Summary of Live Stream Day 3 || Parks Accessibility Conference 2022

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00:00:00 - 01:00:00

The video looks at the importance of accessibility in parks, and how this can be achieved through design thinking and universal design. It discusses how different groups of people have different experiences when using parks, and how this needs to be taken into account when designing and managing them.

00:00:00 Today's keynote speaker is Mahadeo Sukai, a blind biomedical research scientist who has more than 20 years of experience as an academic researcher and educator. Mahadeo is a key member of the Canadian National Institute of the Blind, where he serves as Chief Accessibility Officer and Principal Investigator for numerous research projects. Mahadeo was unable to attend the live conference, but submitted a recorded talk for our attendees. welcome, mahadeo!
00:05:00 The speaker tells a story about how, in pandemic times, he has trouble reading menus due to the small text, poor contrast, and awkward angles of light. He also points out that, because he's never taken his monocular telescope with him to a purely social setting, he often defer to his wife. He goes on to say that, two and a half years after the pandemic started, he's noticed that coffee shops have reverted to the same accessibility barriers, without the convenient spotlights. He also points out that, because he is a south Asian, caribbean descent first-generation immigrant married male, he cannot be expected to separate his identities as a person with a seeing disability from his identities as a south asian, caribbean descent first-generation immigrant, married male, and dad.
00:10:00 The video covers three coffee shops that were accessible to a person with a disability, but each coffee shop had different accessibility features. One coffee shop was pre-pandemic and the most inclusive, while two coffee shops were post-pandemic and less inclusive. One of the coffee shops, coffee shop number three, offered a multi-sensory experience that was also pre-pandemic.
00:15:00 The video discusses the importance of accessibility and design thinking, and provides an example of how accessibility can be applied in a business setting. It also explains the concept of universal design and its importance. The video concludes with a model for how accessibility can be implemented in an organization.
00:20:00 In this presentation, Mike Prescott discusses a model for strategically approaching the design and management of parks to serve all visitors, called the Journey Experience Mapping Model for Accessibility. This model is an extension of what was talked about in the previous presentation.
00:25:00 The video discusses the idea of a "gemma model" which is a model used to describe the journey of a person visiting a park. The model consists of three boxes connected by arrows, labeled "prepare plan, enjoy, and feedback." The video discusses research that found that there are three clusters of activities that define the journey of a person visiting a park.
00:30:00 The video discusses the importance of understanding the experience of people with disabilities when designing and managing parks. It looks at the four environmental factors that affect a person's enjoyment of a park visit: weather, obstacles, hazards, and infrastructure.
00:35:00 The presenter discusses research into accessibility in parks, which shows that different groups of people have different experiences when using the park. They discuss the use of geonatives, which allows them to map patterns in users' access to the park. They provide an example of a trail with multiple turns that can confuse users, and discuss how parks can start to implement solutions like mile markers.
00:40:00 The presenter discussed the Parks Accessibility Conference, which took place in Quebec in April. They discussed how the project collected narratives from people with disabilities, and how the narratives will be used to inform national park standards.

01:00:00 - 02:00:00

The video discusses the importance of accessible parks and shares some examples of how parks can be made more accessible. The panelists talk about various initiatives that can help improve accessibility, such as stakeholder engagement and education.

01:00:00 The panel discuss various ways that parks can improve accessibility for people with disabilities. Karina Kennensburg, Patrick Lord, Jamie McCulloch, and Noah Papatsy discuss their work with adaptive equipment and how parks can overcome storage, electricity, and personal equipment challenges. Nova Pasi discusses her work as a blind user and advocate, and her experience with local politics.
01:05:00 The presenter discusses a project called "Live Stream Day 3," which is a conference focused on accessibility in parks. The presenter explains that the project's goal is to create adaptive rental hubs for equipment that people can share and take out for short-term use, as well as to implement this in parks. He also mentions that this is just one solution to accessibility issues in parks, and that there are many more to be explored.
01:10:00 The third day of the Live Stream event focused on accessibility in parks. Several participants raised concerns about adaptive equipment, and government and parks should partner with non-profit agencies to provide more accessible trails.
01:15:00 The panel discusses issues with funding and how it affects adaptive recreation, focusing on the difficulty of fitting accessibility into existing management plans.
01:20:00 The panelists discussed various ways in which parks can collaborate to make them more accessible for everyone, including through partnerships with organizations in other provinces and territories. One example given was the partnership between Banff National Park and the Canmore-based Accessible Canada Foundation, which has helped increase accessibility for people with disabilities in both parks.
01:25:00 The video discusses the challenges of creating accessible parks, and suggests that including information about the area and the reasons it is accessible would help to increase access. Patrick suggests that mobile units and all-terrain vehicles be used to make parks more accessible.
01:30:00 The presenter discusses the importance of sensory experiences and how park staff can create equivalent accessible experiences for those with disabilities. They mention the importance of thankfulness for those who are creating these experiences and the importance of interpreters who help make them accessible.
01:35:00 The video discusses the importance of stakeholder engagement in providing accessible experiences to people, and talks about how lost the social sciences department has been in this area. It also mentions how indigenous people have a long history of living in and accessing parks, and how it's important to ask what individuals' desires are.
01:40:00 The video discusses how accessibility can be improved through various initiatives, such as engaging stakeholders and educators. It also highlights an experience a person had that really nailed accessibility.
01:45:00 The video discusses the accessibility of parks and the work that parks organizations do to make these parks accessible to everyone. The panelists share examples of accessibility upgrades that they have seen in their work.

02:00:00 - 03:00:00

This video discusses the accessibility policies in Australia and New South Wales. It notes that, since 1992, public authorities in Australia have been required to have a disability inclusion action plan, and in New South Wales, since 2015. Next, the presenter discusses the aims of the Alpine Accessible Tourism Project, which was to develop summer accessible tourism opportunities in and around Australian alpine areas. Next, the presenter discusses the workshop objectives, which were to provide evidence-based solutions, focus on co-creation, and avoid defending what had already been done. The presenter concludes the presentation by discussing the guiding principles for the workshop, which were to be evidence-based and solution-focused.

02:00:00 Lucy Diaz is a 15-year-old activist who advocates for accessible washrooms. She will be speaking about the barriers to accessible washrooms in Canada's national parks. She will also talk about the lack of accessible equipment in these washrooms, as well as the small size of many of these facilities. Diaz will also talk about the difficulty of fitting wheelchairs in these facilities and the need for more maneuvering space.
02:05:00 The video discusses the accessibility of public washrooms, and provides an overview of the different options available for making these facilities accessible. It notes that, in order to make public washrooms accessible for everyone, information about the facilities' accessibility needs needs to be easily accessible online. Several countries have implemented changes to make their public washrooms more accessible, including the United Kingdom, Spain, and Canada.
02:10:00 The presenter shared research on accessible toilets and changing areas, noting that Costa Rica, Canada, and Australia have such facilities. She also mentioned that financial barriers and costs of these options need to be considered. A question was asked about accessible parks, and the presenter shared that she has not been able to find accessible parks in her own country. However, she did share examples from other countries, which suggests that accessible parks can be created.
02:15:00 The presentation, by Simon Darcy, professor of social inclusion at the University of Technology Sydney, discusses the Australian context around environmental planning and natural areas. Tracy Dixon, associate professor of event and tourism management at the University of Canberra, presents the theoretical and empirical perspective on disability inclusion action plans.
02:20:00 This video discusses the accessibility policies in Australia and New South Wales. It notes that, since 1992, public authorities in Australia have been required to have a disability inclusion action plan, and in New South Wales, since 2015. Next, the presenter discusses the aims of the Alpine Accessible Tourism Project, which was to develop summer accessible tourism opportunities in and around Australian alpine areas. Next, the presenter discusses the workshop objectives, which were to provide evidence-based solutions, focus on co-creation, and avoid defending what had already been done. The presenter concludes the presentation by discussing the guiding principles for the workshop, which were to be evidence-based and solution-focused.
02:25:00 The video discusses the concept of accessible tourism, which focuses on how to make tourism experiences accessible for all people, regardless of their disability. The presenter discusses how access needs vary depending on the person's age, mobility, cognitive abilities, and other senses. Various workshops were held over the past three days, focusing on how to make national parks more accessible for visitors. Participants suggested ways to address gaps in the travel chain, from providing accurate information to effective communication between all involved parties. One suggestion is to embed accessibility into organizational policies and culture, so that it is everyone's responsibility. Finally, the presenter discusses how to implement change across the various layers of the social ecological framework.
02:30:00 This presentation discusses virtual park accessibility and its importance. Julie Nowak discusses her experiences as a multiply disabled person and how nature connection is important to her. She provides a land acknowledgement and calls for action on the issue of stolen indigenous land.
02:35:00 The video discusses the importance of making parks accessible to people with disabilities, as well as those without disabilities. It covers virtual nature access, which includes examples of virtual hikes and podcasts and documentaries about nature.
02:40:00 The video demonstrates different ways in which people can access nature, including street view, moving up a rock face, and immersive video and audio. It also shows examples of live feeds, including a live nest cam of a bald eagle, a white stork, and a Czech Republic tree tour. The last category includes podcasts and documentaries about nature, including a documentary series, a podcast about nature connection activities, and a podcast about a person's experience in nature.
02:45:00 The presenter, Julie Nowak, shares information about virtual park accessibility and how it can be helpful to those who are homebound or unable to travel. She also provides contact information for her various social media accounts and websites. Finally, the presenter invites questions and comments from the audience.

03:00:00 - 03:45:00

The Parks Accessibility Conference is a yearly event that focuses on ways to make parks more accessible for everyone. This year's conference focused on the need for a cultural shift in the way many people think about accessibility, the need for more specific information about accessibility, the importance of role models, the need for co-design, the importance of novel research approaches, the need for better washrooms, the importance of affordability, the importance of allowing people to do things together, and the importance of being optimistic about the progress made thus far.

03:00:00 David Ostrow is a white male who has been working in various roles with the disability foundation for over 20 years. He is speaking about the BC Mobility Opportunities Society, which was established in 1988 with the mission of providing opportunities for people with mobile mobility challenges to be active and pursue interests outdoors. David talks about the trail rider, which is a mobility device that BC Moss created and has shared through its social enterprise with people and organizations around the world. David also discusses how his experience with the trail rider led to it being redesigned numerous times over the years.
03:05:00 The photo shown is of a model adaptive hiking device that is used by Vancouver-based adaptive hiking program. The black diamond model has adjustable foot rests, armrests, and back, and it folds up for transport. It has become the core of the adaptive hiking program at Vancouver's hiking center, and it has been sold to organizations around the world. The next slide shows that the trail rider can accommodate any trail, whether it is narrow or has lots of rocks and roots, side slopes, and cliffs. It is also suitable for outdoor activities such as camping and hiking to Mount Kilimanjaro.
03:10:00 The presenter explains that adaptive hiking is possible anywhere there are mountains, and that there are many ways to get involved with the sport. He then presents a slide show of people who have traveled to far-off places and accessed some of the most inaccessible areas on Earth using adaptive hiking equipment. One of the most successful programs with adaptive hiking equipment is in Australia, where a man named David Stratton developed a program to bring adaptive hiking equipment to the country. John Kenwright, the coordinator of access inclusion for Victoria's parks, partnered with Stratton to create a volunteer sherpa program that enables people with mobility limitations to take part in outdoor activities.
03:15:00 The final speaker of the day is Mark Gru, an associate professor at the University of British Columbia's school of planning and sustainability. His current work includes the social sciences and humanities research council-funded nature for all project, which supports an evidence-based approach to promoting inclusive experiences in British Columbia's nature through barrier-free design. He will be discussing the project's goals and approach.
03:20:00 Professor Mark Grew of the University of British Columbia discusses his recent work looking at accessibility in nature-based tourism spaces. He discusses the social oppression model of disability, and how the medical model of disability stems from a problematic view of a person's inability to access certain places. He also discusses how the social model of disability is based in a theory of personal tragedy, in which society sees persons with a disability as necessarily being victims of a circumstance rather than being fully empowered individuals. Finally, he discusses the principal standards guidelines and policies used in the evaluation and design of accessible outdoor tourism recreation spaces.
03:25:00 The video demonstrates how researchers have been exploring accessibility in rural and remote nature contexts, and how the literature has identified three solution pathways for enabling participation. One solution focuses on behavioral changes, such as incorporating supportive technologies, and the other two pathways focus on overcoming barriers. One solution pathway focuses on personal adaptation, and the other two pathways involve overcoming barriers through potential social or economic disadvantages.
03:30:00 The video discusses the three pathways that adaptive technology research has identified: structural accommodation, pathway 2, and pathway 3, which focuses on full and equal participation for all segments of society. The video then goes on to discuss accessibility standards and how they are lacking in the literature. The conclusion of the video is that there is a need for longitudinal evaluation of destinations to see if accessibility improvements are being made over time.
03:35:00 This video discusses the third day of the Parks Accessibility Conference, which focused on how environmental planning and accessibility can intersect. The speaker highlighted how accessibility standards can help fund environmental planning and how the conference's organizers worked with a team of translators to make the conference accessible to speakers and viewers in French.
03:40:00 The video highlights the ten key takeaways from the third day of the Parks Accessibility Conference, which was focused on ways to make parks more accessible for everyone. Among the key points highlighted are the need for a cultural shift in the way many people think about accessibility, the need for more specific information about accessibility, the importance of role models, the need for co-design, the importance of novel research approaches, the need for better washrooms, the importance of affordability, the importance of allowing people to do things together, and the importance of being optimistic about the progress made thus far.
03:45:00 The speaker discusses the Parks Accessibility Conference, which will be held again next year. The speaker mentions that a draft standard for accessibility will be released in early 2023, and encourages attendees to participate in the discussion forums and send in their recommendations.