AC C E S S I N F O R M AT I O N / F LO O R E D AT T H E C O M M O D O R E / C L I M AT E K I D S
VA N M AG .C O M/C I T Y
City A City for Everyone? Vancouver has paid lip service to building an inclusive city that serves those with disabilities. But the focus on mobility has left many on the outs. by
Becca Clarkson Cynthia Vo
illustration by
.ca
20 2:33 PM
Carmen Papalia is tired of just being “accommodated.” The artist would prefer to use a marching band in lieu of his white cane, and he’s on a mission to demonstrate the ways in which Vancouver’s approach to accessibility lacks the necessary creativity. “Of course I don’t expect the government to provide me with a marching band,” Papalia says after describing Mobility Device, his performance art piece in which said band assists a non-visual learner (a term he prefers over “blind” or “visually impaired”) on a walk through the city. In fact, Papalia doesn’t expect much from of the government at all, or from Canada’s unprecedented accessibility act, Bill C-81, which carries the goal of achieving a barrier-free country by 2040. Since the act came into effect— in July 2019—British Columbia has begun to hold consultations around establishing provincial standards of the same kind. Meanwhile, Vancouver’s recent 10-year cultural plan is focused on equity, inclusion, accessibility and reconciliation in the arts sector. But even with these efforts, Papalia says the common accessibility practices of institutions fail to address the complex experiences of Canada’s largest minority group, many of whom are disabled
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