Re: “An inaccessible city”

A number of us who have worked in this field have been trying to get people to take notice of inaccessibility issues for a long time. Dan Huyghebaert’s article, “An inaccessible city,” (issue 26 of The Uniter) highlights many of the issues.

Housing is not just four walls and a roof. For housing to work it must take into account many issues including getting ‘to and from’ the location (transportation); where are the stores and shops (access to services); and affordability. Current government ‘home modification’ programs are typically available to only the lowest income brackets, but if the family income is greater than minimum wage it will likely eliminate eligibility.

Accessible housing for families requiring two or three bedrooms is almost non-existent. Although there are bachelor and one bedroom housing units, where does a person ‘wait’ for the years it takes to get in? Inaccessible housing places people at risk. Is it acceptable to have people live in housing that will not allow them to freely exit in an emergency, for example in the situation of fire or violence?

Bravo to The Uniter for speaking out.

– Brian Everton

Published in Volume 63, Number 27 of The Uniter (May 20, 2009)