HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2017-08-03, Page 15Big world, small wheels
By Julie Sawchuk
Life on a ramp
Century -old farm houses were not built for wheelchairs.
Blyth -area resident Julie Sawchuk is seen here on the 20 -
foot ramp that allows her to now enter her home. Last
weekend marked her second anniversary of joining the
growing population of Ontario residents who live with a
disability. By 2025, 40 per cent of residents will be living
within that population. Using a wheelchair has been a
learning curve, so in her new monthly series, Sawchuk will
be sharing what she's learned along the way. (courtesy photo)
Close play
The Linwood Chiefs were the big winners of the 46th
annual Brussels Tigers fastball tournament, beating the
Wingham Hitmen in extra innings in the finals to prevail by
a score of 5-4. (Denny Scott photo)
In small town Ontario, most of the
built environment was constructed
circa 1900 (give or take a couple of
decades). In that era, the average life
expectancy, according to Statistics
Canada, was approximately age 50.
People with catastrophic injuries
would not have survived (antibiotics
had not yet appeared on the scene)
and people with other types of
disabling conditions were
considered "infirm" and would have
lived in an institution and not been
able/allowed to venture out into the
community.
What is my point? Well,
historically, the need to
accommodate people with
disabilities was not taken into
consideration when we built our
villages, churches, schools, homes
and storefronts. Honestly, who
thought that building a high school
into a hill was a good idea? Two-
storey homes take up less space on
building lots, true, but why not put
the first floor at ground level?
With the advancement of
medicine (think antibiotics and joint
replacements) and technology
(mobility devices like wheelchairs
and power scooters) people with
physical disabilities are living
longer and are getting out of their
homes and around their community
like never before. The problem is, of
course, we are not tearing down and
rebuilding at the same rate.
Shrinking rural populations do not
lead to new construction.
So what is being done?
Renovation and retrofitting for a
start are happening. The Province of
Ontario has set the lofty goal of
being completely accessible by the
year 2025*. Why the asterisk?
Because conditions apply. Only new
construction and renovations of
Motorists
injured
At 5:05 p.m. on July 25, Huron
County Ontario Provincial Police
(OPP), Huron County Paramedic
Services and Fire Department of
North Huron personnel were
dispatched to attend to a two -
vehicle crash located on London
Road at Belfast Road.
Upon arrival, emergency services
providers found a Chevrolet
Silverado pickup truck fully
engulfed in flames. The female
driver was able to get out of the
vehicle before it erupted in flames.
The subsequent police
investigation determined a
Chevrolet GM4 pickup truck was
travelling northbound on London
Road when the driver signaled,
slowed and attempted to turn
westbound onto Belfast Road.
According to police, the driver of
the trailing vehicle, a Chevrolet
Silverado, failed to recognize the
vehicle ahead was stopping.
Police said the driver attempted to
avoid the collision by manoeuvering
onto the shoulder however her
pickup truck collided with the rear
of the GM4.
The driver of the Chevrolet GM4,
a 21 -year-old female from Morris-
Tumberry, and a 35 -year-old male
passenger, also from Morris-
Turnberry, sustained non -life
threatening injuries.
The driver of the Chevrolet
Silverado, a 17 -year-old female
from Huron East, also sustained
non -life threatening injuries.
THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 2017. PAGE 15.
public spaces must comply.
However, if you look at it from a
business perspective - it is the smart
thing to do.
Ontario, and many other places
around the world, is going to
undergo a cultural shift. People with
disabilities bring a lot to the table.
We bring our knowledge, expertise
and a different perspective to the
workforce - a workforce that
currently underutilizes these
resources. Harnessing the power of
people with disabilities allows for
the application of the principles of
universal design to new products,
services, transportation,
communication and recreation.
The other part of the picture is that
people with disabilities have friends
and family. Creating an accessibly -
built environment means that
everyone can enjoy it together. My
extended family of 13 has found a
place to meet, eat and be social that
is completely accessible midway
between our homes. That table of 13
meets there several times each year
now; had they not been able to
accommodate our needs we never
would have even graced their door.
Don't get me started on my list of
places (shops, restaurants and
services) to which I will never go
back.
So it is with great excitement (for
so many reasons) that the newly -
constructed and soon-to-be open
Cowbell Brewing Co. has grown
out of the Huron County clay. From
day one, the people at Cowbell have
shown that creating accessible
places and services is the right thing
to do.
Back in January, 2017 I invited
myself to have a look at the
blueprints at their architect's office.
What I saw was everything I had
expected and more. The week before
I met with them I spent time
combing through legislation and
building code — looking for the not -
so -obvious accessibility needs. With
very few exceptions, they were all
there. So now I wait, wheels at the
ready, to see the plans on paper
transformed to real life wood, steel
and cement.
When you arrive to take in the
opening days you will see multiple
wheelchair accessible (wide, level
and close to the main entrance)
parking spaces, wide automatic
doors (ground -heated for snowmelt
in winter) accommodated seating,
elevator (with tactile buttons) to the
second floor for tours of the brewery
on the accessible walkway. And
most exciting for me (because I plan
my days around where I can find
one) there is not one, but
two universally accessible
washrooms!
When I asked Steven and Grant if
they had a goal of being Ontario's
most accessible brewery they replied
that even though these plans could
possibly result in that, they were
doing it "because it is the right thing
to do".
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