Squamish's Sarah Rothenburger (nee Blais) is on a mission to make town more accessible, and she is looking for like-minded folks to join her.
Rothenburger is forming a mobility and accessibility committee that will, among other things, advise municipal hall on what needs to be done to make Squamish physically more inclusive for all who live and visit here.
"To go over what are the accessibility needs, but also what are we doing well in town. How can we connect people to services, as well; trying to pick up some of the people who are falling through the cracks with different services — helping them connect, find social workers and stuff like that," said Rothenburger, who has chronic pain and has used a wheelchair.
Top goals to tackle would be downtown sidewalks, education and enforcement of disability parking permits, and advocating to make entrance to Squamish Hospital more accessible.
She has been meeting once a month with District staff about the committee and is now ready to bring members on board.
"I definitely want to have some local people with different types of disabilities," she said.
"I would love to have some different community people who are doing different business types so we can really get a full picture — that is the big thing."
The committee will likely meet quarterly, with the first meeting in late January.
The District commended Rothenburger for her "ongoing advocacy to improve accessibility" in Squamish.
"Those with lived experiences bring a valuable and necessary perspective to our planning and decision-making," said District spokesperson Rachel Boguski, adding the District has been in touch with [Rothenburger] since she presented to council and looks forward to speaking with her and the committee being formed.
"The District of Squamish is committed to building an inclusive community in which all Squamish citizens feel valued, seen and heard, and accessibility considerations, especially if we are falling short, need to be considered in all District policies, practices and projects," she said, in an emailed statement to The Squamish Chief.
The District’s recently formed Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Committee is an internal committee that works to ensure an inclusion, diversity, equity and access lens is applied across the organization, including how committees and advisory bodies are formed, to ensure that all District services, facilities and events are accessible to everyone regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, class, caste, religion, belief, sex, language, sexual orientation, identity, age, health or other status. The IDEA Committee works to seek and share information to identify opportunities for continuous learning and improvement."
To get involved, email [email protected].
