The City of Delta is one of five new B.C. municipalities to receive an accessibility grant from the Rick Hansen Foundation.
Thanks to generous funding from the Government of British Columbia, the program was developed to support communities across the province to improve accessibility for residents and visitors of all ages and abilities.
The program will provide complimentary RHF Accessibility Certification (RHFAC) ratings, up to $90,000 in funding for accessibility improvements to existing sites within each municipality, and accessibility training for city staff. Currently more than 926,000 people in B.C. have a disability.
Municipalities were selected based on population and geographic representation. Chilliwack, Delta, Maple Ridge, Saanich, and Victoria join the following previously announced municipalities of Coquitlam, Kamloops, Kelowna, Nanaimo, Port Moody, Prince George, Richmond and Whistler, as well as the Indigenous communities of Seabird Island Band, Ditidaht First Nation and Malahat Nation.
“We are honoured to continue our support to communities across British Columbia as they improve accessibility thanks to generous support from the province,” said Brad McCannell, VP Access and Inclusion, Rick Hansen Foundation in a news release. “Accessibility improvements to spaces such as community centres, libraries and arts facilities will benefit everyone across our province – parents, seniors, people with temporary and permanent disabilities, their caregivers and loved ones.
“Almost 50 per cent of adults in Canada have a permanent or temporary disability or live with someone who does. Everyone has a right to real, meaningful access and we applaud all these communities working towards making that a priority.”
RHF Accessibility Certification is a rating and recognition program that consistently measures the meaningful accessibility of a site based on the holistic user experience of people with varying disabilities.
Some of these features include accessible entranceways, vehicle access, emergency systems, accessible washrooms, and wayfinding signage.
