Accessibility still lacking in town

Kahnawake’s accessibility group Connecting Horizons has seen a lot of progress over the years when it comes to making buildings more accessible in town – but there’s still a lot left to be desired, said Iris Phillips, the group’s coordinator.

They’ve been reaching out to the managers of public buildings like the post office and sports arena for years now. Since then they’ve had a lot of success seeing their recommendations come to fruition, but they’ve also encountered many roadblocks too, Phillips said, often going ignored.

She said it should ultimately be up to the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) to step up and order public buildings to make changes – whether that be through adding ramps, improving accessible parking, or fixing faulty automatic doors.

“We’re striving to open up a dialogue between us and Public Safety and MCK Infrastructure about how we can look at making the community a little bit more safe,” Phillips said. “We’re hoping that they will be open to meeting with us, and just hearing us out, and hearing what the demands are.”

Cathy Rice first began assessing the accessibility of public buildings in town for Connecting Horizons back in 2019. The Tewatohnhi'saktha building, those run by Kahnawake Shakotiia’takehnhas Community Services (KSCS), the Sports Complex, and local court are among those the group has visited and assessed over the years.

“We found a number of issues – even when they said it was handicap accessible,” said Rice, who uses a wheelchair to get around. “We found a lot of buildings that thought they were to code but they weren’t.”

One long-standing issue has been the automatic doors at the Tewatohnhi'saktha building where the post office also is, the two said. Its button isn’t positioned conveniently, meaning those in wheelchairs have to back up before being able to get in, and sometimes they can’t do it in time before the door starts closing in on them. Phillips also said the doors can spontaneously close on people.

“They have negative pressure. So when you open the door, if somebody's opening a door on another end, it pulls the door back on you, which is completely unsafe for even able-bodied people,” Phillips said. “We’ve seen instances where it has knocked people over. We’ve seen children and full-grown men get sandwiched in there. It’s a hazard.”

If the MCK took on the responsibility of ordering buildings to make changes in instances like this, problems like this could hopefully be resolved sooner, the two said.

“We have had good successes, and we’ve had good collaborations, and the MCK has been so far listening to some of our requests and our concerns,” Rice said. “We look forward to working with them in the new year to fix some of the other problem areas that we’ve seen.”

Funds needed

MCK chief Arnold Boyer is on board with many of the group’s demands. As for ordering buildings to make changes, he said it would only be possible if there were funds available to get the job done. Funding from the federal government could be one option, he said.

He’s also taken on that responsibility in the past himself, mentioning an accident that happened at a stairwell at one of KSCS’s buildings. The stairs there have since been repainted with bright colours to make it easier for those with poor vision to use.

He said a new accessibility policy will also soon be adopted to ensure new buildings in Kahnawake and renovations take accessibility standards in mind. He expects it to come into effect in the coming months, adding consultations are still ongoing.

“Everyone on Council knows my strong stance on accessibility,” Boyer said, adding he was among those that pushed for the new multipurpose building currently under construction to be entirely accessible. “Moving forward, people with disabilities have to be involved with every aspect of the project in the planning phase.”

He’s long taken an interest in improving accessibility. Before his career with Council, he spent many years working for the federal government in the Ottawa-Gatineau area, writing accessibility reports on federal buildings or those sought for purchasing or leasing.

When he joined Council and found out the chiefs’ offices were all inaccessible because they were on the third floor, which isn’t served by the elevator there, he also took it upon himself to ask for an office on the ground floor instead.

“I was vocal that I wanted an office that’s accessible for all community members,” Boyer said.

No solution in sight for hospital

Another sore spot for the group is Kahnawake’s hospital. Though accessible parking at the KMHC has improved over the years, the spots still aren’t positioned close enough to both entrances’ access ramps. There’s also no way to move them any closer – as the lane on River Road in front of the hospital needs to stay clear for emergency vehicles – meaning no parking can be added.

“They have extended it the best that they could, but it’s still not where it should be,” Phillips said.

“It’s treacherous for anyone in a wheelchair on their own or possibly a walker,” she added. “It’s hard to conceive why a medical building and a long-term care facility is designed like this. It’s horribly, horribly done.”

Boyer said similarly, adding the facility clearly “wasn’t built to accessibility standards,” adding it’s obvious those who use wheelchairs weren’t all “involved in the design.”

KMHC spokesperson Joe Delaronde said the walking distance to the hospital’s pharmacy can be shortened if people in wheelchairs enter from their front entrance and take the elevator there instead.

miriam@easterndoor.com

Miriam Lafontaine, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door