A Sudbury woman who uses a wheelchair says she’s frustrated and angry after an incident in a public washroom at Science North earlier this month. Isabelle Graffi has depended on her husband Marcel Charbanneau’s help since she suffered an injury five years ago that caused a rare spinal cord condition. ‘I know now what people go through’ “I have not been a wheelchair all my life and now I know what people are going through and it’s just not fair,” Graffi said. Most of the time the couple is able to get around public spaces without an issue. But while attending a wedding reception in the Vale Cavern at Science North on July 18, Graffi said, she and her husband experienced several barriers when she needed to use the washroom. Charbonneau went with her to assist her getting in and out of the wheelchair. “Every time we travel, I’ll help her lots and that’s the first time really there’s been a situation like that,” Charbonneau said. Door hit her face, toilet too Despite signs stating the washroom was accessible, Graffi said the stall door swung into the stall and there was not enough space for the wheelchair to fit through the stall door. “When my husband tried to close the door it was touching the toilet, so it hit my glasses. I managed to hold onto something at the back of the toilet, close the door slowly, shimmy and sit down at the toilet. But then I couldn’t get up cause it was too low,” she said. In a written statement, Science North apologized to Graffi, stating they did a review of their washroom facilities after receiving her complaint. The science centre added that they agree the washroom was mislabelled and the accessibility signage has now been removed. A spokesperson for Science North told CTV News that the washroom in question is in an older part of the building that conformed to previous building codes, adding there are accessible facilities on the main floor. On a map on its website accessible bathrooms are noted near the entrance and near the food court, both are a good distance from the Vale Cavern, which is rented for various functions and events. “We continue to identify opportunities for improvement through future infrastructure renewal planning and funding programs. We appreciate feedback from our visitors as we work to improve the experience for everyone,” Science North said in a statement to CTV News. Advocate says 2025 provincial accessibility pledge broken David Lepofsky is the chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance. He admits he’s never been inside the Science North building but said experiences like Raffi’s happen way too often, citing a billion-dollar courthouse build in downtown Toronto that he calls ‘an accessibility bungle.’ “People with disabilities need to go to the bathroom too just like people without disabilities and they shouldn’t have to go slogging up several floors in a building in a hopeless search for maybe finding an accessible washroom,” Lepofsky told CTV News in an interview Tuesday. Lepofsky, who is also a lawyer, has spent years advocating for accessibility. He helped lead the fight to get the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act passed in 2005. That legislation had a 2025 target date for the province, government and organizations to achieve full accessibility. “We have a cruel pattern of the Ontario government failing to live up to its own commitment to ensure the accessibility of buildings by 2025,” he said. Graffi said after her experience she’s wants file a Human Rights complaint. “People with disabilities should not have to file human rights complaints against every single barrier they face,” said Lepofsky. “The law was passed to make sure we wouldn’t have to do that,” he continued, adding that it could take up to five years to even get a tribunal hearing.
