(From SCIO’s site at https://sciontario.org/hear-from-our-community/)
Spinal Cord Injury Ontario (SCIO), together with other disability organizations, developers, researchers and people with lived experience, are engaging in an accessible housing strategy to create more living options for the disabled community. To highlight the issues faced by people in Ontario, we are featuring Saleh’s Story from SCIO’s website.
Saleh’s Story
Saleh Sheihk has lived in Ontario since 2020. “I came to Canada at the height of COVID, so a lot of things were shut down, and I had lots of time to learn and practice English,” he shares, “I landed on my wheels.”
He spent 14 months at a shelter and was told that the waitlist for an accessible unit with elevator access was six to seven years. Shortly after, he found a private building in Regent Park with wide doors. Desperate and well aware that the government housing list was very long, he rented a unit.
“I took a course on accessibility to learn what it all meant and to educate myself,” says Saleh, “I quickly learned there is a major lack of private market options.”
His current housing has some accessible features, such as the wider doors, but his kitchen is built for standing which makes it impossible to wheel under the sink or stove. Burn injuries and other mishaps due to inaccessibility are part of Saleh’s normal – just last year, he broke his femur. As a result, he rarely cooks for himself and relies on friends and neighbours to assist him.
Saleh has visited accessible units several times and appreciates how easy it was to wheel under the stove safely and have easy access to the sink and cupboards. He said it it felt like finding a vest that fits you perfectly!
Having lived in many countries, he is used to not having accessibility in addition to regular bodily injuries but feels it should be better in Canada.
However, in present day Ontario, people as young as 24 are often sent to long-term care (LTC) because there is not enough accessible accommodation. This is turn reduces seniors’ access to long-term care homes and a vicious cycle develops.
Saleh says he would rather stay with the inconvenience of his current home than be in LTC. He feels community is important and not available to suit his needs there. He also feels that in LTC people have the same routine every day, and it seems to indicate that it is not okay to have a disability or use a wheelchair. “You’re told what to do, what and when to eat, and you’re away from the rest of society even though you know you are capable of participating,” he says.
Saleh feels that at least 25% of homes should have accessible features from the start. With more seniors and people with disabilities, the demand for accessible homes will only continue to increase.
SCIO is one of the 21 participating charities of Federated Health Charities (FHC). FHC is the charity arm of the Ontario government including ministries, the OPP, and certain provincial agencies such as OLG and Metrolinx.
