Canadian Blood Services plasma donation now accessible to wheelchair users

Canadian Blood Services has made a simple but meaningful change to its plasma donation policies, thanks to advocacy work in Sudbury.

As of last month, people who can't step on a scale can now verbally give their height and weight. Prior to the change, people who rely on mobility devices weren't able to donate because of a policy that requires people to be weighed prior to donating. 

"We do have a lot of work to do. We are consistently working to remove these barriers," said Yasmin Razack, Canadian Blood Services chief diversity officer. 

Issue discovered last year

Sudburian Nadine Law worked with Canadian Blood services for several months to discuss solutions to the barrier. Law is a plasma recipient and also a disability advocate. She discovered the accessibility issue last year when she launched a campaign to recruit 50 plasma donors for her 50th birthday. 

"With being a disability advocate and having many friends and family that use mobility devices it was a given that members of my team would be using wheelchairs and walkers," Law said. 

"Imagine going into the centre that has an accessible push button door and a universal washroom, but yet you go to donate plasma and the process of being able to get weighed and measured is not accessible. And therefore you can't proceed with the process." 

The reason for the policy is so that staff can estimate a person's blood volume, and calculate the amount of plasma they can safely take, explained Razack. But she said after looking into the issue, Canadian Blood Services determined the risk of people misreporting their height and weight was minimal. The policy change affects only those who aren't able to step onto a scale. 

Successful test run 

Law said there are likely other barriers that will need to be addressed, but she's glad that the agency listened to her concerns and took this step. 

In January, Law visited the Sudbury plasma donation centre after hours with two friends who use mobility devices, to do a trial run of navigating the donation process — from entering the building to transferring into a bed with the help of a support person. They successfully made their way through the process, short of making a plasma donation that day.

Eric Cloutier is one of those friends. He has a spinal cord injury and uses a motorized wheelchair. He wanted to donate plasma last year and wasn't able to, but said he plans to go back soon to make his first plasma donation.

"I think it will feel great to be able to help not just a friend but whoever needs the plasma," Cloutier said.