Rossland Accessibility
The City of Rossland has created an Accessibility Plan to make sure that everyone can access City spaces, programs, and services. The Plan aims to make life better for everyone in Rossland—regardless of age, background, or ability.
Path to Inclusion – The Rossland Accessibility Plan
Executive summary
The City of Rossland is committed to creating an inclusive, welcoming, and accessible environment for all residents and visitors. The Rossland Accessibility Plan identifies, removes, and prevents barriers that stop people with disabilities from fully participating in the community. The goal is to ensure that everyone has equal access to public spaces, programs, and services.
With this plan, the City addresses many of the main barriers that people with disabilities experience daily. The plan organizes actions into five service delivery areas:
- The built environment.
- Programs and services.
- Policies.
- Transportation.
- Accessibility advocacy.
The City of Rossland already recognizes the importance of accessibility in various community plans and guiding policies, including the Rossland Age-Friendly Action Plan; City of Rossland Official Community Plan Update; Recreation, Parks, and Culture Master Plan; and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) Committee Terms of Reference.
This plan is informed by a two-phase community engagement process. The project team developed an engagement and communications plan to gather input from a diverse range of community members and organizations, including people with disabilities, older adults, advocates, and City staff. The engagement activities included an environmental scan, key actor scoping, surveys, focus groups, and one-on-one engagement. A comprehensive communications campaign supported these activities, achieving participation from 60 people through various methods. Additionally, the plan has been informed by the findings from an environmental scan of relevant documents prepared by municipal, provincial, and federal governments. They include the above-mentioned Rossland policies and plans, as well as the Accessible British Columbia Act, BC Building Code, Accessible Canada Act, and more. The plan aligns with these guiding documents.
The Rossland Accessibility Plan is designed to be implemented over the next decade, with short-term (2025-2026), mid-term (2027-2029), and long-term (2029 and beyond) actions. This timeline allows for a phased approach to addressing accessibility needs, ensuring that Rossland addresses the most pressing issues first, while also planning for future improvements. It ensures that the City can allocate resources effectively and make steady progress towards creating a more inclusive and accessible community
