Five-Star Disability

Okay, If you happened to read that first blog and think, Craig didn’t finish his story, you are correct!

I am using iPad, and a new toy (more about this later), plus using zoom on iPad, so something got activated that should not have…

Anyways, here is the continuous story…

So… it was raining Cats & Dogs & Ferrets…

And I wanted to take a taxi to get a kid to school…

I had my lovely wife call dispatch for a cab…

She was able to get through and texted me back that taxi would arrive between 8:45 and 9 AM. So, my boy and I got ready and outside by 8:47. Yes, we were under some sort of cover, but we were still getting wet from the rain.

While we were waiting, I told the boy what I used to sing as a boy during the 70s: “Rain rain, go away, come again another day,” he just looked at me kinda weird like!

At 9:10 I informed me wife we were still waiting in the rain. And she texted me at 9:25 that the school called her and wanted to know where the boy was… At this point I was so frustrated that I decided “screw the taxi, we are getting the bus!” So we hustled down to the bus stop and waited 5 minutes for a bus and pow, not even 3 minutes later, we are at the school.

He arrived 40 minutes late. And I got back home 4 minutes after 10, because I had to wait for another bus!

We live 10 minutes brisk walk from the school!

Taxi dispatch queues aside: the icing on the cake, was the fact that I had to ask someone else to book a taxi for me. I often ask my wife or Mum to make this call, mainly because they can call dispatch quickly, and get a reply, but for me, the Deaf-Blind Dad, I would first need to start up my laptop, hoping it doesn’t crash on start-up, get onto internet, call IP-relay (Deaf individuals should know what this is), and wait for an answer, then wait for taxi dispatch to answer… about 15 minutes if nothing happens. IP-Relay in the morning is always really slow with many people making calls.

So, I asked my Wife, who was working, to make the call… I then had my Mum call to verify, but Mum couldn’t get through! She called for 10 minutes!

Yes, the local taxi company does have a handy app, that I had, but never used. Because, I heard rumours that dispatch hardly ever book rides by app!

I am Going to Try putting IP-Relay on my iPad, and quickly make calls. Gonna try it! That is the only way I can think of accessibility to taxi dispatch, unless they start to accept text calls? Now that is something to consider! I could text dispatch and request a pick up! Independence!

Now about my new toy!

I ordered a new protection case and keyboard for my iPad, and it arrived today! I love it!

It looks very much like a composition book, with a keyboard that can move, but it is magnetically connected!

Look out world!