Meeting building standards does not always mean a public facility works for the people expected to use it.
That message came through repeatedly Tuesday as residents, advocates, parents, and community organizations gathered at the Alfred Jenkins Field House for Prince Albert’s Community Accessibility Fair and Public Accessibility Feedback Group meeting.
Information tables were set up outside the meeting room by organizations including CNIB, the Community Service Centre, and the Early Childhood Intervention Program. Attendees could speak with service providers before joining the public discussion.
After the meeting, attendees gathered outside for a free barbecue hosted by the city with help from the West Flat Citizens’ Group. A long line formed as residents, families, advocates and service providers waited for hamburgers before continuing conversations around the information tables.
Much of the crowd was made up of older residents, people who are blind or have low vision and the family members or support people who accompanied them. Parents of children with disabilities also attended and spoke about the barriers their families face in public facilities.
Participants raised concerns about universal changing rooms, wheelchair seating, high-contrast markings, accessible taxis, transit capacity and the need to consult people with disabilities before new facilities are designed.
Mohammed, advocacy lead for CNIB Saskatchewan, said municipalities often point to building codes or accessibility certifications as proof a facility is accessible. That does not always reflect how the building works in practice.
Arjun Pillai/Daily Herald
Charlene Tebbutt addresses attendees during the accessibility feedback meeting at the Alfred Jenkins Field House.
“The city must prioritize community feedback rather than just sticking to meeting standards in code,” he said. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that they are accessible. So I believe more consultation must happen at the beginning of a project, not at the end.”
Mohammed, who has been blind since birth, visited several Prince Albert facilities while in the city. He identified a lack of family changing rooms at the Field House and Lake Country Co-op Leisure Centre, along with low-contrast stairs and markings at the leisure centre.
He said some of the lower steps could appear to be a flat surface to someone with low vision because they do not provide enough visual contrast.
“Often individuals who are blind and partially sighted are consulted at the end, or not consulted at all,” he said. “We need to make sure that those voices are prioritized and they’re at the centre of any kind of major renovations or new capital projects that happen within the city.”
The need for universal changing rooms was also raised by the parent of a three-year-old child with cerebral palsy. She told the group her daughter has already outgrown infant changing tables, leaving the family with few safe and dignified options at public facilities.
She said her daughter may otherwise have to be changed on a washroom floor, in a vehicle or the family may have to leave an activity early.
Arjun Pillai/Daily Herald
Residents, advocates, caregivers and service providers take part in the Public Accessibility Feedback Group meeting inside the Alfred Jenkins Field House.
Another participant said family changing rooms are also important for adults who need help from a spouse or caregiver of another gender.
City Community Safety and Wellbeing Manager Anna Dinsdale said the feedback identified needs the city had not fully heard before, including the challenges faced by people living with more than one disability.
She said universal changing rooms could be the kind of specific improvement the city may be able to pursue through accessibility grants, but cautioned that not every concern can be addressed immediately.
“There are small things that we can do as a city that make significant improvements for community members with accessibility needs, and we need to understand what those small things are and make progress,” Dinsdale said.
She said the city must also indentify larger barriers and determine how they can be addressed over time.
Transit took up a large portion of the meeting. Participants called for wheelchair-accessible taxis at the same rate as regular taxis and audible fare information for passengers who cannot see a taxi meter.
They also raised concerns about the limited capacity and scheduling of Access Transit.
The city is preparing for a broader transit and walkability review that will look at routes, underserved areas, bus stops, curb heights and other barriers. Dinsdale said Access Transit demand could also be included in that work.
Arjun Pillai/Daily Herald
Attendees line up outside the Alfred Jenkins Field House for the free barbecue held after the accessibility meeting.
New accessible conventional transit buses are being manufactured and are expected to arrive in December.
The group also asked to be consulted on the planned downtown streetscape before construction begins. Dinsdale said it had not previously occurred to her that the project should come before the accessibility group, but agreed that it should.
“Of course it should,” she said. “I think that’s something that we can absolutely go back to City and say.”
The city will ask staff working on the downtown project to present the plans and gather feedback from the group. Dinsdale said the city should also consider making consultation with the group part of future municipal designs, while being transparent when financial or technical limitations prevent every suggestion from being adopted.
Communication remained another concern. Participants said relying on websites and online notices excludes residents who do not use the internet, cannot afford it or cannot easily navigate digital information.
That discussion expanded when the city’s new $2 fee for mailed utility bills was raised. Participants questioned how residents without reliable access to technology would learn about council decisions or respond before they were approved.
Dinsdale said she would bring the group’s concerns back to the appropriate city departments.
She said participation increased from the previous meeting, possibly because the city used a wider mix of media announcements, social media and word of mouth.
Feedback from the meeting will be shared with the city’s cross-departmental accessibility group and included in an accessibility plan update expected to go before council in the coming months.
The city will also publish meeting minutes online and work on any achievable items before the group meets again.
Dinsdale said the priority over the next year will be finding realistic “quick wins” that build momentum without losing sight of larger barriers.
“We often look at our gaps in terms of accessibility, and I think we can feel overwhelmed with those gaps,” she said. “Instead, what we need to do is really narrow down on some achievable quick wins over the next 12 months.”
The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 4:30 p.m. The location has not yet been confirmed.
