An Oceanside not-for-profit group is surveying local businesses to gauge their accessibility for people with mobility issues, with the goal being making every store accessible for all. (Dreamstime)

By Jordan Davidson

removing barriers

‘Universal design:’ Oceanside non-profit wants every business to be accessible to all

Apr 8, 2025 | 5:23 AM

PARKSVILLE — After the successful installation of mobility mats at their local beach last year, an Oceanside non-profit organization dedicated to accessibility is turning its attention to businesses.

The Access Oceanside Association (AOA) is focusing their efforts on ensuring all commercial businesses in the Oceanside area are accessible for all.

Secretary-treasurer with AOA Ralph Tietjen said one of the most common issues they hear about from those with mobility issues is challenges accessing certain local businesses, with some places difficult to enter and move around while using a mobility aid like a wheelchair or walker.

“We started this initiative and the first step is to survey all the businesses in the Oceanside region. We are literally going block by block right now starting with downtown Parksville, and we are looking at the stores from the lens of a person either in a power chair or in a wheelchair or using canes.”

He said their focus is on things like accessible parking, size of entry doors, aisle widths, and accessibility of washrooms and change rooms.

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From there, they post the information to the website AccessNow.com, with the business labelled as ‘accessible’, ‘partially accessible’, or ‘not accessible’, with hundreds of locations across B.C. already labelled.

Tietjen said they’ve surveyed 106 businesses in the last two weeks, mostly in downtown Parksville.

Of them, 61 are considered fully accessible, 23 are partly accessible, and 22 are labelled as not accessible, which includes accommodation providers like hotels and motels.

Tietjen said it’ll likely take a few years before they complete this phase of the process, as they talk to business owners about accessibility while providing helpful tips and information when necessary.

“But mostly, it’s what is the daily experience of the user inside the store,” said Tietjen. “How do you serve people that can’t get into the front door because there’s no door actuator? Are staff readily available to open the door for them? Can staff assist people through a clothing store accessing different racks and things of that nature?”

He said after a few months of collecting data, they’ll reach out to local organizations like the Parksville Downtown Business Association with their ideas while keeping in mind business pressures like finances and space availability.

“To install a door actuator into a store can range anywhere from three to ten thousand dollars…and that can be a huge challenge for a small business. But if they install a $50 wireless doorbell on their door someone could ring and basically call someone to the front door to assist them, that’s a very inexpensive way of making the business accessible to everybody.”

He said they also provide some tips courtesy of the Retail Council of Canada and the Rick Hansen Foundation.

The AOA, thanks to a generous donation from Corona Canada, were able to install a 133-foot mobility mat at Parksville Bay Beach last summer.

Tietjen said the mat is being used by more than simply those with mobility issues, with the mats accommodating pets, strollers, and more, with some users able to access the beach for the first time in 30 years.

“People with dogs we’re walking on it, small kids, families were pulling their strollers and wagons with all of their beach gear down onto the mats, and it was a clear demonstration of what universal design is all about…and that was the most gratifying thing, that’s what made it a real success.”

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