Dalton McGuinty Visits Savaria

Linda Jeffrey MPP, Dalton McGuinty Ontario Premier and Savaria Staff

We were honoured to welcome the Premier of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty to Savaria in Brampton on November 16th.   With the background hub-bub of our manufacturing plant, the Premier talked about the new healthy home renovation tax credit program.  We were also pleased to welcome Linda Jeffrey, MPP Brampton Springdale who accompanied the Premier on the tour.

Offering up to $1500 on the first $10,000 of home renovations for seniors living in Ontario, the program promises to help seniors stay in their homes longer, avoiding moving to healthcare facilities sooner than needed.  Since many aging adults suffer from mobility issues such as knee and hip problems, adding a stairlift or a platform lift can be the best way to remain at home – the place most people want to be.  Mr McGuinty toured the Savaria showroom and shook hands with many of our employees as he went.  It was a great opportunity for Savaria staff to feel proud about the kind of products we make.

A Lift for Thrill-Seekers

Traveling a couple of floors may not be quite what adventurous thrill-seekers have in mind.  So when SkyVenture, an indoor free fall flying experience called Savaria for a wheelchair lift, we were a bit concerned that for the first time one of our best-selling products could fall a little short. Of course our lift offers a smooth ride, versatile design and it’s easy to use, but in this environment, how would it be perceived? Well, it’s true our Savaria V-1504 was not SkyVenture’s main attraction but it does come in at a close second. Their facility is the first in Canada to offer a simulated sky diving experience in a 45ft. high wind tunnel.  And if you walk through the front doors of this stunning Montreal building, our glass enclosed Savaria lift might just take your breath away. Situated in the center of the open concept lobby, the lift is functionally and artistically placed in the center of a circular staircase allowing all of SkyVenture’s visitors to access their own experience of a lifetime.

SkyVenture wanted everyone to have access to this adventure and made accommodating those with disabilities a main priority. Savaria was proud to help facilitate this objective.

If you’re planning a trip to Montreal, put SkyVenture on your list to experience… our V-1504 of course 😉

Visit the SkyVenture web site

Accessibility at sea

All aboard!  The familiar term now speaks the true meaning with a new accessibility lift for boats. Now it’s easier for wheelchair users to set sail thanks to the recently completed project by All Phase Fabrication in Marion, Massachusetts.

Using a solar-charged battery and 360-degree rotation pivot arm, avid wheelchair boaters now have easy access to the sport they love.  With an aging population, the need for accessibility and the drive to provide it for individuals is increasing.  Thanks to both established companies like Savaria and community projects such as this one in Marion, access is more becoming more inclusive.

You can read the entire article on the South Coast Today website.

One billion reasons to deal with accessibility

According to the World Health Organization, there are one billion people with disabilities in the world. With that, there is a possibility that one in every seven people around you may have some form of disability; just to put that into perspective.

You must be wondering why this figure is so big or what constitutes a disability? According to the study, “two thirds of disabilities are non-communicable disease such as cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cancer. Nine percent is attributable to conditions resulting from infectious diseases such as measles and polio, and a similar percentage is due to injuries sustained in motor-vehicle crashes, falls and so on.” (The Globe and Mail). What’s more, the aging baby boomer population number is growing and increased accessibility issues are looming. Disabilities used to be associated with purely health problems but it is also the possibility of having being denied opportunities.

So what does this all mean as a society? It means that we need to come together to acknowledge these issues by promoting opportunities for preventing disabilities such as safety training, making buildings, homes and public places more accessible for everyone and by being sensitive to the needs of those who do have them. Companies such as Savaria and eSSENTIAL Accessibility are making a push to ensure the most amount of accessibility in day to day activities or online. For information about the report and interviews take a look at the article from the Globe and Mail or the United Nations, for more information on how to make your home or workplace more accessible check out www.savaria.com and for online accessibility, http://www.essentialaccessibility.com/