Bike!Bike! Northeast 2019

Creating an inclusive society one "step" at a time!

In this workshop you'll learn about Toronto's StopGap Foundation which has launched accessibility awareness raising projects across Canada and most recently in NYC. The volunteer-run campaigns open up previously inaccessible spaces and build awareness about the importance of a barrier-free and inclusive society. We don’t need to look far for examples of barriers to access – they are often right at your doorstep.

A graduate from University of Waterloo's Civil Engineering program, Luke Anderson sustained a spinal cord injury in 2002 while mountain biking in British Columbia. While working as an engineer in Toronto, his frustration with the built environment came to a boil after encountering one too many inaccessible storefronts.

StopGap is building brightly coloured single-step ramps to not only increase accessibility, but also to start a conversation about the importance of an inclusive society. The project continues to successfully remove barriers and raise awareness in countless communities from coast to coast here in Canada and south of the border.

Luke's workshop will cover the different ways that "steps" have shown up in his life. The steps he took getting through a challenging time, his frustration encountering steps in the built environment, and the steps involved in creating social change - StopGap style.