The Township of Esquimalt will be celebrating Access Awareness Day with a full slate of events at Archie Browning Arena this year.
What: Access Awareness Day
When: June 5th, 2010, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Archie Browning Sports Centre, 1151 Esquimalt Road
Mayor Barb Desjardins will be making an Access Awareness Day Proclamation and will be presenting Gold Star awards to local businesses that have shown leadership in accessibility issues. The event will include displays from a number of organizations, demonstration wheelchair sports, and assistive resources and assessments by Medichair. Refreshments will be supplied by First Arbutus Scouts.
An accessibility audit was completed for the Township in July of 2009. The audit inventoried existing conditions in the community and identified issues and opportunities to improve accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities. It included all municipal buildings, parks and recreation facilities, and local businesses.
“We want Esquimalt to be a model for accessibility and inclusiveness,” said Manager of Parks Services Andy Katschor. “We are acting on last year’s audit in a number of ways, including the establishment of the Gold Star Program.”
Esquimalt’s Access Awareness Day is sponsored by the Esquimalt Access Awareness Committee. The Access Awareness Committee was formed in 2007 to identify accessibility barriers to services and facilities in the Township.
According to BC statistics, the proportion of the population aged 65 and over is projected to reach 18.3% by 2021. An aging population will result in higher rates of disabilities. In Canada, 43.4% of the population 65 and over has a disability.
For more information, please contact:
Andy Katschor, Manager of Parks Services
Tel: 250-412-8508
To complete the 2010 Accessible Housing Survey, please click here.