People who encounter barriers weigh in on city building standards

Updated accessibility guidelines to be presented to council in spring

If updated accessibility standards were in place on Friday, Phillip Bobawski’s visit to city hall would have been much different.

“I would have been dropped off safely in front of this building. I would have a place to take my service dog to relieve him. I would be able to dispose of my diabetes testing materials safely. There would be braille on every sign in the city so I could find an office or meeting room,” said Bobawski, with his guide dog by his side.

Bobawski and other Calgarians addressed the city’s committee on planning and urban development Friday morning following an uncomfortable few minutes in which the need for new guidelines on accessibility was acutely highlighted.

“We have four microphones,” committee chair Coun. Andre Chabot told members of the public who attempted to manoeuvre their wheelchairs so they could address the committee in a room on the main floor of old city hall.

“And only one accessible spot,” he added.

Coun. Druh Farrell later quizzed city bureaucrats whether the room would become more accessible in the future.

“This morning was very awkward. We scrambled and fumbled. It’s supposed to be seamless,” she said.

After hearing from Calgarians who detailed what a big difference the more-modern guidelines would make in their lives, the committee endorsed the updated Access Design Standards 2016, which apply to all city buildings and facilities.

The document will go to council in the fall and it’s hoped that beginning April 1, 2017, the new standards that cover everything from washrooms to signage, and serve as a complement to the Alberta Building Code, will be used when renovating existing city facilities or building new ones.

The 59- page Access Design Standards 2016 document calls for things like accessible parking spots within 50 metres of building entrances (currently parking must be located as close as possible to a main entrance), sharps disposal containers in public washrooms and dedicated service dog relieving areas outside city buildings.

Councillors heard that 12.5 per cent of Calgary’s population has a disability and in 20 years, as the population ages, it’s estimated one out of five Canadians will live with a disability.

Anuya Pai, who gets around in a wheelchair, addressed the committee and told councillors to think of a situation in which they felt uncomfortable, or that their presence was not wanted.

She said that feeling was a glimpse at what it’s like to live in a world that’s been physically constructed in a way that “undermines your existence and value as a person.”

After the meeting, Bobawski, who lost his vision several years ago, said the design world and the urban planning world have long operated under the assumption that “everybody is able-bodied.”

He said for many places, accessibility means a “push button, a ramp and an oversized bathroom.”

“That’s totally insufficient,” he said.

“The disabled community is no longer sitting in a home staring out a window listening to the radio with a blanket over their lap. We’re out experiencing the world and life, just like able-bodied people.”

The disabled community is no longer sitting in a home staring out a window listening to the radio.