Measuring Up

Measuring Up aims to foster opportunities for the active engagement, participation and contribution of persons with disabilities in their communities.

The Measuring Up logo is comprised of two main graphical elements: a Measuring Up word mark and a graph-like illustration. The Measuring Up word mark is black and is written in all lower cased font to present a friendly and inclusive feel. On the left of the word mark is an illustration of a graph formed of blue and green circles that is shaped like an italicized “N”. This graph reflects the progressive values of the program and also undertones the economic opportunities associated with accessibility and inclusion. These two graphical elements help characterize the Measuring Up program as both inclusive and progressive.

2010 Legacies Now has a vision of BC as a place where people can easily live, work, play and visit. With support from the Province of BC and other partners, 2010 Legacies Now assists communities to become more accessible and inclusive for everyone.
 

Measuring Up: A guide to support communities in becoming more accessible and inclusive for all
The first version of the guide, “Measuring Up: Communities of Accessibility and Inclusion”, was developed with the goal of providing a starting point for communities to begin discussing, assessing, understanding and improving accessibility and inclusion. This second version of the Measuring Up guide expands on the content of the first guide by including lessons learned from communities that have implemented Measuring Up and by providing additional tools to help communities move beyond dialogue to action.

Measuring Up: A guide to support communities in becoming more accessible and inclusive for all (PDF)

What is Measuring Up?

Measuring Up is a process to help communities assess and improve local accessibility and inclusion for persons with disabilities and others including older persons, parents pushing baby carriages, tourists carrying luggage, and people with injuries. By increasing accessible employment opportunities and improving public spaces, recreation facilities, restaurants and shops, Measuring Up is assisting communities to become more accessible and inclusive, so everyone can benefit.
 
Since its development in 2007, Measuring Up has grown from eight communities involved to include over 100 communities across the province. Eighty-eight of these communities received grants totalling $1.86 million from the Measuring Up Accessibility and Inclusion Fund (Measuring Up Fund), established with financial support from the Province of BC’s Ministry of Housing and Social Development.
   

The Measuring Up process

"Measuring Up: A guide to support communities in becoming more accessible and inclusive for all" leads communities through discussions of diverse and often complex disability issues. Accessibility and inclusion touch many aspects of a community and there are many overlapping parts to each of these concepts. The Measuring Up guide presents one way to help you understand the different components of an accessible and inclusive community by looking at the five areas of community life:

  • Living in the community: consists of people’s experiences with the built environment (such as buildings, homes and outdoor spaces) and people’s experiences with programs, policies, planning and decision-making processes.
     
  • Getting around in the community: involves people’s ability to get around so they can safely and comfortably carry out daily tasks, including the ability to participate in social, cultural, environmental, volunteer and recreational activities.
     
  • Working in the community: relates to people’s ability to find, be hired for and keep meaningful employment in their community while increasing the local labour pool and economic capacity.
     
  • Playing in the community: is about ensuring that everyone is able and welcome to take part in leisure, sport and recreation, social, cultural and spiritual activities.
     
  • Visiting the community: considers how open and welcoming a community is to all visitors.

These five areas offer a starting point for discussions about how persons with disabilities can be given more opportunities to fully participate in community life.
 

How 2010 Legacies Now can help

2010 Legacies Now’s Measuring Up Team can help your community build a legacy of accessibility and inclusion. Throughout the Measuring Up process, this team can help you by:

  • Introducing Measuring Up, its purpose, the guide and process, and resulting social and economic benefits
  • Connecting you with local and provincial disability leaders and organizations
  • Suggesting partners and supporters
  • Recommending steps for your community’s process
  • Sharing information, tools and best practices from other communities
  • Linking you to other communities with similar circumstances
  • Connecting you with other financial and in-kind resources

2010 Legacies Now is also interested in hearing how your community is using Measuring Up. If you would like to share your experiences, stories or resources with the Measuring Up Team and other communities in BC, please send them to measuringup(at)2010LegaciesNow.com.
  

Measuring Up was created in partnership with the Vancouver Agreement, representing the provincial and federal governments and the City of Vancouver; the Vancouver Foundation; and over 80 disability organizations throughout BC.



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