After sustaining a spinal cord injury in the fall of 2002, and since then requiring the use of a power wheelchair, I have become increasingly frustrated with encountering inaccessible spaces. I am continually reminded that very little is being done to increase accessibility in all communities and as a Waterloo engineering grad, I recognize this as an opportunity. I wanted people to start talking about these big issues that don’t just affect me, but affect so many other groups of people too. Parents with strollers, delivery people, the elderly, those with temporary mobility restrictions due to injury or illness, and by affiliation all those accompanying anyone from any of these groups. I quickly started to realize that everyone is affected by inaccessible spaces.
So, in 2011, I pulled together a bunch of volunteers and donated building materials and together we built 13 colourful and deployable ramps for businesses in Toronto’s Junction neighbourhood. The ramps were intended to not only remove barriers but they were also meant to raise awareness about the importance of an inclusive and barrier-free society, the value of having a storefront that everyone can access, and our human right to equal access.
It became clear from the incredibly positive outcome of the first Community Ramp Project that similar projects could be launched in different communities across the GTA and its huge potential to raise awareness nationally. Since then over 50 successful Community Ramp Projects have been completed in different communities across Canada and there are now more than 1,200 brightly painted ramps raising awareness and providing access to various locations across the country.
The StopGap Foundation became a registered charity in 2013 with a mission to create a world where every person can access every space. The Foundation helps communities discover the benefit of barrier-free spaces and provides support in creating them through fun and engaging programs including the Community Ramp Project, Ramps on Request Program, Corporate Teambuilding Program, and School Projects. StopGap’s initiatives help inspire a shift in perspective about the importance of universal access and inclusion. With hopes, this shift in perspective will help fast-track the process of enacting barrier removing legislation in communities across Canada.
The Ontario government passed the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act in 2005 with a mandate to create a barrier free Ontario by 2025. The act has really helped remove barriers for people with disabilities ensuring equal access to employment and websites for example but very little with respect to how we design and build the spaces that we live, work, and play in. The Community Ramp Project has become very important.
As a province and as a society in general, there is a need to start the design process somewhere and the ramp project is that starting point that will lead to finding great permanent solutions to the single step issue and other physical barriers that currently affect many people, not just wheelchair users. The ramps are now being requested by business owners because their customers are demanding that they get one. This incredible feedback confirms that a simple ramp can make life easier for all of us. Furthermore, the ramps have proven that barrier free solutions can increase a business's customer base and is therefore a worthwhile investment.
I graduated from Waterloo’s Civil Engineering program in the spring of 2002 and worked as an EIT at Truman Services before becoming a licensed professional engineer working at Blackwell Structural Engineers in Toronto. I love solving problems and my 5 years at Waterloo combined with close to a decade working in the structural engineering industry allowed me to hone my problem solving skills. I’m also kind of an adrenaline junkie and search out opportunities for excitement, which usually involves facing fears head-on.
These two qualities have been good to me, overcoming fears of the unknown and embracing change in my life provides opportunity to create newfound perspectives. I’ve learned that taking this approach to life inspires innovative ideas, it helps me establish new connections, and ultimately paves the way for really enriching experiences. There was a time in my life when accessibility was the farthest thing off my radar. But 14 years ago my blinders were removed and I was all of a sudden introduced to a world that’s not well suited for someone who uses a wheelchair.
Did you know that the electric toothbrush was originally designed for someone with limited use of their hands?! When we design something for someone with a disability, everyone benefits. Working together with a growing community of like-minded advocates and supporters, we're witnessing people remove their blinders.
We all have unique ways of life and unique ways of doing things and with a shift in perspective, people start to recognize others for what they can do and not what they can't do. I invite all readers to remove your own blinders and join in helping form a vision of a University of Waterloo, a Canada, a world where the word disability no longer exists.
You can help! Visit StopGap and consider joining our growing team of passionate donors, you’ll become part of a team who successfully inspires a shift in perspective and helps make our country an even better place to live.
Here’s to an incredible 60 years of innovation! Together with another 60 years of future grads, let’s reach a collective understanding that it's not us that have disabilities but it's the places that we live, work, and play in that are disabling.
We love hearing about the fantastic things alumni are up to after graduation. Now is your chance, share your story with us!
