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The Huron Expositor • November 21, 2007 Page 3
News
Accessibility committee helps Seaforth find
ways to reduce barriers on Main Street
From Page 1
"The ADA (Americans
with Disabilities) Act man-
dates a certain level of
accessibility but
Frankenmuth has gone
above and beyond those
standards to do the best we
can to be open and avail-
able," she says.
The Disabled Traveller, a
U.S. organization that
gives advice to tourists
with accessibility issues,
has given Frankenmuth
good reports.
"It's expensive to change
things, to add new entry-
ways, but it all comes
together in the end. And,
it's all part of doing busi-
ness and doing things
properly," says Tebedo.
Frankenmuth city man-
ager Charlie Graham adds
that since tourism is the
city's No. 1 industry, busi-
nesses are happy to make
themselves as accessible as
possible.
"Most places here are
accessible and the primary
driving force is that we've
been a tourist destination
Susan Hundertmark photo
Glen McLachlan, a member of the Huron County accessibility advisory committee, takes a run at the curb
cut at Seaforth's main intersection, a comer he says is one of the most difficult to climb in his wheelchair.
for 50 years. (Making the buildings
accessible) is just something people
do automatically. It just makes
sense," he says.
"There's some expense involved
but once you get it done, you don't
have to worry about it anymore,"
says Graham.
Having a city councillor who uses
a wheelchair has helped
Frankenmuth's awareness of acces-
sibility issues, he adds.
"He's never made an issue of it
but just by having a person like that
on council makes a difference," says
Graham.
Glen McLachlan says the back
alleys of Frankenmuth are paved
and cleaned up to improve accessi-
bility.
"Because they're a tourist town
and they want the business. If you
want to survive as a town, you've
got to bite the bullet," he says,
adding that as the seniors' popula-
tion grows, accessibility becomes
more and more an issue.
While the province of Ontario has
set 2025 as the year the province
will be completely accessible both in
the public and private sector,
Jennifer Cowan, coordinator of the
Huron accessibility advisory com-
mittee, says there are still very few
regulations in place to that end.
So far, municipalities are required
to look at one bylaw, one public
building and one service a year and
determine how to improve their
accessibility.
And, Cowan is 'expecting to
receive new legislation outlining
new customer service standards,
transportation standards and built
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environment standards.
"I don't think a lot of people know
this is coming," she says, adding
that she's planning to begin holding
public information sessions
throughout Huron County in the
spring to discuss new accessibility
requirements.
A recent accessibility audit of
downtown Seaforth - which included
Cowan, Glen McLachlan, Huron
East administrator Jack McLachlan
and Seaforth Coun. Bob Fisher, who
is also visually impaired and a
member of the county's accessibility
advisory committee - was the first
Cowan has done in Huron County.
"Seaforth is the only one who
asked for the committee to do it.
That doesn't mean others don't
want it," she adds.
While Huron East has been fol-
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lowing provincial require-
ments for accessibility,
Jack McLachlan admits
that lately the municipal-
ity has been going a -little
beyond the requirements.
"We have an aging
population and we're try-
ing to look at accessibili-
ty. We're just trying to be
conscious of the needs of
the people," he says.
During the walking
tour of Seaforth's down-
town, the group talked
about the need to create
more curb cuts to allow
drivers in wheelchairs
quicker access to the
sidewalk from handi-
capped parking spots and
the need to grind down
sidewalks and existing
curb cuts that are too
steep for wheelchairs.
Alerted to the prob-
lem earlier by Joe Boyd, a
Seaforth man who has
been blind for six years
from glaucoma, the town
has already raised sever-
al street signs so that he
and other visually -
impaired people in town
don't run into them.
Fisher says he'd like to see a dedi-
cated pedeOrrian crosswalk with
flashing lights somewhere down-
town but the town is still research-
ing that idea.
"It would be a better, safer system
of crossing the street but no one's
been able to tell me how to get one.
The crosswalks we have now are
use at your own risk," says Fisher.
With the recent installation of
automatic door openers at the
Seaforth post office and discussion
about installing some at the
Seaforth arena, Fisher says he's
happy with the progress Seaforth is
making with accessibility.
"The town staff has been proac-
tive. We're doing pretty well in
Seaforth," he says.
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