Disabled Inuit demand better programs

DENISE RIDEOUT

IQALUIT — Some disabled Inuit say they’re not getting enough money for the special equipment they require.

They’re also angry that there are so few programs and services for disabled Nunavummiut.

Bernadette Kublu, a physically disabled woman originally from Pond Inlet, says the federal government hasn’t offered much help in the way of programs or money for disabled Inuit in Nunavut, Nunavik and Labrador.

“They’ve been talking a lot. But they’re not doing anything,” Kublu said.
The 52-year-old suffers from rheumatoid arthritis in her legs, forcing her to get around in a wheelchair. The disease has also struck her wrists, leaving her hands badly twisted.

With help from the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada, Kublu and other disabled Inuit will have their concerns heard by the federal government.

In Iqaluit last week, ITC’s health committee met with officials from Human Resources Development Canada. The federal agency is visiting aboriginal groups, including Inuit, Métis and First Nations, to get their input on policies and programs affecting disabled people.

Delegates at the consultation said the results of study after study have indicated that disabled Inuit want programs and services that cater to their needs.

Even when ITC held its own forum on Inuit health in February 2000, participants said their priority was better services and programs for the disabled.

Tooneejoulee Kootoo said ITC is still waiting for the federal government to act on those recommendations. Kootoo, who attended last week’s meeting in Iqaluit, works on health issues at ITC.

“The situation of Inuit with disabilities is a critical one that requires action,” Kootoo said.

Bernadette Kublu said Inuit who suffer from physical and mental disabilities face a host of challenges, from getting help to do everyday activities to finding a job.

For physically disabled people, it’s difficult to find housing that is equipped with wheelchair ramps and other facilities, she said.

“We need equipment in houses, we need better houses, we need money for house rents,” she said. “Equipment for disabled people is so expensive.”

ITC also pointed out that many disabled Inuit must leave their home communities because health services, as well as programs like support groups, aren’t available there.

Kublu left Pond Inlet a few years ago when her arthritis worsened. She said buildings and houses in the community weren’t handicapped-accessible, so she relocated to Iqaluit, where she lives in the elders’ home.

But even now life for Kublu isn’t easy. She said she sometimes feels isolated because she doesn’t know what arm of the government to turn to for help.

She said last week’s meeting gave her a chance to tell others about the problems disabled people face.

“I don’t like to be ignored,” she said. “I want someone to hear me.”

Recommendations from the ITC meeting will be presented to a federal-provincial-territorial working group on disabilities at the end of the month in Ottawa.