Food And Drinks

Metropolis of Regina to coach recreation employees in incapacity and inclusion

By Frank C. Bonner

  1. City Hall

“There is lengthy and important work that needs to be done to repair relationships with disabled citizens in Regina who feel they have been consistently spoken for instead of spoken with.”

Publishing date:

Oct 05, 2021  •  October 5, 2021  •  3 minute read  •  Join the conversation A button to open the door for those with disabilities is seen on the exterior of the Holy Rosary Cathedral in Regina on Oct. 5, 2021. A button to open the door for those with disabilities is seen on the exterior of the Holy Rosary Cathedral in Regina on Oct. 5, 2021. Photo by BRANDON HARDER /Regina Leader-Post

Money to train recreation staff in disability and inclusion will be part of the city’s 2022 budget, after consultations found people with disabilities had a “general lack of trust” in the City of Regina.

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“I think ensuring that they have the skills and knowledge to be able to support someone no matter what their ability is essential to working on rebuilding that trust,” said Shayna Stock, co-ordinator in the city’s community wellbeing and inclusion branch.

The funding is part of a preliminary report approved by city council last week, which included a number of recommendations to make the city’s recreation opportunities more accessible.

The report was requested by council in April, and includes feedback collected through community consultation. The end goal is the development of an Adapted Recreation Plan designed to increase recreation and leisure activities for people with disabilities.

“One of the biggest pieces of feedback we received through the consultations so far was that accessibility is really interconnected and involves multiple systems at the city,” Stock said in an interview Tuesday. “People can’t access recreation if they’re not able to find transportation to get to programs and likewise can’t access… opportunities if they can’t access the website in order to learn about them.”

Shayna Stock, co-ordinator in the community wellbeing and inclusion branch at the City of Regina. Shayna Stock, co-ordinator in the community wellbeing and inclusion branch at the City of Regina. Photo by TROY FLEECE /Regina Leader-Post

But physical access isn’t the only barrier for some folks, which is why the city has identified two streams of training for all existing recreation staff. One that focuses on practical, skill-based training on things like listing, repositioning and how to use adaptive equipment.

“The other piece of it was more behavioural,” said Stock. “So, attitudes towards people with disabilities, language, treating people with respect, appropriate behaviour around mobility devices like wheelchairs.”

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Administration is asking for $30,000 in annual funding for ongoing training.

To inform the report, the city contracted two members of Listen to Dis’ Community Arts organization, a disability-led arts organization with a history of cultural and recreational programming, disability audits, and consultation work around inclusion and access, according to the report.

John Loeppky and Traci Foster, both artists with disabilities, facilitated 20 focus groups with a total of 50 participants throughout July. Participants included a range of perspectives, including 34 who identified as having “lived experience of disability,” with the remainder people who serve as support systems or work in the recreation and leisure sector.

“It was important to try and make it as disability-led as possible which is why we worked with Listen to Dis’ … who’s just really connected to arts and culture and recreation and accessibility within Regina,” said Stock. “They’ve been doing amazing work as our consultants.”

Listen to Dis’ founder Traci Foster on Sept. 29, 2018. Listen to Dis’ founder Traci Foster on Sept. 29, 2018. Photo by TROY FLEECE /Regina Leader-Post

In its final report, Listen to Dis’ wrote that it’s vital to understand that many participants are “wary” of engaging in city programs because of past negative experiences.

“You get burned enough times, you stop going near the fire,” said one participant.

The report goes on to say that “there is lengthy and important work that needs to be done to repair relationships with disabled citizens in Regina who feel they have been consistently spoken for instead of spoken with.”

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It made several recommendations including changes to communication strategies, more funding for Paratransit to have more buses at more times, and to decrease the window of expected pickup, new programming options that balance integrated and specialized programming, hiring more disabled staff and program providers and training for current staff.

In addition to money for training, administration also asked council to approve $145,000 in ongoing funding for an Inclusion Support Program, that will provide one-on-one support to people with disabilities and their families who are accessing city-run recreation and leisure opportunities, and $200,000 to maintain the Adapted Sport of Recreation funding stream of the Community Investments Grants Program launched this year.

Between now and the end of the year, the city plans to continue engagement with the recreation and leisure sector, develop an inventory of existing recreation and leisure activities for people with disabilities and conduct a public survey. A final report is expected in the first quarter of 2022.

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