Museum becomes barrier-free
By Chris Simon

Photos by Chris Simon Hundreds of Simcoe County residents, including many from Barrie and Innisfil, participated in Accessibility Day at the Simcoe County Museum in Midhurst last week. The day included free tours of the facility, a barbecue lunch and a visit from Ontario's Lieutenant Governor David Onley.

A barrier-free museum is Margaretta Papp-Belayneh's dream come true.

For years, the chair of Innisfil's Accessibility Advisory Committee has been working tirelessly to address accessibility problems at businesses and buildings throughout the town and Simcoe County. Last Wednesday, her goal of creating a barrier-free society throughout the area came a bit closer to reality.

Along with about 100 local residents, dignitaries and Ontario's Lieutenant Governor David Onley, Papp-Belayneh participated in Accessibility Day at the Simcoe County Museum in Midhurst.

The museum recently underwent renovations aimed at accommodating people with disabilities. Those in attendance were able to access displays, view artifacts and tour the museum grounds, which many simply couldn't do before.

"Just because I'm legally blind that doesn't prohibit me from being an active participant in the community, I spent a lot of time doing volunteer work for various organizations that champion the needs of persons with disabilities," said Papp-Belayneh, sitting in a wheelchair near the museum's main entrance. "This is fantastic, the response has been absolutely overwhelming. It's greater than my wildest dreams."

The free event - which was organized and sponsored by the Barrie, Innisfil and county accessibility advisory committees, the Simcoe County Accessibility Network and the Simcoe County Association for the Physically Disabled - included numerous activities, displays and presentations, as well as a free barbecue lunch.

Barrie Transit even provided a free shuttle bus to loop through Innisfil.

"It means we're bringing awareness of persons with disabilities," said Papp- Belayneh. "If you were disabled, it used to mean you were locked away or kept in your house. Now, we're out there in the community. We're consumers of services, we spend money in the community. Businesses want our business and they need to be accessible."

About 14 per cent of Ontarians are believed to have some form of disability. Onley says the entire province has come a long way to improve the conditions of the disabled over the last few years.

"The beauty of a museum like this is that it helps bring those distant days to life ... while we live in a world of absolute rapid change, the only way you're going to know the right path to go forward into is to understand where we have come from," he said. "Fortunately, we live in a province where big change is underway, in terms of accessibility. (There's) a commitment to make this province fully accessible ... and enabling people to reach their full potential."

Warden Tony Guergis says the county has also been working to ensure government buildings are barrier-free.

"Having a day like today is an important step," he said. "There's a need for greater awareness and understanding and recognition."