Survival of the weakest: Manitobans with disabilities left without services, writes Alex Lytwyn
'One day the government will realize that disabilities see no age'
Provincially funded services are great but are taken away when needed most. You know the old saying, "You don't know what you have 'til it's gone?" To me this isn't just a saying, it's a lifestyle.
Being young and disabled, my needs and situation were addressed to their fullest. Before entering the school system, I had phyisotherapy, speech therapy and different doctors, and even support groups for my parents to attend.
Upon entering the public school system I received physio once a month, had speech therapy time and was even able to talk to a psychologist. It was a real pain in the rear, doing these exercises and having to miss class to go lick sugar cubes for speech therapy, but everything helped. Being young, I did not appreciate what was in front of me.
Looking back, I would've pushed myself harder to get the most out of it. Having these services made elementary school, which was terrifying, a lot easier. If the day wasn't going smoothly, exercising and speech therapy tended to be great stress relievers.
Cerebral palsy is the type of disability that can really mess with your body. Going into the gym, there'd be a mat set up for me in the corner; it was a really trying time. Kids were looking at me. What child wants to sit in the corner and do boring, painful exercises? I would be taken out of my chair, which was an unnerving time itself (my chair was and is my safety net). Then I would do stretches and other exercises while my friends played.
Something that made me look forward to gym was the most caring gym teacher ever. He would hold me up while I would do my best to stand, and we would walk together. This was not in his job description; it was all on his own volition. Being included in all gym activities and getting the most out of the situation was his main goal.
Services disappear in high school
Then, like a Manitoba summer, elementary school is gone in a blink and you're in high school. As I went into Grade 9, the province feels your disability disappears. All the services that have become such a big part of your life are taken away. You are left to fight for everything on your own.
When a person enters high school they're not a child, but in some cases you need these services more than you ever did before.
Speech is one of my biggest annoyances when it comes to my life. A person might think things like not being able to sit up straight and drooling would be annoying. They're not. When you feel the words that you want to say are right there but nothing comes out, that feeling is very frustrating. Maybe that girl you like would look at you differently if you could actually say her name.
High school has a ton of pressures for the able-bodied. Physically disabled students have the regular teen stress, and on top of that you sound like a zombie and often choke at lunch time.
Interacting with either a physiotherapist or speech therapist, it would allow me to just be myself, even if it was for only a few minutes a month. Being in the presence of these people would do me more good than the actual exercises. No matter how bad my speech was, or if I dropped an object during a lifting exercise, there were no judgemental eyes or ears around to hear or see — what a feeling of comfort that was.
It was not until these services were taken away from me that I realized how wonderful they truly were. This is mainly because there's a lack of regional staff. This dramatically increases the amount of case loads.
If there were more case workers, speech therapists and psychologists, services would not be stretched to where they no longer can be used by those who need it.
Legally when you turn 18 you're an adult. Hopefully, one day the government will realize that disabilities see no age.