Jake Flanagan is a victim of segregation.
Confined to a wheelchair due to fibromyalgia, which is a pain disorder, his ability to move freely in public spaces is frequently restricted.
So, a few months ago the 25-year old began rating many of the city's buildings according to their accessibility and posting the findings to social media.
What they found was not good. Some of the businesses rated had no wheelchair access, which prevented them from entering the building.
“Everyone’s needs are going to be different. Being able to access a business is a basic human right and Yellowknife is way behind,” Flanagan told Yellowknifer.
In addition to Flanagan's findings, the city’s recently published accessibility audit shows that a number of municipal facilities need to be brought up to standard as well.
In a very detailed assessment of the city's facilities, the audit points out a number of shortcomings and makes dozens of recommendations that would improve the lives of people with disabilities.
The audit found that city hall is full of barriers that prevent people with disabilities from easily entering the building. It noted the library’s wheelchair ramp needs a full redesign and upgrade and the arena’s accessible parking spaces are too far from the main entrance.
It also found that the city’s parks are not user friendly for people with disabilities and that community trails often lack places for people to sit and rest. Some sections of trail have obstacles such as potholes and overgrown brush.
The glossy floors in athletic facilities can be disturbing for people with visual impairments and signage around town is often too small for them to read.
According to the audit, the city needs to spend about $5 million over 10 years to upgrade its facilities. It should do so.
Furthermore, the city should offer incentives for private industry to follow its example.
Many of the city’s building were built at a time when people with disabilities were almost entirely hidden from society and architects did not consider how such a person would use the facility.
The National Building Code of Canada, which the city adheres to, contains a grandfather clause exempting buildings that already have permits from having to comply with more current accessibility regulations.
But having a building that is accessible in name does nothing to help people who are struggling and there are a lot of them.
According to the NWT Disability Strategic Framework, people living with disabilities make up a substantial – and growing – portion of the population.
In 2012, more than 2,700 people aged 15 or older reported a disability in the NWT, which was about eight per cent of the population. By 2035, some 4,600 people ages 15 years and older are projected to be living with disabilities, which could be more than 12 per cent of the NWT population.
We need to make the city more livable for people with disabilities. Not only because it is fair and right but also because people will not want to live in a place where they or their loved ones face a lack of accessibility.
The federal government subsidizes each Northwest Territories resident to the tune of about $30,000 a year, which means that the more people choose to stay here, the happier we’ll be, but people with disabilities will have no choice but to leave if we can’t provide them with quality of life.
Dismissing pain is easy when you’re non-disabled and Yellowknife prides itself for being a blue-collar, hardworking and self-reliant city. These were necessary qualities to build a community so far from civilization, but hopefully they haven’t worn away our sense of empathy.