During our 2nd year of Medical School at Dalhousie University we are given the opportunity to work with a community organization to develop a project or contribution to the community; this is known as Community-Engaged Service Learning (or CESL). The objective of CESL is to support Medical Students as we learn more about, and practice advocacy and community service. I chose to work with Spencer House because their mission to provide an accessible space for seniors that also promotes health (by providing affordable meals, physical activity programs, foot care clinics, etc.) really resonated with me.
As a young and able-bodied person, it is very easy to move throughout the world and never notice the barriers and obstacles that others may face. After speaking with the seniors at Spencer House, I began to see inaccessible spaces all across Halifax that can act to exclude seniors and those with disabilities. Going to Park Lane Mall to watch a movie, I now think of a woman I spoke with who cannot go to the theatre because the elevator is not accessible to the scooter she relies on for mobility. I open a heavy door with a round doorknob and wonder how accessible this is to those with limited mobility—something I had never considered until I started medical school. Ordering coffee from a café, I think of another woman who has vision loss and cannot order independently, simply because the menu is only available on a blackboard and there is no menu that she could hold to read. I watch people on scooters who are forced to use the road because the sidewalk is unnavigable, and while I begin to notice these aspects of our environment that so often send the message that ‘you are not welcome’ to anyone who is not able-bodied, I can’t help but wonder how much I am still not seeing.
I met seniors who have spent their lives caring for and supporting others. Grandparents who are the full- and part-time caregivers of their grandchildren. Seniors who provided full-time care to their spouses or their parents when they became ill, who visited the long-term care home every single day when they were no longer able to care for their loved ones themselves. Seniors who advocated tirelessly for the quality of care that their loved ones deserved, but who hesitate to advocate for themselves. Sitting with the seniors at Spencer House, I listened as they shared stories, supported each other, and offered advice and information— these are the social supports that form when we create accessible spaces.
Reflecting on my experiences at Spencer House, I think about the value that seniors offer our community; the extent to which they support us, and how much we can learn about historical and cultural context. We can all learn a lot from the wisdom, resilience and stories that seniors can share. My fear is that these seemingly small and often invisible barriers to accessibility accumulate into an exhausting obstacle that can be extremely difficult for any individual to navigate alone. These obstacles can act to stratify seniors and those with disabilities from much of our community.
What can we do as individuals, organizations, and as businesses to include seniors? Could we install ramps and accessible door handles, ensuring that they are to code? Could we take better care of our sidewalks? Could we provide legible menus for those with vision loss? While any change can feel small in isolation, they can all have a significant positive impact on people’s day-to-day lives. As we make inclusive changes, we have more opportunities to see and listen to other’s experiences, and this makes it easier for us to work together to accomplish more. Through listening and working with community organizations and people who would directly benefit from improved accessibility, then we can work towards creating a more accessible and welcoming Halifax.
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