Saint John man gets wheelchair repairs from province
A Saint John man's powered wheelchair has been fixed by the New Brunswick Department of Social Development.
As CBC News reported last month, Jared St. Germain's ability to travel was severely restricted, after his chair's electronics began to fail in December.
But he's now back on the road.
These days, his travels include a daily visit with fianceé Barbara Chapman at her south-end apartment.
St. Germain refuses to be held back by any barrier, says Chapman, who is herself disabled.
"He's like any normal person. They always like to go places, but he's not any different than anybody else. Just because he's disabled doesn't mean that he's any different than anybody else," she said.
St. Germain lives on a $758 a month disability pension.
When his chair began to fail, the province at first told him it would not pay the $3,000 repair costs, because the damage was his fault.
A $20,000 chair like St. Germain's is expected to last five years. His is less than two years old.
The province finally relented this month and repaired the chair.
St. Germain says he has been warned there will be no more fixes, at least not for a couple of years.
"These chairs are motorized and anything could stop or anything could break at any time," he said.
The Department of Social Development will not comment on individual cases, but did forward to CBC News its policy on supplying and repairing equipment for people in need.
One section says the client must not abuse or misuse the equipment. A spokesperson said Thursday if the department's equipment care policies are respected, the department will always make the repairs.
