Province urged to prioritize publicly funded wheelchair program

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This article was published 23/10/2023 (727 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When the long wait time for a power wheelchair repair had him facing the prospect of being stuck in bed for three weeks, Doug Barker figured out how to install a new motor himself.

“What if I couldn’t do that? I’d still be lying in bed,” Barker said.

The Teulon resident, an electrician by trade, is joining a chorus of voices calling for the provincial government to prioritize Manitoba’s publicly funded wheelchair services program.

Wheelchair users must not be left “rotting in their beds,” waiting for essential services, he said. “I’m not going down like that.”

A power wheelchair technician position is one of three jobs still vacant because of a lack of funding in the services program. A field technician job and administrative assistant job are also vacant — and the agency has said it can’t afford to hire additional staff to address chronic gaps in rural service and in Winnipeg.

Immediately after NDP Leader Wab Kinew was officially sworn in as premier Wednesday, Manitoba Possible, the non-profit that runs the wheelchair program, sent a message to his office asking for a meeting. The program hasn’t had a funding increase since 2011, when the previous NDP government was in power.

“We’re hopeful that, given the commitment that was made during the campaign… that we’ll make progress,” said Manitoba Possible chief executive officer Lindsey Cooke.

Cooke and agency staff have acknowledged the current level of service violates the human rights of Manitobans who rely on wheelchairs for their mobility.

On Sept. 8, Kinew responded to Free Press coverage of the issue by posting on social media: “I’ll commit right now that an NDP government will fund these wheelchair repair technician jobs.”

As soon as the change in government was announced on election night, David Kron was writing to the new premier requesting a meeting. He knows he’s among many advocates in the same queue.

“Anything in the disability world, it’s always the waiting game,” Kron said. “People are tired of waiting.”

Barker has relied on the program since he broke his neck and was paralyzed while playing hockey in 1993.

Until his wheelchair stopped working Oct. 10, Barker said he hadn’t experienced long repair delays.

The last time his wheelchair needed maintenance a few years ago, he or a family member would drive 35 minutes into Winnipeg to bring it in and get it fixed, usually receiving same- or next-day service.

However, last week, when he tried to access urgent repairs through Manitoba Possible’s after-hours emergency service, Barker said he was told the next available appointment was Nov. 1.

He rented a wheelchair to use in the meantime, but it wasn’t designed for quadriplegics. Suspecting a faulty motor, he requested a new one from the wheelchair program, which is operated by the non-profit and funded by the province via the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.

His wife picked up the new motor in Winnipeg, and Barker talked his son through replacing it. “It took maybe an hour to fix,” Barker said.

The experience prompted him to leave messages for new Lakeside MLA Trevor King (Progressive Conservatives) and Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman MP James Bezan. He’s still waiting for them to return his calls.

Barker said he’s prepared to be a loud voice for the vulnerable, trying to dispel the notion “we’re money-sucking people on disability.”

Barker said the publicly funded program was one of the only things that kept him going after his spinal injury, and he doesn’t want to see it fall.

“I’m still trying to contribute. I’m still trying to live a good life,” he said. “It’s heartbreaking. It’s unjust. It can’t be allowed to happen.”

katie.may@winnipegfreepress.com