When Jocelyn Richards goes to grocery stores in Collingwood in her wheelchair, she’s not able to reach anything on the upper shelves.
This week, Collingwood’s clock tower has been glowing green in honour of local non-profit Breaking Down Barriers, to get people talking about changes that could be made to make life easier for people with disabilities.
While Collingwood has made many changes over the years to address accessibility concerns, Richards said the town still has a ways to go before it can truly be considered fully accessible, and is challenging town council to roll a mile in her shoes.
Richards has lived in Collingwood for 10 years and has been wheelchair-bound for the past five due to multiple sclerosis. She noted a major shift in her perception of adequate accessibility in Collingwood since she started using a wheelchair everyday.
“A lot of businesses have stairs so I can’t even get into them. Even if I can get into them, many times there are more stairs inside the store,” said Richards. “I understand a lot of this has to do with the age of some buildings and the (Ontario) Heritage Act.”
“I also understand that a lot of the buildings, especially in the downtown, are rented out. So, the renters don’t want to absorb the cost (of retrofitting) and the owners don’t want to absorb the cost because they’re not there.”
“It’s kind of a catch-22,” she said. “I just think more could be done.”
Even running a regular errand, like shopping, can be difficult for Richards.
“Even if I can get in, I can’t get through half the stores. I’m knocking stuff over because stores are jam-packed,” she said.
She notes the winters are particularly difficult, as snow piles on sidewalks and snow banks covering sloped accessibility points to sidewalks means that she often finds herself having to manoeuvre her wheelchair on the road.
“In the winter, it’s just a nightmare downtown, so I just don’t go downtown in the winter unless I absolutely have to,” said Richards. “I think the town could be doing a lot more. It seems like change takes forever. I’ve been up here for 10 years and in a wheelchair for five. I see no difference in the town.”
Richards is issuing a challenge to Collingwood town councillors.
“I’d like to see everyone on council spend a 24-hour day in a wheelchair,” she said. “Get to and from work, park your car, try to find a handicap spot, try to open doors. If they do that for 24 hours, then maybe they’ll see.”
She said she even has a spare wheelchair she'd be willing to donate to the endeavour if any councillors choose to take her up on the offer.
“You just don’t get it until you’re there. I didn’t,” she said.
2025 deadline for accessibility fast approaching
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) aims to identify, remove and prevent barriers for people with disabilities. The AODA became law on June 13, 2005 and applies to all levels of government, non-profits, and private-sector businesses in Ontario that have one or more employees.
Under the AODA, the government is responsible for creating accessibility standards that organizations must follow, with the ultimate goal being to make Ontario more accessible and inclusive by 2025.
“I think Collingwood has a lot to be proud of,” said Teresa Gal, executive director of Breaking Down Barriers. “There are still places that, of course, are not fully accessible.”
While many businesses and spaces may have ramps to allow wheelchairs, Gal said there are many instances where, while inside, the interior spaces can still be difficult to navigate, or may not have wheelchair-accessible washrooms, for example.
“When we look at heritage structures and older buildings, sometimes they might have bathrooms in a basement but maybe there’s another building a few doors down with an accessible bathroom where someone could go. There have been apps created where... partnerships are made to access other business’ bathrooms,” she said.
Even Breaking Down Barriers’ own offices face challenges. Located at 234 Ste. Marie Street, their building is also considered a heritage building.
“We also have to abide by codes from the heritage committee when we’re making adjustments to things on our site,” she said. “We want to make things accessible but we also have to follow certain guidelines.”
In regards to what the town could do to improve accessibility, Gal agrees with Richards that snow removal is a key concern.
“A lot of times, that’s where we see a challenge more than anything,” she said. “A lot of times when snow removal happens, it goes up onto the sidewalks. It has been a barrier for those using mobility devices.”
With 2025 quickly approaching, Gal said opening eyes and opening doors is part of Breaking Down Barriers’ mandate.
If you have a business and you’re interested in finding out ways you can make your space more accessible for people with disabilities, or apply for funding to make those changes, Breaking Down Barriers can help. They can be contacted through their website here.
A major overhaul six years ago
Sue Nicholson, chair of the Collingwood Downtown Business Improvement Area (BIA), said the organization has done a lot of work to make Collingwood’s downtown more accessible.
In 2015, the Collingwood Downtown Streetscape Revitalization Project offered business owners options to add concrete ramps to the front of their buildings through funding from the federal, provincial and municipal governments and the Collingwood BIA.
The Collingwood Downtown BIA won a MainStreet Accessibility award through the Ontario BIA Association for their efforts.
“At that time, about 50 per cent of our buildings were accessible. When we were done, we added another 30 per cent as we worked with engineers who were fixing the streetscape to change levels,” said Nicholson. “It was a real win for us.”
As part of the project, most patio placements were shifted to the outer edge of downtown sidewalks to prevent meandering walkways.
Urban braille was added to sidewalks to better define walkways and intersections. Inset street names at intersections were introduced and textured pavers made it easier for visually challenged people to find their way on the street. Audible crossing signals were installed at main intersections.
Nicholson acknowledges there’s always room for improvement, although improvements can be more complicated than they may seem.
“It can be difficult downtown, because many of the buildings are heritage. It’s not so much because you can’t change the frontage, but it’s more because in order to put a ramp in... it would have to run to the middle of the street because of the grade that’s necessary,” she said, adding that including ramps in certain areas can create trip hazards, which is an additional liability concern.
“There are all sorts of disabilities. People think it’s just wheelchairs, but it’s a lot more than that. Our businesses have to think about all of them,” said Nicholson.
“It’s a challenge, and not just in Collingwood,” she said.
The issue is one being faced across Ontario, said Nicholson. The Ontario BIA Association (OBIAA) is holding a provincial summit on Oct. 20 on the subject. Called Accessing Our Heritage, the Ontario-wide initiative focuses on increasing the accessibility of Ontario’s heritage buildings, spaces and main streets.
For more information on the upcoming Ontario BIA Association (OBIAA) summit, click here.
Making town-owned spaces more accessible
Collingwood’s Accessibility Advisory Committee is a committee of council which is responsible to provide advice to council and town staff on how to make public services and facilities accessible to everyone.
Margaret Adolphe is chair of the committee and Jennifer Parker, co-ordinator of community well-being and inclusion with the Town of Collingwood, also sits on the committee.
“Often, people have disabilities that aren’t visible,” said Adolphe. “We, as a committee, are trying to help people and not be judgmental.”
“I think Collingwood has done a great job. Looking at public spaces is always ongoing,” said Adolphe.
She said the committee has looked at potential future initiatives such as having a sign language translator at community events and council meetings, making changes to the length of lights to give people with mobility issues enough time to cross at key intersections and making the town website more accessible.
“There’s been a lot of work by the committee on how we share information on our website,” said Parker. “There’s a lot about communication and awareness.”
Parker noted Collingwood’s population is aging, and growing rapidly.
“There’s a diversity of residents in our community. Being a more accessible community is good for everyone,” she said.
If you have a disability, are experiencing a barrier and would like to alert the town and the Accessibility Advisory Committee to see if something can be done about it, you can fill out a barrier identification form here.
