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Bermuda's disabled and handicapped

Accessibility and services for them in this the world's most affluent country

By Keith Archibald Forbes (see About Us) a Bermudian disabled international advocate and activist, exclusively for Bermuda Online, 

Advance facts about Bermuda for the disabled

This file seeks to provide some reliable and as comprehensive as possible information about Bermuda specifically for the disabled, so they can have a good idea, as visitors or newcomers, of what to expect - and what not to expect.  No other Bermuda website carries all this information.

Bermuda is certainly a lovely place for all able-bodied residents and visitors. 

• But for the physically or mentally handicapped - disabled - it has severe limitations in its mere 21 square miles of total land area ( 700 miles east of North Carolina). Visitors often come from where access for the disabled is good, to find that access in Bermuda is not good. 

• While larger taxis able to take the disabled (physically handicapped and other disabled) have been brought in, there is nothing in the law that said drivers have to take disabled passengers. Drivers are free to decide whether or not to accept any disabled. There are no Bermuda laws requiring any type of public or private transport to take the disabled. For years but in vain to date, the Bermuda Physically Handicapped Association has been asking for the type of laws for transporting the disabled that the UK, USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, etc. have long had.

• Although 85% of all visitors - including the physically handicapped/disabled - come from the USA - and hope to find facilities, services and attractions for the physically handicapped/disabled up to USA standards, there is no equivalent in Bermuda of the Americans with Disabilities Act or the UK's Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 and Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 2005 or their equivalents in Canada. Nor does Bermuda have any other legislation protecting the rights of the disabled or physically challenged. Unlike in the USA, Canada and UK, Bermuda exerts no requirement on business owners, landlords, owner occupiers and tenants to make reasonable adjustments to the physical features of properties to accommodate disabled persons - in or out of a wheelchair. Shops, stores, private sector offices, government offices and historic buildings are not required to - and mostly do not - offer access to all floors to the disabled in a wheelchair. Nor do they have front doors which open in a disabled-friendly way. Many places are not accessible at all, despite claims they are. 

• The Bermuda Government's Department of Planning has no equivalent of the Access Statement of Planning Departments in London and elsewhere in the UK. There is no requirement in Bermuda to show how the principles of inclusive design, including the specific needs of the disabled, are integrated into the proposed development and how inclusion will be maintained and managed.

• Bermuda Government's Department of Tourism has no equivalent of the United Kingdom's National Accessible Scheme (Plan) or Disability Rating Organization for places to stay and facilities. 

• Neither the Bermuda Government nor any agency such as the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce  has never offered any tax or other financial inducements to hotels, guest houses, cottage colonies, apartments, villas, .shops or restaurants or sightseeing attractions or boats to make them totally dedicated to making places accessible. In contrast, in other countries such as the USA, Canada, UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, etc. there have been many tax incentives.

• There is no equivalent in Bermuda of the UK's Holidays All Consortium or Tourism for All or Holiday Care Service organizations for the disabled. Nor is Bermuda on any of the  international tourism registers for the disabled/physically handicapped.

• There is no equivalent in Bermuda of the UK's government-approved and supported Motability Car Scheme for the disabled, which enables those qualified to swap their Disability Living Allowance at Higher Rate to a car dealership and in return get a car plus maintenance plus insurance, every three or so years.

• Government contracts do not require that public and private sector facilities or properties meet any standards of access for the disabled, as they do in Canada, UK and USA.  

• It is one of the most traffic-dense places on earth, with traffic usually very busy, noisy and stressful to those who want peace and quiet. It is a very hilly, with few flat places, not good for disabled people confined to a wheelchair who are not accompanied by a spouse or caregiver with the strength to lift them.

• By international standards, even main roads are very narrow and almost always busy during the weekday especially. There are now sidewalks with sloping ramps uniformly throughout the most frequently traveled tourism and international business areas of the City of Hamilton. The Town of St. George is improving in this area. But outside the city and town you will not see many sidewalks elsewhere evenly on one side of the road or another - and they don't have ramps. 

• As there are so few roads in Bermuda with little traffic, persons in wheelchairs and the ambulatory disabled - persons who can walk but have a balance or mobility problem and may have to use  a cane or crutches or walker - should be exceedingly careful when crossing a street and in the city or town should do so only when there is a traffic light and a push-button pedestrian crossing with a  "walk" and "don't walk" signal; and when using stairs, stair cases, steps.  

• Visitors who are not resident do not get "concessionary" fares or admission prices applying routinely to registered disabled and/or elderly residents, as they do in the USA, UK, Canada, etc.

Booklet

Study Investigating Attitudes to Disabled/Special Needs People in Bermuda. Mark Taylor, 2001. It was part of his studies for a Diploma in Psychology via distance learning with Oxford University, before he left Bermuda for Australia. A copy was given to all who played a role in or who are responsible and accountable to the disabled in Bermuda. Visitors may be able to obtain a copy from the National Office for Seniors and the Physically Challenged (NOSPC), Stonehall, 60 Victoria Street, Hamilton, Bermuda.

Bermuda organizations for the disabled

Website links will be shown gladly when reciprocated.

• Access Bermuda. Transportation service by Keith Simmons, himself in a wheelchair, for the disabled in a wheelchair visiting Bermuda.
• Bermuda Islands Association for the Deaf (BIAD). P. O. Box HM 1749, Hamilton HM GX. biad@therock.bm. Registered charity.
• Bermuda Physically Handicapped Association. Registered Charity. See below.
• Bermuda Stroke & Family Support Association. Registered Charity.
• Bermuda Riding for the Disabled Ltd. Equestrian Centre, Windreach Recreational Village. P. O. Box WK 525, Warwick WK BX. E-mail brd@ibl.bm.
• Committee of 25 for Handicapped Children.  P. O. Box HM 927, Hamilton HM DX, or at thrift shop the Bargain Box on Midsea Lane, Serpentine Road, Pembroke. Phone 292-4324 from 8:30 am to 12 noon Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Friday or fax 296- 0296. Registered charity
• Summer Community Program for Handicapped Adults. Registered Charity
• Summerhaven Trust. Registered Charity.
• Tae Durham Charitable Association for Physically Handicapped Children.
• Windreach Recreational Village. Registered Charity. P. O. Box WK 464. Warwick, WK BX. Telephone 238 2469 or fax 238 2597.

Bermuda's Disability Benefits

Please note the following:

• Those - Bermudians only - who pass a very strict means test and have no income, have no home of their own, no or purely nominal savings or investments, get Financial Assistance. For details of how much this is and how one qualifies, contact the National Office for Seniors and the Physically Challenged (NOSPC). Stonehall, 60 Victoria Street, Hamilton. (This does not compare favorably with Britain which, despite not being nearly as wealthy in per-capita income, has a Disability Living Allowance which is not means-tested and currently pays over $860 a month to those who qualify).

• There is a "Special Persons" photo-ID for locals, available to both the under 65s who are registered as permanently disabled confirmed by a registered medical doctor, and senior citizens over 65s. They do not include the word "disabled" (recommended by this author, to enable them if they go overseas, to apply for disabled "Concessionary Travel" discounts).

• Registered disabled owners, on application to the Transport Control Board, may qualify for free annual licensing of a specific private car if they can satisfy in writing all the following conditions: are the principal owner or co-owner; can drive themselves and have a valid license to do so; are actually in the vehicle themselves when it is being driven; are unable to ride on any buses because of medically acknowledged balance problems on them and are thus totally dependent on a private vehicle for transport. This is a Minister of Transport discretionary benefit, not a mandated one.

• For Senior Citizens/Disabled/Physically Handicapped who can use a bus, free passes are available to Local Residents only with a Special Persons Card. Seniors or disabled/handicapped from abroad without such a card must pay full price. Unlike in the UK, there are no similar concessionary fares for a companion, who may be younger, of someone elderly or disabled/physically handicapped.

• On June 18, 2007 The Royal Gazette group reported that a National Policy on Disabilities was applauded by members of Parliament, but has yet to be implemented. Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs, Wayne Perinchief, presented the National Policy to the House of Assembly to cross-party support. He said it aimed “to ensure that disabled persons have every opportunity to reach their individual potential and to see the removal of barriers that prevent their full participation in Bermudian society”. Mr. Perinchief classed a disability as a long-term health condition lasting more than six months, which can include physical, emotional or learning difficulties. According to the 2000 Census, disability affects 3,000 residents on the Island — five percent of the population. Almost a quarter — 23 percent — of 16 to 64-year-olds reported back or spine problems, while 33 percent of seniors suffered from arthritis. Among 200 people with a learning disability, 118 were cared for by relatives — many of whom were over 60-years-old. Mr. Perinchief said: “These statistics speak volumes about the magnitude and impact of disability on people in our community — from disabled persons themselves, to their friends, family and support networks.” He said the National Policy was the result of action by then Minister of Health and Family Services Patrice Minors, who appointed a Committee to address the issue in January 2005. The committee was formed to develop a National Policy, by setting down guiding principles; objectives in access, housing, health, education, transport, communication and training; overall goals and objectives. Technical officers from the National Office for Seniors and the Physically Challenged assisted in drafting policy, and the team reviewed legislation not only from Bermuda, but from other countries around the world.

• There is now a Committee for a National Policy on Disabilities.

A few fortunate permanently disabled including members of the Bermuda Physically Handicapped Association (BPHA)  live at Summerhaven (shown here). It is the only residence in Bermuda for the permanently physically disabled, in Smith's Parish. There is a huge waiting list for it. It is run by the Summerhaven Trust, operated by an independent board. It receives a government grant to assist with its day-to-day operations. Other financial support comes from donations and a subsidy from the Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB). Each of the residents at the facility are responsible for paying their rent for the studio apartments. They are also provided with two meals a day and 24-hour attendant care. There are far more permanently disabled and needy people in Bermuda than there are adequate, affordable and adequately equipped places for them to live in this very expensive island in accommodation, prices, services and overall cost of living.

What Bermuda does not offer the disabled

• Although Bermuda is classed by the World Bank as the world's most affluent country, the permanently disabled, or physically challenged, do not get the financial assistance from the Bermuda Government routinely offered by Canada, USA, etc.  to their nationals for the taxes they pay. Although Bermuda is (nominally) British, it offers none of the benefits British-UK disabled citizens get, such as a non-means-tested Disability Allowance (DLA) in the Higher Rate  for mobility, or Middle Rate or Lower Rate. Or if over 65, they get an Attendance Allowance for the over 65s who are physically disabled and need help with personal care, by day and night.

• Plus - in the UK only, from the UK Government - not in Bermuda from the Bermuda Government - a spouse or relative or friend providing at least 35 hours a week of care is entitled to a Carer's (Caregiver in USA and Canada) Allowance.

• Overseas, full-time and part-time employers of permanently disabled persons qualify for application to their governments for tax relief. Not in Bermuda.

• There is no equivalent in Bermuda of a Disability Equality plan or scheme organized since December 2006 by all UK-based regional authorities.

• There is no equivalent in Bermuda of the UK's Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984 Section 47 covering the penalty for parking illegally in a designated disabled parking space without an appropriate parking badge.

• There are no free or moderate cost public service vehicles for wheelchair-bound or other disabled locals and visitors. In none of Bermuda's public transport systems - buses and ferries - are there any signs requiring or requesting that persons who are not disabled give up their seats for the disabled, as this author has noted there are in all  public and private sector buses, trains, ferries in the UK and also common in the USA, Canada and the European Community. In all these countries, such signage, or equivalent, is posted prominently.

• Personal gas or petrol or electric powered mobility vehicles - like the one shown - used by the disabled in some other countries not on roads but on sidewalks are not allowed on any public roads in Bermuda by persons who are not residents and not licensed and insured in Bermuda to use them. Sidewalks in Bermuda are usually very busy with pedestrians, can be steep, are not always on both sides of the road and traffic on the main road between sidewalks is often dense. No visitors - able or disabled -  can rent a private car or any commercial vehicle here under any circumstances. There is a strict limitation on the size, length, width and horsepower  of vehicles allowed. Second-hand vehicles over six months old are not allowed to be imported. Only one 4-wheeled vehicle per family or household is allowed. All motor and electric vehicles must be tested in advance by the Bermuda transport authority (Transport Control Department) for suitability, licensed annually and insured for at least third party liability by a Bermudian insurance business. 
• Unlike in Canada & USA where vans and mini-vans for owners or co-owners in wheelchairs can qualify for a rebate of up to US$1,000 directly from General Motors, Ford, etc., no rebates apply to those who are Bermuda-based.

Bermuda Physically Handicapped Association (BPHA)

Physical address: BPHA, Base Gate, 1 South Side, St. David's Island, DD 03, Bermuda. Postal address is P.O. Box HM 8, Hamilton HM AX, Bermuda. Telephone (441) 293-5035, Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm local time (10 am to 6pm EST). Or (441) 293-8148 after 5:00 pm. Or fax (441) 293-5036. The office is a small steel former Kindley military building. It is small, cramped, but convenient - for the non-disabled - to a nearby public bus. Since 1964, Registered Charity number 088 under Bermuda The Charities Act 1978. It is the only registered organization in Bermuda specifically for the physically disabled - physically challenged. Officers include Chairman Willard Fox, Phone 293-5035 or 293-8148 (home) or via cell (mobile) 732-6451. It exists to help its members deal with problems of the physically disabled. Services include assisting in employment of the physically disabled and to promote better understanding and public awareness of their difficulties and needs. Anyone, disabled or not, is welcome to join. Membership is a nominal cost per person but donations from individuals and companies are welcomed and encouraged. All members have a Membership Card and a large or small BPHA sticker for their vehicle or their caregiver's vehicle. Members include blind or sight-impaired; deaf; speech-impaired and amputees. More than 11 percent of all Bermudians have diabetes, one of the highest rates in the world per square mile.

 There are regular meetings and the office - shown above, left - is the place of employment, for various contracts, as disabled persons collectively, for the public and private sectors.

• Disabled members qualify for a Disabled Person's Badge (DPB) like the part of one shown here below. To get one in Bermuda, visitors should bring their overseas equivalent.

• Some Association members may qualify to apply for free licensing of a private car. 
• Members should apply for a "Special Persons" photo-ID. It is available to the permanently severely disabled, both for the under 65s and over 65s.

Valid in Bermuda only - not in the UK or USA or Canada, etc. where different criteria apply to obtain such a badge. 

About Bermuda

When you link to the comprehensive, advertising-free Bermuda Online website below, see full details on Bermuda. Note how every Parish (district) file has symbols showing what facilities are available to the disabled.

Access Week

Annually, it focuses on the needs of the physically challenged, but nothing much has changed for years. 

Areas of Bermuda (Parishes, districts)

BPHA members and their caregivers live in all the parishes

Accessible places or services for the disabled are shown with the wheelchair graphic

Accommodation for Disabled

Persons seeking accommodation in Bermuda should first of all see see wheelchair signs showing whether or not hotels, guesthouses, bed and breakfasts and efficiency units will accept the accompanied or unaccompanied disabled, in 

• Accommodation preview
• Hotels
• Cottage colonies & Private Clubs
• Guest Houses
• Efficiency units

Please note this information that they are wholly or partly accessible is based on what they say, but often it may not be accurate or up to date. Always check, yourself, with the properties concerned to see if their dimensions for rooms, doors and bathrooms comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. This should be the key legislation as more than 85% of all tourists come from USA, with only 5% from Canada and UK. Note that of all the properties in Bermuda, only 2 - Southampton Princess Hotel and Sonesta Beach Hotel - have Disabled/Handicapped Parking signs outside their premises. Also note that unlike in the USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, etc., there are no equivalents of ADA, no minimum statutory sizes or widths for any doors or showers and no premises at all graded and licensed for the disabled by the Bermuda Government's Department of Tourism.

Airlines serving Bermuda

Our airport is Bermuda International Airport. The best airline to travel to and from Bermuda for the disabled is American Airlines, because the seat pitch in Economy - 33 inches - is more comfortable. Cramped in-flight conditions, in seats of only 31 inches seat pitch, can be a severe problem or at the least, an awful flight compared to a comfortable flight. In America, air travelers with disabilities travel under CFR Part 382 which stipulates a "comfortable seat."

Book ahead, be prompt in checking in. Ask if the assigned seat concerned has a lift-up armrest. If appropriate, request an onboard wheelchair be provided or if a seat is needed with a moveable armrest, or both. Verify that the aircraft configuration allows for washroom use via an aisle-navigable wheelchair. If not, eating and drinking on the aircraft will not possible without potential problems. 

You may need extra space to store a walker or crutches. If you bring a wheelchair for use here -  recommended - arrange in advance to have it checked as priority baggage. Before you bring a motorized wheelchair, ask the airline and where you stay to check that you will be able to license, insure and use it in Bermuda - and if the airline will accept the type of battery it takes.

Note that deep vein thrombosis (DVT), especially dangerous for disabled passengers. Sources of information on DVT include:

Airport

This small airport is owned and operated by the Bermuda Government. It is nice but has no jetways. Airlines should ask the Bermuda International Airport to make the airport hoist available when required and to be asked for other assistance. A disabled passenger transporter, valued at about $100,000 is here. The airport can take departing USA-bound passengers in wheelchairs from the departure lounge to ground level.  There is an elevator.  There are two Handicapped Parking spaces in the Short Term car park but they are regularly abused. The airport does not follow the USA, British, Canadian and European system of allocating 5% of its parking spaces for badge-carrying Disabled or Physically Handicapped passengers.

Bathrooms (toilets) for Disabled

Purpose-built toilets in Bermuda for the disabled are at 

• King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) north and slightly west of the main entrance (1), 
• Windreach Village (2)
• Clocktower Mall (1) 
• Dockyard (1)
• Summerhaven (2)
• Bermuda Physically Handicapped Association headquarters. 

Unlike in The United Kingdom and Canada, they are not NKS or equivalent key-accessible toilets and the unit at KEMH is often used by the non-disabled in contempt of the needs of the disabled.

Beaches are not accessible to disabled

Horseshoe Bay in Southampton Parish.

Bermuda Aquarium, Museum & Zoo

This Bermuda Government-owned facility has no Disabled Parking sign outside. There is a ramp to the entrance.

Bermuda Festival

Every January to February, for 2 hours a night, mostly at City Hall in City of Hamilton accessible via a curving outdoor ramp that now leads to the City Hall Theatre. There are special places for the wheelchair-bound and a seat nearby for a caregiver. Regular prices apply.

Bermuda Government facilities and services

• Bermuda Department of Tourism . Owned, operated and staffed by the Bermuda Government. Ground floor, Global House, 43 Church Street, Hamilton, HM 12. Or by airmail at P. O. Box HM 465, HM BX.  Telephone (441) 292- 2023. Fax (441) 292-7537. It has some information about Bermuda. It does not link to this website with its wealth of full and factual information for the disabled. It produces a "Blue Book" as a travel agent's manual to Bermuda. Disabled visitors should request the "Accessible Bermuda" booklet. 

• Bermuda National Library . Accessible by elevator. There is one Handicapped Parking place between it and the Bermuda Historical Society. Free access.

• Bermuda Police Service. Its mission statement is "To ensure a safe, secure and peaceful Bermuda for all, because we care..." But it clearly does not extend to helping disabled persons with Disabled Parking Badges.

• Buses. Public transport See under Buses in Getting Around in Bermuda. Fine for able passengers but not equipped for the disabled.

• Committee for a National Policy on Disabilities. See under National Advisory Council on Disabilities

• Ferries . Public transport. The daily ferry services between City of Hamilton and Dockyard and Town of St. George provide limited access for the walking disabled and wheelchairs (on their main deck, not the upper deck). From the City of Hamilton, you can access the ferry of either service in a wheelchair with no problem, but all you can do is take the round trip. But ferry stops in Paget or Warwick have flights of steps that prevent the unaccompanied or accompanied in a wheelchair from accessing the service at all; and should also be approached with extreme caution by others who are ambulatory but have mobility or balance problems.  Not all ferry stops have railings.

• Human Rights Commission . Suite 304, Mechanics Building, 12 Church Street, Hamilton HM 11. Telephone 295-5889. Or e-mail hrcbda@ibl.bm. Human Rights Act 1981 and Human Rights Amendment Act 2000 gives the disabled in Bermuda some rights in theory but in practice, based on complaints from some disabled, have been shown to have no teeth. Under the Bermuda Human Rights Act 1981 and Human Rights Amendment Act 2000, a disabled person is one who is registered with any degree of physical disability, infirmity, malformation or disfigurement caused by bodily injury, birth defect or illness, including diabetes, epilepsy, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, human immunodeficiency virus, paralysis, amputation, lack of physical coordination, blindness or visual impairment, deafness or hearing impediment, muteness or speech impediment, or physical reliance on a guide dog, wheelchair or other remedial appliance or device. There are some very serious deficiencies compared to Human Rights and Civil Rights laws in the democratic countries. For example, in the UK, under The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 or its equivalent in the USA, Canada, Europe, etc. a disabled person is one with a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long term or permanent adverse affect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. The UK Act serves to distinguish disability from short term illness and injury. It also accentuates that it is the extent of the impairment, not the extent of the handicap, that is important. But not in Bermuda.

• Mid Atlantic Wellness Centre (formerly St. Brendan's Hospital) . Devonshire Parish. With a gymnasium (year-round) and outdoor pool (May 24-Labor Day) for free use year-round by the disabled with sufficient notice by telephone. They must sign a waiver absolving the hospital of any responsibility.

• National Advisory Council on Disabilities. Established after the Committee for a National Policy on Disabilities was established in 2005 to determine guiding principles; recommend policy objectives in the areas of access, communication, education, training, health, housing and transportation; and to identify overall goals and objectives for each area. Its its report was completed and Government accepted the recommendations with the 155 objectives.

• National Office for Seniors and the Physically Challenged (NOSPC). Stonehall, 60 Victoria Street, Hamilton, next to St. Paul AME Church. Or by Airmail at P. O. Box HM 1195, Hamilton HM EX, Bermuda. Open 8:45 am to 5 pm Monday-Friday. The physically challenged office is at phone 292-7802. Fax 292-7681. Ann Lindroth, BA, CTRS, is the Coordinator for Physically Challenged Persons, extension 225. E-mail alindroth@gov.bm. The Office, with no website, does not have a register of all seniors and permanently physically and mentally disabled persons, their telephone numbers, dates of birth, names of doctors and names of spouses or next of kin. Patients with permanent physical and any other disabilities are registered and then referred to the Corporation of Hamilton for a Disabled Person's Permit, if they qualify. Some of the duties covering all disabilities not just those who are pgysically challenged include overseeing all support agencies and organizations in the Bermuda Government and Ministry of Health and Family Services, analyzing census data and preparation of a 5-10 year plan for Bermuda's seniors and disabled. The Government has calculated that there are 8,655 resident seniors and physically challenged, the vast majority of them Bermudian, comprising 13.85% of the resident population. 

• Proposed Para transit Strategy and Business Plan. In January 2010 a meeting between taxi operators who service the mobility impaired and the Ministry of Tourism was held to discuss a plan to create this. The purpose was to seek taxi operators' views. The goal is to establish a Para transit service that will provide transportation to Bermuda's mobility impaired population. The meeting was informative and the taxi operators gave invaluable information that will be used going forward in establishing this service. It is hoped the plan will establish a framework for a transit system that will be customized to suit the needs of Bermuda's physically impaired and possibly their equivalents who are tourists.

• Statistics Department . Publishes detailed periodic statistics about the disabled population of Bermuda. In 2000, 2,832 persons, or 5 percent of the civilian non-institutional population, were estimated to be affected by a chronic health condition which impacted on their daily life. The 2000 census questionnaire did not ask whether persons are registered in Bermuda as disabled. Nor did it receive any confirmations of disability condition from the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital or Health Department or follow any of the criteria used by overseas census authorities such as the US Census Bureau, all based on Health Department or equivalent confirmations. This author has recommended to the Statistics Department and NOSPC that Bermuda do all this. The flawed 2000 census of disabled of Bermuda shown below include 198 children of 15 years and younger categorized with a disability, 7 percent of the disabled population, evenly distributed by age and sex. The 2002 figures show a slight drop overall compared to 1991.

• Transport Control Department . 11 North Street, Hamilton HM 17, telephone (441) 292-1271, the equivalent to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). There is a "PC" license number for a minivan that can carry a wheelchair-bound passenger. A permanently physically disabled local resident who is the owner or co-owner of a private car may apply for free annual licensing of that vehicle. Criteria include that the disabled applicant depends on the vehicle as the usual form of transport (in other words, cannot use buses); and provides evidence to support the individual submission. A doctor must confirm the facts stated in the application for eligibility. Other benefits from TCD are the issue of a Special Person's Card to the disabled under the age of 65; and 2 Handicapped/Disabled Parking Spaces.

Bermuda Historical Society Museum & Par-la-Ville Park . 

At Par-la-Ville. Telephone (441) 295-2487. Weekdays only - not lunch times. On Queen Street a few blocks from the various cruise ship docks. There is a single Handicapped Parking area outside. Also visit Par-la-Ville Park immediately behind, recently made much more accessible for the disabled.

Bermuda National Gallery

At the City Hall and Arts Center on Church Street, telephone (441) 295-9428 or fax (441) 295-2055. A "must see" for all art lovers. Only the ground floor is accessible to those in a wheelchair.

Bermuda National Trust

E-mail palmetto@ibl.bm. The largest private property owner. Ask which museums, houses and services are accessible. None have a Handicapped Parking by Permit Only sign. There is a fee for each place unless visitors are current members of a reciprocal National Trust abroad and bring their current membership cards.

Bermuda Red Cross Equipment rentals

Rent a wheelchair (but not a motorized one, they are not available locally except to local residents who have appropriate local licensing and insurance to travel on Bermuda's roads) or walker if you don't bring one. Bermuda Red Cross,  Charleswood, 9 Berry Hill Road, Paget Parish. Direct telephone number is (441) 236-8277. E-mail redcross@ibl.bm. Or via airmail at postal address P. O. Box 772, Hamilton HM CX, Bermuda.

Bermuda Riding for the Disabled

For the disabled who can ride horses with assistance. The facility's equestrian services are closed for July and August as it is too hot for horses and humans. An appropriate contribution will be expected if you give notice you wish to use the facilities. From here, a team represents Bermuda at the Paralympics. The Bermuda team became part of the Olympic movement at the invitation of the British Riding for Disabled Association in the United Kingdom.

Buses

While wheelchair accessible buses are now available in Bermuda they can carry only one wheelchair-bound person at a time. In 1993, BPHA Chair Mr. Fox was a member of a task force that developed the Headway Report. The report made recommendations as to how Government could introduce public transportation for the handicapped. But the recommendations from the report were never implemented fully. Since that time there have been numerous attempts to address the issue, however no meaningful outcome has ever been realised. Earlier in 2009, Mr. Fox was invited to be a member of a task force spearheaded by the Ministry of Community and Cultural Affairs. He said a strategic plan capable of introducing transport options for the handicapped in the near future, was developed at the meetings. The issue cannot be set aside any longer.  The fact remains that  public transportation by bus is inaccessible for the handicapped, not only because of the lack or scarcity of wheelchair access but also because the vast majority of the bus stops, being situated on the road, are presently not safe for the handicapped to use.  Nor will they be until/if land is ever purchased to make the buses internationally accessible to  wheelchair users. 

City of Hamilton

City Hall, City Hall Theatre, Art Galleries and Bermuda National Gallery have nice facilities accessible via the curved disabled access outside, then via an elevator. Contact Mrs. Rosemary Morabito at e-mail RMorabito@cityhall.bm. City Hall also offers at least 9 Handicapped Parking by Permit Only places and has done more for the disabled in Bermuda than all other organizations combined. Other facilities in the city that are wheelchair accessible include pedestrian crossings flush with pavements or sidewalks; the  two biggest banks, with ATM cash machines low enough; and St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church on Church and Court Streets. Access to all floors of the City Hall is possible by those in wheelchairs via an elevator.

Cruise ships

Those sailing from US ports to Bermuda are required by US laws have between 15 and 25 disabled cabins and staterooms, more roomy than for the non-disabled. But be aware of the fact that some cruise lines and their travel agents don't play fair to the officially registered disabled. Because they don't check to see that people really are disabled - wheelchair confined, blind, deaf or ambulatory with a stick - and are registered as such with their state or provincial government agencies, they allow persons who are not disabled to occupy staterooms intended solely for the disabled and their caregivers or carers. Disabled persons, if denied a cabin specifically for the disabled, under American or British or European laws (the latter two for ships leaving from the UK or Europe) have specific legal remedies if such cabins are instead given by cruise ship operators to persons not officially registered as disabled and don't have appropriate ID documentation to prove it.

Disabled Persons Parking Badges (DPBs) and Parking spaces

With complete information for residents and visitor.

Excursions for visiting disabled

With adequate advance notice from disabled visitors, the Bermuda Physically Handicapped Association (BPHA) will try to help them as much as we can, especially if they join the BPHA while here. Membership, at a very reasonable cost, will be good for one year and will include a membership card and BPHA car sticker. All contributions for any further sum will also be welcomed as we are not a well-off financially organization by Bermuda standards. We can offer bathing by appointment, but otherwise, our resources are slim. We have only one hydraulic lift mini bus for a manual wheelchair only - not new and not in very good condition - which may be available with a driver to visitors if not already booked, if the visitor gives adequate notice - and if a volunteer driver is available that day. 

Other options are: 

• If you do not wish to join the BPHA, either directly or via the two persons above, take a taxi (See "Taxis and rates below") on your arrival at Bermuda International Airport or cruise ship terminals in City of Hamilton or Town of St. George. 

Ferry Services

 Some of the public transportation ferry routes are accessible to the handicapped, like the Dockyard route, but the Watford Bridge route isn't.

Handicapped Parking

(See under Disabled/Handicapped Parking).

Jubilee Sailing Trust

Based at Hazel Road, Woolston, Southampton, SO19 7GB, England. In UK, phone 023 8044 9108 or fax 023 8044 9145. 

The Trust promotes the integration of physically disabled and able-bodied men and women from 16 to 70 years old through the challenge of sailing a tall ship at sea.

Bermuda representative and contact is Mr Sean Pitcher, Chairman - Board Of Management, The Bermuda Sailors' Home Inc, Richmond Road, Pembroke, PO Box HM 619, Hamilton, HM CX Bermuda, phone 441 295 5598.  

The Trust owns and operates several purpose-built tall ships, the sailing vessels (SV) Lord Nelson and Tenacious (shown in photo, left). 

All voyage crew play an active roll in the operation of the ships irrespective of age, gender, ability or level of disability. Disabled from Bermuda may qualify for assistance from the Bermuda Sailors' Home in cost of ocean passage, accommodation in Florida and return flights from Florida.

Lindo's Food Stores 

In two locations, one each in Devonshire Parish and Warwick Parish. Wheelchair-accessible shopping for locals and visitors.

MarketPlace food stores

At Shelly Bay in Hamilton Parish; also Church Street in City of Hamilton; Middle Road in Paget; Middle Road in Southampton and Middle Road in Sandys.

Medical supplies for physically handicapped/disabled

Medical House Ltd. Phone 292-3622 or fax 292-3624. 

Restaurants

Note that no restaurant in Bermuda offers all the following - disabled entrance parking, disabled exterior, disabled interior and disabled toilet. Only one (Pink Cafe) has a toilet for the disabled. Therefore none of the restaurants are up to the disability standards of the USA, UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, etc.

St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church

Shown here because it has two marked Handicapped Parking spaces. But regularly abused and also not usable at a funeral, as the hearse blocks them. Smith's Parish. Off South Road. Phone 236-9866. Fax 232-2824. Pastor Jerome J. Kroetsch, CR. Portuguese Pastor Rev. Joao Carlos Costa. P. O. Box FL 267, Flatts, FL BX. E-mail stpats@ibl.bm. 

Shopping, sightseeing & visiting museums

Bermuda is not one of the places which have made all of the shops accessible. Very few are.

Taxis and rates

See under Taxis in Getting Around in Bermuda. Same fares to apply to the disabled as they do for the able. 

Windreach Recreational Village

57 Spice Hill Rd., Warwick West WK 03 or P.O. Box WK 654, Warwick West WK BX. A resource for the disabled. Telephone (441) 238-2469.  E-mail windreach@ibl.bm. 

For information not covered here, or for clarification, please refer directly to the Bermuda Government's National Office for Seniors and the Physically Challenged (NOSPC), an agency of the Department of Health, Stonehall, 60 Victoria Street, Hamilton, Bermuda.

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