INCLUSIVITY BY DESIGN
Creating accessible communities.
We have a long-standing commitment to social equity. Our approach to accessibility ensures the communities we create, and build are not only accessible, but also inclusive, resilient, and foster a sense of belonging for all. We are firmly committed to understanding any current or future barriers for those living with disabilities and working towards solutions. Daniels continues to strengthen this promise by creating more accessible buildings and communities through our Accessibility Designed Program (ADP), which focuses on improving design standards and ensuring universal accessibility.
- Raising the Bar: Our ADP suites surpass the accessibility benchmarks of the Ontario Building Code (OBC), symbolizing our unwavering commitment to quality and inclusive design.
- Tailored to Needs: While mobility requirements differ, our selection of standard accessible suite designs ensures everyone find their fit. Features like roll-in showers and roll-out balconies come at no extra cost.
- Personalized Upgrades: Homebuyers can collaborate with our team, refining their homes to address specific accessibility needs.
Driven by our values of putting people first and doing what’s right, Daniels continues to innovate with the aim of reducing barrriers, focusing on making our communities more accessible and inclusive so everyone can love where they live.
Partners in Accessibility
Through the creation of Daniels Accessibility Designed Program, the Daniels team has had the opportunity to partner with, work and learn from many incredible accessibility-focused organizations and individuals. These groups have provided invaluable guidance and insights as to the role that we as city builders play in creating places and spaces that are inclusive for all.
Accelerating Accessibility Coalition
In 2022, Daniels played a lead role in the creation of the Accelerating Accessibility Coalition (AAC). The Accelerating Accessibility Coalition is a first-of-its-kind community of real estate development and accessibility leaders that aims to create a more accessible Canada. It is challenging home builders to make physical accessibility a greater priority as they build the millions of new homes needed across Canada in the next decade.
The coalition is underpinned by the belief that accessible housing benefits everyone, and that a sign of an inclusive and prosperous country is where people of all ages and abilities can participate fully in society, including having access to homes that are barrier-free. For Canada to fully realize this vision, the supply of accessible housing needs to match the important demand.
Visit https://toronto.uli.org/programs/the-accelerating-accessibility-coalition/ to learn more.
StopGap Foundation
StopGap Foundation raises awareness and removing barriers to create a world where every person can access every space. Through StopGap Community Ramp Projects and Ramps on Request, single step businesses are provided with access ramps to eliminate barriers in the built environment and create inclusive spaces we can all live, work and play in.
StopGap ramps were originally intended to provide greater access for wheelchair and mobility device users, yet many others find them incredibly useful as well – a fundamental of good universal design StopGap Foundation also acts as a leader in advocating for change on a larger scale by working collaboratively with policy makers, designers, builders, architects, and community energizers. The brightly coloured ramps spark curiosity and invite people to think and talk about accessibility in fun and innovative ways.
Luke Anderson, Founder & CEO of StopGap Foundation has provided invaluable guidance in helping Daniels develop our Accessibility Designed Program since its inception.
AccessNow
The Daniels Corporation recently partnered with AccessNow, an accessibility technology company that pinpoints accessibility around the world. Since 2016, AccessNow has built a robust, go-to information resource for the disabled community that uncovers the accessibility of the built environment. The AccessNow platform is built for the community, by the community, provides a pan-disability lens on the accessibility of physical spaces.
Using the AccessNow app, Daniels, AccessNow and members of the Regent Park community hosted a MapMission of the Regent Park community to collect information about a public space or business’s level of accessibility including features like automatic doors, accessible washrooms, braille, service animal friendly, scent-free, and more. The information collected in the app is shared publicly with tens of thousands of users who will benefit from knowing how accessible businesses and public spaces are and where barriers still exist that require change.
In addition, AccessNow and Daniels hosted an important fireside chat on the topic of The Future of Smart City Building for Everyone.
L’Arche Toronto
L’Arche Toronto offers community homes, daily living support, daytime programming, and a variety of opportunities for persons with intellectual disabilities living in the community.
Daniels has developed a unique partnership with L’Arche Toronto, which provides housing for people with intellectual disabilities. We custom designed an eight-bedroom condominium within the Artworks Tower in Regent Park to meet the assisted-living needs of L’Arche and their community.
Rick Hansen Foundation
For over three decades, the Rick Hansen Foundation team has been raising awareness, changing attitudes, and breaking down physical barriers for people with disabilities with their programs and initiatives. One of which is the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification™ (RHFAC) program that works to challenge builders, institutions, and developers like Daniels to go beyond the building code and create innovative solutions to make their communities universally accessible. Daniels has achieved the highest rating of RHFAC Gold on two of their new communities and is working towards achieving this certification on future communities, all to ensure inclusivity and accessibility is top of mind at every stage of the development process.
“MapMissions” are integral to building out and informing the AccessNow mobile app and web platform, which allows people to search for places in their community that are accessible, based on their location and needs. On May 25, 2022, the AccessNow team, Daniels and local Regent Park residents came together for a MapMission event to explore the accessibility of places in the neighbourhood.