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[Audio: Opening music.]
[Visual: Rapid succession of views of residential areas from a large city. Animated transition to the on-screen title "Ask an Expert".]
Joelle Hamilton: Canada is home to people with diverse abilities and an aging population.
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[Visual: Animated transition to host Joelle Hamilton speaking to the camera, sitting at a desk on which a laptop computer, a mouse and a mug are placed.]
[On-screen identification in the lower third: Joelle Hamilton, Communications & Marketing, CMHC]
With this in mind, it's more important than ever to create environments that are accessible and inclusive for everyone.
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[Visual: Transition to a succession of scenes involving people with reduced mobility: an elderly couple wearing masks in a kitchen. The man is holding a walker with his right hand, the woman is opening a drawer with her left hand while holding a cane with her right hand. A young woman with a white cane is opening a glass door. A young man in a wheelchair is moving from room to room. The young woman with the white cane is setting a thermostat. The elderly couple is in the bathroom, where the man is getting in the shower.]
In this video, we're going to talk about Universal Design. It quickly gained momentum in the housing sector, where it became an important aspect of making homes accessible for people with disabilities and seniors.
But first, let's look at some data!
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[Visual: Animated transition to the on-screen title "Key Data". Animated transition to: "27% of the Canadian population aged 15 and over have one or more disabilities" ] Include Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Survey on Disability, 2022
New findings from the 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD) showed that 27% of the Canadian population aged 15 years and over, or 8.0 million people, had one or more disabilities. That's roughly one quarter of Canadians!
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[Visual: Animated transition to host Joelle Hamilton speaking to the camera, sitting at a desk on which a laptop computer, a mouse and a mug are placed.]
Now, although many seniors do not live with a disability, our aging population is growing.
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[Visual: Animated transition to the on-screen title "Proportion" and the mention of Statistics Canada as the source of the data.]
[Visual: Transition to animated infographic showing growth in proportion of older Canadians; use of icons, up arrow, and size variations in the text to show this growth
Proportion of Canadians 65+
19% 2022
20% 2025
25% 2059
Source: Statistics Canada]
As of 2022, 7.3 million or about 19% of Canadians were 65 and older — a number that's only growing.
Statistics Canada projects that the proportion of people aged 65 and up could reach 20% by 2025 and 25% by 2059.
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[Visual: Animated transition to sentence "85% of Canadians want to 'age in place'". Include the source: National Institute on Ageing. Enabling the Future Provision of Long-Term Care in Canada. Toronto, ON: National Institute on Ageing White Paper; 2019.]
According to the National Institute on Ageing, 85% of Canadians want to "age in place."
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[Visual: Animated transition to host Joelle Hamilton speaking to the camera, sitting at a desk on which a laptop computer, a mouse and a mug are placed.]
[Visual: A woman petting her dog. Slow-motion close-up of the lower legs and white cane of a blind person walking. Close-up of an access ramp.]
With so many people, including older adults and individuals living with disabilities, wanting to stay in their homes and communities long term, how do we ensure they can live independently, safely, and comfortably?
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[Visual: Animated transition to the on-screen title "What is Universal Design?". Animated transition to a close-up view of an architectural plan being unrolled and annotated. Aerial view of a major street. Close-up of the arms and legs of a person in a wheelchair going up an access ramp. A man helping a woman out of a chaise lounge.]
Enter Universal Design — a concept that focuses on making spaces, products, and environments usable by everyone, regardless of age or ability. It's not just about ramps and wide doorways; it's about creating inclusive, welcoming spaces for all.
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[Visual: Animated transition to Camille Farrag addressing the camera.]
[On-screen identification in the lower third: Camille Farrag, Senior Specialist, Housing Research]
Camille Farrag: Universal Design is, in the built environment, that is where Universal Design is applied to housing and homes response to human diversity through thoughtful planning and design. It recognizes that people have a wide range of abilities and preferences and responds to these preferences and needs. Universal Design attempts to anticipate future needs of someone residing in their own home and responds to that anticipated future need.
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[Visual: Succession of scenes: Back view of a woman in a wheelchair heading down a corridor and entering an elevator. Close-up of the hands of three housing specialists sitting around a table. Architectural plans are in front of them and two construction helmets, one white, one yellow, are visible at the end of the table. An older man is lifting a baby in the air and kissing them.]
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[Visual: Animated transition to the on-screen title "Why is Universal Design Important?"]
Joelle Hamilton: Universal Design isn't just beneficial for people with disabilities — it's good for everyone.
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[Visual: Animated transition to Jake Cohen sitting on a sofa in a living room while addressing the camera. Then the camera zooms in on his face.]
[On-screen identification in the lower third: Jake Cohen, Chief Operating Officer, The Daniels Corporation]
[Visual: Time-lapse views of an urban building site. Close-up of fingers running lightly on a braille plate. Back view of a person in a wheelchair going up an access ramp.]
Jake Cohen: The current building code, unfortunately, doesn't quite go far enough in terms of thinking about accessibility. There are small things that can be done in buildings across the city on a consistent basis, that won't cost more money. That won't be more difficult to build, but will lead to a better quality of life.
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[Visual: Animated transition to Camille Farrag addressing the camera.]
Camille Farrag: So Universal Design is something that is potentially marketable. It would be a competitive advantage for any designer or builder when they're trying to sell their homes because they'll be able to argue that it is in fact a forever home that they're selling.
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[Visual: A man is using a walker in a kitchen. A woman with a white cane is going down the stairs. Only the lower half of her body is shown.]
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[Visual: View of an elevator's braille buttons. An older couple dancing cheek-to-cheek in the kitchen.]
By understanding or anticipating what people will need in the future in terms of their housing design, they're actually preventing really expensive renovation costs. And that's a big sell to people.
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[Visual: Animated transition to host Joelle Hamilton speaking to the camera, sitting at a desk on which a laptop computer, a mouse and a mug are placed.]
Joelle Hamilton: Implementing Universal Design features at the planning stage involves little to no additional cost.
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[Visual: Close-up of a portion of a white cane with a hand turning the light switch on and off. A man with a walker stepping out on a balcony.]
Features like rocker-style light switches and lever-style door handles are affordable and beneficial for people with varying abilities.
Designers and builders can also include certain Universal Design features to make their homes accessible to everyone.
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[Visual: Animated transition to the on-screen title "Universal Design Features". Then the following text is animated on screen as the host speaks]
- No step entrance
- Wide doorways
- Roll-in showers
- Offset plumbing under sinks
- Stacked closets that can be converted into elevator shafts
- Colour contrasting around doorways
0:03:52
[Visual: Animated transition to the on-screen title "Lived Experience", followed by an animated transition to host Joelle Hamilton speaking to the camera, sitting at a desk on which a laptop computer, a mouse and a mug are placed.]
Let's hear from the real experts, those who live with different abilities, as they tour a space designed and built with Universal Design in mind.
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[Visual: Animated transition to a man sitting in a wheelchair in an adapted kitchen.]
[On-screen identification in the lower third: Luke — Uses power wheelchair]
Luke: Noticing a lot of room to maneuver, feels very spacious. Just noting the underneath clearance of the counter here, which will work well. Have a dance party in here! I'm always up for a kitchen dance party!
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[Visual: Neisha, holding a white cane, is scanning the apartment. Succession of images where she is touching a light switch and the oven's push buttons.]
[On-screen identification in the lower third: Neisha — Lives with sight loss
Neisha: A lot of light in here, so it's wonderful. So the outlet is a contrasting colour from the backsplash, so that's really good. So I could easily find the outlets. OK there's dots on here so that's really good. Bump dots, so I'm able to start to select the numbers and hit start. So that's good.
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[Visual: Luke looks at a bathroom, admiring all the space to freely move around. Succession of images: Close-up of the wheels of Luke's wheelchair; 180-degree view of the bathroom; Luke spins around in the bathroom.]
Luke: right? Let's check out the bathroom and lots of clearance to get through. A great, great layout. Just in general, I think I did almost 360 turn without a whole lot of maneuvering to allow myself to spin completely around.
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[Visual: Neisha is looking at the bathroom. Succession of images: close-up of the floor tiles, her feet and the tip of her white cane; 180-degree view of the bathroom.]
Neisha: This bathroom is very spacious. Lots of light, which I like. Oh, a shower! And you just walk right in. That's awesome, so I don't have to worry about tripping.
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[Visual: Kate and Doug walking around in the bathroom.]
[On-screen identification in the lower third: Kate and Doug — Senior couple]
Kate and Doug: A wheel-in shower. Can I have a little privacy please?
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[Visual: View of Neisha's feet and the bottom portion of her white cane. She is opening a glass door.]
Neisha: There's no step up so it makes it easier to get in and out. So that is, that is really good.
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[Visual: View of Doug's shoes and the bottom part of his walker. He is joining Kate on the balcony. Portrait view of them looking out.]
Doug: Very low threshold, easy to go over with a walker. So this is great, a breath of fresh air!
0:05:39
[Visual: Luke is in the kitchen addressing the camera. Direct cut to him in close-up.]
Luke: I was really imagining kitchen dance parties and hosting and having guests over. And there's still being ample room to, to maneuver and I felt like I was home. Yeah! I felt like I was home.
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[Visual: Animated transition to the on-screen title "Encourager l'action"
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[Visual: Animated transition to Jake Cohen addressing the camera, followed by a close-up of his face.]
Jake Cohen: The time to act is now! The time to start building and developing these accessible homes is today. We need developers and builders to take this up right now and start delivering more homes that have more accessible features.
0:06:11
[Visual: Animated transition to host Joelle Hamilton speaking to the camera, sitting at a desk on which a laptop computer, a mouse and a mug are placed.]
Joelle Hamilton: Universal Design creates inclusive, accessible environments that benefit everyone. It's essential for supporting those with disabilities and those that want to age in place.
0:06:17
[Visual: Direct cut to a succession of various scenes: Neisha wiping the top of the stove. Doug and Kate in the kitchen. Kate is opening the door to the freezer. Aerial view of a residential neighbourhood. Back view of Luke exiting the unit.]
Whether you're a builder planning your next construction project or a homebuyer searching for your dream home, why not think about Universal Design?
0:06:30
[Visual: Animated transition to host Joelle Hamilton speaking to the camera, sitting at a desk on which a laptop computer, a mouse and a mug are placed.]
It's about creating adaptable, future-proof homes for everyone.
0:06:35
[Visual: Animated transition to the on-screen title "Subscribe on YouTube".]
Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to get the latest videos from our new "Ask an Expert" series.
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[Visual: Animated transition to the text "This video was created using footage from the Accelerating Accessibility Coalition and their partners." and the logos of ULI Toronto, the Daniels Corporation and Confound Films.]
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[Visual: Animated transition to the Canada and CMHC logos.
[Audio: Closing music.]
Done!
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