Remembering Jeannette Moisan

I meant to write this on Mother's Day, but my late mom's birthday was May 25th.  She would have been 94 years old today.  My one-year blog anniversary also passed a few weeks ago, but it's only appropriate to mention it now.

I've written about my mom several times before, in Poverty, the disabled and personal responsibility, and The Salem Commission on Disabilities.  She died in Salem Hospital on the early morning of February 28th, 1994. 

I was devastated.  She was my dearest friend.  I miss her fiercely. 

Recently, I went through some old newspaper clippings, intending to scan them into the computer (I just got a new Epson scanner), and found an article about my mom that I'd been looking for for years.  I won't reproduce the whole thing (written 19 years ago, it's nowhere on line) but just the parts about Mom.  North Shore Sunday:

A Bitter Pill

Senior Citizens Find Their Access to Medications Limited Both Physically And Financially

By Mark Vogler

July 9^th, 1989

Jeannette Moisan navigates across the sidewalk in her motorized wheelchair, checking the pavement for ruts or bumps that might jar the insides of her sensitive body. She keeps her eyes peeled for wayward motorists as she approaches the pedestrian crosswalk.

Even on a hot summer day, a roll through the streets of downtown Salem is an enjoyable journey for Moisan, who lost her ability to walk about nine years ago when she began suffering the pains of rheumatoid arthritis, a crippling disease that attacks the joints and leaves her arms and legs puffy.

A seven minute wheelchair ride might seem like a lot of trouble for a 75 year-old handicapped woman to put herself through just for the sake of buying medication from the local drug store. In addition to the condition, which causes her body to swell up so badly she can’t bend her fingers, she has heart problems and high blood pressure. She says she also suffers from angina, a disease of the throat or chest which is marked by painful choking spasms.

The CVS Pharmacy on Essex Street at Salem’s pedestrian mall, where she prefers to shop, could just as easily deliver drugs to her home. But the fiercely independent woman on wheels would rather do things her way.

“I love going out and looking around the stores just seeing what I need, like everyone else,” says Moisan, whose smiling face hides any sign of pain as she drives herself around town like a kid on a go-cart.

“I want to act as if I’m not sick, I can’t afford to have a car. So, this is my pleasure car. This is my good time,” she says.

But on any given day, Moisan’s pleasure trip can turn into a bittersweet experience, since her wheelchair can’t fit through the store entrance unless the two double doors are held store entrance unless the two doubled doors are held wide open for her. Sometimes it's a 15 to 20 minute wait. Sometimes no­body's available or willing to hold the doors open.

"I've gone to the drug store a couple of times, but had to turn around and come back because I couldn't get in. Sometimes, peo­ple just don't want to help and they just pass you by," says Moi­san, who personally opened the doors of her own home to more than 400 children during her life­time — abandoned children who lived with her while she worked for the state or various private charitable organizations as a fos­ter parent.

Opening the doors of North Shore pharmacies so they are ac­cessible to all wheelchaired cus­tomers has become Moisan's lat­est mission in life.

And, a photo:

Mom is the white-haired lady in the scooter.  Two passers-by helped her get into the CVS on Essex St. downtown.

Things are better at that particular CVS--it was remodeled a few years after her death;  it, and almost all other CVS stores in the area have automatic doors, as does Walgreens.

However, there are still many other  establishments that aren't accessible.  My optician--Banville Optical, on Lafayette St., the only optician in downtown Salem proper--is not accessible via wheelchair.  (One disabled resident, a regular attendee of our commission meetings, has filed a complaint with the state Architectural Access Board.  We wish her luck.)

What my mom did for me and the 400 other children in her care is unsurpassable.  She looms very large in my life.  The North Shore Sunday reporter called her "feisty".  She was that and then some.  She is of a generation in Salem that is going away.

I don't expect to be as feisty or as good as she was.

Bypass Road Has A Date

Bypass Road Diary 027, originally uploaded by dmoisan.

The Bypass Road--as yet still unnamed for anyone--has a date:
August 12th.

The Salem News reports that the road is in "the home stretch". The intersection at St. Peter is taking shape; past that, the lighting on the north end of the road needs to be connected, the signals at the bridge itself are due, screening put up on the commuter rail fence, and the pedestrian path needs to be finished.

At the other end of Bridge St., not much to report; construction at the overpass ramps is continuing, but demolition hasn't yet started on the houses.

Enjoying the moment

Salem Access Monitor Training Day 1 011, originally uploaded by dmoisan.

Salem Commission on Disabilities Vice Chair Charlie Reardon and Mayor Driscoll enjoy the moment at the recent Access Monitor Training course at the PEM.

Access Monitor Training at the PEM

Andy LaPointe introduces Mayor Kim Driscoll at the recent Access Monitor training held at the Peabody Essex Museum.

The Salem Commission on Disabilities, along with the Independent Living Center of the North Shore and Cape Ann, recently sponsored a two-day Access Monitor training course at the Peabody Essex Museum. Taught by the Massachusetts Office on Disability, the course is for building inspectors, advocates, people with disabilties and others to learn the rules and regulations for access to sidewalks, parking lots, entrances, restrooms and other architectural features for people with disabilities.

I went through the training last year in Beverly, and it was very comprehensive. There's a lot of legal information that we go through, but a good part of the training is hands-0n:

In the photo, our students are learning about the slope of a sidewalk, and the maximum permissible slope for a curb cut (5 degrees). The level on the sidewalk is a common digital level sold at Sears.

The other practical training, not shown here, involves restrooms. There's a bewildering number of dimensions and specifications for toilets and urinals, sinks and grab bars. When I took this training last year, I was crammed in a bathroom with 10 other people watching the instructor take measurements of all the various things in a bathroom which are invisible to us until we can't use them. It was probably just as well I didn't photograph this.

Community Access Monitors are volunteers who work with the Mass. Office on Disability, but do not represent the office. They get invitations to businesses, schools, offices and other establishments that serve the public, including people with disabilities. They are trained to evaluate these places and their accommodations for people with disabilities. They do not enforce the regulations--that is handled by the state Architectural Access Board. We on the Commission deal with the AAB on a regular basis, making the training that much more important to us.

We were delighted to represent Salem at this training session. Our Andy LaPointe did a great job arranging space with the Peabody Essex Museum; as Mayor Driscoll put it, our students experienced the best side of Salem for two days!

P.S. One of our commission members and a dear colleague of mine, Dave Martel, was recently honored with Advocate of the Year by the Independent Living Center , as presented by Congressman Tierney at the ILC's Legislative Breakfast last Friday. Give him a pat on the back, it's well deserved!

Construction update on Salem's Last Road

Bypass Road Diary 020, originally uploaded by dmoisan.

At 11:15 this morning on May 12th, the long-anticipated (to me) realignment of Bridge St. towards the new road has taken place. Unlike the Courthouse intersection, there was no notice from the city. Traffic will now move a short distance up the new roadway, seen to the left, and then jog back to Bridge St.

The short section of old Bridge St., seen to the right in the photo, will be closed permanently and made into a pedestrian walkway.

Note that the new traffic signals are turned on, while the old signal in front of the Jail is turned off. Around the time this picture was taken, 11:30 AM, the first red light of what is sure to be many red lights appeared on the new roadway.

I'm still concerned about the pedestrian signals on St. Peter St., and of the sidewalk access during construction of the pedestrian pathway that will now replace the St. Peter to Howard St. section of Bridge St., and I'm already making another round of inquiries about this.

It's nearly the end of the beginning for Salem's Last Road.

Sunlight, PEM

PEM Cafe 1 027, originally uploaded by dmoisan.

Mid-morning at the Peabody Essex Museum. I'm still not sure if I like the new building, but there's no denying there is some excellent light in there.

I was there to take photos and video of the Access Monitor training that the Massachusetts Office on Disability offers. The Salem Commission on Disabilities and the North Shore and Cape Ann Independent Living Center sponsored this training. Thanks to Andy LaPointe and PEM for providing a nice spot to showcase Salem.

I'll talk more about the training later on.

A Visit to Salem Jail

My video tour of the Salem Jail is complete. I've put an excerpt up on YouTube, as seen above. It will air on SATV Channel 3 in the next few weeks.

Thanks to Ron Mailionek and Dan Stanwood from the City, and thanks to my colleagues from the Salem Commission on Disabilities for their help, and to SATV for providing the equipment.