![]() It takes time and money to address barriers to physical accessibility, Helps said, but that isn’t the case with captioning. And the more people we have engaged in, and able to participate in, council discussions … the better and more resilient democracy we’re going to have locally.” Building an inclusive city creates resilience and creates diversity. “It’s about inclusion, having a stronger and more robust democracy. “Closed captioning is one thing that councils can do to send the signal that the city is working on accessibility,” Helps said. “It’s really important to me as mayor because we want Victoria to be an inclusive and welcoming place - regardless of people’s ability.” In terms of accessibility, she describes it as “low-hanging fruit.” ![]() Victoria, a city of just 92,000, has captioned its council meetings since 2019.Īt $10,000 a year for auto-generated captioning, a fraction of Victoria’s more than $260-million budget, Mayor Lisa Helps sees its cost as far from prohibitive. Vancouver, Surrey and Richmond are among B.C.’s largest municipalities, each with a large tax base, and yet none captions council meetings. “We need to start pushing the envelope to have that broader understanding that a disability is more than just somebody with physical mobility limitations.” Step 1 is the recognition of these “invisible disabilities,” she said. But at the local level, communication accessibility is at its weakest. Local government affects our day-to-day lives more than the federal or provincial governments, said Mackenzie. “It starts with not just engaging in elections - it’s engaging every day and understanding what’s going on.” “An informed citizenry is necessary for democracy to flourish,” said B.C. seniors advocate, Isobel Mackenzie, outside Victoria city hall. ![]() Canada’s seniors will make up 23 to 25 per cent of the population by 2036, driving an even greater need for communication accessibility.Īccessibility is an issue that worries many.Īlso affected are those who speak English as a second language and those with learning difficulties. Article contentĬanadians aged 65 and older, 18 per cent of the population, are more likely to be affected, with 12.2 per cent of seniors reporting a hearing disability. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Manage Print Subscription / Tax Receipt.Westcoast Homes & Design Previous Issues.Vancouver Sun Run: Sign up & event info.Join IDA’s Invisible Disabilities Community(online support group).Invite friends, family and groups to join you by sharing IDW Posts and our Facebook Event Page!. ![]()
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