'A fall would be disastrous': disabled Saskatoon woman calls for equitable winter accessibility

Saskatoon resident Delynne Bortis knew her commute to work Tuesday morning would be particularly difficult. 

Saskatchewan got hit with its first major snowstorm of the season Monday night, with much of the province remaining under snowfall and winter storm warnings Tuesday.

Bortis is quadriplegic, which means both her arms and legs are affected by paralysis, and uses a wheelchair. For many, getting around after a major snowfall or in a blizzard can be difficult. For those like Bortis, it can be impossible. She said she's "filled with dread" when she sees a snowy forecast.

Bortis is executive director of Spinal Cord Injury Saskatchewan, which aims to assist people with spinal cord injuries and other physical disabilities in "gaining independence, self-reliance and full community participation."

When Bortis tried to get into her work building Tuesday morning, the swirling snow stuck to the rims on her chair's wheels. When that happens, she said, they get extremely slippery.

"So I was literally trying to come through the door after I got stuck because I could not get grip to come in, and one of my coworkers saw me and thankfully rescued me, brought me to my office and wiped me down with paper towels."

Elsewhere in Saskatoon Tuesday morning, Tasnim Jaisee looked out her window and knew right away getting to work in her chair would not be feasible. Jaisee has osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as the brittle bone disease. She has had more than 100 fractures in her life.

Getting to school, work and gatherings is always tricky for Jaisee, but in the winter it's even more challenging, not to mention dangerous.

"I do not really have clear visibility of where there may be breaks in the sidewalk or cracks in the sidewalk, or even if a curb cut is properly accessible. You can't fully understand if there is snow covering up a curb," she said.

"It makes it a lot more challenging and certainly a fall would be a disastrous.… So it's very risky. And it does scare me." 

Bortis said many Saskatchewan communities need higher quality, more-thorough snow clearing practices for sidewalks, curbs, road crossings and more.

"One of the biggest things is when the graders go by and they pile the snow on the curb cuts," she said. "And I've been in parking lots where they use the accessible stall as a place to dump their snow."

Those with severe spinal cord injuries like Bortis, osteogenesis imperfecta like Jaisee, or other conditions like multiple sclerosis and muscular dystrophy, are not "weight-bearing." That means they cannot support or withstand the weight of something like their own body. This makes the prospect of falling in winter especially frightening. 

"They say within six months of having a spinal cord injury, you're basically osteoporotic anywhere that you are not weight-bearing. So of course falling, falling under your chair … so many broken bones. So many broken legs," Bortis said.