A research unit in 国民彩票鈥檚 Faculty of Architecture and Planning is learning from those who have personal knowledge of the barriers that exist in the built environment.听
The team, based in the School of Planning, is comprised of faculty members, alumni, students and partners who lead and support projects exploring how planning can better achieve more equitable, accessible and healthy communities.听
鈥淥verall, I think able-bodied people take for granted the reliability of the built environment,鈥� says PEACH Coordinator Kate Clark (MPlan鈥�18). She says the PEACH team employs the social model of disability, which posits that disability occurs in the relationship between a person and their environment, as opposed to solely in the person.听
鈥淚'm surprised by how much accessibility is still looked at as a separate issue from all other issues,鈥� Clark says. 鈥淎ccessibility does or will affect everyone at some point in their lives.鈥�
Environmental limitations
Yaba Osifo, a PEACH researcher and Master of Planning student, uses a motorized wheelchair and says consulting people with lived experience is a crucial aspect of inclusive design, and one that鈥檚 often overlooked.听
鈥淣o one knows a problem better than the person who has lived it. And sometimes the solutions are not huge or profound 鈥� it could just be a tweak to the doorknob,鈥� she says. 鈥淲hen you do research with people who have lived experience, they can tell you specifically what the issue is and why it's an issue.鈥�
And the why, Osifo says, is key: 鈥淚f you don't understand the why, you might think, 鈥極h, it's just a mild inconvenience,鈥� but you don't see how that impacts someone, not just in the moment, but throughout their whole day.鈥�
Osifo says the mental load of considering the accessibility of a given space and planning for alternatives is taxing. 鈥淵ou always have to think about what if there are no elevators? You always have to think about how long it will take you to get from this place to this place,鈥� Osifo explains. 鈥淎nd for me using a motor wheelchair, I'm constantly worried about if my battery dies.鈥�
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Why accessibility matters
Almost a quarter of a million Nova Scotians live with some form of disability. According to the 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD), Nova Scotia has the highest rate of disability in the country 鈥� about one in three. The national average is one in five. (Data from the 2022 CSD will provide updated information and will be available in 2024.)听
鈥淒isability鈥�