Monday revealing for "disabled" mayor.... Hcdaoi By MICHAEL KNELL Free Press Staff Most of us sympathize with those people who spend their lives confined to a wheelchair, and while that sympathy is real we have no true knowledge of what they experience in their day-to- day lives. Most of us know that people in wheelchairs are unable to use most of the facilities that we take for granted and yet we have no understanding of their anxiety of being set apart. In an act of courage, Whitby Mayor Bob Attersley spent the entire day Monday confined to a wheelchair to learn firsthand of the dif- ficulties experienced by those who spend everyday in a wheelchair. In his inaugural speech to Whitby Town Council in December, Attersley said that he would spend a day in a wheelchair in recognition of the International Year of Disabled Persons. As part of his experience, Attersley used the form of transit most available to the town's disabled - Handi Transit. The Handi Transit van picked him up at his home at 9:45 a.m. and delivered him to the Municipal Building. It also took Attersley to all the scheduled appointments for the day, ranging from a visit to the bank and the dentist to a tour of the downtown core. In a speech to the Whitby Rotary Club yesterday, At- tersley said, "I experienced a deeper understanding yesterday (Monday) with reference to the obstacles of our disabled community faces each day of their lives. Spending a day in a wheelchair was necessary for me as mayor, to better educate myself to their respective needs." ' One of these needs, Atter- sley told the club is tran- sportation, which is, at present, limited. (The Whitby Rotary Club in fact donated 50 per cent of the cost towards the Handi Transit van that transported Attersley throughout the day he spent in the wheelchair.) Upon arriving at the municipal building, Atter- sley faced an immediate problem, the two sets of doors leading to the ramp at the rear of the building. "My instant impression became weightless as I struggled to manage the doors realizing if I was not disabled now, I would be at the end of the day." In the safety of his office, he realized no major problem except one. "The little boys room, although accessible, became a hurdle and a strain on these 47-year-old shoulder muscles," Attersley said. "I vowed then I would rather dehydrate for the remainder of the day." Conquering that problem soon led to another one as he prepared to leave the office to review the downtown core. "I grabbed for my coat and was almost the next candidate for the C.N.I.B. as the coat hanger flew by my eye. "The driver, Joan Acton, patiently waited as I struggled to adjust my body into my burly overcoat." Once downtown, Attersley found that he could only travel in a one block area because there is no ramping at the four corners. "I also met with bumpy sidewalks, doors, counters, which all seemed different to me from my lower level, being in a seated position." He told the club that the merchants were responsive to the needs of the disabled and made every effort to rmake their shopping con- fortable and enjoyable. Upon returning to the municipal building at 3 p.m., Attersley discovered that he had to find transportation home because there is no Handi Transit service after 6 p.m., and he had to attend approximately seven hours of worth of meetings. The mayor rented a van to transport him home, at his own expense. - The long-time municipal politician also said that he had learned some valunble things about the service provided by Handi Transit. The service, he said, had made over 2,000 pick-ups in the last year and that twice that number is anticipated this year. One of his most valuable lessons, Attersley said, was the need for increased tran- sportation for the disabled, especially in the evening. "I understand services to the disabled are important like recreation, housing, health services or just plain shopping," he said. "But none are possible without tr- ansportation. These han- dicapped people are only disabled by their social en- vironment." One thing that is needed, he said, is another Handi Transit van. In recognizing the Inter- national Year of Disabled Persons, Attersley said, "I will challenge our council to increase service of tran- sportation on into the evening, as well as promote the need for an additional van, hopefully with the sup- port, once again, from you, the Rotary memebers who know and care about our disabled." Harvey Nighswander (rear), one of the drivers of Whitby's Ilandi Transit van is seen here assisting Mayor Bob Atter- sley, confined to the wheel chair, into the vehicle. Attersley spent all day Monday in a wheelchair in an at- tempt to learn more about the difficulties encountered by the disabled in their day-tu-day lives in recognition of the Inter- national Year of Disabled Persons. -Fr-e Press Photo by Stephen Greenaway