A disabled couple in Smiths Falls, Ont., says a contractor hired to make their home more accessible has instead made it feel like a prison.
But the company, Medi-Chair, argues it has fixed all the problems and is fed up with the couple's complaining.
The contractor was hired a year ago to build a wheelchair lift at the back door and an accessible washroom for showering.
But Betty Watson, 58, and her husband Art, both on disability pensions, told CBC News the company isn't living up to the contract they signed.
"'It's because she's so big'," Watson, who is almost 350 pounds, said the contractors told her. "To have strange people talk about me like I don't exist or I'm an object, my dignity has been stripped away," she said.
The contract was signed with the March of Dimes, a charity that helps people with disabilities, and Art Watson borrowing $6,000 to have the work done.
But Betty Watson, who battles osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as diabetes, said the shower stall was too narrow for her wheelchair and the lip was too high for her walker.
Also, she claims the wheelchair lift has broken five times since being installed, including three times in the last three weeks. She said she couldn’t leave the house.
"I just want the work done," Watson said, fighting off tears. "There aren't the words to explain how much it hurts me and I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel."
But Bob Allen, who owns Medi-Chair in Smiths Falls, accuses the couple of being very difficult to work with.
"Everything we have done so far is correct," he said. "Some people do complain an awful lot even though their complaints may not be legitimate."
The Watsons say they will not pay Medi-Chair until the work is properly done.
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