Specialized Equipment and Services
Through its certifications, Kéroul noticed that several companies made efforts to adapt their establishments, but that the equipment used was not always adequate to meet the needs of people with disabilities.
To improve the situation, we offer a list of equipment and specialized services. The goal is not to list the suppliers of this equipment, but to direct you in your search. For each equipment presented here, you will find an illustration, a description of important elements and some suggestions of suppliers (for information only).
We invite you to send us your best addresses by email (infos@keroul.qc.ca) to facilitate the future research of other companies.
Platform Lift
Régie du bâtiment du Québec
The Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) publishes a list of approved lifting devices for disabled persons authorized for installation in Quebec.
Association des plates-formes élévatrices (Quebec)
Grab Bar
A grab bar must be:
- Straight
- Slip-resistant in the centre
- Installed horizontally or vertically
A few suppliers
Shower Chair
Built-in bench
A built-in shower bench is required under the Quebec Construction Code. But its location vis-à-vis the grab bars and faucets is not specified. In the field, Kéroul often observes irregular shower bench positioning. In order for someone in a sitting position to be able to use the faucets and telephone shower head, the built-in shower bench must be installed in proximity to them. The barrier-free design standards (French only) illustrate this well.
Removable bench
Kéroul recommends that accommodation establishments also have a removable shower bench available. This type of bench is preferable to a built-in bench because it is versatile. It can be positioned according to a person’s needs and, with some models, the back can be switched around so the arm rest is on the left or right.
A removable shower bench must:
- Be rigid and stable
- Be large enough for an easy transfer
- Have a back
- Have non-slip ends
A few suppliers
Hearing Assistance System
Types of hearing assistance systems
- FM transmission system (frequency modulation)
- IR transmission system (infrared)
- Magnetic loop system
- Closed captioning at the cinema
Audition Québec has produced a guide explaining how to use these systems.
A few suppliers
For ad hoc events, be sure to ask your borough or municipality if they can loan you this equipment.
Accessible Chemical Toilet
An accessible chemical toilet must:
- Have a horizontal grab bar next to the toilet seat
- Be large enough for a wheelchair to be able to rotate
- Ideally allow access to the toilet paper dispenser while in a sitting position
- Be easy to open and close with one hand
Please refer to the standards for toilets in our illustrated spec sheets.
A few suppliers
- Toilettes Québec
- Toilette Royal
- Sani-bleu
- Sanivac (best model)
Swimming Pool Equipment
AlterGo has produced a catalogue on specialized equipment to improve swimming pool accessibility (French). It covers a wide variety of lifts, steps, aquatic chairs and ramps.
A lift must:
- Make transferring possible for a wide range of users
- Allow the person to be fully immersed in the water
- Have a seat back
- Give the person stability
- Require little physical effort on the part of employees
A few suppliers
Another powerful product that seems to generate a lot of interest is the Pool Pod.
Accessible Picnic Tables
An accessible picnic table:
- Height: between 73 and 86 cm
- Minimum clearance: 68.5 cm high, 75 cm wide and 48 cm deep
The most popular model is shown here, but as long as the height and clearance requirements are met, a picnic table can take many different forms and be built out of various materials. You can purchase your table or build it yourself quite easily. For further details, consult the Sentiers, parcs et mobilier extérieur section of the Le plein air pour tous : pratiques inspirantes et matériel adapté guide (French only).
A few suppliers
- Atmosphäre
- Équiparc
- Go-Élan
- Jansen Industries
- Tessier Récréo-Parc (known for its accessible parks)
P-150-5 Parking Sign
The P-150-5 sign is displayed to indicate that a parking space reserved for disabled people. The OPHQ has produced a parking guide entitled Guide en matière de stationnement pour personnes handicapées à l'égard des municipalités, and Kéroul provides illustrated spec sheets.
A few suppliers
A number of municipalities offer this service.
Sign Language Interpretation
Two sign languages are used in Quebec: Quebec Sign Language (QSL) and American Sign Language (ASL).
Interpretation using sign language helps improve accessibility to culture. In Quebec, this is considered a right under the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. If a person requests interpretation services, it is your responsibility to provide them.
Interpretation rates vary from one interpreter to another, and from agency to agency. But generally, it costs about $70 an hour. For interpretation sessions lasting longer than three hours, a second interpreter might be required given the demanding nature of the task.
A few service providers:
- Metropolitan Montreal Deaf Community Center (MMDCS)
- Service d'interprétation visuelle et tactile (SIVET)
Some companies, including Spectacle Interface and Seeing Voices, specialize in simultaneous interpretation for comedy shows and theatrical plays, right on stage with the actors.
The Association québécoise des interprètes en langue des signes provides a list of organizations offering these services.
Workplace
Several elements can make a workstation more accessible:
- A trackball computer mouse
- An desk with adjustable height
- A tactile keyboard
- A screen reader with speech synthesis
- A software enlarging characters (ZoomText Magnifier)
The Office des personnes handicapées du Québec (OPHQ) has listed several other tools available. An occupational therapist is the professional best equipped to find customized solutions.
Some suppliers
- Ergomax
- Ergocentric (Montréal, Toronto)
- Solutions M3 (Québec)
Web Accessibility Standards
The Web accessibility standards to follow are WCAG. There are three levels, and the most popular is the AA. It is however better to think beyond the Web standards to look more into the "usability" of the tool. The Web Experience Toolkit can help your programmers master the accessibility encoding. The Regroupement des aveugles et amblyopes du Metropolitain Montreal (RAAMM) also offers comprehensive training on Web accessibility (in french).
The mandate of modifications may be entrusted to a trained programmer. Some web accessibility specialists can also advise your team.
- Stéphanie Levasseur, consultant
- Jean-Marie and Guillaume D'amours
- André Bissonnette, developpement and communication officer in charge of web accessibility at RAAMM (514-277-4401, #119, or abissonnette@raamm.org)
- Ciao, company specialized in Web accessibility (contact : 418-948-8803 #204 or accessibilite@ciao.ca)
In order to test the accessibility of your site, you can use WAVE. This tool allows you to have a general idea, but it is not entirely reliable. If there are only a few errors, everything is probably under control. However, to be certain that its site is really accessible, the ideal is to have it tested by different people with a visual or motor impairment using a screen reader. Why not only one person? Because not everybody use the Web tools with the same ease. A global portrait can be obtained with the experience of several users.
Changing Place
A Changing Place is a washroom whose use is intended for people with significant mobility problems. These persons must use a patient lift, a changing table for adults, a toilet with support bars. The room must be large enough for a caregiver to move around.
The equipment
- Automatic door opener
- Large trash bin with hermetic lid
- Diaper bin
- Rail lift on the ceiling (the stretcher - canvas - is provided by the user)
- Changing table for adults with removable safety barrier
- Accessible washbasin (with clearance)
- Access to faucets with motion detector
- Toilet support bars
- Collector container for used syringes and needles
- Clear instructions on the operation of the lift and treatment table
- Emergency bells accessible from bed and toilet
An AlterGo notice on the Changing Places is available on request from the Rénovation-Agrandissement-Construction service of the city of Montréal or directly from AlterGo.
Otherwise, the Changing Places: the Practical Guide of the Changing Places Corsortium in the United Kingdom offers fairly comprehensive standards.
A few suppliers
- Atlas médic
- Can-Dan (Ontario)
- Lajoie (Montréal, Pressalit distributor)
- Performance Health
- Pressalit
- Walmart
Automatic Door Opener
A few suppliers
Sensory Devices: Touch, Feel and Listen
Some clienteles need sensory equipment to access your activities or facilities. Models or other tactile devices are a good way to get there.
To our knowledge, only one compagny offers this type of device in Québec:
Tactile Studio – Please touch!
An innovative company in the field of cultural accessibility, Tactile Studio designs and manufactures sensory devices to touch, feel and listen to.
Its customized solutions take many forms: 3D architecture models, orientation maps, and interpretations of works of art. The Louvre entrusted Tactile Studio with designing and producing four sensory pathways to make the content of different parts of its collections accessible. The Opéra de Bordeaux commissioned the company to make a tactile model to facilitate visitor orientation and showcase the performance hall architecture.
By ephasizing the values of inclusion, living together and universal design, Tactile Studio offers unforgettable sensory experiences that allow all audiences to develop a new relationship with art, culture, leisure and entertainment.
Contact us to learn how tactile exploration could enhance your visitors’ experience.
Lyne Ménard, Assistant Director
514 252-3104