Newly Designed Flag to Fly at Civic Centre for National AccessAbility Week
The Essex County Accessibility Advisory Committee unveiled at County Council Wednesday night a newly-designed flag that will be hoisted at the Civic Centre on Monday, May 30, to celebrate National AccessAbility Week.
The flag was designed by Kristine Verbeek and selected above other designs by accessibility committee members from each local municipality and the County. It features the word “Accessibility” beneath a stylized figure in a wheelchair facing the right side of the flag, with a series of seven chevrons pointing in the same direction.
“These chevrons symbolize the seven local County municipalities moving forward with accessibility together, in the right direction, suggesting momentum, progress and action,” said ECAAC Chair Christine Easterbrook. “It is the committee’s hope that raising this flag will help to raise awareness about the importance of inclusivity and ongoing accessibility issues and activities in the County of Essex.”
The flag raising at the Civic Centre is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Monday, May 30th. Warden Gary McNamara will be on hand as will members of the committee and County of Essex staff. Members of the advisory committees of the local municipalities are also invited to attend if they are not already participating in flag-raising ceremonies of their own.
The theme for this year’s National AccessAbility Week, which runs from May 29 to June 4, is “Moving Forward Together.”
Red Shirt Day, a day of action for accessibility and inclusion, falls in the middle of that week, on Wednesday, June 1. Residents of Windsor and Essex County are encouraged to wear red that day and post pictures to social media using the hashtags #RedShirtDay and #RedForAccessAbility.
The flag raising is just one of several initiatives that have been launched or will soon be launched by the Essex County Accessibility Advisory Committee. Others include:
Multi-Year Accessibility Plan: The County of Essex needs your feedback to assist in the development of the 2023-2027 Multi-Year Accessibility Plan. The plan will outline how the County of Essex will prevent and remove barriers to accessibility that people with various abilities may face when accessing our programs, services, and facilities. Your input is important as we create this plan to continue to improve on our services to all our residents and staff. Learn more!
WE Check The Trails, Phase Two: The Essex County Accessibility Advisory Committee worked with the Essex Region Conservation Authority last year and engaged the community in a crowdsourcing initiative to identify any accessibility issues with the Greenway trails. Trail users were empowered to report issues with an online form that was geolocation enabled. Phase Two launches in June and will examine other trail networks for accessibility issues.
‘No Barriers, No Problem’ Speakers’ Forum: The Essex County Accessibility Advisory Committee is bringing in experts to speak about accessibility issues for a public forum beginning at 2 p.m. on June 27th. The event is free and the public is invited to attend. Stay tuned for more details.