This post was written by Manpreet Virdi, ES Administrative Assistant

With one in five Canadians expected to have a disability by 2030 we need to increase understanding around important disability issues, and change attitudes about people with disabilities that will allow them to live and work to their full potential.

Currently many buildings and public spaces are not accessible for a significant number of people and this problem will only get worse as the percentage of Canadians with disabilities and our aging population continues to grow.

If buildings were more accessible for people with disabilities, we would be more active in our communities.

To do my part to help, here are some things you might not know about what accessibility is:

What does it mean for a building to be ‘accessible’? 

This means that a building might have a ramp, door opener buttons, or elevators, depending on what is needed to get in, out of and around the building safely.

In my experience some buildings say that they are accessible and when you see the buildings they are not accessible because they do not have things like: button for the door, a proper ramp to get in and out of a building safely. In my opinion this would mean a building is not considered accessible.

In fact, I experienced this recently at the SRSM Staff Retreat when we were told that the 4Cats location on W10th was accessible but when we got there, there was a step up to get into the building! We had to make a makeshift ramp out of some pieces of wood which was unsafe and very scary for me.

How does the campus decide on accessibility priorities?

UBC works with the Access and Diversity department to get advice on how to deal with accessibility issues, and to decide what the priorities should be.

Who is in charge of accessibility on campus?

There is no formal person or formal department that is in charge of accessibility on campus but the Access and Diversity department has been given an informal consultation role on accessibility issues and priorities.

Are there special challenges for people with disabilities on campus at UBC?

I have been in a building on campus that had a sticker indicating that there was a button to open the door however it turned out they actually didn’t. I called Access and Diversity and told them that I have a class in this building and there was no way for me to open the door. It made me feel frustrated because I had to have someone come with me and open the door for me. The button was finally installed after I finished the term.

You can also hear more about these kinds of challenges in this Ubyssey article.

What are UBC’s goals with accessibility?

Some of UBC’s goals with accessibility is to deal with the following challenges for people with disabilities:

  • long distances between buildings over a large campus
  • complicated network of formal and informal pedestrian routes
  • rising slopes (e.g. a significant slope from West Mall to Main Mall)
  • limited accessible parking and vehicle access in the campus core
  • inconsistent access to the main entrances of buildings, particularly older buildings

However, UBC has made many improvements to accessibility on campus recently including:

  • improved access to the main entrance of the Leonard S. Klinck building
  • Installation of a ramp at the Old Administration Building and at Buchanan Courtyard (pavilion entrance and off of Main Mall)
  • curb let downs at crosswalks
  • grouping high-use buildings near transit and allowing mixed uses of buildings in the campus core, such as the new Student Union Building and Ponderosa Commons, to reduce travel distances

Hopefully some of this information will help you learn about and consider accessibility in your daily lives!