was a long distance runner, and a chef, specializing in chocolate. She and her husband owned five chocolate stores from Toronto to Orangeville. Together they bought a century home in Shelburne; when her MS progressed, friends from work installed a ramp entrance into her home.

Debra loved her job and was passionate about chocolate.

"I loved the joy it brought people, that was the best part". But when Debra's husband died of cancer in 2001, everything came apart at the seams. She was forced to sell her home and businesses and was left alone with MS and without financial means.

It would be five years before she accepted the help of The March of Dimes and relocated to McKelvie Burnside.

Although, there can be challenges to being 'challenged' in a small town, there are many benefits. "You are visible" she beams. "People know my name, they are not uncomfortable with me, and I am not afraid to knock on a window for assistance."

Debra is a well known face around town. She loves to reach out to her new neighbours and use her business and creative skills to help her friends and her church.

She enjoys speaking to children and notes that the wheelchair gives her the advantage of meeting them at eye level. She gets a thrill out of giving kids a ride on her "cool wheels".

"I don't think or feel disabled" smiles Debra, "I am having the best time of my life." "I don't know if I would be the person I am, if I wasn't in this wheel chair. I would be one of those busy types who would be too rushed to really see people."

She credits her church, Trinity United, with much of the joy that she is feeling these days. "It has given me purpose, causes, an avenue for dialogue and a reason to reach out to people."

The accessibility that Debra has to people in Shelburne is part of its heritage and charm. However, the charm of an older, small town can also be a challenge to the disabled. The streets, originally dirt roads, were made with a 'step up' into the stores; renovations to change this can be very costly.

Currently, Debra's Bank, TD Canada Trust on Main Street is experimenting with an aluminum ramp to accommodate its disabled customers. Previously, Debra did her banking at the Jelly Café, where she would meet a bank representative, and although this was appreciated, independence was her goal.

The light weight units, such as TD is using, are easily moveable and inexpensive, and could be a feasible solution for many small town business.

Debra expresses great appreciation for the efforts that Shelburne businesses have put into making their stores accessible.

"Hazels", also has a portable ramp, "Cobwebs and Caviar" and "Paws and Claws" have back door entrances that are accessible. Other businesses are working towards solutions, and there are not many places left in Shelburne where the disabled do not have access.

Mobility on winter side walks can be challenging even for the able bodied person. Snow piled high makes access to store fronts a choice between a hike or a climb. But for someone like Debra there is no choice.

Crossing streets without the crosswalks that a larger urban area would offer can be hazardous to all of us, but much more so for a person bound to a wheel chair. Debra had a close call recently crossing Main Street and praises the quick thinking of an unknown bus driver for her safety.

These challenges are considerations for planners and public works to consider if we are to truly embrace the disabled members of our town family and enable them, as our Lieutenant Governor says, "to achieve their potential". Businesses looking to hire, should be able to assess the applicant's abilities without having to consider their wheelchairs as problematic.

Debra sees David Onley's appointment as an important one for the disabled. "He has made that step and that step will make a difference. I hope that he will be a catalyst for change."

But change, like chocolate, as Debra describes it, cannot be rushed. "It must be appreciated, you have to work with it, and in the end, it will be limitless in its capacity."