Accessibility Survey for Parksville

June 25, 2023

The City of Parksville’s accessibility advisory committee began their work in early May and are pleased to launch a public accessibility survey and invite the community to provide input into the City’s accessibility plan. The online survey will take about ten minutes to complete and features questions about barriers people face when accessing City facilities, programs, services, or information. The survey is open until August 7 and may be easily accessed from the City website, Let’s Talk Parksville and from the QR code.

The City of Parksville is creating an accessibility plan to identify barriers and to provide recommendations on how to remove them. Do you live or participate in activities in the City of Parksville? Our accessibility advisory committee is requesting input on how difficult or easy it is for you to do the things you want to do here. Your feedback will help to develop our accessibility plan which will serve as a roadmap for accessibility initiatives.

The survey was designed with accessibility in mind; however, because not all people access information the same way, if you need help completing this survey or require an alternative format, please email accessibility@parksville.ca or phone 250 947-3078. Paper copies of the survey are available for pickup during business hours at the City of Parksville, 100 Jensen Avenue East.

We encourage you to stay up to date on our progress as we work towards creating a more accessible and inclusive community for everyone. Information about this initiative is available on Let’s Talk Parksville.

Background
The Province of BC recently enacted legislation which requires local governments to establish an accessibility committee, develop an accessibility plan, and implement a mechanism for obtaining feedback on accessibility. At a meeting in February, Council approved the establishment of an accessibility advisory committee and terms of reference for the committee. The committee is tasked with providing advice to Council on the development of an accessibility plan to identify, remove and prevent barriers to individuals who are interacting with or in the City of Parksville. The principles of inclusion, adaptability, diversity, collaboration, self-determination, and universal design must be considered in conjunction with the development and review of the accessibility plan. The plan must be underway by September 1, 2023.