Raising the bar in accessible standards

When the new Sydney Waterfront Campus (SWC) opens in September, it will be one of the most accessible and sustainable buildings in Nova Scotia.

The new Campus is being built according to the province’s highest standards in sustainability with plans to also achieve gold certification in accessibility standards through the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification ™ (RHFAC) program. RHFAC is a national rating system that measures and certifies the level of meaningful access of buildings and sites.

Certification not only improves access and helps organizations identify areas in need of improvement, but it also proves a commitment to accessibility and leadership in equity, diversity and inclusion.

 

Certification levels

There are 2 certification levels – RHFAC, which is obtained when a building or site achieves a rating score of 60% to 79% and meets mandatory certification requirements. RHFAC Gold is obtained with a rating score of 80% or higher and when mandatory gold certification requirements are met. According to the RHFAC registry, Peggy’s Cove Infrastructure Improvements is currently the only site in the province to have gold certification. Sydney Waterfront Campus will begin the certification process in August 2024 with an aim to become certified at the gold level.

Two NSCC campuses are already Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certified (NSCC Ivany and Institute of Technology campuses), but not at the gold level. NSCC has a target to certify 2 to 3 campuses per year. New student housing buildings will begin the assessment process following certification of Sydney Waterfront Campus.

 

Accessibility features

Melissa MacKenzie, Facilities Support Technician and NSCC alum of Drafting – Architectural, is part of the team who develops and implements accessibility at NSCC. She says the architecture firm that was awarded the contract for Sydney Waterfront Campus was required to design the building in accordance with RHFAC standards.

 

Accessible features at Sydney Waterfront Campus include:

• A new transit stop directly in front of the Campus’s main entrance
• Accessible parking spaces in the main parking lot with a direct pathway leading to an accessible entrance
• An elevator in each block located next to accessible entrances
• Bilingual wayfinding signage in Mi’kmaq and English, with pictograms where appropriate, tactile lettering and Braille
• Adjustable height booths in welding shops
• Accessible workstation/sink in labs and other specialized program spaces
• Tactile attention indicators placed at the top of all stairs that alert someone who has a vision disability and uses a walking cane that there is a change in level
• Pedways between buildings allowing easier access without being exposed to outdoor elements and without having to cross vehicular traffic
• Audible fire alarms equipped with flash so that people who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing know when there is an emergency
• Designated areas of refuge located within landings at the top of enclosed stairwells
• Ramp to access stage in presentation theatre and designated accessible seating spaces
• Acoustic applications for sound damping and background noise

The College also received a $100,000 federal grant through NSCC Foundation and the Enabling Accessibility Fund (EAF) to equip up to 50 spaces throughout Sydney Waterfront Campus with MobileConnect - a type of assistive listening technology.

 

An accessible Nova Scotia

According to NSCC’s Accessibility Plan – a plan that is guiding the College’s collective actions for change as we work with the province on its goal to achieve an accessible Nova Scotia by 2030 – disability rates are high in our province.

In 2021, 26% of the College’s student population of 10,049 self-identified as having a disability. This closely matches provincial statistics in which 37.9% of Nova Scotians identify as having a disability – this is the highest rate in the country (Canadian Survey on Disability, 2022, Statistics Canada).

Jamus Dorey, Senior Advisor for Persons with Disabilities, asserts that NSCC is committed to equity-centered education for the entire community, ensuring culturally safe and equitable access to education for everyone, regardless of their abilities.

“While there is still much work to be done in removing all forms of barriers for persons with disabilities, the accessibility features implemented at Sydney Waterfront Campus and in our new student housing buildings demonstrate NSCC’s dedication to full inclusion for everyone in Nova Scotia. NSCC has long been recognized as a leader in accessibility within the province and continues its commitment to providing full and equitable access to post-secondary education, in part through meeting and exceeding accessibility standards.”

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