Rick Hansen Foundation

Your fall newsletter has arrived! Catch up on the impact you are making, as well as a note from our new Board Chair, Jane Halford, FCA, ICD.D. Highlights include stories from a blind marathon runner, a mechanic and drag racer with an SCI injury, Dr. Brian Kwon's appointment as director of ICORD, and more. We are so grateful for our donors who make our work in all these areas possible. Thank you for being a part of our mission to create a world without barriers for people with disabilities! Join the movement by making a donation today. Read the newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gqUAQUmH

Early Bird registration opens today for APN2025: Building for People. We are proud to once again host Canada’s premier conference on accessibility in the built environment. Act quickly to secure your spot at the conference, and save up to $200 with early bird pricing! The conference brings together architects, engineers, designers, planners, staff from all levels of government, individuals working in Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity (DE&I), Accessibility Professional Network (APN) members and corporate leaders, among others, to collaborate on how to create an accessible built environment for all. Join us at the Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, B.C. or virtually, on Thursday, March 27, and Friday, March 28, 2025. When you centre the user in design, it inspires us to think about how someone truly uses a site, going beyond minimum requirements and current practices to create a truly inclusive world. It’s time to start Building for People. https://lnkd.in/gM7qvVNj #APN2025 #conference #accessibility

Today is World Teachers’ Day! To celebrate, we want to thank all the teachers who put in an incredible effort year-round. Our School Program team is so grateful for all of you who educate and empower the next generation of disability inclusion champions. While we provide resources, presentations and professional development to support teachers in educating their classes on inclusion and accessibility, it is always the care and dedication from the teachers that matters most. Your determination to shift perspectives and empower future leaders inspires us daily! 🍎🌟🎉 Learn more about our school program: https://lnkd.in/gwTs9bds #WorldTeachersDay

How do you raise the bar of quality in our public buildings and landscapes? It’s critical to incorporate lived experience in design. A five-year research project, called Quality in Canada’s Built Environment: Roadmaps to Equity, Social Value and Sustainability is determined to answer that question. Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), it intends to bring us closer to the UN’s Sustainable Development goals of sustainable cities and communities and reduced inequality. The Rick Hansen Foundation is proud to be a partner of the SSHRC project in supporting research teams across Canada to include an accessibility lens in their definitions of quality in the built environment, and in co-designing new paths to equity, diversity and inclusion for people of all ages and abilities. We are two years in, and so we are taking a moment to look back on what has been done so far! Read our latest blog to discover more about this exciting research project, and how it will help inform improved accessibility for future generations. Living Atlas of Quality in Architecture and the Built Environment https://lnkd.in/gieHAdTr #Leadership #planning #builtenvironment #urbanplanning #futurecities #accessibility

As part of their commitment to meaningful accessibility, BOMA Canada invites all BOMA Members to have their buildings rated for accessibility using the our Accessibility Certification (RHFAC) program. In 2019, BOMA Canada launched the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Challenge Award, to the building that achieves the highest RHFAC rating. This year’s award was presented to Pacific Blue Cross in Burnaby, managed by GWL Realty Advisors. Congratulations on your achievement!

Today marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in honour of the children who did not return home and the survivors of residential schools.       The Rick Hansen Foundation is committed to educating and empowering our staff to take action towards truth and reconciliation and find ways we can be allies to support Indigenous, Inuit, and Métis communities through our work.  We are proud to be building and strengthening relationships with indigenous communities across the country including Seabird Island Band, Malahat Nation and Ditiadaht First Nation who are participating in our BC Accessibility Grants program to train communities, rate and upgrade spaces for accessibility. In 2022, we had a conversation with Dr. Rheanna Robinson about the intersectionality of disability and indigeneity, which has helped us shift our perspectives. Dr. Rheanna Robinson is a Métis woman in Prince George, B.C.  who lives with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. We are re-sharing what we learned from Dr. Robinson with you today in the spirit of learning and unlearning. Dr. Robinson explains that the notion of disability as being a singular, overarching term is a colonial social construct. Given the rich diversity among Indigenous peoples — including First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples — the colonial perspective of disability does not necessarily align with the traditional views of many Indigenous groups. In many Indigenous languages, there is no word for ‘disability.’  Discover the full article:  https://lnkd.in/gHG9hg7S Additionally, we recommend reading the 94 calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s final report, following Indigenous content creators on social media, purchasing from Indigenous-owned businesses, and learning about the lands on which you live, and wearing orange to honour the thousands of survivors of residential schools.    Every Child Matters 🧡  #NDTR, #TruthAndReconciliation, #OrangeShirtDay, #EveryChildMatters 

Congratulations to First West Credit Union for receiving the Accessibility Progress Award for their Penticton Regional Office. This award recognizes a previously rated site for the highest overall improvement on their RHFAC rating. We love to see the RHFAC rating being used as a roadmap to improved access! “At First West, our purpose is to create a future where everyone can flourish,” said Liz Bailey-Connor, Chief People & Culture Office, First West Credit Union. “When we reflect on this statement, we continuously reach the same conclusion—how can someone flourish when something as foundational as accessibility isn’t meeting their needs? We are immensely proud to receive the Accessibility Progress Award because it shows not only our firm commitment to bettering accessibility across our organization, but it also highlights accessibility as a continuous journey with ongoing learning and adaptation. Through meaningful conversations, dedicated training and resources, and the buy-in of our leadership teams, we are integrating accessibility in all facets of our organization—ultimately furthering our goal to create an accessible environment for all.” Well done! #accessibility #leadership #DEI #award

Congratulations to Carleton University for receiving the Innovation Award in this year’s Buildings Without Barriers Challenge! This award was given to Carleton’s MacOdrum Library, which received the most innovation points on their RHFAC rating.   “Carleton University is proud to participate in the Buildings Without Barriers Challenge this year and thrilled to receive the Innovation Award for the leadership shown by our MacOdrum library,” said Dean Mellway, Accessibility Advisor of Facilities, Management and Planning at Carleton University. “Carleton is in the midst of completing a campus wide audit using the RHFAC program. We are committed to ensuring that all of our existing buildings achieve Certification, and all new buildings achieve RHFAC Gold Certification. Thank you for this recognition.” Well done! #accessibility #leadership #DEI #award

Congratulations to GWL Realty Advisors for receiving the Commitment Award in this year’s Buildings Without Barriers Challenge! This award goes to the organization with the most buildings or pre-construction plans rated with RHFAC. There was a three-way tie, and each winner had 13 sites rated, an extraordinary number. “We would like to extend our gratitude to the building owners and our staff who share the vision of enhanced tenant and visitor experiences,” said Steven Marino, Executive Vice President, Portfolio Management. “We also appreciate the tremendous work of the Rick Hansen Foundation. Their dedication to promoting accessibility and initiatives like the Buildings Without Barriers Challenge is truly inspiring. The Foundation’s commitment to creating an inclusive society is the cornerstone of our shared success. Your support and hard work enable us to positively impact the communities we serve.” Well done! #accessibility #leadership #DEI #award

Congratulations to Choice Properties for receiving the Commitment Award in this year’s Buildings Without Barriers Challenge! This award goes to the organization with the most buildings or pre-construction plans rated with RHFAC. There was a three-way tie, and each winner had 13 sites rated, an extraordinary number. “At Choice Properties, accessibility is integral to our purpose of creating places where people thrive,” said Claudia Nemi, Vice President of National Property Management, Choice Properties. “As one of Canada’s largest landlords, we play a significant role in shaping our environment and how it is experienced by the community. We are proud to be partners of the Rick Hansen Foundation; and we look forward to continuing our efforts towards inclusion in our portfolio and meeting the diverse needs of the people who shop, live and work at our properties every single day." Well done! #accessibility #leadership #DEI #award