Christine Whelan FEO, July 18, 2024, VOL. 5 ISSUE 23
The Accessibility Advisory Committee is an active and essential group of citizen appointees, the majority with disabilities, one member of council and Town staff members who work as a bridge between the community and our municipal government, working together to make public services and facilities accessible to everyone.
Lori Brant, who has been the Chair of the Committee for the last two years, is pleased with what has been achieved. “As a committee, I think we have a dynamic team. We’ve been able to get so many things accomplished.”
Lori recalled the first experiences that led her to participate. “I felt like there were some things that could be addressed. I couldn’t figure out how to do it, so I joined the Advisory Committee. It feels like it gives me an opportunity to see what I want come to fruition. It’s pretty empowering. It’s the alternative to sitting back and simply making comments of what should be done.”
“The process of working both with the community and the Town of Fort Erie is very proactive, cooperative and supportive. I think it has a lot to do with our doing the research, finding the need and having the answers so that it’s not all up to the Town Councillors to do everything.”
The Surveys
She says a lot stems from tools like the surveys that provide opportunities for community members to complete, giving them a voice. “This was done before, at Ridgefest, and that resulted in parking spots being put in near the post office on Ridge Road.”
Lori elaborated, “Through the surveys, the community is able to communicate with us what they want and as a committee, we do the research, find out if something can be done, how much money is needed and how we can make it happen.” About the process, “It really is phenomenal.”
She says the trick to getting things done in the community is to do the preliminary work first before presenting.
As posted on the Town of Fort Erie’s Facebook page, “Being a town that is accessible to everyone is extremely important to us. Please take this short survey to voice your opinion on how we can improve access in our community and help us shape the next 5-year Multi-Year Accessibility Plan.”
The committee also manned a booth at Ridgefest all Saturday, July 6, giving community members the opportunity to share their thoughts and needs.
The Beach Mat
In 2019, beach mats were laid out, running down to the water’s edge and along the beach to make Bay Beach accessible.
Brant described, “As a committee, we did the research, found out what type of mats were available, the price, and then worked to access grants so Town money didn’t have to be used.”
She expressed, “For our community to have the mats was huge. You see now, these days, it’s not just people in wheelchairs using the mats. You see parents with baby strollers and the elderly using them. Everyone’s using the mats to get to and from the beach. It’s not just about wheelchair users but I think in the past, that’s been the focus.”
There are subtle movements. “When I first moved here, it was really hard to get a wheelchair parking spot at Walmart. Myself and a couple others reached out to organizations in the community to just suggest that it would be great if there was more accessible parking. When Walmart redid their parking lot, they just did it, added more accessible parking. Things like that are getting done, too.”
Lori said, for her, the big one was the lift at the pool.
In 2022, the Accessibility Advisory Committee, the Fort Erie Lions Club, and the Ridgeway Lions Club collaborated to purchase a pool lift for the EJ Freeland Community Centre pool, making it easier for people with mobility challenges to get in and out of the pool at the Boys and Girls Club.
Other Work
The committee reviews plans for any multi-residential buildings. “We will review them for accessibility.”
They encourage people to reduce barriers to accessibility, “for example, getting the automatic door opener for the Stevensville Garden Gallery, since there is also a liquor store inside. There are a few fast-food restaurants that have made changes to their door systems.”
She added, “We went to Fleet and toured their facility. They requested that we give them feedback.”
The Committee is currently figuring out alternate solutions and changes to accessible, public transit. Examples of issues being addressed are long waits and limited hours.
“We can’t change what we don’t know,” Lori stated, encouraging anyone who has input to bring the Committee’s attention to it. Maybe fill out a survey.
“We can’t guarantee it, but we can certainly put it on the agenda.”
Lori attributed a lot of the goals being accomplished to Bev Bradnum, Manager, Strategic Initiatives, who is also the Liaison between the Town of Fort Erie and the Accessibility Advisory Committee. “It’s not just the committee members. It’s the partnership with the Town because we also have Councillor Ann-Marie Noyes.”
Bev Bradnum offered some insights into the focuses and activities of the Committee. “We’ve followed and met all the AODA requirements. That’s the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. It looks at every part of a person’s life, from customer service, information and communication, employment, transportation, and public spaces such as the beach mats.”
Another example of decreasing barriers is the partnership between the Accessibility Advisory Committee and the StopGap Foundation, bringing temporary access ramps to the Greater Fort Erie area’s businesses and organizations.
“We’ve got a StopGap program going on again for the second year,” Bradnum commented.
In 2023, a pilot project took place in the Ridgeway and Crystal Beach area, with nine businesses successfully applying for a StopGap temporary ramp to allow access into their building that had a single front step that created a barrier for some.
In 2024, Council approved additional funding to open the project to all Fort Erie businesses and applications are now open.
To learn more about the project, go to the forterie.ca website and search “StopGap Ramp Project”.
Bev noted that these projects don’t just provide accessibility to people who use wheelchairs. “Accessibility is for everyone. It’s for your grandmother, your friend who just had knee surgery or the new mom with the stroller.”
The Committee looks at the playground designs. “One of the big things we’ve pushed for for years is the rubberized surface,” Bev says.
She brought up the specialized transit service. “That’s door to door. We’ve always provided it locally but now it’s under the Region.” A new provider for the Specialized Transit Service will be started on July 1.
Bradnum believes it’s important for seniors to learn how to use the specialized as well as the conventional On-Demand Transit because, at some point, they will need to use the specialized service to meet their needs.
She talked about a different form of accessibility. Those, most often seniors, who don’t know how to use a computer for anything, from accessing necessary forms needed for everyday life to ordering On-Demand Transit service.
“Under the Information and Communication Standard, an alternate format has to be provided. Like for this survey the Accessibility Advisory Committee has. I’ve got it online, and I’ve also got it here at Town Hall as well as Ridgefest. We went to a seniors’ event with the survey. We go to where the people are so they can access it.”
AirBus contacted the Committee, Bev said, asking for a consultation to learn about the changes necessary to meet accessibility needs.
“We did a tour of Fleet, even their warehouse and parking lot,” Bev says people who require accessibility know what to look for. And they get right in there.
To learn more about this valuable committee, visit the Town of Fort Erie’s website and search “accessibility Fort Erie”.
