Accessibility challenges in Barrhead

Three residents with disabilities, Andy Dean, Shane Gravel and Mac Miller along with their support workers and Criss Schaffrick from the Accessibility Coalition have serious concerns about accessibility in Barrhead.

“I would like to speak up for the people who can’t,” said Miller, who gets around town in his wheelchair.

“I want to find out why there aren’t more ramps and sidewalks are a concern,” said Gravel, who uses a walker.

“For accessibility, especially sidewalks with no ramps,” said Dean, who also uses a walker.

The sidewalks, roadways, business entrances and facilities in the town of Barrhead cause issues for people with mobility challenges.

Trisha Enman, Blue Heron Adult Learning, hosted a meeting with concerned residents and Dausen Kluin, Barrhead Councillor and Accessibility Coalition member, on Sept. 23.

Kluin said everyone would be disabled at some point in their lives, whether by disability, injury, accident or age.

Accessibility around town and into businesses causes challenges with more than just this group of citizens.

With an aging population, accessibility is a growing concern in Barrhead and other rural towns.

The group discussed areas that are difficult to access in Barrhead. Sidewalks are narrow for people in wheelchairs or using walkers and they are often forced to travel on the roads.

The grooves in sidewalks hurt when people in wheelchairs and walkers go over them.

Every dip, lip and crack are obstacles for people with disabilities and seniors who find mobility more difficult as they age.

One example is where there is a spot for people with disabilities to park in front of a building but no adjusted access to get to the front door so the option is for the person to travel on the road to the corner to access the sidewalk.

There is a business in Barrhead that doesn’t have a labelled disability parking space to make access easy for those who face physical challenges. 

Other businesses don’t have an automatic door opener button which requires people to manually open the door.

People with disabilities, mobility challenges and some seniors have challenges getting these doors open.

McDonald's was praised for its accessibility options, including parking, entryways, doorways, and bathrooms.

Rosa and Ilene, disability support workers, acknowledged the difficulty in just going to a restaurant to pick-up food.

Everyone should have access to all of the businesses, streets, and roadways in Barrhead.

The majority of the buildings in town were built in the 1960s and 1970s when building guidelines did not address accessibility, explained Kluin.

"The Barrhead Council is working on different ideas and plans," Kluin said. 

The details have not been cemented but Kluin commented that discussions are happening.

There is no provincial accessibility legislation in Alberta to protect people with disabilities accessibility.

People without mobility challenges don’t often see the barriers.

The group acknowledged that there are many contributing factors like fire lanes, storm drains, and erosion near public use areas.

Adding disability parking closer to easy-access areas was one of the ideas discussed.

Other towns have held Accessibility Challenges to raise awareness of what accessibility challenges exist in Barrhead and the group discussed organizing a Barrhead event next May.

The Accessibility Coalition is providing ramps to some business to address the uneven surface from the sidewalk into their businesses.

Everyone agreed that they need to collect more specific data on locations where there are difficulties with accessibility.

These details will be provided to Kluin at advocate on behalf of the residents in the group and Barrhead in general.