FSJACL to host wheelchair accessibility showcase event

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The Fort St. John Association for Community Living (FSJACL) is hosting an event later this month to help residents understand the current state of wheelchair accessibility in the community.

Jared Braun, the company’s stewardship manager, appeared in a recent interview on 100.1 Moose FM discussing the event.

According to Braun, on Wednesday, September 24th at 1 p.m., representatives from the FSJACL will set up outside at the corner of 100th Street and 101st Avenue.

“We’re inviting the community, and we’ve put the invite out to the mayor and council, to see if they can come hop in a wheelchair and see what accessibility is like in Fort St. John,” he said. 

Braun said he hopes the experience will be eye-opening for residents and give the city a sense of any changes that need to be made to accommodate the needs of wheelchair users in the community.

“This time of year, we’re all really excited because the construction [in the city] is starting to shut down.

“We’ve all been dealing with all the detours and the challenges of that, and I just thought that’s a really good way to think about the reality that there’s a lot of people in our community [for whom] that’s their reality every day.”

The event will see attendees touring part of the downtown area, assessing the conditions of sidewalks, crosswalks and businesses.

Braun also said a number of extra wheelchairs will be set aside for attendees who want to try and experience the city from a new point of view.

There won’t be any fees or pre-registration required to take part in the event, which is open to the community, but Braun said the FSJACL will accept donations.