The disabled community is the most diverse community of all. We are all races, ethnicities, religions, et cetera. And people may “join” our community and leave after a time, such as after surgery that impairs mobility or the other senses. Given enough time, we all become disabled by age. There is such a shame surrounding […]
accessibility
Posted inNews + Opinion
Safer and accessible seating needed on Halifax Transit buses
When I see those blue plastic bus seats, I know I’m in for a stressful ride. Ever since Halifax Transit introduced them last year, they’ve added yet another awkward complication I’m forced to confront en route to my destination. The seats are extremely slippery and difficult to stay on, and I’ve fallen off them more […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Resigned to isolation in an inaccessible city
As a person living with cerebral palsy, the concern of accessibility is always on my mind. I take the time to map out my routes and watch the weather, hoping that I will be able to take a bus and make that commitment I planned weeks ago. When winter arrives, I brace myself. It still […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
10 things that happened at city council
ACCESSIBILITY INACCESSIBLE Steve Craig is fed up with the lack of accessible transportation options in HRM. It’s been three years since the Lower Sackville councillor tried to expand the city’s door-to-door paratransit service, and now he’ll have to wait at least a few more months for an outside consultant’s strategic review of Access-a-Bus service. “I’m […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Disabled is just different
We live in a society that is very focused on independence. It seems as though the goal for an adult life is independence, and if you can’t ever reach that goal, then perhaps you haven’t really grown up. You’re doing it wrong. It makes us uncomfortable to think about what it might mean if we […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Bayers Lake medical centre site called inaccessible
The retail wilderness of the Bayers Lake Industrial Park “severely lacks” the transit and accessible infrastructure needed for the province’s new outpatient centre, say planning advocates. On Thursday the provincial Liberal government announced it had purchased 15 acres of land in the BLIP as part of the redevelopment of the ageing QEII Health Science Centre. […]
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A “universal design” for accessibility called for at law amendments committee
Jim McDermott, professor of deaf studies at Nova Scotia Community College, wanted to express his frustration last week during public hearings at the law amendments committee about the province’s Accessibility Act. “I wanted to know different people’s comments, what they were saying, and I have no idea because it was not accessible to me,” he […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
A long road ahead for Nova Scotians with disabilities
Nova Scotia is on its way to becoming the the third province in Canada to implement accessibility legislation, after Ontario and Manitoba. But for many living with disabilities, the act is overdue. April will mark 12 years since 40-year-old Paul Blaauw was last employed. He previously worked at a computer shop, where he enjoyed his […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Halifax should do more to make sidewalks walkable
[Image-1] Halifax is in the midst of a shift in the way that we think about our streets. In the newest round of ideas presented for the Integrated Mobility Plan, staff have made it clear that if we want to get more people out of their cars, we need to think about streets as places […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Halifax Transit rolls out stop announcements
Starting next week, your bus might start talking to you. More specifically, Halifax Transit is rolling out automated stop announcements on 13 of its bus routes. Audio stop announcements will be delivered through speakers on both the inside and outside of the bus. The information will also scroll across the “stop request” display sign at […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Accessibility Act amended following criticism
The province is amending its Accessibility Act after receiving criticism from advocates and Nova Scotians with disabilities. The legislation is supposed to fulfill a promise made by the Liberal government “ensuring that all Nova Scotians have the ability to participate fully in their communities.” But when the act was brought forward, some people in the […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Don’t underestimate the value of a decent transit map
[Image-1] Halifax Transit has a new roadmap for success, but figuring out how to get around this city on anything other than a smartphone is still something of a paper chase. On Tuesday HRM regional council tentatively approved an overhaul of the municipality’s transit network. The Moving Forward Together plan from Halifax Transit will begin […]
