The Rick Hansen Foundation kicked off its Everyone Everywhere campaign to improve accessibility for Canadians of all abilities whenever they work, live, and play.

Designed in partnership with creative agency TAXI Canada, the initiative launched on May 22, 2019, with the goal of raising awareness for the critical need to improve physical accessibility in all built environments.

“Accessibility is a basic human right,” said Rick Hansen, Founder of the Rick Hansen Foundation. “Currently, one-in-five Canadians have a disability; and despite the growing number of seniors and people with both temporary and permanent disabilities, Canada is still not accessible for all. I hope this campaign sparks a national conversation on how we can work together to make Canada truly inclusive.”

Elements include a hand-painted mural and “Poster for Everyone,” an interactive backlit poster in Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square which features:

• Messaging that adjusts to the viewer’s eye-line based on their height, including those using wheelchairs;
• font size that adjusts for those with low vision;
• audio speakers that played the message on the poster as well as a Braille pad for those with low vision or who are blind; and
• language detection with text that changed to the native language of those speaking French, Mandarin, or Arabic.

Part of the launch includes a video of people of various abilities interacting with it for use on social media under the hashtag #EveryoneEverywhere. The campaign will include broadcast, print, digital, and social media elements as it expands throughout 2019.

The Everyone Everywhere campaign coincides with the national expansion of Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification (RHFAC), the first and only program in Canada to rate the accessibility of the built environment based on meaningful access for people with varying disabilities affecting their mobility, vision, and hearing. The government of Ontario has pledged to invest $1.3 million in the program over the next two years, which will assist the Foundation in rating over 250 facilities.

“Removing barriers in buildings will help make communities and businesses more accessible and open for jobs,” said Raymond Cho, Minister for Seniors and Accessibility. “We are working to ensure people with disabilities have the support and resources they need to participate more fully in their communities, as consumers and employees. Being accessible benefits businesses and communities and opens them up to qualified talent and more customers.”