[PAUL]: It is easy to enter and exit a building
that has been adapted for people with limited mobility.
It is not until the rubber hits the fan that the joy of
entering a building is compromised.
My name is Paul Tshuma.
I live in Canada, in Montreal, in the province of Quebec.
We experience horrific incidences just like everyone else.
From natural disasters like the devastating 2017 flood,
to violent incidents like the Dawson College shooting in 2006.
And because disasters happen
there needs to be evacuation plan in place.
These emergencies occur more often than you would think.
I was in class one day when suddenly the fire alarm went off.
[alarm beeping]
Everyone ran out of the building down the stairs and I was left
stuck by the emergency exit stairways.
I was angry.
Why did the management of this building
implement an exit plan that includes everyone
except people with disabilities?
Fortunately, it was just a drill.
♫♫♫
My brother, Gift, was also trapped during a fire drill
two years after my incident.
Why weren't changes made to prevent this?
Would you rather cut corners and risk lives
or would you prefer to be prepared?
♫♫♫
Thankfully now there are evacuation chairs
that allow able-bodied people to help
disabled individuals to safety.
However this tool requires other people's assistance
rather than allowing the person
to evacuate on their own.
The best thing you can do right now
to improve safety is to include people with disabilities
on emergency planning committees.
We need to be regularly involved
as community needs, budget, and infrastructure change.
By consulting with individuals, such as myself,
emergency planning committees
will ensure that plans work for everyone.
You should do the same.
For more resources on how to
involve people with disabilities in emergency planning,
visit RootedinRights.org/Storytellers.
Written and directed by B. Paul Tshuma.
special thanks to Gift Samuel Tshuma,
Jean Sebastien Collin and Gilles Collin.