By: Sanam Prasad, SFU Student

As a disabled person living in Metro Vancouver, the snow like the dump we got in January makes my disability worse, with such things as stiff joints, trouble gripping items, and difficulty walking. It doesn’t help that many people don’t shovel their sidewalks, which forces people with mobility difficulties to stay indoors. 

I always thought sidewalks remaining uncleared was because non-disabled people don’t necessarily think that how people with disabilities physically move in the world is much different from how they move in the world. I constantly have to check to make sure that I’m not pushing myself too hard, or that I’m not walking on something that’ll cause me to hurt myself. The snow and ice are hazards as unshoveled sidewalks especially prevent me from leaving my house — particularly since I use a mobility aid.

Snowy sidewalks make it so that it takes me twice as long to get somewhere, because my cane isn’t exactly snow and ice-friendly. I constantly need to make sure that I’m not in danger of hurting myself while slipping and sliding on the sidewalk. For those who use a wheelchair, it’s much more likely that they won’t be able to leave the house at all for days or even weeks at a time during heavy snow, because wheelchairs aren’t built for snowy conditions. 

In the worst of the last snowstorm, I was only able to leave my house twice because the sidewalks in my neighbourhood weren’t shovelled, forcing me to stay indoors. I had to miss volunteering during Clubs Days, doing research, and even buying groceries. These barriers prevent people with disabilities, such as myself, from equally participating in society — barriers that are easily resolved with a bit of work and consideration on the part of non-disabled people. 

So when the snow falls, remember to think about your elderly neighbours or those with disabilities and shovel your sidewalk. It’s easy to dismiss the hazards caused by winter weather as a simple fact of life — reducing them for yourself and other people by doing something as simple as shoveling and salting the sidewalk in front of your home is equally easy.