“Paris will be accessible. We are rising to the challenge,” said Fadila Khattabi, French Secretary of State in charge of People with Disabilities. With the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics now underway, barriers to transportation, travel, and accessibility in the community still exist for athletes and guests with disabilities. As doubt grows, The New York Times ran the following headline: “Paris Promised the Olympics Would Be Accessible. The Clock Is Ticking.”
The Invictus Games in 2025 is placing Whistler and Whistler Blackcomb on the international stage again, and we have a responsibility to make sure our community is as accessible and inclusive as it can be. We can change the conversation—it’s not just about making things better, it’s about showing the world what it means to thoughtfully include our community members and visitors with disabilities from the very beginning.
The World Health Organization estimates that 1 in 6 people have a disability globally. When we consider an aging population, mental health, and long-term effects of COVID-19, disability is close to home. It is for me—I have muscular dystrophy, a degenerative disorder that affects muscles throughout my body. I’m new to the Sea to Sky community, and quickly noticed how this community is so welcoming, kind, and supportive.
Whistler has a disability community, and it’s growing. Part of this is for reasons you’re probably guessing—after all, anyone can acquire a disability at any time due to aging, injury, or an illness. But it’s also growing for reasons we should celebrate—Whistler, Pemberton, and Squamish are becoming hubs for adaptive athletes. We see more and more athletes with disabilities in media and social media; last summer Crankworx hosted an adaptive race not as a separate event, but as one of the main features. It showed people with disabilities can come to Whistler and thrive.
But as this community grows and more people with disabilities see Whistler as a destination, we need to be ready. With Invictus Games around the corner in 2025, we will see an influx of athletes with disabilities and their families. This is an opportunity to show the world that Whistler is and wants to be the most accessible community for people with disabilities to experience our backyard. We should strive to give them a world-class experience by reducing the barriers that we in the local disability community face every day.
There is no accessible transportation between here and Vancouver, or even Squamish. Very little accessible housing exists, but it’s challenging to find public information about housing options. There isn’t enough accessible accommodation for the Invictus Games, and event organizers will be busing athletes to and from the city daily. Infrastructure is aging—I have been impacted and (briefly) trapped by elevator outages. And one simply needs to wander Skier’s Plaza mid-season to see missing bricks—a hazard for the elderly, parents with young children, and people using mobility devices.
So many things in our daily lives impact the disability community in ways many of us aren’t aware of. Avalanche bombing can be challenging for a veteran with PTSD. Parents with disabilities need accessible washrooms and changing tables. People with vision or hearing disabilities often can’t access content on social media. Even the language we use affects how welcome or included someone feels. My goal isn’t to provide an exhaustive list of barriers. My intent is to highlight how everything we do has an impact on accessibility.
I do want to recognize some incredible work toward accessibility in the community. The Whistler Public Library is gathering community feedback to inform its Strategic Plan for the next several years, and accessibility is integral to this. The Whistler Fire Department is exploring offering first-aid training tailored for aiding someone with a disability. In my time here, I’ve also noticed how many disability allies there are—people individually are aware of the barriers and challenges that exist. This is an opportunity to learn from the disability community and to start asking what you or your organization can do to be more inclusive.
Each organization and business in the Sea to Sky should have an individual who is accountable for disability inclusion—even better if it’s someone with a disability who can bring their lived experiences. Whistler Blackcomb and the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) both have accessibility committees. Whistler Blackcomb could take a page from the RMOW’s playbook by having an individual with a disability responsible for accessibility within WB. To make the right investments, people with disabilities need to be more than advisors—they must be leaders.
To challenge a common assumption that accessibility is costly, it is expensive to retrofit accessibility when it’s an afterthought. Planning for accessibility from the beginning in partnership with the disability community means we get it right the first time. Beyond physical accessibility, we can consider accessibility in our policies, training, content, events, language, and at the very least our attitudes.
It’s time we show the local disability community and visiting athletes from the Invictus Games that we value their engagement and participation in the Sea to Sky. We don’t need to do better; we need to be the best. Let’s show the world the positive impact thoughtful, intentional disability inclusion has.
A colleague of mine told me about this idea he called the “Disability Equation.” When you multiply someone’s disability by the barriers they face, you understand the impact the barriers have on their lives. When there are zero barriers, what is the impact?
The clock is ticking.
Accessibility in Whistler
In June 2021, B.C.’s provincial government passed the Accessible BC Act, which set new standards for the province and required municipalities to have an accessibility committee, plan, and a tool to receive feedback on accessibility.
The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) adopted its Accessible Action Plan in September 2022, which seeks to implement “actions that identify, remove and prevent barriers to individuals in or interacting with the RMOW,” according to the municipality’s website.
The plan presents 59 different actions spread across six action areas.
Last year, municipal accessibility coordinator Sarah Tipler told council there is a growing awareness of accessibility issues at both the provincial and national level.
Between that, an aging local population, and new funding available for accessibility improvements through both the provincial and federal governments, Tipler said there is already plenty of momentum behind the RMOW’s accessibility efforts as Invictus approaches.
“The Accessible Canada Act and Accessible British Columbia Act have made the provincial and federal governments more aware,” she explained following her presentation. “There’s some funding around that wasn’t available before, which of course facilitates getting more things done.”
Initiatives on deck for 2024 included the continued assessments of existing locations and public facilities; the development of “Know Before You Go” videos for key facilities and accessible routes, which will enable people with disabilities to better prepare for their trip to the resort; identifying intersections that could benefit from countdown signals; and the incorporation of accessibility features and commitments into the RMOW’s request-for-proposal template.
According to its website, the RMOW is “committed to working inclusively and collaboratively with resort partners to provide equitable treatment to people with disabilities regarding the use and benefit of municipal services, programs, goods and facilities in a manner that respects their dignity and that is equitable in relation to the broader public.
“The resort community also strives to continue to provide residents and visitors from around the world, regardless of age or ability, with a seamless resort experience based not only on accessibility, but also on inclusivity. These commitments extend to residents and visitors with visible or non-visible disabilities.”
Read more about accessibility in Whistler, and share feedback of your own, at whistler.ca/accessibility.
Sean Marihugh has spent his career working in accessibility based on a fascination with all the different ways people with disabilities interact with the world. Along the way, he discovered a deep love of all things adaptive sports, and Whistler has become a core part of that journey as Muscular Dystrophy changes his strength and mobility over time. Sean wants to show that accessibility is all about creativity and ensuring people with disabilities are equitably represented.
