'This has to change now': Accessibility advocates say time for consultation is over
St. John's Mayor Danny Breen says council is working towards a more accessible city
Advocates who are pushing for Newfoundland and Labrador to be a more accessible place for persons with disabilities say the province's announcement of regulatory changes is a start — but there is still a long way to go.
We cannot consult for another five years.- Cecilia Carroll
Cecilia Carroll, who chaired the Building Accessibility Advisory Board, said she's delighted to see some action — finally.
"The recommendations have been in for a while, and we've been waiting for a long time for them to go through the process within government to get to this point," she said.
On Monday, Service NL Minister Sherry Gambin-Walsh announced 18 changes to make buildings more accessible, and improve parking for those with mobility impairments.
Those changes are expected to take effect within the next eight months.
Gambin-Walsh said it's the first step of a two-phase approach, that will include a legislative review of the Buildings Accessibility Act — which has not changed in 36 years.
Consultation 'takes forever'
Carroll said the last review of the act took four years, and wrapped up in 2004 — and she said most of the recommendations went nowhere.
She said she felt gutted to hear the minister say that more public consultation is needed.
"As soon as I heard 'consultation' my heart dropped, because it takes forever," said Carroll, who uses a wheelchair.
"We cannot consult for another five years, and then wait another three or four years for it to go through the process within government ... We need to take a stand, and say, 'This has to change, and this has to change now.'"
Emily Christy, the executive director of the Coalition of Persons with Disabilities NL, echoed Carroll's comments.
You've got the information, let's put it into action.- Emily Christy
"In some ways, that's a bit offensive to people with disabilities, because they're continually being asked to bring issues forward that they've brought forward for decades," she said.
"You've got the information, let's put it into action."
Carroll said there's work that can happen now for inspectors and people who approve building plans.
"I can go into a brand new building and can't reach the soap dispenser or paper towels," she said.
"There needs to be education in government in regards to the inspectors that are out there inspecting, in regards to the people that are looking at plans and saying, 'These are OK.'"
Mile One ramp built to code
One lesson CBC News has learned while investigating accessibility issues in St. John's: something may be built to code, but it doesn't mean it's fully accessible.
Nancy Reid, who uses a manual wheelchair, found the ramp at Mile One Centre to be so steep, a person without good upper-body strength would never make it.
Mayor Danny Breen agreed.
"I think what it does is speaks to the need to have the code updated," he said.
"Back when the building was built [in 2001], this met the code. That code hasn't changed ... since."
When the amended Building Accessibility Regulations come into effect, any new builds or major renovations will require a more gentle slope for ramps — changing from 1:12 gradient level to 1:16.
Fixing blue zones and meters
While standing near Mile One, Breen also admitted that St. John's is short on blue zone parking spaces.
"I don't know what the right number is, but there doesn't seem to be enough," he said.
"If you just walked around [here], you can see that there's not any that you can see from this vantage point."
CBC's Access Denied series outlined other issues in the city, such as a blue zone parking meter on Duckworth Street that was taller than a standard meter, and blue zone spaces without curb cuts nearby.
Breen said those issues have already been fixed, or will be fixed soon.
"Our inclusion team and our universal design team are working with our staff to improve the situation downtown," he said.
"We want our buildings to be in excess of the standards that are required, until the standards are updated ... and provide leadership for other parties who have facilities in the city to make best efforts that they can to increase accessibility."
