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Accessibility Matters: Travelling in Canada When Disability Isn’t Always Visible

Aug 12
6 min read

Travel is supposed to be about experiencing new places, making memories, attending concerts, visiting family, exploring cities and enjoying everything Canada has to offer.

But for people living with frontotemporal degeneration (FTD), travel can come with barriers that many people simply cannot see.


FTD is a group of progressive neurological conditions that can affect behaviour, personality, executive functioning, language, communication and movement. Someone living with FTD may look perfectly healthy on the outside while experiencing significant difficulties with planning, processing information, communicating, navigating unfamiliar environments or managing the demands of a busy public space.


That is why accessibility needs to be about more than ramps, elevators and wheelchair spaces.


Accessibility must include people whose disabilities aren't immediately visible.


Not Every Disability Has a Visible Sign

One of the biggest misconceptions about disability is that we should be able to recognize it simply by looking at someone.


We can't.


A person may not use a wheelchair, cane or walker. They may not have an obvious physical impairment. They may be young. They may be able to walk into a concert, restaurant, airport or hotel without assistance. That does not mean they don't have a disability.


FTD can affect executive functioning, judgment, communication, behaviour and the ability to organize and navigate everyday activities. Language difficulties can make it hard for someone to explain what they need or understand complicated instructions. Some people may also experience changes in movement as the disease progresses.

To an observer, a person with FTD might simply look like another traveller.

But what someone looks like does not tell you what they are dealing with.

And nobody should have to prove their disability to strangers simply because their disability isn't visible.


Accessibility Is About the Entire Travel Experience

When we talk about accessible travel, we often think about transportation first.

Canada has federal accessibility protections and regulations covering transportation under federal jurisdiction. The Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations establish accessibility requirements for air travel and many interprovincial and international rail, bus and ferry services. The Canadian Transportation Agency also recognizes that people with disabilities have a right to equal access to federal transportation services.


But getting from one place to another is only part of travelling.

What happens when you arrive?

Can you find the washroom?

Can you understand the signs?

Can staff communicate clearly with you?

Can you get assistance without being made to feel like a burden?

Is there somewhere quiet to go if the environment becomes overwhelming?

Are accessible facilities actually available when someone who needs them arrives?


These things matter.


Accessibility is not simply about whether a building technically has an accessible entrance. It is about whether a person with a disability can participate with dignity and as independently as possible.


Canada's accessibility framework itself recognizes that barriers can be physical, technological, communication-related, attitudinal or created by policies and practices. It also specifically recognizes disabilities that may be permanent, temporary or episodic, and disabilities that may be evident or not evident.


That matters enormously for people with FTD.


Please Respect Accessible Washrooms

There is one issue that deserves particular attention: accessible washrooms.

Imagine attending a concert after carefully planning your entire trip around someone's disability.

You find the accessible washroom.

You need it.

But someone without an apparent disability has decided to use it because the regular washroom is busy.

And then they leave the washroom dirty.

For someone who has a disability that affects mobility, coordination, judgment or the ability to manage their surroundings, that can turn an inconvenience into a genuine barrier.

Someone with a disability may not be physically able to clean up another person's mess.

They shouldn't have to.

And they shouldn't have to stand outside a washroom wondering whether they can safely use it because someone else treated an accessible facility as a convenience rather than a necessity.


Accessible facilities exist for a reason.


This isn't about policing who "looks disabled enough."

In fact, that is exactly the problem.

We don't know what another person is dealing with.

The respectful approach is simple: if you don't need an accessible facility, leave it available for the people who do. And if you do use an accessible washroom because you genuinely need it, leave it clean and usable for the next person.


Accessibility Is Not a Special Privilege

There can be an unfortunate attitude that accessibility means giving someone "special treatment."


It doesn't.


It means removing barriers that prevent people from participating equally.

Canada's Accessible Canada Act is built around the goal of creating a barrier-free Canada by 2040. One of its principles is that everyone should be treated with dignity and have the opportunity to participate fully and equally in society.


That includes going to a concert.

It includes taking a flight.

It includes staying in a hotel.

It includes visiting a museum.

It includes going to a sporting event.

It includes travelling across the country with family.


A diagnosis should not mean that someone's world suddenly becomes smaller because public spaces weren't designed with them in mind.


We Need to Think Beyond Physical Accessibility

For people travelling with FTD, accessibility may mean many different things.

It may mean:

  • clear and simple signage;

  • staff who understand that communication difficulties aren't rudeness;

  • patience when someone needs extra time to respond;

  • quiet areas away from overwhelming crowds;

  • clear information before arriving;

  • accessible washrooms that are available and properly maintained;

  • assistance navigating unfamiliar environments;

  • seating options for someone who cannot stand for long periods;

  • transportation assistance;

  • flexibility when plans have to change;

  • support for communication difficulties;

  • staff who understand that unusual behaviour can sometimes be a symptom of a neurological condition rather than intentional misconduct.


FTD can affect language and communication, and some people may eventually have substantial difficulty speaking or understanding language.


A person struggling to find a word isn't necessarily ignoring you.

A person who needs something explained more simply isn't necessarily being difficult.

A person who becomes overwhelmed isn't necessarily misbehaving.

And a person who behaves differently than expected may be experiencing symptoms of a neurological disease.


A little patience can make an enormous difference.


Accessibility Requires Respect From Everyone

Businesses, venues, transportation providers and governments have important responsibilities when it comes to accessibility.


But so do the rest of us.


Accessibility can be undermined by individual choices.

Every time someone parks in an accessible parking space "just for a minute."

Every time someone blocks an accessible entrance.

Every time someone occupies an accessible seating area when they don't need it.

Every time someone uses an accessible washroom unnecessarily and leaves it dirty.

Every time someone assumes that a person isn't disabled because they don't look disabled.

These actions may seem small to the person doing them.

For someone with a disability, they can create a very real barrier.


We need to stop asking, "Does that person look disabled?"

Instead, we should ask:

"How can I make this space easier and more respectful for everyone?"


Travelling With FTD Should Still Mean Living Life

FTD changes lives, but it shouldn't mean that people stop being allowed to enjoy life.


People with FTD and their families and care partners should still be able to make plans.

They should still be able to attend concerts.

They should still be able to take vacations.

They should still be able to visit loved ones.

They should still be able to explore Canada.

And they should be able to do those things without constantly fighting barriers created by other people's assumptions or lack of consideration.


Accessible Canada is not just about legislation, policies and building standards.

It is about people.


It is about recognizing that disability looks different from person to person.

It is about understanding that some of the most significant disabilities cannot be seen from across a room.

It is about creating spaces where people don't have to explain, defend or prove their disability before receiving basic respect.

And it is about remembering that the accessible washroom, parking space, seating area or entrance isn't there because someone is getting special treatment.

It is there because someone may genuinely need it.


So the next time you see an accessible space, leave it available.

Keep it clean.

Don't make assumptions about the person using it.

Give people time.

Be patient with communication.

And remember that you cannot always see the disability someone is travelling with.


Accessibility isn't an inconvenience. Accessibility is inclusion.

And everyone deserves the opportunity to travel, participate and experience Canada with dignity.


 
 

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