This column isn’t anchored in the news, but there’s a reason you’re reading it today.
Posted September 18
It is about Christophe Comte, a man who does not have much time left in front of him. Less than five years old. An observation that he poses with calm and lucidity.
In 2017, Christophe was 55 years old, four children, a spouse and a position as a researcher in technological innovation. Retreat loomed in the distance. Things were looking good.
Then, on April 10, he was diagnosed with multiple system atrophy. A rare disease of the brain and spinal cord. A neurodegenerative and incurable disease.
Suddenly, the mourning followed.
First the violin, which he had been playing since he was 14 years old. Then half marathons, fishing, walking, then work.
Christophe Comte is now retired. He uses a wheelchair, moving his body is increasingly difficult and talking is painful.
“The intellect is not affected. Which is good on the one hand, but on the other, we are aware of its deterioration. »
Since the illness, Christophe Comte has been aware of many things, in fact. In particular a form of discrimination that he had never suspected…
“Before, I didn’t care, disabled people, I didn’t even realize it! »
The man admits that before getting around in a wheelchair, he had never guessed the extent of the prejudice and discrimination suffered by people with disabilities.
He cites the example of those paratransit drivers who spontaneously asked him which bingo he wanted to go to, when he was going to the office instead.
Or this time when, very happy with the opening of a new creamery, he had to wait outside, “like a dog”, while his girlfriend ordered inside…
PHOTO PHILIPPE BOIVIN, THE PRESS
Christopher Comte
We can understand that a building dating from 1950 is not accessible, but not a building from 2019.
Christopher Comte
Moreover, Christophe Comte also quickly realized that it was over, the time when he could shop in the shops of his neighborhood. No ramp for him to enter.
In short, he was adapting “with exasperation” to an environment not made for him when he saw a sign on rue Masson, in Montreal, last year.
She was promoting a new initiative: Rosemont for Everyone (RPTLM).
RPTLM is a non-profit organization whose members are people with disabilities and reduced mobility who live in the neighborhood. Their mission is to promote accessibility to the built environment. Because, according to them, “it is the environment that creates the handicap experienced”.
As soon as he got home, Christophe Comte found the organization on Facebook: “How can I get involved? »
Pause.
If I knew my time was limited, I don’t think I would have the strength to try to change the world I was about to leave. I would probably withdraw to my loved ones and I would store the sweet memories very selfishly. Or else I’d be wasting all my money opening a kennel just to end my life surrounded by dogs. In short, I would have projects, but they would be of no use to society.
Where does Christophe Comte’s solidarity spirit come from?
“The strength to militate comes from urgency,” he replies. I know that I have little time, so I expect quick and concrete results. It is also due to my past as a researcher. Working is pretty much the only thing I can do and I’m always eager to learn. It gives meaning to my life and I feel like I’m still useful. »
Because the answer to “how do I get involved?” was: by analyzing data. Christophe is therefore currently working on a summary report on the accessibility of rue Masson.
A survey was recently conducted among merchants and, without stealing any punch According to the report being written, the members of RPTLM have realized that many entrepreneurs are unaware of the tools available to them to make their establishment accessible.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, accessible stores are not always identified as such, which means that the population cannot necessarily take advantage of them.
There is a lack of communication.
By transmitting this data to the traders, citizens and organizations concerned, the activists of RPTLM hope to contribute to raising awareness. Their objective is clear, moreover: they want that by 2026, 40% of the businesses and establishments on rue Masson (between Iberville and Pie-IX) will be accessible.
At the same time, they are working on a website that will allow people with disabilities or people with disabilities to determine whether or not a place in the Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie district suits their specific needs.
Some members of RPTLM also participate in a project of the UNESCO Research Chair in Urban Landscape. In short, everyone wants things to change.
It’s just that Christophe has less time in front of him to see them move.
I greatly admire his proactivity.
I dare not imagine what he had to go through as an adaptation… We know so little about the reality of people with disabilities, basically.
What could have sensitized him, at a time when he himself “didn’t give a damn”? The one where, like many of us, he thought he never had to worry about it?
He replies that it’s all well and good, Disabled Persons’ Week, but that much more should be done.
“What if we were talking about ableism [c’est-à-dire de la discrimination dont sont victimes les handicapés] as we talk about discrimination against racialized people or people who have a sexual orientation different from the majority? »
That’s why you’re reading this column today.
The reality of people with disabilities does not make headlines. It is also not the week of the year when it is highlighted.
But according to Christophe, we would still benefit from taking a moment to think about it…