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Isn’t that nice of me? Instead of swearing in the title of my post, I tried to be a bit more polite. I suspect swearing will come later.

This year The Ex, the affectionate nickname for the annual Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, will cease a previous policy of free admission for people with disabilities and they will now be charged the regular amount ($18 for adults). According to the CNE General Manager Virginia Ludy, this decision was made in an effort to show “respect, treating persons with disabilities with dignity, independence, equality of access and inclusion.”

And this is where I started swearing.

Treating people with disabilities with dignity and independence? Equality of access and inclusion? 

What crap!

A very high number of people with disabilities rely on a social assistance program called Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). The base amount of the ODSP is $800 a month, which may increase somewhat depending on whether the individual needs funding for medical supplies or a special diet.

$800. Even if the person lives in a subsidized or rent geared to income apartment, that’s not a lot of money. The rising cost of food is not reflected in this amount, neither is a need for over-the-counter drugs, pet food, transportation (a bus/subway ticket is $3.35 for a one-way ticket), and all the other expenses of daily living. Most people with disabilities I know barely make it through the month. Many rely on food banks.

For many, finding $18 for a CNE ticket is not going to happen unless they take money from something else. Something else that is necessary because ODSP does not allow for someone to buy frivolous things. By ending the policy of allowing people with disabilities free access to The Ex, the Canadian National Exhibition will in fact be placing a barrier to equality of access that will exclude people with disabilities from participating in a time-honoured tradition of going to the fair at the end of summer.

This is not about equality, it’s about equity. The difference is brilliantly illustrated in this image from the Interaction Institute for Social Change (Artist: Angus Maguire).
and will continue to enable people with disabilities to get in for free. They will also all public consultations on their admissions policy and prices. This is proof that advocating and sharing your opinion can result in a win.