The Accessible Community Forum
You are the expert of your experience. Be heard.
Let us know your thoughts about accessible travel.
Take our survey by Sunday, March 5th and attend the in-person forum at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Friday, March 10th.
Do you feel you have equitable access to accessible travel?
Join us in person, on Friday, March 10th, 2023, from 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM PT at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre for this inclusive and informative event on accessible travel. Doors open at 12:30 PM PT.
British Columbia is defined by its Pacific coastline and beautiful mountain ranges. There is no shortage of travel opportunities from Whistler to Tofino to the Okanagan and beyond.
With one in five Canadians (and approximately 15% of British Columbians) living with one or more disabilities, these opportunities must be accessible to all.
Presented by the Disability Foundation and hosted by the ConnecTra Society, this next Accessible Community Forum aims to cultivate a conversation between various organizations and our community of people with disabilities.
Accessible travel is a frequent topic of discussion in our outreach, previous Accessible Community Forums, and affiliated societies’ regular programming. Through our survey and forum, we will build on our current knowledge and broaden our collective understanding of your needs and how best to accommodate them.
Your feedback is not only appreciated but necessary to effectively communicate the public’s priorities when it comes to accessible travel in BC. The resulting report from this survey and forum will be sent to the panelists, related non-profit organizations, grantors who may fund these needs, government representatives and the City of Vancouver’s Accessibility Strategy Team.
Help us explore possible solutions and resources to bridge the gap between the accessible travel opportunities you currently experience and what they could become. The forum is an open, honest, and inclusive dialogue between a panel of organizational representatives and our beautiful province’s diverse disability community.
This next Accessible Community Forum takes place at Queen Elizabeth Theatre and includes the following moderator and panelists;
- Moderator: Peer Program Coordinator at Spinal Cord Injury BC, Ryan Clarkson
- Parliamentary Secretary for Accessibility, Susie Chant
- YVR representative, Senior Accessibility and Inclusion Specialist, Marco Chiaramonte
- Destination BC representative, and accessibility specialist, Kathleen Harvey
- Personal Travel Business Owner specializing in travel for persons with disabilities, in partnership with Flight Centre, David M Lyons-Black
- Founder and CEO of Travel for All, a full-service travel agency specializing in global travel for people with disabilities, Tarita Karsanji-Davenock.
Start the conversation by taking the Accessible Travel Survey by Sunday, March 5th, at 11:59 PM.
You are the expert of your experience. Be heard.
If you require any assistance taking the survey, register or attend this event – please email us at info@connectra.org. Closed captioning will be available.
About the Disability Foundation: Established in 1985 and based in Vancouver, B.C., the Disability Foundation strives to support people with physical disabilities by supporting accessible programs to enjoy outdoor activities, make social connections, and access personalized adapted devices. With the support of our well-rounded, multi-disciplinary board members, our leadership team has experienced great success in empowering the disability community to reimagine what is possible.
About the ConnecTra Society: Formed in 1999 by Vancouver tetraplegic Sam Sullivan, the ConnecTra Society is a connecting agency linking people with physical disabilities to activities and programs that will, over time, allow them to grow, gain confidence and become increasingly more active and involved in community life. We aim to get all people with significant disabilities living in British Columbia as socially active and engaged as possible through our workshops and other resources.
Let us know your thoughts about accessible travel. Take our survey by Sunday, March 5th and attend the in-person forum at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Friday, March 10th.
You are the expert of your experience. Be heard.
Past Forums
Accessible Education
November 18th, 2022
Do you feel you have equitable access to Accessible Education in British Columbia? Listen in as our community and group of panelists explore possible solutions and resources to bridge the gap between the education opportunities you currently experience, and what it could become.
Panelists:
Panelists
- Dr. Carly Christensen: Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia
- Mike Prescott: Project Manager for the Accessible Organizations Project at Disability Alliance BC
- Dr. Jennifer Fane: Director of Education at LDS (The Learning Disabilities Society)
- Frank Smith: National Coordinator of the National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS)
- Uli Egger: Accessible Standards Canada Technical Committee for a model standard of accessibility for the built environment
Transcript of the Forum Discussion
Accessible Education Survey Results
Accessible Education Resource Page
Accessible Housing
July 22nd, 2022
Accessible housing is a frequent topic of discussion in our outreach, previous Accessible Community Forums, and affiliated societies’ regular programming. Through our survey and forum, we will build on our current knowledge and broaden our collective understanding of your needs and how best to accommodate them.
With one in five Canadians (and approximately 15% of British Columbians) living with one or more disabilities, it is incredibly important that employment is accessible to all.
Inclusive Employment in BC
March 25th, 2022
Inclusive employment is a frequent topic of discussion in our community. Through our survey and forum, we built on our current knowledge and broadened our collective understanding of your employment needs and lived experiences.
- Moderator: Tony Botelho, Director of SFUs Career and Volunteer Services
- Serena Bains, Youth Leadership Coordinator with the Disability Foundation
- Ross MacMillan, Employer Engagement Specialist with Canucks Autism Network
- Sandy Labermeyer, Vocational Counsellor with WorkBC
- Micaela Evans, Advocate and Communications Specialist with Presidents Group
- Gary Birch, Executive Director of Neil Squire Society
Accessible Parking in BC
December 3rd, 2021 for International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPWD), we hosted an Accessible Community Forum (ACF) on Accessible Parking in BC in partnership with SPARC BC and ConnecTra. This event was a huge success, offering insight to the barriers that exist in our current legislation and how true accessibility can be achieved in the province, better informing our panelists on how we might make improvements.
This Accessible Community Forum included panelists from SPARC BC, the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, the City of Vancouver, and more.
Transcript
Survey Results
#SpotTaken Accessible Parking Campaign
Accessible Parking Resources
Accessible Recreation in BC
August 27th, 2021
Living in British Columbia, community members can participate in countless activities along the Pacific coastline and mountain ranges during the summer and visit indoor facilities during the winter. Through our survey and forum, we wanted to learn more about your top concerns about the barriers to accessibility for indoor and outdoor recreational activities in BC.
This Accessible Community Forum included panelists from from Spinal Cord Injury BC, The City of Surrey, Power to Be, SportAbility BC, Ocean Rehab & Fitness, and Parks Canada.
Built Environment in BC
May 21st, 2021
Built Environment includes human-made structures, features, and facilities viewed collectively as an environment in which people live and work. In this forum, we wanted to learn more about how the built environment in your home, neighbourhood, and community affects your everyday life.
Accessible Transportation
December 4th, 2020
Our first forum brought together representatives from Lyft ridesharing, the Accessibility Secretariat, Coast Mountain Bus Company (a subsidiary of Translink), ConnecTra and more to discuss issues of transportation accessibility in BC.
