aeies NEWS photo Cindy Goodman LORRAINE Ward 4 huge her son Willie, 11, who has autism. She says Wiilie and his caregiver were unfairly kicked off a Blue Bus because of his autistic behaviour. FOR THE BEST DEAL IN TOWN. Dual Mode Digital phone: e Direct access Menu @ Full size display ® (Caller !D oe me Ceilmart Communications 1935 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver ¢ 904-3663 (Lonsdais and 18th Street) Erin Stringer Contributing Writer A bus ride home turned into a long walk for an autistic child and his caregiver. Lorraine Ward says her son Willie, E1, was kicked off a Blue Bus and forced to walk 18 blocks home on a snowy winter day. Willie and his caregiver were on the bus on Jan. 10 of this year, returning from downtown Vancouver. The young boy, who is non-verbal and sometimes gets aggressive with his aide, became agitated. Ward asked that the caregiv- er not be named. “A 10-vear old isn’t a danger to anyone,” said Ward. “It was explained to the driv cr when this happened that he was autistic.” According to A.F. Lorage, the transit man- ager for the District of West Vancouver, Willie moved to a vacant seat “...next toa very elder- Iv lady who was frightened out of her wits.” The driver then stopped the bus to help get Willie back into his seat, as he fele passenger safety was becoming an issue, and two con- cerned riders had already spoken to him about the situstion. The caregiver was informed that she would have to control his behaviour or disembark the bus, although Lorage disputes the term “kicked off.” “At no time were they ordered off the bus. The driver offered to let them get off so the caregiver could calm him down, and then get right back on,” he said, adding that the driver knew that Willie “had a disability” bat wasn’t aware he was autistic. “But without a word, they just gor off and started walking. What's he to do, chase after them? I don’t think blame should be put on anyone.” After leaving the Blue Bus, they walked the 18 blocks co Willie’s West, Vancouver home. The ovo have no other way of getting around during their outings in Vancouver. “twas pretty livid when [ found out what had happened,” said Ward, who immediately wrote a letter to Blue Bus Transit. In it, she stated that the driver had “no compassion for the pain and frustration of a child suffering trom this brain disorder.” She added that she was angry “as a taxpayer in the municipali- nat Su & tv ..vat this refusal to tolerate special needs chil- dren on the public transit svstem.” “It bothers me a lot” she said. “They should have definitely brought the situation to my attention, bur not kicked him off the bus.” Ward is also upset that nobody on the bus offered anv help to the caregiver or her so! “in this community $0 rich in dollars hut poor in compassion.” “Public transit is not the domain of coun- try club members, and travellers with special needs have human rights.” Jov Hayden, the director of children and family services at the North Shore Association of the Mentally Handicapped, where the aide was sent front, was notified of the situation in a letter from Ward. “EL can certainly understand her concern,” said Hayden, adding that it could have been a “tack of knowledge” about autism on the dri- ver’s part, The association supplies caregivers to fam- ilies, in addition to travelling to workplaces and classrooms to educate people about men- tal handicaps. Willie, who attends a therapeutic centre for autistic children, is benefitting greatly from “ball bath” treatment for his aggression. If he geis overly excited, he is put ina ball pit simi- jar to the ones found in ‘play: grounds at fast- food restaurants and activity centres, Ward claims that it has reduced his aggression to “a miniscule level,” while he used to kick and bite to the extent that the arms of his teaching aides were black and biue. Since the incident, Willie and his caregiver have continued to take the Blue Bus, some- times with the same driver, without any prob- lems. Ward feels that the caregiver was given no other option but to leave the bus, and that Lorage’s letter responding to her concern was “not really an apology at all.” In his Jan.18 letter he stated chat although he was empa- thetic to Mrs. Ward's feelings, those working in public transit are responsible for the saie transportation of all passengers. “Please accept my sincere apologies in this instance and 1 hope for the future that your caregiver would be more knowledgeable in handling a difficult situation better,” he wrote. from page 14 Grandison on Oct. 19, 1999; Cuziis Dean Wanek, 29, of Vancouver, was jailed 75 days after he pleaded guilty to stealing a man’s laptop com- BY POPULAR : Sale erds March 31/00 vr puter on Cect. 18,1999 in North Vancouver District Before Judge Ellen Burdett on Oct. 18, 1999: Mark Leonard Faris, 30, and Deanna Mansou, 28, of North Vancouver, cach received 12 months’ proba- tion after they pleaded guilty to abandoning three children under the age of 10 on Dec. 15, 1998 in Regina Beach, Sask. Before Judge Eilen Burdett on Oct. 13, 1999: Hai Bin Qiu, 24, of Whistler, received six month’s probation after he pleaded guilty to possessing marijuana on Junc 24, 1999 in West Vancouver. Qiu was required to perform 25: hours of com- munity work. Michel Phillip Labbe, 52, of Vancouver, was fined $500 | after he pleaded guilty to pos- sessing marijuana on April 2, 1999 in West Vancouver. eeo4 James Tayior Holling, 24, . of North Vancouver, received six months’ probation after he pleaded guilty to using a stolen Visa card on Aug. 13, 1999 in’ North Vancouver City. Holling was required to perforin 20 hours of commu- nity work. On Feb. 2 before judge Jerome Paradis, Holling was fined $200 after pleading guilty to breaching probation | the Oct. 13 sentence. He. failed to report toa proba tion