Archive News 2021
VCC receives second Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification™
Vancouver Community College (VCC) is pleased to announce that our Building A at the Broadway campus is now officially certified through the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification™ (RHFAC) program, which recognizes meaningful access for people of all abilities. Building A, constructed in 1983, was VCC's first building at the Broadway campus, and is home to VCC's automotive trades programs, international culinary arts, academic upgrading, university transfer programs, and more.
Areas assessed include accessible routes to the main entrances, accessible outdoor parking lots, proximity to transit, wayfinding, emergency systems, and more. VCC's Broadway campus buildings are now listed on the RHFAC Registry and will be displaying window decals at the entrances.
Building B, which is home to VCC's health sciences programs, Indigenous Education and Community Engagement department, and serves as a public event space, earned VCC's first RHFAC certification in April 2020. Evaluation of VCC's Downtown campus is also planned in the near future.
Access for all
RHFAC is an organization that aims to improve the accessibility of the built environment for people with vision, hearing and mobility disabilities – the places where we live, work, learn, and play. RHFAC has created a national rating system that helps both owners and tenants measure the accessibility of their buildings and sites based on a consistent methodology, and promotes increased access through the adoption of Universal Design principles.
VCC is also proud to have trained many of the RHFAC professionals in Vancouver through a one-of-a-kind educational partnership formed in 2016.
Since its launch via VCC Continuing Studies, RHFAC Training has since expanded to five other post-secondary institutions across Canada. Over 1,250 sites have been rated across Canada thus far, with over 800 achieving RHF Accessibility Certified or Certified RHFAC Accessibility Certified Gold status.
Are you ready to help Canada become more accessible? VCC’s two-week, 48-hour Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification™ (RHFAC) Training course runs in both the Spring and Fall terms at VCC.