Accessibility Consulting Services
We offer a range of residential and commercial accessibility services.
What We Offer
We offer comprehensive accessibility consulting services for any client that wants to improve accessibility, regardless of the project's size. Utilizing the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification's (RHFAC) structured methodology, we assess key elements that impact accessibility and provide tailored recommendations to enhance u
We offer comprehensive accessibility consulting services for any client that wants to improve accessibility, regardless of the project's size. Utilizing the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification's (RHFAC) structured methodology, we assess key elements that impact accessibility and provide tailored recommendations to enhance usability for a diverse range of users. Additionally, we conduct accessibility workshops to further educate your team on best practices. If desired, we can assist your organization in achieving an RHFAC or RHF Accessibility Certified Gold rating, the highest benchmark for accessibility in Canada. Learn more about this by clicking the link below. We also specialize in accessible garden design services.
Who We Serve
Who We Serve
Businesses, homeowners, non-profit organizations, and public spaces such as trails and playgrounds can all benefit from accessibility improvements. Community gardens, hospitals, long-term care facilities, places of worship, and schools can implement accessible design to create inclusive environments. Additionally, school garden programs a
Businesses, homeowners, non-profit organizations, and public spaces such as trails and playgrounds can all benefit from accessibility improvements. Community gardens, hospitals, long-term care facilities, places of worship, and schools can implement accessible design to create inclusive environments. Additionally, school garden programs and vocational programs for people with disabilities can enhance participation through universal design. Ultimately, we're here to support anyone looking to improve accessibility.
professional accessibility services
Accessibility Consulting and Universal Design Recommendations
Whether you’re looking for recommendations to enhance accessibility in a specific space, such as through designing an accessible garden or improving a washroom, or if you want to evaluate an entire facility with a focus on all aspects that could affect accessibility, including pursuing RHFAC certification, we can help you out. Additionally, we offer accessibility workshops to further support your efforts.
RHFAC Ratings for Existing Sites:
Achieving a Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification, or RHFAC certification, allows your organization to demonstrate its commitment to accessibility and ensures a listing on the RHFAC Registry of accessible spaces. This certification is especially beneficial for businesses in the tourism and hospitality sectors, as well as organizations interested in creating a more inclusive environment for all.
RHFAC Ratings for Pre-Construction:
The most cost-effective way to ensure accessibility is to integrate it into the design phase rather than making costly retrofits later. We work with architects, project managers, tradespeople, occupational therapists, clients with disabilities, and their advocates. We can support you in achieving best-in-class accessibility based on RHFAC certification criteria and Universal Design principles.
Specialized services
Accessible Garden Recommendations
For all of the 15 years that Marcel has worked as a direct support worker to people with intellectual disabilities, he sought to reduce barriers to gardening. His experience ranges from a 4x4 foot plot in the city to a half acre 4-season market garden selling vegetables all over Cape Breton Island, all with meaningful access to the joys of gardening for the top priority. By considering each person's physical, emotional and intellectual access needs, along with the gardening task of the day and experimenting with different tools, techniques, and positions, his aim was always to create meaningful access to this wonderful activity. This experience has made him a leader in accessible garden design and programming. His insights, which are informed by his RHFAC certification, can help make your gardening space a place of inclusion and enjoyment for all expected users.
Accessibility Workshops for Community Garden Groups
We can provide accessibility workshops for community garden groups or leaders who want to ensure their gardens are creating an accessible environment where people with disabilities feel welcome and valued as equal members of their communities. Topics include addressing the various barriers, from physical to attitudinal, that community gardens can face, as well advice on techniques and tools that can be used by or with people with a range of disabilities to make gardening meaningfully accessible.
Adaptive Garden Tool Development
More to come soon! We have exciting new designs in the works for tools and equipment that we think will make a big difference for accessibility in gardens. Stay tuned!
About
Marcel Visser has dedicated the past 16 years to the disability field, cultivating a deep knowledge and passion for overcoming the barriers that individuals with disabilities encounter in the built environment. He is a certified professional with the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification™ (RHFAC), the first system in Canada designed to evaluate the built environment for meaningful access across a range of disabilities. Central to this certification are the principles of Universal Design, which emphasize that many, if not all, access needs can be addressed through thoughtful design. Marcel lives in beautiful Cape Breton with his wife and two kids.
worth mentioning
In 2024, Marcel received the 'Invisible Champion' award from the Bhayana Family Foundation and the United Way for his contributions to L'Arche Cape Breton.
Marcel was invited to present a workshop at the American Community Gardening Association's annual conference in Boston in 2024, focusing on making gardens accessible. The session was titled 'Accessible Gardens: Places of Community for All Abilities' and highlighted the opportunity community gardens have to be truly welcoming to all community members, regardless of ability.