Fort Smith (Nov 13/06) - She is the only president they have ever known. After nearly two decades of dedication to the Fort Smith Society for Disabled Persons, Sister Agnes Sutherland has just hung up her hat as president.

Sister Agnes Sutherland has recently retired as president of the Fort Smith Society of Disabled Persons. - photo courtesy of Sister Agnes Sutherland

The society has accomplished much over those years, said Sutherland.

In 1989, when the society first began, there was little awareness of the needs of disabled people.

Founding members were concerned that the community was not well set up for disabled people, said Sutherland. They tried to rally community support "and we got comments again and again - 'but there are no disabled people in Fort Smith!'"

That was the problem, she said. At that point, some 17 years ago, people in wheelchairs or on crutches simply could not move around the town and so they were mostly hidden.

"People did not know they existed," said Louise Fraser, who co-founded the society. "I said 'they do exist, they're here, they're just not visible.'"

"Awareness was certainly lacking."

After working with town council to have ramps put in downtown and sidewalks improved, the society moved on to other projects.

A long list of accomplishments can be attributed to the society. There are, however, a few stand-outs in the minds of the women who spearheaded them.

A campaign in 1994 used cartoons to remind people to treat disabled people with respect.

The Society hired George Gladu, a severely disabled man to draw the cartoons. Forty cartoons in all were published by the local newspaper.

"Each cartoon had a special message," said Sutherland, "to remind people to never, ever treat disabled persons badly."

The parking placards initiative started about five years ago, said Fraser.

"We were very disappointed with people parking in disabled spots," said Sutherland, "It was a really big problem."

The Society went to work, rallied town council, and began an awareness campaign to remind the able-bodied to keep out of disabled spots.

They also lobbied successfully to have the parking fine increased from $30 to $100, said Fraser.

"Now we seldom see people parking in disabled spots."

There is still much to do, but the society has much to be proud of, said the women.

Today, "the great majority are very concerned about persons with disabilities" in Fort Smith, said Sutherland.

"There are still a few who have a hard time to understand, but the whole community does their share in different ways," she said.

Fort Smith has gained a reputation as an accessible community, said Fraser.

She took her dogs for a walk one day, about five years ago, and came upon a blind man and his wife.

"He was telling me how he was a bird-watcher and I was looking at him thinking 'but you're blind,'" said Fraser.

"He said, 'my wife is my eyes now.' He was in a wheelchair and they said they had heard how accessible Fort Smith was and came to visit."

"It made you proud to think that you'd at least got people out," she said.

The society has won awards for opening the town's eyes to disabled residents and making sure those residents could participate in community life.

However, the strongest testament comes from disabled people themselves.

Marlene Bourke has been in a wheelchair for two years now. Her knees deteriorated after a surgery.

The society is very important to disabled people, she said.

"If it weren't for Sister Sutherland I don't know what I'd do," she said.

The dedicated nun is also working to get a computer for Bourke.

She writes poems on the computer. Her old computer died and right now she is "bored to tears."

She is thankful for all that Sutherland has done for her.

"We're going to miss her," Bourke said of Sutherland's retirement from the society.

She needn't worry, said Sutherland, 80, who is retiring to spend more time in the parish, as there has not been a resident Catholic priest since May.

"I certainly won't give up working with disabled persons," she said.

"I'm connected to them. I will do as much as I can."