Wheelchair malfunctions leaving B.C. woman in dangerous situations, but province won't fund replacement
She’s crossing a busy Vancouver street, and suddenly her motorized wheelchair stops working.
She’s in traffic. She’s stressed. And she’s been left in a dangerous situation.
Tessa Schmidt, who has cerebral palsy, is entirely dependant on her wheelchair to get around.
“Without the wheelchair, I am incapable of leaving my house, of transferring on and off the toilet, of going to the bathroom,” she explained in an interview with CTV News.
But Schmidt, 30, said the wheelchair has broken down dozens of times since she received it a couple years ago. The chair was funded through B.C.’s Social Development and Poverty Reduction Ministry.
“It stalled out in my bathroom, leaving me unable to leave the bathroom until I could get someone to come and help,” she said. “It’s also stalled out on buses, leaving me unable to get off the bus and leaving the bus driver unable to help me because it’s not within their mandate.”
She said the incidents leave her “in a state of panic and distress.”
Danielle Main works with Tessa training guide dogs at Leash of Hope.
“I have seen Tessa in many dangerous situations because of this chair,” Main said.
Main, who describes herself as “low-vision blind,” said she’s had to help Schmidt on more than one occasion.
“We’ve been in these precarious situations where I’ve had to literally fold up my cane and have her give me vocal cue instructions on how to push her back to safety, sometimes crossing streets, with this 550-pound wheelchair,” she said.
Schmidt wants the ministry to provide her with a new chair.
Instead, she was recently sent a letter saying repairs are a result of “misuse.”
“You are using your chair…to train service dogs, driving it over rougher terrain and sandy areas while hanging items from joystick and/or the swing-away arms,” the letter read.
It goes on to say that if “the misuse continues…the ministry may not fund the repairs.”
Schmidt denies abusing the chair, saying her dog training work is almost exclusively done on paved areas and that the only thing she hangs from the chair are her keys.
“The damage that has occurred to this chair is usual wear and tear of a heavy user,” she said.
Main agrees.
“She’s ended up with a lemon piece of equipment and their response is too bad, so sad,” Main said.
CTV News contacted the ministry responsible. In a statement, the ministry said it couldn’t get into specifics because of privacy concerns.
“Generally, the ministry provides wheelchairs for ministry clients, and covers the costs of repairs when a wheelchair is deemed medically essential to achieve or maintain basic mobility,” the statement reads. “The ministry will be reaching out to this individual to try to resolve their concerns.”
For Schmidt, the only way to resolve her concerns is with a new chair – but the ministry’s earlier letter said she’s not eligible until 2026.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.