Accessibility is frequently sidelined during building and public-space design, with key features added long after construction is completed. This approach reinforces the notion that such accommodations are only relevant for people with disabilities. However, advocates with lived experience argue that integrating accessibility from the outset benefits everyone and creates communities where all individuals can fully participate and thrive.
This conversation gained new momentum with the announcement of 40 accessibility grants from the Rick Hansen Foundation (RHF), RBC, and the RBC Foundation. The grants, unveiled on December 3, 2025, coincided with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and the 40th anniversary of Rick Hansen’s Man in Motion World Tour. In a related webinar, hosted by RHF, sector leaders discussed the hidden barriers still present in everyday spaces and the sustained effort required to dismantle them.
Hidden barriers and spotty inclusion
Dr. Darda Sales, a Paralympian gold and silver medalist, World Champion swimmer and wheelchair basketball player, and RHF Ambassador, shared how inconsistencies in the built environment undermine true inclusion and defeat the purpose of accessibility, which is to help everyone—whether navigating in a wheelchair or carrying bags.
Based on her personal experiences, a designated accessible parking spot might exist, but obstructed curb cuts make it unusable. A makeshift ramp at a motel might lead to a room where the hair dryer is out of reach, even as grab bars stand ready by the toilet. She has also observed powered doors being switched off in restaurants, with managers explaining that too many people were using them.
“The inconsistency of accessibility features makes it difficult for people to feel valued and included in these environments,” she said. “Often, it’s on the individual who requires the accessibility features to figure it out and adapt.”
Even well-designed spaces can present hidden challenges, added Mary Ann Bent, manager of accessible navigation and way-finding solutions at CNIB Access Labs. Toronto’s Martin Goodman Trail, for example, is wide and open, but its edges are hard to detect for someone who can’t see them. Bike paths, uneven shoreline sections, and other obstacles make an otherwise vibrant area difficult to safely navigate. “Having consistent detectable features doesn’t mean everything has to be the same,” she explained. ”Variety is good.”
Meanwhile, other features that appear functional can fall short. Mia de Freitas, director of accessibility enablement at RBC, said poorly places sensors make automatic doors hard to trigger. Lighting that creates a perfect ambiance can also pose barriers, such as flickering lights that disorient users.
These small oversights can have a big impact on usability. As Christopher Sutton, Accessibility Commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, emphasized, designing accessibility from the start opens up opportunities for innovation and is more affordable in the long-term.
“We all know that accessibility is a smart investment for aging populations, temporary injuries and people with changing abilities,” he said. “However, there’s a myth that accessible design is expensive, complicated and unattractive.”
Accessibility-first planning equals affordability
One area where early, thoughtful design is particularly critical is washrooms, observed Bent. Beyond wheelchair accessibility, restrooms must also accommodate invisible disabilities, such as irritable bowel syndrome, which require privacy and easy access to sinks. Caregivers also need features such as hydraulic adult change tables to safely assist individuals with mobility challenges. Planning these spaces from the ground up helps avoid the higher costs of retrofitting them later.
Teale Phelps Bondaroff, a councillor for the City of Saanich in British Columbia, highlighted how accessibility can intersect with broader affordability challenges. For example, the cost to install an elevator in Canada costs roughly three times higher than in European countries, according to a 2024 report from the Center for Building in North America. As a result, developers install fewer elevators in Canada, just four per 1,000 people compared with more than 20 in countries like Switzerland, Spain, and Greece.
Earlier this year, Phelps Bondaroff brought a motion forward, calling on the provincial government to adopt European standards that favour smaller cabins for buildings under six storeys. While these elevators can feel cramped, they cost less and developers are more likely to install two, This ensures people aren’t stranded if one elevator malfunctions.
“They take up less space, so housing becomes more affordable,” he pointed out. “Something as small as getting the cost of elevators down by 40 per cent can also help us tackle the housing crisis.”
Dr. Paul Clark, chair of the accessibility advisory committee at the City of Kelowna, concurred that accessibility-first design creates future value “Just like a residential tower where people might retire, if the units are accessible, you don’t age out of them and have to move. This is an investment, not an expense.”
Sutton explained that such a mindset is part of a larger critical mandate to involve people with disabilities into every decision-making conversation regarding policies, services, and design so that accessibility is meaningful, practical and truly inclusive.
Embedding the lived experience
Design decisions should budget for people with lived experience, urged Bent. For example, the high cost of crosswalk lights requires input from a wide range of people. But those who can’t afford to volunteer are often excluded. “Sometimes they can’t show up and give their opinion because it’s a burden,” she added. “While a small cost, compensating input ensures ‘nothing about us without us’ is upheld.”
Making progress requires consistent advocacy, which often feels frustrating. As Clark noted, the City of Kelowna offers an accessibility button on its website for residents to report concerns, but many in the disabled community no longer use it due to a lack of response.
Meanwhile, there is also a need for more compassion regarding past inequities. “Infrastructure sticks around for 50 to 80 years and we shouldn’t blame or embarrass anyone,” he said. “It’s about moving forward with a positive attitude.”
As these efforts continue, Sutton acknowledged that while much work remains, it is crucial to recognize the positive contributions within communities and how ongoing conversations will drive inclusion for people of all abilities.
“Our choices today shape future inclusion, economic participation, and social connections for generations,” he said. “Accessibility isn’t a checkbox, but it’s a human-centred approach supporting dignity, independence, and support for all.”
