By: Stephanie Pilon and Dayna Noonan
In October, CNIB held rural transit consultations to help guide our work in creating a rural strategy as part of our strategic commitment to Safe and Accessible Journeys.
As part of the consultations, we conducted six focus groups and spoke to 50 participants across Canada who self-identified as being blind and partially sighted and living in a rural area (a community with a population of less than 35,000 people).
The focus groups revealed the following key findings:
- The lack of public transit options makes it difficult for participants to independently navigate their communities to access goods and services, including employment opportunities, health care, and social experiences
- Many participants did not know where to find resources which could assist them in accessing these services
In addition to the focus groups, CNIB conducted a rural strategy survey, which received responses from 238 individuals who self-identified as being blind or low vision. The common themes found in the survey results were that:
- Participants feel isolated due to their lack of independence with transportation
- Many communities lack accessible infrastructure
- Many participants need to access services outside of their communities despite the lack of transportation options
- There is a lack of adequate routes and schedules in communities where public transit is available
In response to these findings, CNIB will be developing a rural strategy advisory committee to advise CNIB on current rural strategy efforts and help develop resources for local advocates in rural communities.