National

Surrey’s Sensory Friendly Spaces Program Receives Honours

Darpan News Desk City of Surrey, 24 Jun, 2020 10:06 PM

On June 22, British Columbia Recreation and Parks Association (BCRPA) honoured the City of Surrey with a provincial 2020 Program Excellence Award for its Sensory Friendly Spaces Program.

BCRPA’s annual Awards of Excellence recognize outstanding programs, facilities, parks and dedicated individuals whose ideas, innovation and services make an impact in the recreation and parks sector. “Accessible and inclusive parks, recreation and cultural amenities and services are essential elements to a complete, connected and healthy community,” said Mayor Doug McCallum. “The City of Surrey remains fully committed in improving recreation opportunities and enhancing quality of life for all of our residents of Surrey.

We are honoured to receive this award as it represents the City’s steadfast commitment to accessibility and inclusion.” The City of Surrey has one of the highest rates of Autism in British Columbia. To address this, and guided by the City’s principle of inclusion, Surrey partnered with the Canucks Autism Network (CAN) to create and promote several sensory friendly options for individuals with autism spectrum disorder or who have sensory processing needs.

A sensory friendly space is a calm and quiet area designed to create a supportive environment for individuals who have autism spectrum disorder, anxiety or other sensory-processing needs.

The sensory friendly space allows individuals to feel safe and calm, allowing them to not only attend special events and programs but also feel supported throughout their experience.

In addition to the development of sensory friendly spaces at signature community events and throughout its parks, recreation and culture facilities, City of Surrey also rolled out low-cost sensory kits at its recreation centres.

The kits, which contain noise-cancelling headphones, sensory toys and fidget toys, are supported by frontline staff. The kits were initially launched by Surrey Fire Service to aid anyone with sensory processing needs during first responder or fire calls.

Photo courtesy of City of Surrey

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Local restaurants feel squeezed by delivery apps' commission fees

Restaurants struggling to survive during the COVID-19 crisis have turned to take-out and delivery, but the fees charged by food-delivery companies are eating away their bottom line, some operators say. Physical distancing measures have decimated dine-in service, which accounts for most industry revenue, said Mark von Schellwitz, a vice-president of the non-profit Restaurants Canada.

Local restaurants feel squeezed by delivery apps' commission fees

Ottawa helping guide, but not dictating, provincial reopening plans: Trudeau

With Canada's two most populous provinces poised to outline plans for a gradual return to normalcy, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that Ottawa will help guide, but not dictate, how provinces and territories should start easing restrictions. Ontario and Quebec together account for more than 80 per cent of the country's COVID-19 cases.

Ottawa helping guide, but not dictating, provincial reopening plans: Trudeau

Crisis lines face volunteer, cash crunch even as COVID-19 drives surge in calls

Despite a surge in demand due to COVID-19, many distress centres across Canada are dangerously close to folding thanks to major declines in both volunteers and revenue. Stephanie MacKendrick, CEO of Crisis Services Canada, which runs the only national suicide-specific helpline in Canada, says her organization relies on a network of approximately 100 community distress centres across the country to field calls from people.

Crisis lines face volunteer, cash crunch even as COVID-19 drives surge in calls

Conservatives gear up to grill government in modified return of House of Commons propose and oppose: Tories

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer laid out Monday the numerous lines of inquiry his party intends to follow this week as a modified version of a House of Commons sitting gets underway. They include the state of the nation's emergency supply stockpile, the mishmash of federal economic benefit programs that allow some to fall through the cracks and to what extent the minority Liberals are backstopping provincial efforts to reopen their economies, Scheer said.

Conservatives gear up to grill government in modified return of House of Commons propose and oppose: Tories

Learning to live with COVID-19 requires permanent fixes to vulnerable settings

Canada's chief public health officer warned Monday there is still a lot we don't know about the virus that causes COVID-19, but said stopping this pandemic or preventing a future one will require more than just physical distancing and handwashing. Dr. Theresa Tam said we simply do not know yet whether someone who has had COVID-19 will be immune from getting it again, or how long that immunity will last.

Learning to live with COVID-19 requires permanent fixes to vulnerable settings

B.C. university creates institute to take microscope-telescope view of pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed the world at a tipping point that's challenging social, political, economic and environmental structures, says the director of a new academic research institute at British Columbia's Royal Roads University. Dr. Thomas Homer-Dixon said Monday the pandemic is an event with the power to cause those structures to fall like dominos or shift radically to new paths.