Local accessibility advocates look to break down barriers

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/12/2017 (2320 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One of the greatest barriers those living with disabilities must wade through are related to members of the public who are unable to see their potential, and simply see them as being disabled.

So described Phillip Emmerson, before adding, “don’t look at them like a little child, or as different from you, because there’s something in them that can connect with you.”

Emmerson joined fellow keynote speaker Whitney Hodgins in speaking at yesterday’s City of Brandon-hosted Human Rights Day 2017 event at the Brandon Cultural Resource Centre.

Although the United Nations has declared Dec. 10 Human Rights Day, it fell on a Sunday this year, relegating yesterday as the day it was locally commemorated.

Each year’s local event centres on a different aspect of human rights, with this year’s focusing on accessibility, which City of Brandon community development co-ordinator Kevin Bertram described as an ongoing challenge for the municipality.

Hodgins shared insight as not only Brandon University Students’ Union accessibilities director and accessibility commissioner at the Canadian Federation of Students Manitoba, but also as someone who has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

Meanwhile, Emmerson, who is an education assistant with the Brandon School Division, was born with cerebral palsy.

While Emmerson’s disability is more visually apparent due to his use of a wheelchair, Hodgins must rely on the use of a “JAM Card” when her autism makes communication difficult —an application on her mobile device that she shows people which identifies her has having autism and therefore requiring patience.

With some understanding, barriers that might appear insurmountable become achievable, Emmerson said, crediting local employment agency Career Connections and receptive employers at the Brandon School Division with helping him land a life-changing career as an educational assistant.

In this role, he said that he has been able to become a role model to youths who are still trying to find their place in the world, as somebody who was able to break down barriers and declare: “Yes, I have a disability, but I’m still a human being.”

Shuffled between 13 foster homes during his childhood, Emmerson said that it was this employment opportunity and a faith in God that helped him achieve the positive head space he is presently in.

While the majority of yesterday’s conversation centred on accessibility barriers as it relates to society, the City of Brandon is also working to make the community more physically accessible.

In response to The Accessibility for Manitobans Act, which became law in late 2013, the City of Brandon created a user group advisory panel to help pinpoint ways the municipality might improve, Mayor Rick Chrest said.

After several meetings involving a wide variety of people with various accessibility considerations, including but not limited to mobility, sight, hearing and cognitive impairment, they decided that their approach would come in waves.

The first wave, currently underway, is seeing to it that city facilities are as accessible as possible, with subsequent waves finding other areas of the city targeted.

“We want to have as accessible and inclusive a community as we possibly can,” Chrest said. “We need to set the example.”

Emmerson said that he has seen things improve during recent years, most notably since The Accessibility for Manitobans Act came into place, at which time he remembers declaring, “It took them long enough.”

Still, Emmerson said that he tends to veer away from cynicism, since things do appear to be gradually improving.

“We’re definitely not taking steps back,” he said. “We’re taking steps forward.”

» tclarke@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB