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Bermuda's disabled and handicapped conditions for newcomers and visitors by air or cruise ship

Accessibility and services in our 21 square miles island of 64,268 residents, compared to USA, Canada and UK

By Keith Archibald Forbes (see About Us) at e-mail exclusively for Bermuda Online

Advance facts about Bermuda for disabled residents and visitors

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.  Unfortunately, no other Bermuda website carries any of the information shown immediately below.

Overview. Disabled cruise ship visitors who bring a mobility scooter, if it is registered where you live for sidewalk (pavement) only use including crossing a public road but is not for use in other ways on the public roads, should be OK. If it will be used on the public roads you either should not bring it or will need a local license to use it. Either way, it is recommended that for your own protection and convenience you contact the Bermuda Government's National Office for Seniors and Physically Challenged (NOSPC) at the address shown below.

You won't find anywhere in Bermuda with a disabled-friendly beach and attendants. Just do the best you can for the disabled on a somewhat accessible quiet small public beach, such as Shelly Bay, - see Beaches at http://www.bermuda-online.org/beaches.htm - with the help of more able friends. But instead seriously consider taking your disabled friend or relative on an underwater walking/diving expedition, see Hartley's Undersea Walk Bermuda. It's a unique and wonderful Bermuda underwater experience by an organization with decades of expertise in the business. It operates from near the Dockyard. It is an experience they may never thought they could do. Just be available to render any assistance to the friendly and sympathetic Hartley family diving business. Be sure to contact them in advance of your arrival.

Customized taxi or disabled-friendly van tours may be good for those who can afford it but for disabled visitors there is a much less expensive and far more practical way to see Bermuda's best features, her glorious seascapes. That way is by government public transport ferry, easily Bermuda's best public transport option. They offer lower deck covered seating for the disabled, unlike government buses which are not disabled-friendly). Visitors who are disabled and their caregivers (carers) can get around quite easily and not expensively via these handicapped-accessible Bermuda Government-operated ferries to the principal sightseeing attractions of the City of Hamilton in the middle of the island, Dockyard (see Ireland Island north, above) and its Somerset Parish environs to the west and Town of St. George to the east, weather permitting (ferries don't run in high winds or worse). But note these ferries don't go to any of the island's beaches or other attractions.

Since the Bermuda Government approved the National Policy on Disabilities in June 2007, the Bermuda Government-approved National Accessibility Advisory Council has been working towards implementing a number of the goals and objectives of the policy. The Bermuda Government's National Office for Seniors and the Physically Challenged (NOSPC) works along with the Department of Planning and organizations such as The Corporation of Hamilton and other industry partners on a daily basis to upgrade accessibility throughout Bermuda. These have achieved curb cuts throughout the City of Hamilton and making a number of retail outlets  accessible. Some hotels now have ADA compliant guest rooms. Other advances also have been made to help to promote accessibility on the island.

Bermuda - as this websites 125+ in-depth web files show -is certainly a lovely place for all able-bodied residents and visitors, but for the physically challenged/disabled, the following presently apply:

• Physically handicapped - disabled - visitors should note Bermuda is tiny in size - a mere 21 square miles of total land area (700 miles east of North Carolina). Much larger countries, with many more disabled people compared to just a few thousand among Bermuda's total resident population of only about 66,000, often have better facilities. But there are a number of things Bermuda can do for its disabled residents and disabled visitors that it has not yet done. It will be wonderful for them and those of us who live here and are similarly handicapped when Bermuda's laws can finally compare favorably with those of the USA and other disability-friendly countries. Major improvements have been promised by the present Bermuda Government. In the meantime...

• Some taxis can take the physically handicapped and other disabled. But note that taxis are almost all minivans that require getting up at least a foot. Presently no Bermuda laws require any type of public or private transport to take the disabled, unlike in UK, USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, etc. 

• No visitors - able or disabled -  can rent a private car or truck.

• There is no equivalent in Bermuda of the USA's Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or the UK's Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 (so weak and ineffective in comparison to the USA's ADA). Since replaced by the just-as-ineffective Equality and Human Rights Commission at http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/). Bermuda has no similar legislation protecting the rights of the disabled or physically challenged, only what is contained in the local Human Rights Acts that don't cover non-Bermudians or visitors.

• The Bermuda Government does not require hotels, guest houses, cottage colonies, apartments, villas, shops or restaurants or sightseeing attractions or boats to make any of their facilities accessible. Those that do so in Bermuda anyway do so voluntarily. In contrast, the USA, Canada, UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, etc. have laws to require this.  In general, Bermuda is not yet wheelchair-friendly. There have not yet been adaptations to shops or restaurants.

• The Bermuda Government's public transport buses are all inaccessible. 

• The Bermuda Government's public ferries from one end of the island to the other are mostly, but not all, accessible.

• The permanently disabled, or physically challenged, do not get the financial assistance from the Bermuda Government routinely offered by Canada, USA, etc.  to their citizens and legal residents. Although Bermuda is (nominally) British, it offers none of the benefits British-UK disabled citizens get, such as a non-means-tested government-paid Disability Allowance (DLA) in the Higher Rate  for mobility, or Middle Rate or Lower Rate, or if over 65, an Attendance Allowance, for those who need help with personal care, by day and night. Plus, in the UK, a spouse or relative or friend under the age of 65 who provides at least 35 hours a week of care to a severely disabled person is entitled to a government-paid Carer's (Caregiver in USA and Canada) Allowance. Nor to the severely disabled of Bermuda of any age get - as they do in the UK - all their medical prescriptions entirely free of charge.

• 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 USA's heavy fines, rigidly enforced by police as law enforcement officers when requested by disabled applicants, as penalties to scofflaws for parking illegally in a designated disabled parking space without an appropriate parking badge. There are some designated physically-handicapped parking areas for 4-wheeled vehicles (but not mobility scooters). When violations occur the police here won't act.

• In none of Bermuda's otherwise good for the non-disabled 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 there are in all  public and private sector buses, trains, ferries in the USA, Canada, UK and the European Community.

• Unlike in the USA, Canada and UK, Bermuda exerts no requirement on business owners, landlords, owner occupiers and tenants to make 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, or the USA's ADA. 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. 

• 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 Cinema Exhibitors Association Card that gives free cinema (movie) tickets to carers (caregivers) who accompany qualified disabled individuals who apply for the card.

• There is no equivalent in Bermuda of the UK's government-approved and supported Motability Car Scheme for the disabled - see http://www.motability.co.uk/understanding-the-scheme/how-it-works/ which enables those qualified to swap their Disability Living Allowance at Higher Rate or new equivalent by going to a Motability-recognized car dealership and order a car plus maintenance plus insurance, every three years. 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.

• Personal gas or petrol or electric mobility vehicles - like the one shown - brought and 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. It has been claimed - but not verified - by some disabled visitors that in contrast to not being allowed to bring and drive their own mobility scooters in Bermuda on sidewalks or in crossing public roads without licensing and insurance, they are allowed to do this in Nassau, St. Thomas, St, Croix, San Juan, etc.  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. It is not generally appreciated by disabled visitors especially that Bermuda is one of the most traffic-dense places on earth, with traffic usually very busy, noisy and stressful. 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. 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. With 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.  

Bermuda Government Agency representing the disabled of Bermuda and visitors

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 has no website. As in the UK, there is no national register of senior citizens/ disabled/physically handicapped persons. If ever there are significant changes in Bermuda's laws relating to the disabled as recommended above, complete with the establishment of a national register as mentioned, then logically NOSPC, not the Corporation of Hamilton or Corporation of St. George, should issue Handicapped Parking Permits. It is interesting that UK regional authorities (not cities or towns) issuing these Permits are now imposing of a fee for them. In the past, there were free and it is believed this is still the case in the USA and Canada.

In May 2010 the Bermuda Government-staffed National Office for Seniors and Physically Challenged (NOSPC) was tasked with exploring options for employment tax relief for companies that hire disabled people. This author has long recommended that via NOSPC Bermuda initiate its own laws and regulations to bring Bermuda up to the same or similar standards as the USA, for example with Bermuda's own version of of the USA's ADA. NOSPC was created in 2001, and has been under the remit of the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Culture, and elsewhere, since then.  Its aim was to ensure seniors and those with disabilities can live a meaningful and productive life within the community. Collaborative relationships were formed with key stakeholders including: Age Concern, Meals on Wheels, clinical social workers at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, Department of Health Community Nursing, Environmental Health, Mid Atlantic Wellness Institute, Department of Planning and the Department of Financial Assistance. The office was given a wheelchair ramp. There were other ambitious minor plans.

In January 2010 a Para transit Strategy and Business Plan was proposed. It involved a meeting between taxi operators who service the mobility impaired and the Ministry of Tourism. The purpose was to seek taxi operators' views. The goal was to establish a Para transit service to provide transportation to Bermuda's mobility impaired population. It was hoped the plan will establish a framework for a transit system customized to suit the needs of Bermuda's physically impaired and possibly their equivalents who are tourists.

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.

In 2005 a National Advisory Council on Disabilities was established, after the Committee for a National Policy on Disabilities met 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 report was completed and Government accepted the recommendations with the 155 objectives.

Bermuda's Disability Benefits

These are limited to:

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), mentioned above.

There is a "Special Persons" photo-ID for locals, available to both the under 65s who are registered as 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).  

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 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.

Registered disabled owners of cars, on application to the Transport Control Department (see below), may qualify for free annual licensing of one specific small private car if they can satisfy in writing all the following conditions: are the principal owner or co-owner of a qualifying vehicle; can drive themselves and have a valid license to do so and/or 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.

Disabled Persons Parking Badge. Like the part of one shown here below. 

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

Bermuda's Disability organizations

Website links will be shown gladly when reciprocated.

• Bermuda Paralympic Association (BPARAS). Formed by Ann Lindroth, Vaughn Mosher, Leatrice Roman, Jennifer Southern, Paul Sullivan. RC 570. On July 26, 2012 it was announced by the (BPARAS) that Jessica Lewis would be the lone Bermuda representative at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London after Sandy Mitchell withdrew due to health issues. Mitchell was due to compete in the Para Dressage but was forced to withdraw at the 12th hour. Mitchell has been a veteran of three previous Paralympics. He is now focusing on Rio 2016. Lewis will fly the flag solo as she competes in the 100, 200, and 400 metres, reaching at least the ‘B’ standard in all three events while breaking her own personal best times. She previously made history at the 2011 ParaPan American Games in Mexico when she became the first ever track and field athlete to represent Bermuda at a major para-sport Championships. The London Paralympics 2012 was from August 29th to September 9th.
• Bermuda Special Needs Network.  A new advocacy group formed in 2011 to help promote the concerns of the Island's special needs community. It wants to see an accurate census of the population of special needs residents here, raise awareness for some of its most pressing issues, and then ask Government to let the community know how these issues are being addressed. It’s an umbrella organization, rather than different groups working in isolation. Most of the special needs population is hidden. That’s especially true with mental health issues. The group acknowledges that not everyone with special needs might welcome being added to a register, but that those who choose to “opt in” will need to be connected with the right services. For example, the Transport Control Department, for example, has certain special needs records.
• 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.
• Committee of 25 for Handicapped Children.  P. O. Box HM 927, Hamilton HM DX. 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 Physically Handicapped Association (BPHA)

Physical address: BPHA, Base Gate, 1 South Side, St. David's Island, DD 03, Bermuda. Postal (mailing) address: P.O. Box HM 8, Hamilton HM AX, Bermuda. Telephone (441) 293-5035, Monday to Friday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm local time. 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's Charities Act 1978. The only registered organization in Bermuda specifically for the physically challenged. Services include assisting in employment of the physically disabled and to promote better understanding and public awareness of their difficulties and needs. 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. Anyone, disabled or not, is welcome to join. Visitors and any working newcomers who are helped in any way by the BPHA are urged to become members and take an active interest. 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. 

Some permanently disabled Bermudians live at Summerhaven (shown below, right), 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 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.

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

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 - the Hamilton Princess and Southampton Princess Hotels - have Disabled/Handicapped Parking signs outside their premises. Also, they are presently the only 2 properties in the whole of Bermuda that say a few of their rooms are ADA-compliant. 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 under any present Bermuda laws specifically for the disabled.

Those Bermuda properties that are truly registered by the ADA as ADA-compliant in every way will have ADA-compliant signs that include these:

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) is especially dangerous for disabled passengers.

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 violation 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

In addition to NOSPC described earlier.

• 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 does not extend to helping disabled persons with Disabled Parking Badges ensure the latter are not abused. On a number of occasions when this has happened, disabled members have called the police in vain.

• Buses. Public transport. For latest information to supplement what is written below please contact the Bermuda Government's Public Transportation Board at 26 Palmetto Road, Devonshire DV 05, telephone 292-3851 if you are in Bermuda, or before you arrive at mailing address P.O. Box HM 443, Hamilton HM BX, Bermuda. Telephone (441) 292-3851, or fax (441) 292-9996 or email info@ptb.bm. See under Buses in Getting Around in Bermuda. In theory, disabled passengers should expect, wherever they go in the world, for some decent concessions to have been made for them in all forms of public transport. In practice, however, special circumstances may limit this, such as in Bermuda. Generally, the buses are fine for able passengers but please note they are not presently equipped for the severely disabled who needs to use a wheelchair on the buses, or the walking mobility-restricted disabled who use sticks or crutches, are unable to stand when the buses are crowded as they often are, especially at rush hour times or on busy tourism routes. It is hoped that from sometime in 2011 in Bermuda some wheelchair accessible buses will be available in Bermuda but when this occurs they are unlikely to refer to all buses and for those made wheelchair-accessible will be able to carry only one or at the most two wheelchair-bound persons at a time. This follows the pattern set in many places in the UK, etc. where most country, urban and town buses are similarly unable to carry more than one wheelchair-bound person. Only very few can carry two wheelchair-bound persons. It is unrealistic for the disabled to expect more than this. In 1993, a task force that developed the Headway Report made recommendations as to how the Bermuda Government could introduce public transportation for the handicapped. Since that time there have been numerous attempts to address the issue but no meaningful outcome. In 2009, a task force was spearheaded by the Ministry of Community and Cultural Affairs. The fact remains that public transportation by bus is still not possible for the handicapped in wheelchairs, not only because of the lack or scarcity of wheelchair access but also because the vast majority of the bus stops, all situated on Bermuda's narrow and very busy roads, 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. Clearly, while Government may wish to make improvements, much simply cannot be done due to environmental factors, without huge public expense and likelihood of creating significant traffic problems. What is also a problem on Bermuda buses (but has been remedied on buses in the USA, Canada and UK) is how there no signs pointing to seats reserved for clearly elderly and mobility-reduced passengers. 

No such signs appear on Bermuda buses, as they do in the UK, etc.

• 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 severely disabled persons in 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 ferry stops in Paget, Warwick and Watford Bridge have flights of steps or other impediments 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. 

• 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 other countries. For example, in the USA, Canada, UK, European Community, 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 latter Acts distinguish disability from short term illness and injury and accentuate 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.

• Statistics Department . Publishes detailed periodic statistics about the disabled population of Bermuda. In 2000 (the last time a census result was published, see below, although the 2010 census should be soon) 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 this. 

• 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.

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 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.

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. 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

Disabled Facilities on Cruise Ships

Physically challenged or blind or hearing impaired or mobility-restricted prospective passengers should always make a point of checking in advance or having their caregivers do so, what facilities are available for them on the cruise ships of the cruise lines they favor or, when not available, on competing cruise ships. These can vary considerably. Matters of particular importance may include:

• Disabled cabins on board with adequate door width for wheelchair access. Is the furniture lowered? Do their bathrooms have grab rails? Are the toilet seats raised? Are there shower stools?
• Wheelchair or scooter rental on board (generally, no).
• Wheelchair height and weight restrictions (generally, 23 inches wide, maximum)
• Or can you take your own wheelchair or scooter and if so can the latter also be used in Bermuda?
• Guide dogs allowed on board? Be aware they need special permission before they can disembark. See Guide Dogs for the Blind, below.
• Hoists available on board? If so, where? If not, you may have to take one, if allowed.
• Mobility aids available
• Braille available for the blind
• Facilities for deaf or hard-of-hearing

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 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 laws 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.

Cruise ships arriving in Bermuda with blind passengers with their own guide dogs should see "Guide Dogs for the Blind" below. 

Disabled Persons Parking Badge (DPPB)

For residents, details on how to obtain a Disabled Person's Parking Badge (DPPB) should be requested from the National Office of Seniors and the Physically Challenged (NOSPC) of the Ministry of Health - phone 292-7802. They can supply details of the procedure. One is issued by the Corporation of Hamilton. It has many such parking spaces.  Another version is issued by the Corporation of St. George. It has one Disabled Persons Parking Badge Permit parking space.

To be eligible, persons must have signed written verification from a doctor that the person has a severe physical disability that severely impairs mobility. If under 65 years old, they must also get - at a nominal cost of $1 - a Special Persons ID cards. Persons/caregivers should never park in a Handicapped Parking by Permit Only or Handicapped Parking area until they have actually received and affixed their Permits to their vehicles. 

To be valid, Disabled Persons Badges must be renewed by 31 January each year, with the previous year's Badge surrendered to the Corporation of Hamilton.  Overseas, it is a very serious offence to park illegally - without a Permit - in a Handicapped Parking by Permit Only and Handicapped Parking area. Doing so illegally carries penalties galore.

A DPPB of this type is unique to Bermuda. It must be emphasized that it is NOT valid in the UK or USA or Canada, (where different criteria apply to qualify to obtain one, including that a disability must be of a permanent type recognized by a relevant disability authority , the application must be supported by the applicant getting a Disability Living Allowance or USA or Canadian or European equivalent -  and the application must be approved by a competent local authority). Local qualifiers going overseas should check with the Corporation of Hamilton.

Disabled Parking for registered disabled visitors

There is no requirement for Bermuda to honor any disabled parking permits from any country, unlike in Canada, USA, UK and Europe where there are reciprocal agreements to honor those from certain named countries (which exclude Bermuda).  

Disabled /Handicapped parking spaces

Specially-marked parking for the disabled is available at the areas shown, only for locals and visitors with a valid Disabled Person's Parking Badge/Permit (or overseas legally accepted equivalent which they should bring with them if portable). While many places have "Handicapped Parking" signs, so far only the City of Hamilton, Bermuda International Airport and Southampton Princess Hotel have "Handicapped Parking by Permit only" signs. 

Only three places in Bermuda - one at the back of City Hall and two at the White & Sons Southside Supermarket - have spaces wide enough by ADA standards in the USA. 

King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) and other Bermuda Government owned facilities such as the Bermuda International Airport and Bermuda Aquarium are not private parking areas but public ones coming under the Parking of Vehicles (Designated Areas) Act 1973.

• Bermuda Aquarium, Museum & Zoo. 1. 
• Bermuda International Airport, 2. Outside Arrivals.
• Bermuda National Library, 1. Queen Street, Hamilton. Provided by Corporation of Hamilton.
• City Hall, 2, behind, for one-to two hours only. Provided by Corporation of Hamilton.
• City of Hamilton, 8, public car parks. Provided by Corporation of Hamilton.
• Clocktower Mall, Dockyard.1. 
• Fairmont Princess Hotel, Southampton, 2.
• Jubilee Park, Parsons Road, 1
• King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, 3
• Lindo's, Warwick, 1
• MarketPlace at Shelly Bay.
• Maritime Museum, Dockyard. 1.
• Reid Street, Hamilton. Outside Marks & Spencer. 1.Provided by Corporation of Hamilton.
• Shelly Bay Beach parking, 1
• Sonesta Beach Hotel . 2
• Town of St. George, 1.
• Transport Control Dept (TCD), 2
• White's, Warwick, 1

Guide Dogs for the Blind

Cruise visitors who are blind and have their own guide dog are advised to get their caregivers or family members who are not blind to apply as long as possible in advance, as all animals including guide dogs must be approved. The same applies to blind newcomers with their own guide dogs who are not working including those who may be dependents of those on Work Permits.

Bermuda does NOT have a quarantine period. You can personally import and export animals, usually from the USA but also from Canada and the UK, with sufficient notice (which can be as high as 6 months). A proviso is that they must be licensed and micro chipped and are free from any problems. For all personal importers of pets, there is a strict import and export procedure for their documentation and certification. 

A formal application must be made in advance to the Ministry of Environmental Protection. See ApplicationForPermitToImportSmallAnimals.pdf.

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.

Churches, shopping, sightseeing & visiting museums

How Bermuda rates, compared to USA, Canada, UK, Europe, etc.

Taxis and rates

See under Taxis in Getting Around in Bermuda. Same fares to apply to the disabled as they do for the able. It is suggested that before they are due to arrive in Bermuda at a certain time, severely disabled or walking but mobility-restricted visitors who have made and paid or reserved hotel or guest house or apartment reservations with an accommodation provider make a point of asking that provider to contact one of the taxi services mentioned by phone and make a taxi reservation stating their disability-related taxi needs. Similarly, those arriving not at the airport but on a cruise ship should ask their cruise ship provider for the same service. Taxis are great for picking up people from and taking them back to airports and taking their passengers from place to place on fairly short trips. For the disabled especially, who cannot use a moped or scooter or board the buses, they offer a good - if expensive - way of sightseeing further afield. But for most people who are on a budget they are not the most economical way to see the island when compared to the much lower costs of public transportation. 

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.  

Booklet and Disability Links

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.