I showed up for work recently on a beautiful Annapolis Valley summer day. As a driver with Kings Point-to-Point Transit Society, similar to the accessible transportation services you find in many communities, my schedule was pretty light after a couple of quick runs.
I headed to Flower Cart, a local nonprofit that employs people with intellectual and physical disabilities. It’s quite an operation, to be frank. They provide a range of services for companies and artists, along with meaningful work and activities for the people they employ.
That day, the run was taking seven clients in my van, while a colleague had another seven, to the beach at Aylesford Lake, high on Bear Mountain.
As we started driving up the mountain, we encountered another vehicle I recognized as belonging to an agency that also employs people with disabilities.
Then another recognizable vehicle from the sector.
Soon, we had a little convoy — all white vans, all carrying passengers, and all travelling rather slowly along the winding mountain road.
When we arrived at the beach, I noticed quite a few other vehicles equipped to transport people with disabilities. Some had names I recognized. Others had no obvious indication of where they came from, but it was clear what they were designed to do. The large wheelchair symbols gave that away.
My colleague and I got our clients settled and headed toward the beach. We parked our vans in a shady spot for the day and took a little walk down toward the water.
I was totally shocked at how beautiful this lake was — and how well the beach had been designed and equipped to be accessible to everyone, including people using all kinds of mobility devices.
There were a couple of lifeguards starting their day, the canteen was opening, and the kayak and boat centre was getting ready to serve visitors.
My colleague and I walked around the beach and the parkland. The water was incredibly clear. Here we were, high on top of a mountain, surrounded by forest, with no visible industry or development nearby to spoil the view.
Wow.
As we walked the beach, I noticed more and more people with physical and intellectual disabilities arriving, along with their care workers and other employees from various agencies.
What I didn’t know when I arrived was that this was an organized beach day involving agencies from across Kings County.
I later learned that there were about five agencies similar to Flower Cart and CAPRE, along with approximately five transportation providers — both nonprofit and private — involved in making the day happen.
Talking with staff from one of the agencies, I learned that this was an organized annual day for agencies across the county, bringing roughly 100 clients to the beach.
It got me thinking about three things.
First
What an incredible day it was to be part of. Watching everything come together, seeing the clients enjoying themselves, and simply being able to sit in the shade for the day left all of us feeling pretty good.
Second
There was the logistical challenge.
Think about it.
Moving approximately 100 adults from across Kings County to the same beach, at roughly the same time, with all the supports required for transportation is no small undertaking.
Then there are the activities. The food. The boats and kayaks. The accessibility requirements. The staff and care workers. And, of course, making sure the lifeguards and beach staff knew what was coming and were prepared to support the day.
The logistics, planning and coordination were impressive.
From the driver’s seat, it looked almost effortless.
But I knew better.
Every van arriving at that beach represented planning. Every passenger had someone making sure they got there safely. Every agency had people coordinating schedules, staff and supports. And somewhere behind it all was a group of people making sure approximately 100 people could simply have a great day at the beach.
And then there was my third thought.
We spend a lot of time talking about transportation as a vehicle, a route, a schedule or a cost. But transportation is much more than that.
Sometimes, transportation is what makes a day at the beach possible.
For many of the people who arrived at Aylesford Lake that day, getting there independently simply wasn’t an option. Without accessible transportation, trained drivers, support workers and organizations willing to coordinate the whole thing, the beach might as well have been a hundred kilometres away.
Instead, there they were.
Swimming. Walking. Laughing. Eating. Talking. Enjoying the water.
Having a day at the beach.
As a driver, I spend a lot of time thinking about getting people from Point A to Point B.
That day reminded me that sometimes Point B is the destination that really matters.