Five-year-old Beau starts each day being carried by one of his parents to the family香蕉视频直播檚 living room, where his wheelchair awaits in their Beamsville, Ont., home.

Diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy at 17 months old, Beau is unable to walk independently due to the disease, which damages nerves and leads to severe muscle weakness.

Beau香蕉视频直播檚 day-to-day living comes with barriers most would never think about when raising a child, said his mother, Rachel O香蕉视频直播橦agan. The doorways in their home aren香蕉视频直播檛 wide enough for a wheelchair to fit through, meaning Beau has to be carried from room to room, including the bathroom.

He can香蕉视频直播檛 access the sink to wash his hands or brush his teeth on his own, nor reach the light switches. As he gets older, O香蕉视频直播橦agan said she and her husband Bryce know these challenges will only compound, especially as he gets too heavy for them to lift.

香蕉视频直播淭hese are all things that he absolutely could do on his own if the house could accommodate him,香蕉视频直播� she said.

香蕉视频直播淗e very much wouldn香蕉视频直播檛 need our support 香蕉视频直播� He could freely move around.香蕉视频直播�

Amid a housing crisis that has Canadian policymakers and developers scrambling to bolster supply, those living with disability are urging leaders to enshrine accessibility into more newly built homes than the country has historically seen.

香蕉视频直播淚t just really seems like an impossible situation for us, I won香蕉视频直播檛 lie,香蕉视频直播� said O香蕉视频直播橦agan.

香蕉视频直播淲e want our son to be able to access everything he needs.香蕉视频直播�

Beau香蕉视频直播檚 situation mirrors the early life of Tracy Odell, a 66-year-old woman living in Toronto who was born with the same condition.

Growing up, Odell attended what香蕉视频直播檚 now known as Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, which she described as 香蕉视频直播渁n institution for kids香蕉视频直播� where they live and receive their schooling.

But when she turned 18 and aged out of the program, her options were scarce.

香蕉视频直播淎 nursing home was accessible, but apartments weren香蕉视频直播檛. Houses weren香蕉视频直播檛 built that way. You had to look specifically for an apartment that didn香蕉视频直播檛 have stairs in the building and (had) an elevator,香蕉视频直播� said Odell.

香蕉视频直播淎s far as the design of the apartment, you had to make do.香蕉视频直播�

Decades later, Odell is struck by how little has changed, calling the accessible housing options available in Canada 香蕉视频直播渄eplorable.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淭his is a hugely urgent matter,香蕉视频直播� said Jutta Treviranus, director of the Inclusive Design Research Centre at OCAD University.

香蕉视频直播淭here香蕉视频直播檚 a housing crisis for everyone, but the housing crisis is so much more intense for anyone requiring accessible housing because the lack of supply is exponentially more scarce.香蕉视频直播�

Treviranus said it香蕉视频直播檚 unsurprising Canada lacks sufficient housing to meet the disability community香蕉视频直播檚 needs, considering how infrequently their voices are heard at the decision-making table.

香蕉视频直播淎n accessible home is an adaptive home. It香蕉视频直播檚 a home that has choices,香蕉视频直播� she said.

香蕉视频直播淭here isn香蕉视频直播檛 a fixed solution or a singular one-size-fits-all approach to providing accessibility.香蕉视频直播�

Federal housing advocate Marie-Jos茅e Houle called on Ottawa in her 2022-2023 report to 香蕉视频直播渂uild accessibility up front香蕉视频直播� into its National Housing Strategy.

That included recommendations such as ensuring all new government-funded housing units meet a minimum criteria of 香蕉视频直播渧isitability香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播� defined as having a level entrance, wider doorways and hallways, and a wheelchair accessible washroom on the entry-level floor.

All levels of government have a role to play in spurring more accessible housing, whether through changes to building code requirements or financial incentives tied to grants, said Stephanie Cadieux, the federal government香蕉视频直播檚 chief accessibility officer.

Asked if Canada has fallen behind peer countries in that regard, Cadieux acknowledged, 香蕉视频直播淲e aren香蕉视频直播檛 yet in the lead.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淲e are not building homes that work for everybody. The way we build homes is very much that homes are designed around able-bodied people,香蕉视频直播� she said in an interview.

香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 important that we start through policy to insist that we are building homes that are adaptable for people香蕉视频直播檚 changing needs over time. Ultimately if we do, that will ensure that everyone is able to live where they want to live 香蕉视频直播� because that supply of housing will exist. It currently doesn香蕉视频直播檛 exist.香蕉视频直播�

Cadieux said there is an enormous opportunity to change the face of accessible housing across Canada at this moment, particularly as the federal government targets 3.87 million new homes by 2031.

香蕉视频直播淣ow香蕉视频直播檚 the time,香蕉视频直播� she said.

香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 proven over and over again that it香蕉视频直播檚 far more costly to fix something after the fact when it comes to accessibility than it is to do it at the beginning.香蕉视频直播�

Studies by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. support that claim. A 2019 comparison conducted by the national housing agency showed it would cost between 185 to 779 per cent more 香蕉视频直播� depending on the housing type 香蕉视频直播� to make an existing Montreal home accessible compared with a new home.

An earlier CMHC report said the construction of an accessible and adaptable new home carried an added cost of just six to 12 per cent compared with standard construction, depending on the model and the city in which the home would be built.

香蕉视频直播淲ith our population aging and demand for adaptable and accessible housing on the rise, it is in the housing industry香蕉视频直播檚 best interest to adjust its offering accordingly,香蕉视频直播� it said.

The Daniels Corp. is a developer in the Greater Toronto Area that has taken up that call through its Accessibility Designed Program. First unveiled in 2017, the builder set out to create accessibly designed homes for people using mobility devices at no additional cost.

The units, available to rent or own, have features such as roll-in showers and roll-out balconies along with accessible common spaces 香蕉视频直播� including lowered concierge desks, accessible kitchens in party rooms and waste chutes with automatic door openers.

Thus far, the developer has completed 38 accessible units, with 124 under construction and another 36 in a pre-construction design phase.

香蕉视频直播淲hen we work with our trade contractors and say, 香蕉视频直播楾his light receptacle and switch should be here as opposed to here,香蕉视频直播� there is no cost to that. There is very minimal cost from the very beginning of a project if you are looking at building washrooms in the accessible units that have no tub,香蕉视频直播� said Heela Omarkhail, Daniels香蕉视频直播� vice-president of social impact.

香蕉视频直播淚t was really these types of features and often finishes that we looked at (and said), 香蕉视频直播極K, if we can make some of these enhancements from the very beginning 香蕉视频直播� rather than trying to bolt it on later, can we be more responsive to the needs of the accessibility community?香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈��

But Omarkhail acknowledged there is far more work to do on that front. She said there is a gap of accessible units available compared with the needs of Canadians 香蕉视频直播� estimates suggest more than a quarter of whom are living with some form of disability.

香蕉视频直播淚f you look across our market in the GTA or in Canada as a whole, we are not building 15 to 20 per cent of homes with enhanced accessibility features,香蕉视频直播� she said.

Kate Chung, co-founder of the Accessible Housing Network, worries that 香蕉视频直播減eople with disabilities are being totally ignored香蕉视频直播� in the process.

But she said ongoing efforts to boost Canada香蕉视频直播檚 housing supply could serve as a turning point.

In early 2024, the federal government launched its Housing Design Catalogue program, a reboot of an initiative from the post-Second World War era meant to provide standardized housing designs that reduce the time required for design, approvals and construction.

A government report released in the summer said feedback from stakeholders consistently highlighted that greater accessibility must be an essential feature of the design catalogue.

香蕉视频直播淭he non-profit sector and accessibility advocates reinforced not only the importance of universal design features for addressing the needs of Canadians today but also the growing need as Canada香蕉视频直播檚 population continues to age,香蕉视频直播� the report said.

Chung said this recommendation, if carefully adopted, could steer Canada香蕉视频直播檚 housing crisis in the right direction.

香蕉视频直播淗ere香蕉视频直播檚 an opportunity. You香蕉视频直播檙e going to be building all this housing and you have control over the design of the housing,香蕉视频直播� she said.

香蕉视频直播淵ou need to make it all universal design, so anyone of any age or ability can live there and can continue to live there, even if they get hit by a stroke or heart attack, (multiple sclerosis), a truck 香蕉视频直播� whatever happens to them, whether they end up with a permanent disability or a temporary one.香蕉视频直播�

Today, the Toronto bungalow where Odell lives is imperfect, but good enough to get by, she said. It features a lift to get up the front porch and enter the home, along with a ramp out back built by her husband.

She doesn香蕉视频直播檛 have access to the basement, nor adjustable counters in the kitchen to help her reach.

Her doorways are just wide enough to pass through, although they香蕉视频直播檙e marked with scrapes due to the space constraints of entering a room with the assistance of a wheelchair.

Still, Odell said she香蕉视频直播檚 lucky to have a home in the community that isn香蕉视频直播檛 encumbered by further barriers.

香蕉视频直播淚f I was looking for something else right now, I think that香蕉视频直播檇 be very, very difficult,香蕉视频直播� she said.

Sammy Hudes, The Canadian Press