Thread by @HeartAGlow

Good morning #YYJ-What's up? Having my am coffee,reading the Accessibility Framework Document submitted to CoV in 2020, by the #AWG (Accessibility Working Group) volunteers formed by city to provide recommendations to make Victoria more inclusive.#yyjpoli
victoria.ca/assets/Departm…

2/some excerpts:
In order to achieve the vision identified in our
OCP the City must take positive steps to remove barriers, involve those with diverse perspectives
and abilities, promote inclusion, and foster a positive and respectful community through its actions
and services.

3/The City of Victoria is committed to
identifying, removing, and preventing
barriers across its services, programs,
and infrastructure, in order to benefit
the community in a way that respects
the dignity and independence of people
with disabilities.

4/ and commits to making sure those
voices are part of community planning

5/ to create a high standard of accessibility
across municipal services and programs,
infrastructure, and projects.
{mm -requiring blind to cross cars to board busses/closing Arbutus Rd in BHP- is this what's meant by #accessible infrastructure?}

6/The aim of #equity is
to ensure that everyone has access to
equal benefits and outcomes.

7/ City...need to learn how people with disabilities
travel through the community, interact
in public+private places, and
participate in events and activities.
In many cases, the very real barriers
people with disabilities face mean
they cannot fully participate in
our community.

8/ {mm: I think of the 9/01 public hall, where a person who needed to be on a dialysis machine; was kept waiting for 4-5? hrs before their chance to come to podium at 11/11:30? pm. Did that fulfill goal to enable full participation+respect? Easy to allow them to speak earlier}

9/the importance
of retrofitting the built environment
and applying new, consistent, and
coordinated regional standards to
support accessible transportation,
parks, plazas, and public buildings.

10/It's important to recognize several common types and causes of disability. Some disabilities
are visible while others are not immediately visible to others, such as asthma, brain injuries or concussions,
allergies or environmental sensitivities,
extreme fatigue, chronic pain.

11/ {mm: this is an nb point- hidden disabilities are too oft ignored as if wheelchair users are the only id'ing factor (and even their needs aren't being adequately addressed/accommodated)}

12/ Informational or Communication Barriers:
An example of a communication
barrier is when information is available
only in audio or verbal format and is inaccessible to people with hearing loss.

13/Ways of addressing this barrier include
having sign language interpreters,
closed captioning services, or written
materials to accompany presentations.

14/ {mm: Bingo! I've been trying to intro this idea to CoV for a couple of yrs now - hope next council will provide full written transcripts of their meetings for those unable for any reason,to watch/listen. Again, this is surely an easy/inexpensive fix w technology available}

15/ It is estimated that currently 19,000 individuals in the City of Victoria live with one or more disabilities. {statsCan 2016- ie: approx 20-25% of population} and increasing in numbers and severity.

16/The rate of people with a disability living
in poverty is consistently higher in every
age category compared to Canadians
with no disabilities

17/Three in ten Canadians say accessibility
is a consideration for them when they
think about the places they will go and
which they will avoid in their community.

18/Victoria’s aging population (65 years and
over) is forecasted to grow by 50% over
the next 20 years, to 27,000 people. This
is significant because the prevalence of
disability increases with age and affirms
the need to start systematically reducing
accessibility barriers now.

19/{mm: for a mayor/council who present themselves as so forward looking (change is hard but necessary) - I'm wondering what proactive steps they have taken to reduce accessibility barriers *now*}

19/Depending on how they are planned and
built, urban environments, infrastructure,
facilities, and services can impede or
enable access, participation, and inclusion
for people.

20/An inclusive society provides opportunities
for meaningful participation in society. An
inclusive society fosters diversity, reduces
social and economic isolation, and promotes
mental and physical health and well-being.

21/Without inclusive opportunities, diversity
may be scarce, and control over choice can
be limited, reducing the ability for people
with disabilities to make positive choices to
their own lives.

21/There is a strong economic
imperative for increasing the inclusiveness
of our society, to foster job opportunities
that enhance the ability of people with
disabilities to be independent and free from
economic struggle

22/People with disabilities deserve the
opportunity to be actively involved in local
government decision-making processes,
especially decisions that affect them directly.

23/Inclusion enables participation by all, ensuring
all voices are part of shaping a sustainable,
healthy, and vibrant community.

24/ {mm: I so want to see this theory put into practice. How amazing it would be to have an elected councillor, Susan Simmons @MS_athlete who lives with disability herself; and so deeply understands, participates with and advocates for others with disabilities}

25/The City of Victoria is committed to identifying,
preventing, and removing barriers across its services,
programs, and infrastructure, in order to benefit the
community in a way that respects the dignity and
independence of people with disabilities.

26/“A city that is well designed is well
designed for all. Accessibility, as a
collective good that benefits all, should be
considered a central component of good
policy to achieve inclusive and sustainable
urban development”.

27/The key areas of responsibility that the
City can consider in its goal of identifying,
removing,and preventing accessibility
barriers include: • Public infrastructure • City programs and services • Municipal information, regulations,
and policies

28/The City must increase its awareness
and skills so that it can achieve higher
standards in accessible design, programs,
and service delivery

29/Prevention — Introducing new
accessibility design standards:
Design policies and standards for facilities,
transportation, information, and services
will help the City better integrate
accessibility requirements into design
processes,avoiding the creation of barriers

30/Removal — Retroactive accessibility
improvements: Many barriers exist due
to infrastructure, program and technology
design and installation, implementation,
decisions, and trade-offs made in the past.

31/

32/{mm: okay any folks following along with my abridged excerpts... on that last note - we're half way through! (pg 19/38) ~ Maybe a good time for a stretch break before continuing} BRB...

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