We are committed to principles and practices of decolonization, including settler responsibility for honouring the treaties and rematriating this land to Indigenous trust before the work of collaboration can be undertaken in good faith. We would like to be held accountable for the ways I perpetuate legacies of harm as an uninvited inhabitant of this land. We support the restoration and protection of Indigenous people’s land and resource rights for the benefit of all.
There is no prosperity without flourishing Indigenous communities.
There is no freedom without Indigenous liberation.
It is very difficult and deeply problematic to acknowledge the land we are on and the history it holds in a static format. A fresh and specific acknowledgement is written by a different participant for each of our events and meetings.
Without community there is no liberation.
– Audre Lorde
Accessibility Statement and Information
StrongHold and its accountability-hoders hold a very strong value of accessibility. Accessibility rivals ableism and saneism directly, and, we believe, if addressed thoroughly, accessibility rivals all messages and experiences that tell us that who we are is fundamentally not enough.
Physical Accessibility at Western Canada High School
Accessibility Map for Western Canada High School can be found below.
WCHS has three entrances with access barriers/features as follows:
- The SW entrance is at the back of the school and can be accessed by vehicle from the large student parking lot.
The entrance itself has a large red awning over the door that reads “Home of the RedHawks” and has a bird pictured on it.
This entrance is accessible to people using wheelchairs and other mobility aids, and there are no barriers between this entrance and the theatre, which is the room where StrongHold events take place.
There will be signs directing folks to the theatre via this entrance.
- The NE entrance is off 17th Ave, parallel to 5A St SW. This entrance does have a ramp, but is not close to any accessible parking (there are stairs in the adjacent lot).
- The NW entrance is off of 17th Ave, close to the Starbucks, and parallel to College Lane. This entrance is NOT accessible to people who use mobility aids that are unsuitable for stairs, both into the building, and into the theatre where our events are held.
Our Value of Accessibility
Accessibility is about creating multiple points of access to an event, organization, venue, or idea through the removal or mitigation of barriers that individuals and groups of people experience through routines of oversight and/or targeted exclusion.
At StrongHold, we believe accessibility is our responsibility, and we are delighted to confront challenges to accessibility.
We are not yet as accessible as we desire to be.
It is our aim to offer as many points of access, and remove as many barriers as can be identified.
Accessibility Omissions and Suggestions
We are not where we want to be in terms of accessibility related to our events and our organization. It is unacceptable to us that people are not able to attend our events related to access. Also, in our culture, access requires a commitment of resources we are still building. In the meantime, here is the information related to accessibility measures we have available and information related to what accessibility measures we are working on.
If you see that we have missed something here, or if we got it wrong at one of our events: first, we are deeply sorry for having overlooked an accessibility need you have or for creating a pathway of accessibility that excludes you; if you have the bandwidth to offer feedback by contacting one of the accountability-holders, or via a message on our Facebook or Instagram pages, we would really welcome the opportunity to do better.
Supporting StrongHold Accessibility
If you are a community member who supports accessibility, and would like to participate in strengthening our commitment to it through direct action, such as making sure we have the resources in place to pay for adequate supports, please reach out.
Accessibility Supports
At present, the supports that are available without pre-registration are:
– mobility accessibility within venue.
– onsite childcare support for families with younger children, or older children who would like to play.
– the presence of a licenced mental health professional, as well as a practicing narrative therapist.
– a system of self-identification that includes a consent mechanism for interaction as well as indicates membership in a social group that has influence over the bodily autonomy of another person.
– a quiet space for reflection.
– a room for BIPOC members of our community, should a yt-free moment be needed or desired.
– a room for folks who have influence over the bodily autonomy of another person to speak about those experiences with one another.
Provided the resources are available, other supports can be accessed through request via one of the accountability-holders or by messaging us through our Facebook or Instagram pages.
Supports for all bodies
Supports for all bodies include: additional mobility supports, the absence of identified allergens, the presence of medical supports, equipment, and/or people, others’ awareness of medications a person might need and how to administer them.
Supports for all minds
Supports for all minds include: the presence or absence of a particular stimulus, the availability of quiet space, the presence of a therapist, mental health professional, or member of your personal care/support network, peer support, an emergency number, an emergency plan.
Onsite childcare support
Families with young children are often left to decide whether to attend an event, or who gets to attend an event based on the ages of their children.
We have a dedicated space for families to play, with the option to leave young children for a time in the hands of a family who attend StrongHold with the express purpose of providing this support.
Note: Childcare is community-based support, not professional support, it is up to parents and guardians to use their own discretion when accessing support with regards to childcare.
Supports for communication
Supports for communication include video or audio description, translation, and language interpretation.
Supports for transportation
Supports for transportation would include assistance with navigating the public transit system to and from our events, available bus/LRT tickets, carpool, and the option to have a safewalk.
Supports for social access
Supports for social access would include anything that can be put into place to support someone’s social needs, such as childcare, or remote access via internet link.
Supports for navigating oppression
At all StrongHold events, we ask attendees if:
“In your personal or professional life, are you a member of a group that has the power to make decisions and/or take actions related to another person’s bodily, emotional, vocational, mental, and/or spiritual autonomy?
Examples include: parent, clergy, police, social worker, healthcare provider, military, politician/lawmaker/policy maker, teacher, psychologist, interpreter, caregiver.”
Members of these groups are clearly identified with a sticker on their nametags for the evening, and are offered space to discuss their experiences as members of these groups in a room that is separated from the theatre space where our main gatherings happen.
Additionally, there is a room that is reserved for members of our community who are BIPOC.
Supports related to conflict and lateral violence
Because we hold a strong value of non-exile at StrongHold, it is important to us to ensure supports are in place for people who are in active conflict in our community. We ask participants to consider whether they are in active conflict with another community member. Does the presence of a particular community member make the space difficult to access? Are there legal mechanisms such as Emergency Protection Orders in place?
Are participants needing support related to friends or family members who are unaware or antagonistic to 2SLGBTQ+ identities, or to participation in a GSA/QSA?
Are there groups of people who overtly or passively contribute to threat in your life that you would like some support around in order to access StrongHold events?
Accessibility in the Future
It is our intention and plan, over time, to: have clearer reporting about our accessibility, increase accessibility at all of our events, and to have a better mechanism for ensuring participant accessibility needs are in place.
We plan to begin this work by conducting the radical accessibility mapping project’s (RAMP) accessibity audit, and working towards closing accessibility gaps.
We also plan to engage our community in seeking ways to make our events as accessible as possible in terms of social access, navigating oppression, and managing situations of conflict and lateral violence.
If this is something that interests you, or you have experience with and passion for, please connect with us.
If you would like to support our accessibility initiatives with funding, and accept that we do not disclose our benefactors, nor are we a legally registered social, corporate, or charitable entity, we would love to hear from you, too.
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