This newsletter/update is to keep members of CAN, or interested parties, up to date on our monthly meeting, what we discussed, what our plans are for the upcoming month, and any other pertinent information covered during the meeting. We understand that not everyone is able to attend a monthly meeting and hope that this will keep those interested in CAN in the loop. Please let us know if you have any questions or comments concerning our meetings and/or this update. Thank you for you interest. Your ideas, suggestions, and input will help to create positive change in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows. Together we CAN!
Citizens for Accessible Neighbourhoods held their second meeting this past Monday, October 17th. Our attendance doubled from our first meeting. We had an interesting group of people who came to our meeting for a variety of reasons. It was quite nice to have such a diverse group of people who want to work towards creating barrier-free communities.
The first topic that was discussed was transportation. I had set up a display table at the Ridge Meadows Seniors' Activity Centre on October 14th to introduce people to what CAN was, how we hoped to help, and what type of help we needed from others. For the entire five hours I was there I kept hearing about how transportation needs to be improved.
One of the issues concerning transportation is that Translink tells passengers in wheelchairs or scooters to only load and unload at designated bus stops. Designated bus stops are marked with a handicap decal on the bus stop post. This past month I wrote a report on this accessibility of bus stops in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows. We have several bus stops which are not deemed as accessible but which should be; for instance the two bus stops in front of the seniors’ centre are not marked as accessible, and the bus stop at the hospital is not accessible. These bus stops are used on a regular basis by those with mobility aids and should be accessible.
We are currently trying to find out from Translink and Coast Mountain Bus what the criteria is for deeming a bus stop accessible. We hope to hear from them soon so that we can reevaluate the stops that are not marked as accessible. If you are interested in receiveing a copy of the report please phone Heather at (604) 466-8771 or e-mail info@canbc.org.
During our discussion one of our members, Dan, mentioned that he had just begun training to become a shuttle bus driver. He said that he would ask his instructor what the rules are concerning shuttle buses. He reported back yesterday that "shuttles will pick-up and drop-off people with mobility assistance devices at any stop as long as there is not an obvious danger or safety issue, they even do request stops of convenience where there is no official stop." This is excellent news, unfortunately this information has not been communicated to the passengers who assumed that the shuttle buses ran by the same policies as the regular buses. Please pass this information along to people who use the shuttle buses and mobility devices.
Another subject concerning transit that was brought up concerns walkers and shuttle buses. The new shuttle buses have three or four steps at the front of the bus. I have had several people explain that they are not able to climb these steps, especially when they are supposed to fold their walker and carry it on-board. Dan asked his instructor about this as well. He was told that the "shuttles will also allow walkers or even strollers to use the loading lift for assistance." This means that if you are not able to walk up the steps you may use the lift located at the back of the bus .
We will continue to work towards getting straight answers from Translink about issues of transportation. We were fortunate that we had a member who is currently taking the shuttle bus driver course as he was able to get the answers immediately. Communication is one of the main problems with accessibility. CAN believes that companies are working towards solutions for accessibility but that they don’t always communicate what they have done, or adjustments they are willing to make, for their customers. We will continue to work towards improvign communication between companies and clients.
During our last meeting the subject of scooters not being allowed within the special needs seating at the ACT was discussed. We contacted the manager of the ACT who put us in touch with Front of House Supervisor, Landrie. We set up a meeting in which we could see if a scooter would fit within the perimeters of the fire safety area in the special needs seating. A member of the Municipal Advisory Committee on Accessibility Issues (MACAI), Don, came to the meeting with his scooter so that he could act as a visual. There is an invisible line that marks the boundaries of the special needs seating. If a scooter, or wheelchair, goes beyond this line it becomes a fire hazard as it blocks the aisle for patrons needing to escape in case of a fire. Don’s scooter just fit within the space provided. The ACT is now looking at allowing scooters within the seating as long as the scooters do not exceed 52" For people who use scooters and are able to transfer the ACT does ask that they do not take seats in the special needs section.
Those at the ACT have worked very hard to consider various groups of users and have tried to make as many accommodations as possible. They have been receptive to talking with us and we hope to continue working with them to work out how to best serve the customers. When booking a ticket please be clear in explaining to the staff what your needs are. They may be able to accommodate your needs without using the special needs seating.
During our last meeting we also discussed the ACT raising the prices of the special needs seating. The ACT has now started a two tier price system for most shows. Some shows will have three tier pricing. The ACT had charged people booking tickets in the specials needs seating the higher price. This was a mistake. They remedied this as soon as it was brought to their attention and apologized for the misinformation. If there are two prices than those in the special needs seating will pay the lower price. If there are three prices those in the special needs seating will pay the middle price. If you have any other concerns with the ACT please let us know. They have proven to be a very community minded organization and are working towards solutions with CAN and members of MACAI.
CAN is working in partnership with
If you experience any barriers while in restaurants please let us know so that we may add it to our checklist. The list that we make will not be rigid or definitive. Our list will change as we receive feedback from people and as we put the checklist to use while reviewing the restaurants. In our reviews we will not have a star rating as some restaurants may be very accessible for someone with a hearing impairment but not for someone with a wheelchair. We will write a brief synopsis about the accessibility and have a symbol to display which user group that particular restaurant is accessible for. Please let us know about any questions, comments, or concerns you have, we can only create a user guide that is relevant and helpful by listening to the users themselves.
As mentioned earlier CAN had a display table at the Ridge Meadows Seniors' Activity Centre on October 14th. New brochures for CAN were created for the display. We will disburse these throughout the community. If you have any suggestions for places where these brochures should be displayed please let us know.
The cost of creating brochures is high and CAN needs to start raising funds. CAN hopes to have a booth at the Maple Ridge Home Show in May 2006. We feel this is a great way to advertise our presence, to let people know who we are and what we are doing, and to get feedback from community members. It seems as though for each piece of information that people are learning from CAN they are offering two pieces of information which have helped them in their daily life.
In our first year we would like to let as many people know about us as possible. We feel that the home show, the second busiest in BC, would be a great avenue for making more people aware of CAN.
If you know of any company, organization, or service group, that would be interested in supporting us please let us know. The Rotary was suggested at our meeting and we will contact them to find out if what we are doing fits in with what they fund
Starting in January there will be a $20 membership fee. For those who are unable to afford $20, a $10 fee will be in place. For those who are able to afford more than the $20 we ask that they give more so that we may subsidize the members who are not able to afford the higher price. If you are truly not able to afford $10 we will work something out. This membership fee will be for the year of 2006. The membership fee will be used to create awareness about CAN and to work towards achieving our goals.
The other fundraising effort that will happening on behalf of CAN is the sale of photo cards at Christmas Craft Fairs. CAN will have a table at the November 5th craft sale at the RIdge Meadows Seniors' Activity Centre. We will also have a table at the Terry Fox Secondary School craft fair on November 19th. We will be selling photo cards and raffling off three 8x10 photographs. Please come out and support our efforts.
If you are aware of any other craft fairs please let us know. The Shoppers Drug Mart on 224th has offered us a discount on our photofinishing needs so that more money can go directly to CAN. We thank them for their support.
If you have any fundraising ideas or are willing to help us fundraise please contact Heather at (604) 466-8771 or e-mail info@canbc.org.
During our meeting we discussed the News article about accessibility. A reporter from the News contacted Heather about accessibility and the role of the Municipal Advisory Committee on Accessibility Issues. The article was well written and received a positive response from many community members. The article has created a dialogue about accessibility and barriers that exist within our community. We are happy to see that the local newspapers are aware of accessibility issues and that they are working to make more people knowledgable. The Times has also asked to be kept up to date on accessibility issues.
The Ridge Meadows Power Soccer team (soccer played by people with power wheelchairs) had found funding for their equipment and gym rental. The Ridge team is joining the Greater Vancouver Electric Wheelchair Sports Society (GVEWSS). By joining this league we will be part of a four team society. We will be playing a game once a month and traveling to Penticton for a tournament in the new year. The GVEWSS is working towards creating a tournament in the Lower Mainland. We are excited to be part of this society and look forward to games, tournaments, and improving our skills by playing with more experienced players.
We are still looking for volunteers to help coach and referee our
practices. If you are interested in volunteering or coming out to
watch a practice please contact Heather at (604) 466-8771 or e-mail
info@canbc.org. There are photographs of the
team and their first practice on the
The team practices Wednesday evenings from 6 - 7:30 PM at Alexander Robinson Elementary School (once the strike is over).
One of the topics that was raised during the first meeting and discussed again last night was the lack of communication concerning parking for those with handicap decals at the Ridge Meadows Hospital. If you have a handicap decal you may park in any parking spot at the hospital for free. This information is posted on posters in a few locations in the hospital but is not communicated at the pay parking machine. We will work during this upcoming month to remedy this. While this offer is great and will save people money it is frustrating to pay for parking and then go into the building to see the notices that the payment was not necessary. We will work towards having a clear sign on the parking machine so that those with the handicap decal do not pay.
One of CAN’s members is running for council. Dan Olson has been a member of CAN from the start and has been a supporter of accessibility for years. I met Dan while we worked together on the Smart Growth on the Ground initiative. Dan was one of the few people who understood the need for accessibility to be included in the Smart Growth report. His support and help was appreciated during that time, and his support and work for, and with, CAN is very much appreciated now. Dan is not a member of CAN because he is running for council, he is a member of CAN because he believes in creating barrier-free communities and because he has a family member who uses a mobility device.
CAN is fully behind Dan for council. If you would like to learn more about who Dan is and what he stands for go to his site danolson.Blogspot.com
CAN’s October meeting was very productive. We were glad to have new members out and enjoyed listening to their perspectives on accessibility. We look forward to progressing forward with our goals. If you have any feedback please let us know by phoning (604) 466-8771 or e-mail info@canbc.org.
I thank those who attended our meeting, and those who were unable to attend but offered their support and ideas by phone or e-mail. CAN is considering starting a daytime meeting in the new year for members who are unable to attend meetings at night. If you are interested please let us know.
A newsletter, such as this, will follow each meeting to keep you up to date. If you are interested in receiving a copy of this newsletter by e-mail or through regular post please contact us.
I hope to see you next month on November 21st at the Fraser Room in the Maple Ridge Library from 6:30 - 8:30 PM, or hear from you by e-mail (info@canbc.org)l or telephone (604-466-8771) prior to our meeting.
Remember together we CAN!
