Accessibility as Justice
By: Aaron Baerg
Tags: Accessibility, Planning, Transportation Planning, Transportation, Vancouver

Proper context and definitions are critical to an analysis such as this. ‘Disability’ is certainly a complex, dynamic, and multidimensional concept. The Canadian Federal Disability Reference Guide (2020) identifies it as:

“an interaction between features of a person’s body and mind and features of the society in which they live.”

Perhaps the most widely accepted definition of disability is as an “umbrella term covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions” (World Health Organization, 2011). ‘Interaction’ and ‘participation’ are essential descriptors. In 2017, one in five Canadians aged 15 years or over — or approximately 6.2 million individuals — presented with one or more disabilities (Statistics Canada, 2018). Of this group, 2.67 million individuals of the population were classified as having a mobility-related disability. For the equity and empowerment of this significant share of the population, accessibility should be top of mind for urban transportation planners and policymakers across the country.

WATERFRONT DEVELOPMENT by Aaron Baerg

“We are committed to removing barriers that might keep you, or someone you care about, from fully enjoying Vancouver”

This commitment, scribed across Vancouver’s ‘Accessible City’ (2020) program, is vital to the progress of transportation justice across the city. The photo above, depicting one of Waterfront Station’s many entrances, could be interpreted in a number of ways. Do the plywood panelling and construction notices convey constant progress and improvement, or rather a lack thereof? A small sign notes the current absence of a functioning elevator at this location — a seemingly common issue across Vancouver’s SkyTrain network (Moliere, 2020). Yet, the city certainly claims to be making significant achievements towards its goal of 100% accessible transit across its SkyTrain lines, conventional bus networks, community shuttles, and West Coast Express trains (Vancouver, 2020).

The City of Vancouver (2020) puts forward the following broad — albeit somewhat vague — goals within its ‘Accessible City’ program:

1. All transit waiting and boarding areas are improved for accessible transit vehicle operation 2. An accessible public realm including clear unobstructed sidewalks, smooth surfaces, curb ramps, and audible signals at pedestrian crossings 3. Access to and from transit stops in construction zones and during special events

Currently, about 80% of transit stops in Vancouver are designated as accessible (Vancouver, 2020). While one could perceive this provision as ‘adequate’, this 20% gap leads to the reality that 1 out of every 5 transit stops denies access to wheelchair- and mobility device users. In turn, the people denied access at these stops are experiencing a form of ‘transportation poverty’, which Vanoutirve and Cooper (2020) identify as one of the main issues within transportation policy.

MALFUNCTION by Aaron Baerg

This transportation poverty can also be viewed as excludability, which Hartmann and Jehling (2019) describe as the potentials of “excluding others from benefiting from a good” (p. 59). In order for citizens to gain employment, goods, services, healthcare, education, and other social services, full access to transportation is critical (Bascom & Christensen, 2017). Consequently, a lack of this access can restrict not only employment options but further, limit access to critical amenities such as health care and social services (Bascom & Christensen, 2017). Similarly, Bascom & Christensen (2017) suggest that, as healthcare and education services are not equally distributed across the urban landscape, prevention of access to these centres via public transportation can stem to critical ramifications on individuals’ livelihoods.

The photo above was captured at a time when a TransLink bus stop display was malfunctioning. While Vancouver’s transit stations typically provide ‘to-the-minute’ updates on the timing of its services, a fault such as this hinders the network’s accessibility. On a deeper level, however, this photo can also allude to the reality that a malfunction in the system at large — policies and decision-making included — can lead to inequity for vulnerable populations. Fincher and Iveson (2012) offer that one of the most crucial ways a city can mitigate exclusion and injustice is by listening to the voices of all people in decision-making processes. Giving those with physical disabilities a ‘seat at the table’ is a direct act of inclusion that urban planners can take. One of the ways Vancouver is doing this through the Persons with Disabilities Advisory Committee. This group, in partnership with the city council and staff, advocates for the inclusion of those with disabilities to “fully participate in City services and civic life” (Vancouver, 2020).

OPEN DOORS by Aaron Baerg

Moreover, increasing transportation access is seen as a primary method to improve the independence, self-determination, mobility, and social connection of people with disabilities (Bascom & Christensen, 2017), which is directly correlated to the improvement of quality of life (Sze & Christiansen, 2017). In cities across the country, calls for accessible public transportation are surely to increase — both with a surge of rapid urbanization and steadily aging populations (Lindsay, 2020). As depicted by the doors opening to the Canada Line, as seen in the photo above, is Vancouver ‘opening its doors’ — to all that the city offers — to those with physical disabilities?