Chic on Sticks going the extra mile for persons with disabilities

Her voice cracked as she related the story of a man with disabilities who lost his wife and whose child has had to drop out of school because he has no money.

All he has is Bridgette Johnson, a fellow disabled person who has dedicated her life to helping persons who are similarly disadvantaged.

An amputee, Johnson is known for her work at the Portmore Self-Help Disability Organisation Mobility Centre (PSDO), a service centre that specialises in the repair and customisation of wheelchairs and other mobility aids for members of the physically disabled community.

She has also started an online platform, Special Lifestyle, through which she seeks and provides aid for persons with disabilities.

"It is touching lives," she said of the programme, which she said has the simple objective of empowering and assisting people living with disabilities.

Johnson lost one of her legs after being mowed down by a speeding motorist when she was a child. She spent much of her childhood years at the Sir John Golding Rehabilitation Centre, where she lived with persons with disabilities.

A cruel place

She attended Westwood High and later, Papine High, before moving into the world of work. She has always known that the world could be a cruel place for people with disabilities, and one of the most painful reminders came a few decades ago when she was assaulted by a man she thought was coming to her assistance.

She recalled coming to work one night, in the rain, and trying to make her way across a footbridge in her Greater Portmore community when her leg got stuck.

"I saw a man coming, and I was very happy. And the closer he got, I didn't realise that he had an agenda. He grabbed my handbag, and he carried out the act of rape," she said, recounting the painful ordeal.

Johnson, after reporting the matter to the police, set about organising persons in her community who were also living with disabilities. She wanted houses to have wheelchair access.

She told THE WEEKEND STAR that she has always had a passion to help persons like herself. Her work led to the establishment of the PSDO.

This 'Chic on Sticks', as she is also called, has been using her time, through her Special Lifestyle platform, to get help for persons with disabilities.

"I need assistance to carry on this project," she said." I want to assist more people, but I don't have the resources. There are many people who depend on Bridgette because they know that I have their backs. I have been through the hunger, I have been through the struggle, and it was somebody who reached out to me, and that is why I will not stop until I get help for persons like myself."