Hi all
I’ll be honest I have no idea what to really write about today. So I’ve decided to write about something that to me is a no brainer but is not to others.
OK, to put it simply. Why the hell are steps still a thing?
I honestly don’t understand it. Everybody can use the ramp but not everybody can use stairs. I’m not just talking about able-bodied people versus people who are in wheelchairs. This could also apply to parents with infants in strollers or people who like me have no depth perception so curbs and small steps can be hard to judge. If we got rid of stairs I don’t see how that would be negative. I understand that sometimes ramps can be more expensive than stairs. I believe however that eventually wouldn’t a ramp pay for it self because of the amount of money you would be earning with the increase in the number of customers you would be able to sell too? After all if someone isn’t accessible I cannot spend my money in that place and in some cases depending on how inaccessible a place is my friends and love ones won’t shop there either because they want to show that not being accessible can really hurt your bottom line. If you want to make a point in the capitalist society we live in put your money where your mouth is then they tend to listen. Now does this mean I want those places to go out of business? Of course not! Most of the buildings and places that are not accessible are run by small business and they can’t afford to make those changes without help financially. Luckily for them the Nova Scotia government offers grants to make sure businesses are able to comply with accessibility standards. Many people however do not know that these grants exist which is a problem in itself. So what’s my point? We need to make accessibility no longer be associated with these so-called “special needs” of the disability community and frame it as access for all Nova Scotiains regardless of ability. Also the government needs to get a new PR strategy. Come on guys, you can’t expect people to use these services such as the grants if they’re not well advertised.
Cheers ,
Victoria
Ps. Here’s some information on the grants: https://cch.novascotia.ca/business-access-ability-grant-program
Victoria Levack 