Nathan VanderKlippe
Northern News Services

Rankin Inlet (July 31/02) - One of the goals for the Pamiqsaiji Association for Community Living is to increase awareness of the needs of disabled people.

But Johnny Ittinuar, who has been in a wheelchair for nine years, is already striking out on his own, talking about the difficulties he has navigating the community.

"Some businesses won't even bother building a ramp because it costs so much money," he said. "There's one restaurant that I would like to go to (at the Nanuq Inn), but I can't. There's no ramp."

He also has difficulty getting in and out of several buildings, such as the arena and the CIBC office. Both have handicapped ramps, but Ittinuar says it's difficult to get in because each has a threshold that is about 15 centimetres above the rest of the walkway.

"I have to wait for someone to come along and help me out of that building," he said.

That not only makes passage difficult, but it is against the Nunavut building code, which says a barrier-free threshold can't be more than 1.3 centimetres higher than floor level.

Accessibility for persons with disabilities will become increasingly important as people age, said Lavinia Brown, Rankin's deputy mayor who also sits on the board of the community living association.

"With more growth in the population comes different needs," she said.

It also requires a change in attitude, said Ittinuar, who added that he sometimes feels people stare at him as he tries to navigate around the community.

"That sort of slows you down from going to public functions, like to the community feast," he said.

But things have gotten better. In the nine years since his accident, Ittinuar has seen the creation of more handicapped ramps. One notable exception is the RSO building -- but a wheelchair lift is scheduled for construction there this summer. And he is happy that both an occupational and a physical therapist have recently been hired in Rankin. This summer, the Department of Social Services plans to take delivery of a handicapped-accessible van, which should also help.

Whether in attitude or in physical accessibility, Ittinuar said the most important thing he needs is simple independence.

"I like to be independent and alone. I don't like having to call my brother every time I want to go to the bank."

Yet Ittinuar isn't giving up. "Things aren't going to happen just like that," he said. "But if you make enough noise, they'll eventually come about."