About C.A.N. and CANBC.org
What is Citizens for Accessible Neighbourhoods (CAN)?
Citizens for Accessible Neighbourhoods is a non-profit society in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, Canada, that creates a place for those who live with a disability (physical, mental, learning etc.) to use their voice, experience, and knowledge as a tool for others in similar situations.
The 3 main focuses of Citizens for Accessible Neighbourhoods are:
1) Universal Access:
We are working to create ways to educate about, promote, and incorporate, universal access and barrier free design in our community. Universal accessibility and barrier free design takes into consideration all patrons and community members. This includes people who use mobility devices such as wheelchairs (power and manual), scooters, walkers, and canes, among others. These designs also consider the needs of people with visual or hearing impairments. Universal accessibility and design also encompasses any person who uses a stroller, a grocery cart, or who experiences something which acts as a barrier to accessing anything in our community.
We are working towards creating a comprehensive booklet of what the standards for universal accessibility and design are. We are currently looking for input from individuals who have access problems for this booklet (please click on CANs current projects for more information).
We are also working in partnership with getmenus.ca to rate the accessibility of restaurants on their web site. getmenus.ca makes the menus of restaurants available to people at the click of a mouse. Our ratings will allow people with access difficulties to look at getmenus.ca before going out for a meal to confirm that a restaurant is accessible for them.
We will also work with the newly elected mayors and councils (both communities have an election coming up in November) to improve local bylaws for accessibility in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows. We hope to ensure that in the future all new developments are accessible.
2) Access to information
Any person with a disability knows that getting information is usually extremely frustrating and time consuming. We at CAN are working to create a network of easily accessible information available to all interested without the hard work usually required.
www.canbc.org is an umbrella web site which will cover the various programs, services, organizations, support groups, activities, and events in our area, and be a one-stop place for information on life with a disability. We hope to give a voice to groups or organizations that normally do their work unnoticed.
There are many individuals, businesses, and organizations that are working towards making the lives of those with disabilities easier, and we hope to make their information more accessible.
This is a work in progress – we need your help in recognizing what the local services, organizations, and support groups are. Please contact me if something is not listed
3) Adaptive Sports
Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows is holding the 2008 BC Disability Games. Currently, and in the past, Maple Ridge has been represented by the riders from North Fraser Therapeutic Riding Association. We are hoping to create more available sports for the physically disabled by 2008. We currently have a new Power Soccer team, and are developing an adaptive Boccia team.
We are looking for a variety of different members.
We need people:
- who will come to meetings and discuss our monthly progress, offer suggestions for new projects, and help us to stay on track
- who do not attend meetings but who want to be kept up to date with a monthly newsletter (via e-mail), and are willing to be involved with questionnaires and offer feedback
- volunteer for the activities that we do in and around the community. This includes helping with the adaptive sports program, helping to improve universal access, and helping to keep our web site vital and up to date.