Story 3.1 (Shelburne)

In Shelburne, Nova Scotia, a small town is making big changes to ensure everyone can enjoy their community spaces. Adam, the Director of Recreation and Parks, is leading the way. He was inspired by his predecessor’s commitment to making sure everyone can participate.

Adam and his team always think about how they can creatively adapt environments to support people of all ages and abilities. They created a simple policy that guides all their projects. This policy helps them get support from councils, plan budgets, and manage big projects.

While looking at public guidelines for accessibility was helpful, Adam’s team wanted to do more than just meet the minimum requirements. For them, accessibility is not just about physical structures such as walls and doors. It’s about creating environments that make people feel safe and supported, and that provide positive experiences for everyone.

Adam sees built environments as constantly changing. As people interact with spaces, the environment evolves to meet their needs. This is important to understand how infrastructure needs change over time.

A great example of this approach is the recent upgrade of a popular local park. The park is used a lot by both locals and visitors, so they wanted to make sure it was accessible to everyone. With the help of a grant, they hired a consultant to assess the park’s accessibility. The consultant identified what was working well, what needed improvement, and provided recommendations for future design.

Getting feedback from the community was crucial. Adam’s team met with an accessibility advisory committee and took community members with disabilities on site visits. This ongoing conversation helped them adapt the park’s design to better serve their diverse community.

Story 3.2 (Edmonton)

Heather (she/her) has spent over a decade with the City of Edmonton, working on projects that promote inclusivity and accessibility. In 2018, she teamed up with a colleague and fellow accessibility champion with expertise in architecture, to develop a groundbreaking policy:  Accessibility for People with Disabilities Policy C602. This policy was officially approved in 2019.

To implement this policy, Heather helped create the first three-year Corporate Accessibility Plan, which ran from 2021 to 2024. Currently, she is working on the second multi-year plan, set to begin in 2025. The City of Edmonton also developed its own “Access Design Guide,” which exceeds the requirements of the Alberta Building Code. This guide ensures that all new buildings are designed with accessibility in mind.

Heather credits two key factors for the success of her work: securing support from senior leadership and creating a change management plan. This plan helped staff understand the policy and fostered a cultural shift toward greater acceptance and understanding. Engaging with people with disabilities, inclusive programmers, and community allies was also crucial. Feedback was gathered through online surveys and in-person sessions held at familiar community spaces. This feedback was shared across departments, leading to actions that addressed identified barriers.