2023-09-24 00:14:50
A special program has been set up by the STM to allow people living with physical or intellectual limitations to travel independently via public transport.
The initiative was set up by Julie Cadieux, advisor to the STM and mother of Ludovic, a 17-year-old young man with a slight intellectual disability.
“At one point, I asked Ludovic: “Do you want to be independent to move around the city alone?” He told me: “Yes, I really have the taste!”,” she told TVA Nouvelles.
“I tested it with my teenager, who really helped me improve the content and all that. The idea was to develop an approach, a vocabulary and tools that might really speak to learners,” she added.
Thanks to the Métropolitaine inclusive mobility program, Ludovic has been traveling in the Montreal region for two years by bus and metro.
“The first time Ludovic came home and had completed a complete journey, the stars in his eyes, the pride. I’m not telling you, it’s extraordinary!” explains Julie Cadieux.
“It gives him power, it allows him to be a citizen in his own right, to do like everyone else, to move like everyone else, when he wants, when he wants, and it gives him confidence in his capabilities,” she adds.
“I feel free, I feel autonomous. I feel proud of myself,” says Ludovic.
Nearly 420 people have been trained by this program to date. And by 2025, the STM predicts that at least 2,000 people will be able to travel completely independently.
To see the full report, watch the video above.
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