DDA Talks Accessibilty with Brad McCannell

B.C. is a leader when it comes to accessibility. Just ask The Rick Hansen Foundation's Brad McCannell. However, attitudes still need to shift in order to guarantee inclusion for everyone, and that means making noise so everyone is heard. 

 

TRANSCRIPT

 

DDA Talks Accessibility with Brad McCannell

 

00:05

Hello and welcome once again to DDA's encouraging abilities podcast. I am your host, DDA communications manager, Evan Kelly. Now one of the big topics we like to talk about is accessibility. It's such an important topic because many people don't realize that at some point in their life, they might find themselves with limited mobility, limited vision, hearing, even cognitive ability. It's going to happen to all of us. Joining us today is Brad McKennell. He has the experience.

 

00:31

uh... and a resume that's gonna take me a few minutes just to read so i'll try to do the abridged version now brad's career uh... inac access consulting began in nineteen ninety when he formed uh... canadian barrier-free design that cbfd and has created to fill the gap between the application of building code in the real needs of the community of people with disabilities he himself became a c six seven quadriplegic after a car accident on

 

00:59

So he does have his lived experience. He uses a wheelchair and a service dog on a daily basis. Today, he finds himself the vice president of access and inclusion for the Rick Hansen Foundation, a member of the International Paralympic Committee's Access Working Group, and was recently appointed as the director of the Accessibility Standards Council of Canada. Additionally, his consulting has been sought by the Vancouver International Airport, Airports Council International.

 

01:27

the project advisory panel of CSA housing standards and the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games. He was appointed to the newly struck BC technical committee on employment accessibility. And that was fairly recently. Now today at the Rick Hansen Foundation, he was tasked with developing an industry standard certification program that would be used as a guide to creating more accessible environments. Now that would be the Rick Hansen Foundation accessibility certification.

 

01:55

RHFAC, that's a rating program that has been rolled out nationally even to develop common methodology and common language for professionals working to do to develop access for people with disabilities in the built environment. He is, I'm not done, he is the recipient of the City of Vancouver's Access and Inclusion Award 2010 and the Canadian Paraplegic Association's Award of Distinction. Okay.

 

02:23

Brad, I think I'm done with that. Thank you very much for joining us today. Gosh, I'm exhausted. You're exhausted. It's quite a list, and it's quite an unbelievable list of accomplishments and awards. It's really, really impressive. Now, having been in the field of accessibility for almost 30 years, what are some of the major changes you've seen in BC's approach to accessibility? Well, first, let me thank you so much for this opportunity. It's a real pleasure to speak with you today.

 

02:53

I've been a professional access consultant for 27 years, but I've been a member of the community of people with disabilities for 43 years. So my experience is both personal and professional. And having said that, the difference is night and day in terms of the approach. I mean, British Columbia has been a leader in meaningful access for decades. I think it's important to recognize the history here. You know, most people don't even realize.

 

03:21

the history of leadership that we've shown here as a province and as people with lived experience. It started with the great Ed Desjardins, a personal hero of mine. T