Transforming the World One Building at a Time With Karin Pasqua

Accessibility should not be an afterthought. Buildings and spaces should not be designed for people with no disabilities only. Because, as Karin Pasqua of Meaningful Access Consultants says, we are all going to be affected at some point in our lives by accessibility issues. With that in mind, we need to look at design as universal before shovels hit the dirt.

 

TRANSCRIPT

 

Transforming the World One Building at a Time with Karin Pasqua

 

00:05
Thanks again. It's time for DDA's encouraging abilities podcast. I'm your host, Evan Kelly, the communications manager here at Developmental Disabilities Association. Today we're talking about universal design and accessibility.

00:18
find this topic quite interesting as a person who does not identify with having a disability, I find that after working at DDA for a few years that the way I look at things, at least from a physical point of view, is shifting. Noticing things that need changing or wondering how someone with limited mobility can navigate something to how a door handle is designed that can be very limiting. It's been eye opening for me to say the least. Joining me today is Karen Pasqua, Universal to Design and Accessibility Consultant with Meaningful

00:48
access consultants based here in the Lower Mainland. Now Karen is an RHFAC professional and accessibility and universal design consultant with a passion for beautiful functional design. She's got a deep understanding that spaces and events in our communities should be enjoyed by everyone of all abilities. And she has expertise in working with municipalities and community spaces. She likes to say that she's part engineer, part occupational therapist. She has a natural affinity for adapting

01:18
environment and turning what some see as complex access problems into thoughtful barrier-free solutions. So thanks for joining us today, Karen. Thank you. Thank you for welcoming me onto your show today. My pleasure. So what got you into this line of work? It seems really quite interesting. That's that's quite the question. My background is very diverse. I will say that as from the

01:48
that I wanted to help people with disabilities. And back then, as a child, you perceived the world in a more limited way, perhaps. And in my mind, I thought I wanted to be a pediatrician. But organic chemistry is not my friend. So that led me down a little bit of a different path. And I'm so glad that that's the case. So my background is a smattering of working in

02:16
In university, I used to work at a camp for adults and children with disabilities. And it just became such an incredible love. And I love to like figure out the environment and how could we make the camp even more inclusive for everybody. And I went on to take courses in communication disabilities. And I worked as a speech and language assistant at a Center for Child Development for quite some time.

02:45
organizations to raise money for people with disabilities. I've worked at all sorts of different organizations and then eventually I ended up at the city of Surrey as the accessibility and universal design specialist. And from that, that just really reinforced where my passion lied and I took more and more courses and eventually decided to go out on my own because my passion is really to make

03:13
more and more of the world more inclusive for all of us. So I guess that's the cold note of how I got here. I think we need a lot more people like you. So I guess in terms of the city of Surrey, just to you know.

03:26
talking about that, it's one of the fastest growing cities in Canada. That must have been a lot of opportunity in terms of being involved in the growth and the change in accessibility in that town. Oh absolutely and I'm so proud of the work that we did and I still get to work with the city now sort of in a different capacity and just to be able to bring in facilities that

03:51
meet the needs of our community and just ensure that nobody's left behind. Because let's be honest, right, we all want to be involved. We all want to go to a rec center and to be able to work with architects and developers to ensure that the new spaces would be welcoming and retrofitting old facilities to to increase accessibility. And, you know, it's always a bit of a moving target. But, you know, when we find a grant and we can put in an automatic door opener, fantastic.

04:21
you know, that's a step, you know, check that one off the list. But it's been incredible. Give me some great insights into not just recreation, but our bylaws and making sure that, you know, let's say there's enough parking available for people to even get in the door or our cultural sites, you know. It's not just about being able to go to a community center, but we all want to go to museums and participate in theater and shows.

04:49
the whole gambit. So it was the most incredible experience. And just also, you know, I have to say the best part of that experience was actually shifting people's mindsets.

05:02
that is probably my favorite thing. That's part of my job. Yeah, that would, I mean, when I sort of look at this, to me there's kind of two sides. We were talking about accessibility and often that means, like you said, going back and retrofitting something and changing something that was already built for typically developed people or people who don't have spinal injuries or something. And now what it seems, what I'm seeing at least from my vantage point here at

05:32
to change that perspective. We need to look at things, not really, not necessarily, oh how can we make this better or how can we change this, but looking at it from a universal perspective from the very beginning. Yes. And I think that's where the mindset is what you mean. Absolutely, the mindset and also just this idea that

05:57
Often we find there's this barrier where people say, oh, but people with disabilities don't come into our program or into our space. And my thought is always, first of all, that's incorrect. And if that is correct, then there's a reason why. Maybe they don't feel welcome. Maybe they aren't able to come in. Maybe they don't know that they're welcome. Maybe they don't know that you have facilities that meet their needs.

06:26
You know, I ran into that very, very recently with a friend of mine who uses a wheelchair, and we were at a club in Vancouver. It's sort of an older club, I guess, but he had no problem coming in the front door, and he was doing some photography there and stuff, and we just sort of looked to the back, and the only way out in the back involved stairs.

06:49
Yeah. You know, and it's like, and he just looks at me, he's like, how simple would it be to put a ramp in here? You know, and just, but just the fact that there's, you know, probably that and so many other businesses, even just in the lower mainland that haven't taken these things into consideration. Yeah. Or, or they think of a ramp, but they don't think of a place to sit. You know, like you can get in the building, but great. Can you have a beer?

07:16
Can you pull up to a table with your friend? Exactly. Can you use the washroom? Yeah. And I have to say for the staff, they were actually quite nice and they offered them and set up a lower table so he could put his drink down and his camera gear and stuff like that. I mean, people are, you know, taking this stuff into consideration, but it's just, it's these older, maybe it's these older buildings and, you know, it wouldn't take a lot of money to put a ramp in, let's be honest.

07:41
Now, as a consultant, where does your involvement in accessible design begin and where does it end? Oh, that's a great question. It honestly depends on the project and the organization. So for many of our clients, they might hire us, we'll do a walkthrough of their existing site, we create a report that outlines everything they've done well.

08:09
and then gives them some tips as to how to improve accessibility. And that's not just for somebody using a mobility device, but also someone who is hearing, a part of the hard of hearing or deaf or has low vision, is blind. We also take into account cognitive disabilities and neurodiversity. So we often like to work with our partners, give them some information, and then help them perhaps find grants or...

08:37
come up with creative solutions within their budget to make their spaces more accessible. That's kind of the majority of what we do. My favorite though is when a developer or a city, architect firm asks us to join them in the process from the moment of the design starting. And that is the best thing in the entire world because right from before even a shovel hits the ground,

09:05
we can make sure that that future facility is welcoming to everybody in the community, whether it's somebody with a disability, whether it's an elder, a senior. Often our seniors don't identify as having a disability, but they have the same needs. You know, we just kind of like to start right from before construction even starts to kind of help that new building be most inclusive.

09:30
The other thing we really enjoy doing is for places that are already pretty accessible, we like to help them with their human resource strategies. So making sure that someone with a disability can be hired and work there and have some really wonderful, gainful employment and work the job of their dreams, you know? So we kind of meet people where they're at and help them move along the journey, if that makes sense. Absolutely.

09:59
Now, can you give me an example of a recent project where you got in before shovels hit the ground? Absolutely, yeah, for sure. One of the projects we're currently working on is the official community plan. There's a redevelopment happening in Port Moody. There's a huge piece of land that is...

10:26
being rezoned and going to be some new towers, some townhouses, a mix of residential and commercial. And the developers on that project have brought us in. The city has actually requested that they have an accessibility consultant on their team. So we're actually helping them navigate a very complex piece of land. So even though it won't be completed for probably another 10 years.

10:55
At least the designs now are already planning ahead. You know, like the boardwalks are going to be accessible. There's elevators that perhaps wouldn't have originally been implemented. We're integrating the community with the SkyTrain to make sure that that walk or wheel isn't too arduous to get onto the SkyTrain and get into Vancouver.

11:23
So that's a project we're really excited about. And there's been some facilities in Surrey, some of our new rec centers as well, that we've had those conversations with before those shovels hit the ground. And I'm so, so proud because those facilities, you walk in, you don't even realize they're accessible. They're so well designed that you just feel welcome. And you just feel included. And isn't that the point?

11:51
That really is the point. Now, do you find it, you know, obviously there might be a cost added to making things more accessible. Do you find though, like if you get in at the ground up, that that cost is easily included on something that where you wouldn't really be a part of? Or do you get some pushback from businesses or clients that say, no, we can't do that because there's an added cost to it and we've got to stay on budget or anything like that?

12:19
Yeah, budget's always one of those tricky conversations. But I can tell you, so there was a research paper done by the architect group at HCMA, and they determined that to build to a Rick Hansen Foundation gold-certified standard, the additional cost at construction is about 1%, which really is nothing.

12:44
to actually build a facility that includes everybody. When we're retrofitting, that's when the costs increase considerably. But the thing we tell most people is the cost, you think it's going to be far more expensive than it actually is. To have an employee with a disability, the accommodations are on average $500.

13:07
That's really not much, especially when we're making lots of money, right? And then the wonderful thing is that the conversation now is more about the business case. People with disabilities have money that they want to spend, right? We want to go out and enjoy ourselves too. So when you make a building more inclusive, then you're actually allowing people to come in and spend money with you.

13:32
Yeah, absolutely. You're actually kind of net positive. Yeah, absolutely. That's a really good point. And it seems to me like even just from a brand management perspective, creating something or making something better just helps your business. It does. That's a really great point. And I don't know about you, but I like to shop in places that reflect my value.

13:54
you know, and or where I see people like myself or like my friends being represented in their staff. So when I know that a company or an organization wants to include people with disabilities, chances are they're going to get more of my money. Well, exactly. So that said, what what do you see as any major obstacles to that universal design philosophy?

14:21
I think the biggest obstacle still is those attitudinal barriers that we're still facing, the perception. The idea that accessibility is ugly or medical or somehow diminishes or takes away from the aesthetic, whereas I would argue that it can be done so beautifully and so thoughtfully that making an inclusive and universally designed space or product.

14:50
It actually could be more beautiful, more functional, more create more space for some creative thinking. You know, let's not do things the way we've always done. Do it differently, maybe a little bit better. Who knows? A lot of it better. So a lot of a lot needs to be better. Tell me a little bit about the Rick Hansen Foundation, the training that you received there. And how does one get a gold designation?

15:20
Okay, two great questions there. So the training is available. They have some partnerships through a few different colleges. And there are some prerequisites to take the training, but if you've got a bit of a background in design, architecture, construction, they'll welcome you into the program. And I do, and I think they have a new program that's sort of like an intro.

15:46
an overview that is welcome to everyone to take and I highly recommend that anybody who's interested take that course. And in terms of getting gold, that is a bit of a process. So what, there's the minimum requirements, so some of the minimum requirements are, like all of the entrances must be accessible.

16:09
You know, so all main entrances need to be welcoming to everybody. Visual fire alarms are needed throughout the facility. All of the areas that someone would need to use, washrooms, kitchens, office spaces, whatnot, those all need to be accessible. So you can't have a building where, you know, 70% of the features are available and then, you know, 30% are on a...

16:37
on a floor that's not accessible by an elevator, for instance. And then there's a whole bunch of criteria. So we do a walkthrough, we have a whole long list, and then that goes through an adjudication process. And basically, if you're able to meet those minimum criteria and hit about 80% of the rest of our scorecard, that is the criteria for gold. And that is taking into account people of all sorts of...

17:06
abilities and disabilities, vision, hearing, mobility, cognitive. And it also just includes elements like signage and wayfinding so that when you walk into a space, you can find where you're going really easily and you don't have that sense of anxiety and being overwhelmed. Yes, we all need that, don't we? Oh, goodness, do I ever too. I'm directionally challenged.

17:34
Right? Like, give me a sign. If I'm running late, I just need to know where I'm going. Now, so those those sort of benchmarks or designations, does that all come from the Rick Hansen Foundation? Are they the ones that set up those benchmarks? They did. I mean, they've done it in collaboration with other organizations. So they kind of took the lead. They were the experts, especially from like a mobility disability perspective. But.

18:00
As you, I'm sure you know, you know, the community feels very strongly, nothing about us without us, right? We want our own personal experiences to be reflected in best practices. So they've worked really closely with other organizations like the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. They work with the Wavefront Center that supports individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing and a whole host of other

18:28
organizations including the Canadian Standards Association. So it's become a very well-built machine, shall we say, that really is constantly being upgraded. We're constantly listening to what other organizations and individuals with lived experience are expressing and making those standards even higher.

18:52
Now, we talked about money for a bit, but obviously some businesses will feel that funding can be an obstacle, but the governments like provincial and federal making grants available. Can you describe the process for businesses to secure funding for accessibility renovations? Yeah, that's a big one. And grants are, it's unfortunate that...

19:16
there aren't that many grants available. There is the Enabling Accessibility Fund, which opens annually for people to apply and have some of those larger renovations covered, maybe installing automatic access doors, ramps, elevators, visual fire alarms, those like really big expensive pieces. Where, what I like to do is kind of encourage people to get creative.

19:43
So I imagine that there is going to be more funding available as the legislation requires it. So I'm not sure if you're aware, but the provincial and the federal governments are currently working on standards. So we're looking towards much like Ontario has. So Ontario has the Ontarians with Disabilities Act that has requirements, whereas BC does not yet, but it is currently being created.

20:13
With that legislation, I imagine more funding will be available. But in the meantime, get creative, right? So we can, we can look for, I often encourage people to look for things like beautification grants or cultural grants, grants that support folks in isolation or seniors. These are all sort of really creative elements of looking at funding, especially for not-for-profit organizations or small businesses.

20:42
If you look at accessibility through the lens of ensuring that we're all welcome, that means that other marginalized groups or seniors or, like I said, those experiencing isolation, you can kind of utilize some of those grants to help everybody get in the door.

21:01
Absolutely. Now how would you, I mean you just lighted on BC's approach to accessibility and that there's sort of, you know, there's the new provincial laws that are coming down. I know the city of Vancouver is putting in a new accessibility plan. Overall is our local approach to accessibility, how's it doing? Is it good, is it bad, are we getting better?

21:31
Oh, at the same time? You covered it. We're improving, but in many places it's very good and it's better than other places. I come from Montreal. Vancouver is much more accessible than Montreal. There's a lot more historical buildings and the historic society.

21:59
be accessibility legislation. So I guess, yeah, it's good, it's bad, and it's improving simultaneously. No, imagine you have... That's good. I guess, I guess, heritage buildings would be, like you just sort of mentioned, in Montreal. How much of that is an issue? Have you run into that problem? Yes, it is. It's less of an issue here. We're just kind of a newer city.

22:28
on the whole. But it is, it's one of those things where you have to try to manage both sides because there is something really, really important to our heritage and ensuring that pieces of history are maintained and loved by people now and in the future. But at the same time, they need to be able to do them, access them. One of the most recent examples I can think of is we were working with

22:57
the City of Surrey's museum. So the Museum of Surrey has a historic schoolhouse that was brought onto the property. And we had some good conversations as to how to make it accessible. And ensuring that we kept front of the building as it was original, we were able to kind of come to a middle ground and bring a ramp.

23:25
up to the side of the building so that, you know, from looking at the building on from the exterior, you're still experiencing a historic building. But just on the side that entrance, we made sure that everybody can get in. This is definitely a bit of a pinch point, you know, you have people with two different passions kind of coming together and wanting to find a collaborative point. But it's doable. And at the end of the day, I know,

23:54
My husband Marco and I, we work quite closely together and he often talks about this one conversation he had at some point where this was exactly what was happening, the intersection of history and accessibility and somebody in this particular building was saying, no, but we can't replace the doorknobs, they're historic, they've always been there, but a lever handle is more accessible and it's safer during an emergency.

24:23
And the conversation we had was, okay, well, if the doorknobs are so important, like can we put them on a display case somewhere? We don't need to get rid of them, but we do need to make the space more inclusive. And part of that is actually replacing the doorknobs. But if the doorknobs are really important, like build a display case for them. Yeah. There's a middle, there's always a middle ground, right? It has to be. Totally. Sort of makes me wonder though, like.

24:47
Who are the ones to put the pressure on businesses to make change? Because the sense that I get is that people with disabilities sort of get tired of raising the alarm about something. So do you find it's the people with disabilities who are putting the pressure more or are businesses sort of starting to wake up a little bit and starting it from the beginning?

25:15
Hmm, that's a really good question. Um, I think it's a little bit of both. In essence, the disability community has been advocating since what seems like the dawn of time to just simply be included and to be thought of. But sometimes that advocating kind of rubs people the wrong way.

25:41
and when it gets really loud and angry, it kind of works against us. But it seems as though there does seem to be this tide that's turning and this change that's happening in the world that I don't know, perhaps, adjacent or perhaps thanks to other social movements that have happened in the last several years, that there's maybe that's been helpful. I know

26:10
This sounds a little bit strange, but my husband has a visible disability. He uses a wheelchair. I do not have a visible disability. I'm an ambulatory person. I do have a hidden disability, so my auditory processing is my area of challenge, but you can't tell, you can't see. What's interesting is that Marco can have a conversation with somebody, and I can have the same conversation with that person.

26:39
it's heard better from him because he's the person with the lived experience. And sometimes it's heard better from me because people, um, because I don't have a physical disability that I'm kind of almost expressing it as a peer in some respects. It's kind of hard to explain, but it's quite interesting how the information can be taken differently. Just...

27:06
from the perspective of someone with a visible disability versus someone who doesn't have a visible disability. So, and I think your question that I think my answer to your question is kind of coming from both areas. And then on top of that, you know, we're starting to talk a lot more about aging in place and our seniors and wanting to support our seniors. So well, we know that when.

27:35
the environment is accessible for seniors, it becomes accessible for everybody. Yeah, I think, yeah, it's a little bit of all of the above and perhaps just some good timing.

27:46
on top of that? I don't know. Well, that's good. That feels like then there's that shift going on. It's not just people with disabilities, you know, raising the alarms and that the society in general, at least Canadian society, is starting to listen. And that's really good. I've got one question for you left. Imagine if you had unlimited resources and approval, what's one thing you would make, one change you'd make to all public buildings?

28:15
One change I would make to all public buildings, I would ensure that every single public building is welcoming to people of all abilities. But if I have to narrow it down to one specific thing, I would have to say every public building has a really inclusive washroom and ideally an adult-size changing table.

28:43
And in that way, everyone has the ability to have dignity in all of their human processes. Well said. Of course, these are things that people just usually don't think about, you know, and that's the whole idea behind this, I think, is that universal lens that you've got to think about everything. Yeah. It sounds arduous, but it isn't.

29:07
Once you get into that mindset and that sort of lifestyle, if you will, it just becomes, you know, sort of normal, I guess. Totally. Totally. And it's funny, once you start seeing things, you can't not see them anymore. Yeah. Like, that's how I just view the world now. Is it, does it meet the needs of my friends and colleagues and those I haven't met yet, or does it not? Yeah, well, exactly.

29:32
Well, Karen, I think that about wraps it up for this edition of our encouraging abilities podcast. Our guest today has been Karen Pasqua. She's part owner of Meaningful Access Consulting along with her husband. She works with developers, city planners and more to improve and create accessibility for everyone. And we need more of her. So thank you very much for joining us today. Well, thank you for this wonderful conversation. Thanks for tuning in. We'll see you next time.