Follow Ramesh's Journey

Many of the world’s 10-to-20 million polio survivors don’t have access to rehabilitative supports such as braces and crutches. This reality forces them to crawl around through the streets of their communities.

Canadians are very fortunate to have access to a health care system that provides the required rehabilitation and support for those with disabilities. However, much education is still needed to ensure that people can fully utilize the assistive devices they’ve been provided. Trois Rivières was having its second annual Accessibility Awareness day today. Judith Bastien, the lead organizer for the event, invited Cycle to Walk to participate in the awareness event as well as spread the campaign’s message to the community.

The team rolled into Trois Rivières just in time to participate in the day’s activities, which were designed to show people what it’s like to do everyday tasks when dealing with mobility loss or other disabilities. Doug navigated narrow sidewalks and shops with steps in a wheelchair, and then we put on blindfolds at a restaurant to experience what life without sight is like. I hand cycled with the other participants through the streets to the next location, and Chris asked for directions at the tourism office while wearing earplugs to simulate hearing loss.

After we completed all the tasks (with difficulty!), we arrived at City Hall for a press conference. It was so nice to be welcomed by Councillor Claude Lacroix and the rest of the organizers. When the speeches were over, Annick Boudreau, a public relations officer for the City of Trois Rivières, escorted us inside to visit with Yvan Toutent and sign the Golden Book of the city.

We ended the day with a police escort out of town provided by Const. Joanie Marcotte of the Trois Rivières Police. With that, we bid adieu to another beautiful Québec community after being welcomed with open arms. Thanks so much to everyone in the community for supporting Cycle to Walk and for working to improve the lives of your fellow community members! We had a wonderful day.