Supporters are rallying for a 14-year-old Caledon boy with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy after a change in his bus route has impacted his ability to get to and from school.
For all of Sam Spiteri’s school life, his bus pulled into the driveway of his home on the highly used Gore Road to make boarding with his electric wheelchair easier. After entering high school this month, the pick-up procedure changed.
“Why stop now? They’ve been doing it for 10 years. I don’t get the point of stopping now,” Spiteri told Global News.
Spiteri now has to manoeuvre his electric wheelchair through a patch of gravel at the end of his driveway where the wheels often get stuck in the gravel, which in turn slows him down. Since the bus temporarily blocks the road, it can result in a traffic jam on the street. The delays have resulted in drivers yelling, honking, and in some cases speeding around the bus dangerously and illegally.
Some drivers even went so far as yelling profanities at Spiteri and the bus driver.
“It definitely impacts me believing in humanity and how my son is being treated,” Antonia Spiteri, Sam’s mother, told Global News, adding it’s “unbelievable” what they have to deal with on a daily basis now.
“They’re honking at him, swearing at him and getting out of the car in some cases,” she said.
“It’s one thing for a child with disabilities to be facing challenges and being told he’s different and feeling that impact … it’s had a huge impact on him.”
Antonia said Sam has changed since the start of the school year when the pick-up and drop-off procedure was implemented.
“Day in and day out, he starts off his day hearing these things and he comes home hearing the things,” she said.
“Here’s a very happy and motivated child and we haven’t seen that in him in three weeks — it’s gone.”
Antonia said the bus company told her liability issues were the reason the service changed.
Global News contacted the bus company, Parkview Transit, that works with Student Transportation Of Peel Region (STOPR).
“Parkview continues to operate the route as designed by STOPR. We are working with them to review all service options for this residence,” a statement from Victor Savage, general manager of Parkview, read.
Several supporters showed up, including neighbours of the Spiteri’s and several others who saw what was happening through social media. Most held signs reading, “Sam Spiteri. I stand/sit with you in solidarity.”
“I’ve known him all his life and I just want to support him and help him in any way we can,” a neighbour told Global News. “It’s not very good for him. He needs to get on the bus properly and he needs all the support he can get.”
READ MORE: Good Samaritans help Kingston-area couple make bathroom wheelchair accessible
Another woman came all the way from Orangeville because she said her heart was broken after reading about the story online.
“We’re supposed to be about inclusion for children. Why are we making him stand out like this, making him feel more different? He’s not different. He’s just like the rest of us and we should all be entitled to safety,” she said, adding “people should be ashamed of themselves.”
Antonia said she’s “very humbled” by the support. However, she said what they really need is change.
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