STOPGAP: Helping to Create an Inclusive City
Posted by Matthew Hagg on Mon, Nov 21, 2011 @ 08:31 AM
Last week, the SPH team had the opportunity to attend an exciting discussion held by the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) titled “Accessing Toronto: How Can We Create A More Inclusive City.” The featured speaker of the event, the first in the Jane Jacobs discussion series, was Luke Anderson, a Toronto engineer and founder of STOPGAP, an initiative that aims to help transform the built environment of Toronto “into a place where everyone has access to what they desire through art, design, discourse and community action.”
Over the course of the evening, Luke told the group about his life since a mountain biking accident in B.C. changed his life. Since then, one issue that has continually frustrated him was the inability to access many local businesses, including stores, coffee shops, bars, and restaurants while out and about due to the prevalence of Toronto storefronts with a single step at the entrance.
While the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act aims to transform Ontario’s built environment by 2025 into a fully inclusive environment that is accessible for all, unfortunately, that is still 14 years away. As a way to bridge the gap between now and 2025, STOPGAP has initiated The Ramp Project, which builds and provides temporary ramps to local businesses for free, until more permanent accommodations can be made in the future as part of renovations or reconstruction. The result so far is a dozen brightly coloured ramps, which have been constructed for local businesses in Toronto’s Junction neighbourhood. This has been made possible by generous sponsors who donate the building materials and volunteers who have provided their time to construct the ramps.
Since the ramps that STOPGAP installs are temporary, they do not fall under the requirements of the building code, and as such, while they are a bit steeper than typically permitted, they are still comfortable for use by users with mobility devices due to their short length. The ramps are designed with a slip-resistant surface and can also be brought inside each night to help prevent damage from the elements.
During the discussion, Luke also told us about other interesting accessibility features that he has come across in his travels. These include counters that raise and lower in Stockholm, Sweden’s convenience stores, which allow for each reach by all users, and elevators with a second set of buttons at foot-level, allowing users with mobility devices to activate them with their foot rests. The audience was also involved throughout the discussion, and included prominent community members, such as Barbara Hall, former mayor of Toronto and current Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission.
The next event in the Jane Jacobs discussion series, “Diverse and Equal: How can Toronto Thrive in all senses?” will be held this Wednesday at 6:00pm.
For more information on STOPGAP, visit: http://stopgapblog.blogspot.com