Victoria and the CRD highlight initiatives during National AccessAbility Week

National AccessAbility Week (NAAW) came to an end today cl. This year’s theme was "Forward Together: Accessibility and Inclusion for All. To kick it off, the Canadian Congress on Disability Inclusion, was held virtually on May 23.

“This is a time to celebrate the many incredible contributions that more than eight million Canadians with disabilities have made to our country and highlights the leadership of all those who work tirelessly to make our country a more accessible and inclusive place,”

Kamal Khera, Canada’s minister of diversity, inclusion, and persons with disabilities said.

“Accessibility is not just about removing barriers; it’s about creating a world where everyone has the opportunity to participate fully and enjoy all that our beautiful region has to offer,” said CRD Board Chair Colin Plant.

Barriers to access and inclusion can be attitudinal, informational, technological, physical, architectural, organizational, and systemic.

Statistics Canada’s reporting indicates  27% of Canada’s population 15 years and older lives with at least one disability. Close to 19K Victorians live with one or more disabilities. Some disabilities such as physical, visual, and hearing impairments are more obvious to others while those such as asthma, acquired brain injuries, allergies or environmental sensitivities, chronic fatigue, and pain may be less so. Many other disabilities also affect the way a person lives their everyday life.

The United Nations defines accessibility as “a precondition for an inclusive society for all and may be defined as the provision of flexibility to accommodate each user’s needs and preferences.”

The City of Victoria defines accessibility as “the degree of ease that something (e.g. device, service, place) can be used and enjoyed by people with disabilities.”

According to the Canadian Survey on Disability, self-reporting of mental health-related, seeing, learning, memory, and developmental disabilities increased in 2022 from 2017. In 2022, the largest increase belonged to mental health-related disabilities, which increased by six percentage points, from 33% in 2017.

In 2020, the City of Victoria adopted the Accessibility Framework as well as a short-term action plan which included goals to achieve from 2020-24. The framework includes a set of goals and directions that provide support to city planning that generates a high standard of accessibility across municipal services, programs, infrastructure, and projects. One of the mandates of the accessibility committee is to act as a resource and provide advice and recommendations to the city council and staff on the implementation of the framework and action plans.

Last year, the CRD Board established an accessibility advisory committee (AAC) to help the livability, inclusivity, and accessibility of persons working and interacting with the CRD. The city meets the committee each month.

Other City of Victoria accessibility initiatives include a Guide to User-Friendly Trails, a pilot project developed through a partnership between CRD Regional Parks, the Intermunicipal Advisory Committee on Disability Issues (IACDI), and West Shore Parks & Recreation. The guide contains 48 pages of full-colour photographs, maps, and descriptions of user-friendly trails within the Capital Regional District parks and the West Shore municipalities.

Over the past three years, the CRD completed accessibility projects at Elk/Beaver Lake and Thetis Regional Parks, Mt. Work, and Witty’s Lagoon including accessible picnic tables, the installation of mobility mats for lake use, and increased accessible parking stalls. “I am heartened that our regional parks team and stakeholders are laser-focused on providing more inclusive, barrier-free parks experiences where everyone can feel like they belong,” said Cliff McNiel-Smith CRD regional parks committee chair.

Improvements have also been made to accessible wayfinding and signage at City Hall, Victoria Conference Centre, Crystal Gardens, NeighbourSpace, Royal Athletic Park, and the Crystal Pool.

For people in Victoria who have mobility challenges or require assistance with their bins, residents can apply to receive assistance through the city’s Helping Hand program for solid waste management. For people living with a disability wishing to participate in municipal community gardens, the city has a Community Garden Accessibility Toolkit.

Accessible parking passes for reduced-fee parking are available for persons with disabilities. A dedicated inclusion coordinator who can assist persons with disabilities wishing to access recreation spaces and services is also available.

“We will continue to strive for inclusivity in every project ensuring that our natural species can be enjoyed by all,” said Plant.