Accessibility Adventure at 2014 Fan Expo Canada

This was my second year going to Fan Expo Canada at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on August 28-31. Fan Expo is one of North America's largest fan experiences featuring Comics, Sci-Fi, Horror, Anime, and Gaming. Last year I dressed up as Cat Bus, a character from my favorite Miyazaki anime, My Neighbor Totoro, which was a lot of fun.

I was not planning to go this year because last year I had to pay for both me and my friend, and it can be hard for persons with disabilities to pay for two people. This year when I found out that Fan Expo decided to allow attendants/caregivers free complimentary admission to attend the convention with a people with special needs I immediately decided to go. It also helped that stars from my favourite movies and TV shows were going to be there including the Lord of the Rings, Elijah Wood and Matt Smith from Doctor Who.

My friend and I found there were more people with disabilities than last year, and that means there needs to be some improvements to make the experience better.

What needs to improve:
1. Elevators: There were long line ups at the elevators especially in the South Building and people who may have used the stairs or escalators were using the elevators as well. There has to be someone directing traffic at the elevators.
2. Wheel Trans drop off: It was hard for Wheel Trans to stop on the street, especially when dealing with the coach buses from the Blue Jays game. Fan Expo and Metro Convention needs to let Wheel Trans drop off and pick up in the roundabout at the South Building entrance.

What worked well:
1. Photo Op Area: The volunteers were friendly and guided me to the front of the line of where my photo op with Elijah was taking place.
2. Auditorium for Panels: The auditorium where the Q&A panels with Elijah Wood, Matt Smith, and Arrow's Stephen Amell was perfect. The area was spacious for people in wheelchairs, and the volunteers guided my friend and I up to the front where we could see well.

After four fun and tiring days at Fan Expo, it was well worth it. Everyone should experience it at least once. All you need to be prepared for is dealing with large crowds, which my friend and I have become professionals through previous experiences with other conventions.

Rail Trip to Ottawa: Trains, Being Canadian and Hockey!

UPDATE Sunday, October 5th:

We're now leaving Ottawa. The Blueline Taxi in Ottawa is convenient requiring only 30 minutes in advance booking for a wheelchair accessible taxi, it may be because the city is much smaller. The design of the taxis is that wheelchair customers sit in the trunk and I didn't like it since it's much bumpier. I'd recommend the Hampton Inn Ottawa on Conventry Road especially if you're taking the train up since it's less than a 5 minutes car ride away, and for those that may require a roll-in shower there may not be one available at the hotel so check in advance. If you need to rent any additional equipment, Motion Specialties Ottawa would be able to help, we ended up renting a portable hoyer lift which they dropped off and picked up for us. Besides Blueline Taxi, the OC Transpo is accessible, my brother ended up taking the OC Transpo shuttle service to the train station, as there were major bridge construction this weekend. From his experience on the shuttle the buses are fully accessible.

Overall Ottawa is very "governmenty" as the capital of Canada, I'd recommend you to visit Parliament Hill and ByWard Market (not fully accessible) just down the street.

Friday, October 3rd:

The day started off early and we were off to the train station at Union Station. Once we arrived we waited in the VIA Business Lounge before boarding the train. The reason why we were able to access the lounge is because there is typically only one power wheelchair tie down seat in the business class.

We were eventually led down to the train platform and the usher pulled up a portable crank lift which amazed me. The train ride was bumpier than expected and I had to use the washroom but was concerned about the bumpiness. At the Kingston Station stop we quickly made our way to the "accessible" washroom which I barely made it into with my brother. Since we couldn't close the door my mom had to block the view while I completed my business in business class.

I enjoyed the scenic views of Ontario lakes and saw some animals along the way. In business class we were catered to and I had the tilapia which was pretty good. And the staff were friendly and helped us on and off the train professionally.

When we arrived at the Ottawa train station, the Blueline Taxi arrived on-time, however, even though the customer service rep said we would be able to fit a commode chair along with my wheelchair, the taxi driver was unable to accommodate. My brother ended up walking the hotel from the train station with the commode, thankfully it wasn't too far of a walk.

Once we settled in, we decided to go to Parliament Hill it was a sight to see where the Centennial Flame also resides. I was amazed at the architecture and how it was built. What I really enjoyed was the design of the library and the scenic view of the Rideau River.

From there we walked to Byward Market, it reminded me of St. Lawrence Market and ate Mexican food. After a quick bite, we took another Blueline Taxi to the Canadian Tire Centre in Kanata for the pre-season game between Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens. The arena is quite accessible, and we sat the 300 level looking down onto centre ice. I wasn't use to looking downward but got into the game as the arena was packed with Sens and Habs fans.

Today we're off to a wedding!

Rail Trip Adventure to Ottawa!

Earlier this spring we were on a road trip to the USA and Bahamas, and now our family is off on another adventure! We weren't able to secure a wheelchair accessible rental vehicle this time, so we decided to take the train with VIA Rail. We will document our short adventure here!