A recent audit by Calgary Board of Education found many of Calgary's schools lacking in accessibility for its disabled students, an issue Chinook's Edge School Division addresses on a case-by-case basis, based on a student's individual needs, said associate superintendant Allan Tarnoczi of CESD's corporate services.
"As soon as a [disabled] student enrols in one of the Chinook's Edge schools, one of the first things we do is to ensure that the building is accessible for that student,î said Tarnoczi.
Tarnoczi explained most of the schools in Chinook's Edge fall under one of three categories: those in which accessibility was built in; those that have been retrofitted for accessibility; and those currently accessibly unsuitable.
In cases where a school hasn't been as accessible for a student as it could have been, the division undertakes a retrofit, he said.
"We're trying hard to respond to the needs of our students. At this point in time, I can't think of a situation where we haven't gone in and done something about it,î he said.
"Even when it's taken us some time to do a major retrofit over the summer.î
Chinook's Edge School Division has a contingency fund set aside for unanticipated needs, a figure Tarnoczi estimates at $200,000 to $250,000.
These unanticipated needs could include retrofitting required by the enrolment of a student with special needs, he said.
"We try to recognize that in a rural school division, many of the families don't have the option of attending another school,î he said.
Chinook's Edge is the province's largest rural school division with over 11,000 students in its 41 schools spread out across Central Alberta.
Rural schools often expand as a community grows, he explains. The end result is a school facility with varying levels of accessibility.
Though most of the division's older buildings have been retrofitted to meet accessibility standards, he said there are still some that have yet to be completely upgraded.
"We have a number of buildings that were built long ago, prior to the needs of the handicapped [disabled] being incorporated into building codes,î he said. "But for buildings of a more recent vintage, there's really not much of an issue, because they were built at a time when building codes required accessibility.î
He said the division has seen cases where, despite the accessibility requirements woven into building codes, small accessibility issues remain.
"They might be relatively minor,î he said. "But the evaluation we do when a student registers makes sure that the building is accessible for that student while they're attending the school.
"Many of our buildings don't have a single construction date. A number of our buildings might have started in the 1950s or 1960s and had a number of renovations since.î
Tarnoczi referenced the Hugh Sutherland School in Carstairs, where another addition is being considered.
The end result, he said, is a school with varying levels of accessibility.
"Hugh Sutherland is a good example of that,î he said. "Some areas of that building are very accessible, and some areas of that building are much less accessible. Sometimes the areas between two builds can cause problems.î
The division solved this quandary at Hugh Sutherland School by retrofitting it with wheelchair lifts to provide accessibility to disabled students between the school's floors.
Chinook's Edge is sensitive to the struggles students with disabilities face with accessibility, he said.
"People with mobility issues are faced with some real challenges, and I admire the way that they tackle those challenges,î he said.
