by Susan M.Ellis

The kids went back to school this week. I know. All summer my short street has had little traffic. We even had a street party. But at 8.50am on Tuesday this week the peace was shattered by slamming SUV doors as children were deposited in the school at the bottom of the road. Now these are primary school children so I expect the parents to be young and healthy. Yet it seems the challenge is who can get his/her car closest to the school. This is at a time when we hear that children are not getting enough physical activity to be healthy. If necessary the cars are parked across my driveway. Generally I do not have to get my car out of the drive way at 8.50am. But it is my driveway.

Now certainly the young man in casual shorts who got back into his car and drove away within 5 minutes I’m sure would argue that it was so little time. But it is the attitude. Like those who leave cars idling in parking spots for the disabled while they dash into the convenience store for smokes or to get cash from the instant teller. Like I’ll only be a moment. The issue is you could walk those extra steps. Getting your smokes, cash or taking your kids to school – you are capable of walking those extra steps.   

If you look at the videos I have for sale you will realize my partner was disabled for 10 years. In the days when she could still walk with a wheeled walker she would have to unsteadily wheel it awfully close to some of those cars illegally parked in her spot. How often they were bright red with plenty of horsepower. I always wished we carried those stickers which read “You’ve got my parking space, do you what my disability too?”

This week in Ontario a new lieutenant-governor, the Queen’s representative, was sworn in to serve his 5 year term. He is David Onley, a respected journalist incapacitated by childhood polio. I believe our lieutenant-governors fulfill the role of the conscience of the community. The outgoing lieutenant-governor, James Bartleman, raised our awareness of the illiteracy in aboriginal children and did something about it. David Onley pledges to raise our consciousness regarding the rights of the disabled.

If he is successful, then my driveway won’t be blocked by healthy young fathers bringing their children to school because perhaps they will all value their ability to walk. Perhaps parking spots for the disabled will be there when needed because the able bodied will care enough about others and celebrating their own gifts.

Am I being too idealistic? Well let me put out the intention to the universe that all of us have the ability to care about our neighbour and can do unto others what we would have them do to us. Now that’s not a new idea but one that could stop a few wars. Let’s enable the next generation to value it.