Proposed Deaf/Blind Supportive Housing by Helen Keller Centre - for 150 Eighth St. !

If all goes well with the proposed new supportive housing complex on Eighth St. in New Toronto, then there will be a host of new DASSP members relocating near Sam Smith Park!

The 6 storey, 58 unit building would be completely accessible and deeply subsidized. Our local Councillor is completely supportive of this project.

For more information on the what the Helen Keller Centre has already built please see; 

Helen Keller Centre current housing

We can't wait to welcome all the new disabled residents to Sam Smith Park, and to DASSP!

September 25th - Inclusive Tree Planting site selection at SSP, by Urban Forestry and Green Toronto.

This morning DASSP had a meeting with Ray Vendrig of Toronto Urban Forestry, and Scott Laver of Green Toronto.

In the meeting DASSP outlined the issues regarding the lack of inclusivity for the upcoming Tree Planting at Sam Smith Park on Saturday, September 25th.

Ray and Scott outlined the process of site selection, as it exists now, and noted that DASSP had not been included the the original site selection onsite review which occurred with FOSS only, early this year.

We are assured that DASSP will be included in the site selection next year, to ensure that inclusive planting sites are chosen from now on.

DASSP outlined three (3) inclusive sites for this month's event. Two of the sites are flat and currently occupied by goldenrod, while the other is a previously used tree planting area beside the Pavillion.  The site will be selected next week during another meeting, and all three sites support bird life and migration, while paying attention to the creation of shade as well.

This year's tree planting for Disabled and Seniors, would unfortunately, be on a different site, from the one selected by FOSS.

The meeting culminated with a discussion on tweaking the actual yearly planning process, to ensure that DASSP is involved for SSP planting events, and that other Disabled and/or Senior groups are involved in events throughout Urban Toronto Green parks, to support the inclusive expansion of the valuable tree canopy in Toronto.

Urban Forestry and Green Toronto both stated that they support DASSP's goal of all Toronto Park events being inclusive for all Black, LGBTQ+, Disabled, Islamic, Senior, Aboriginal, etc., citizens !

Stay tuned for next week's update !

Visually Impaired - Feedback on Braille received from Toronto Forestry.

DASSP has received feedback from Janette, of Toronto Forestry, on our questions about making SSP more accessible to the Visually Impaired community. DASSP has been connected with the PFR Community Disability Steering Committee, and we will be in touch with them on this important topic.

Janette will also be following up on retrofitting our existing SSP signage for Braille.  Below is the response from Janette...

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The Parks & Trails Wayfinding Strategy followed Transportation Services new pedestrian wayfinding signage Toronto 360 , and as part of those two projects we engaged with a number of accessibility groups, including (but not limited to) CNIB, and PFR's Community Disability Steering Committee. We discussed tactile maps and braille on signs, among other things.

In order to include braille and other tactile elements on signs requires that signs should be installed in very predictable locations, and/or that there are other cues in the environment that indicate where signs are located (like standardized tactile trail surfaces or beacons).

Braille was installed on the first Toronto 360 sign prototype, but when reviewed by the PFR Community Disability Steering Committee, they found that it wasn't very helpful if they couldn't locate the sign in the first place.

Changes would need to be well planned in order for it to be useful. Having said all that, Toronto Forestry can look into what would be involved in retrofitting signs with braille.

Making SSP Interpretive Signs Accessible to the Blind - Toronto Forestry

A number of years back one current member of DASSP and many members of FOSS were able to convince City of Toronto Forestry (Janette Harvey), that the interpretive signs throughout Sam Smith Park had not been installed in an inclusive fashion.

The signs were much too high for children and Disabled, and they were installed perpendicular to the ground, making them very hard to read for both reasons.

City of Toronto Forestry was extremely proactive in responding to our requests for modification, and today the beautiful signage is much lower and slanted for easy viewing and learning.

With the founding of DASSP, we have come to realize that we overlooked the needs of the visually impaired users of our Park.

We have already submitted a request for clarification from Toronto Forestry as to the City's policy on Braille signage, to conform with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, with a view to a much needed remediation in the near future.

We will be following up again next week, and hopefully will be able to report good news in the very near future!

Down the road, once budgets improve and after some DASSP fundraising

Our member Vesty Roze, found a fantastic idea from Naples Italy, of a handrail written in Braille, that tells the story of the Gulf view from atop the castle upon which it rests! 

https://www.italiani.it/en/ingenuity-of-naples-the-handrail-that-tells-the-magic-of-the-gulf-to-those-who-cannot-see-it/

DASPP believes this would be a useful learning tool for Blind children, if Sam Smith Park had a Braille handrail on the lower rail of Observation Deck ! It could tell any number of wonderful stories of the Park to the kids !  We may have to wait a while, but good things come to those who wait, and work hard for them.