MATCHED: Mapping Accessible Attractions in Hamilton

How can Tourism Hamilton identify accessible tourism attractions to better serve and attract visitors with mobility challenges to Hamilton?

Project description

According to Statistics Canada, 2.7 million Canadians (or approximately 10%) aged 15 or older have a ‘mobility disability’, a number that is only expected to increase with our aging population.

Tourism Hamilton works to promote Hamilton to leisure and business travelers to generate economic and social benefits for the city. In order to be more inclusive and drive more economic activity through increased visitation, Tourism Hamilton would like to better serve potential visitors with mobility issues by promoting accurate information about attractions and experiences that are accessible.

Tourism Hamilton would like to partner with CityLAB to help define and evaluate accessibility features of key tourism sites in the city and compile an inventory of leading attractions that are accessible (including listing accessible features).

We recognize that accessibility is a very diverse area that can include mobility, vision and hearing, and cognitive dimensions and covers:

1. Physical access, for those with physical disabilities that require wheelchairs, walking aids or handrails

2. Sensory access for those who have sight or hearing impairments

3. Communication access for those involving speech, vision, and hearing challenges

For the purposes of this project, Tourism Hamilton would like to limit the scope to sites that are physically accessible (number 1 in the list above) but is open to broadening the scope in consultation with CityLAB staff and faculty or considering a phased approach.

City Staff: Dana Borcea, Tourism Destination Development Officer

MATCHED: Navigating Mental Health Services

Design & build an interactive, easy to update digital solution that lists appropriate mental health services.

Project Description:

The mental health concerns of those who are pregnant or given birth in the last 12 months (perinatal mental health) have increased since the COVID-19 pandemic.

There is a recently formed Perinatal mental health workgroup in Hamilton led by the City of Hamilton Public Health Services. Members of the workgroup represent Hospitals, Midwifery, Primary care, Community Health Centers, Mental health services and Social services. The workgroup has identified that there is a need to better coordinate perinatal mental health services across Hamilton so individuals can access the right service at the right time.

The first step to coordinating services is being able to navigate through the existing perinatal mental health services in an easy way. The workgroup has identified that a digital solution is needed for health and social service professionals. This digital solution should be interactive, easy to use and easy to keep updated as services change and possible to scale up in the future. The solution should be easily accessible by wide variety of community health and social service providers and aligns with organization policies and privacy legislation.

Additional Information and Resources:

It is not anticipated that background research will be needed to pursue the challenge, but work previously done will be shared with the project team.

· https://globalnews.ca/video/9667158/raising-awareness-around-perinatal-mental-health-in-canada

· https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/more-new-mothers-are-seeking-mental-health-supports-amid-overwhelming-strain-during-the-pandemic-1.6053857

Deliverables:

• Design

• Developing a Website

• App or Game Development

Staff: Erin Fuller

Staff Position: Program manager, Public Health Services

Additional staff: Vanessa Rachiotis, Health Promotion Specialist. Elizabeth Snider,  Public Health Nurse

Instructor: Andrea Hemmerich

Course: SEP 761 Design Thinking

MATCHED: Trees: the Path to Healthier People

How does our urban forest support the mental and physiological health and wellbeing of our residents?

Project Description:

Hamilton’s urban forest can be defined as all trees, whether single trees, groups of trees or woodlands that are found on public and private land within the urban boundary. The urban forest is more than just trees - it is part of the natural environment that provides a home to all the species that live within it, including people. Recognizing how important forests are for protecting nature and building livable cities, the Hamilton Urban Forest Strategy sets a target to reach 40% canopy cover by 2050. This is a lofty goal that will require community support and participation by increasing our canopy cover (by planting trees) and protecting the existing canopy cover (by not removing mature trees).

Physiological and mental health are primary concerns for our community but have not yet been the focus of education around the benefits of our urban forest. We have addressed the importance of trees in reducing the impacts of climate change through carbon sequestering, and how trees can increase property values, but we have yet to partner with health experts to educate the public about the benefits that our urban forest has on human health. This project will reflect a combined effort between Forestry and Public Health to educate the community about how nature, and specifically our urban forest, can improve physiological and psychological wellbeing. The goal is to generate interest in protecting and enhancing our urban forest, and provide people with information about how they can access & benefit from time in nature / having trees around them.

Deliverables:

• literature review (supporting research for campaign)

• campaign materials including poster / messaging, webpage, video etc.

• signage templates for passive therapeutic experiences in nature (i.e. self-guided forest therapy hikes, sensory experiences in parks, benefits of outdoor physical activity etc.) (this can be excluded and completed by City team if necessary)
  

Staff name: Katie Mayne

Staff position: Senior Project Manager

Additional staff support: Sarah MacNaughton, Physical Activity Specialist

MATCHED: Entry to Early Years Education

What entry gaps are children experiencing in early years education and what are strategies for seamless entry?

Project Description:

The City of Hamilton is committed to providing inclusive services where every child can fully participate in early years education. The City uses Special Needs Resourcing (SNR) funding to provide licensed childcare sites across the City with the appropriate level of service for children with special needs, including staff, equipment, and supplies. Licensed childcare providers and community partners work together to provide quality care and services where all children can have a sense of belonging and well-being.

Young children’s entry into early years education (i.e., licensed child care and school-age child care) in different ways based on choice. Some families wait until Kindergarten to enter their children into school-age child care.

Although early identification and intervention do identify children with special needs, there are some children who may enter licensed child care or school-age child care who were not identified with a special or apparent need. With or without an identified special or apparent need, entry to early years education may result in some families and children experiencing gaps during entry. Understanding the entry gaps that families and children experience would inform the City of Hamilton SNR program with planning to develop strategies to ensure successful entry to early years education for all children.

Students will complete:

• A five (5) page literature review from research between 2018-2023 about children with special needs entry pathways to early education (i.e., licensed child care and school-age care) and identify strategies to support seamless and successful entry to early education;

• Consultations with relevant community partners to collect information to map system pathways illustrating children’s different entries to early education.

Belonging is defined as being seen, heard, and valued without needing to change who you are. Well-being refers to the importance of physical and mental health and wellness. It incorporates capacities such as self-care, sense of self, and self-regulation skills.

Primary Staff Partner: Marion Trent-Kratz, Supervisor, Early Years System

Secondary Staff Partner: ·Sarah Van Sickle, Early Years Project Manager for Special Needs Resourcing

MATCHED: Sense of belonging among Hamilton immigrants

What socio-demographic and self-identified factors impact the sense of belonging among immigrants to Hamilton?

Project description:

The Hamilton Immigration Partnership Council (HIPC) conducted a survey of immigrants in Hamilton in June 2023. About 700 immigrants responded to the survey, including permanent residents, refugees, refugee claimants, temporary foreign workers, international students, and Ukrainian temporary residents. The survey was aimed at understanding the diverse experiences of immigrants across a wide range of topics including education, employment, income, housing, service use, settlement supports, challenges and supports, belonging/isolation, discrimination, contributions, and more. HIPC has analyzed the data, drafted a report, and shared some preliminary findings with its partners. One of the findings from this data that our partners would like to further explore is around sense of belonging. Our data shows a large proportion of immigrants report a strong sense of belonging despite reporting high levels of feelings of isolation, experiences of discrimination, and challenges around housing, cost of living, income, and employment.

There is an opportunity to unpack this by exploring/analyzing the existing immigrant survey data that HIPC has at its disposal and by collecting more qualitative data through interviews with immigrants in Hamilton. We are interested in understanding the facilitators and barriers to a sense of belonging among immigrants in Hamilton, how immigrants define a sense of belonging, and what other socio-demographic factors are associated with a stronger or weaker sense of belonging. HIPC’s strategic plan (2021-2025) collective impact goal is to ensure that more newcomers in Hamilton feel a sense of belonging, and we hope that this project will aid us in measuring and achieving this goal.

Deliverables:

• Primary Research (analyzing survey data and collecting qualitative data)

• Secondary Research

• A Report

• A presentation to the HIPC Council

City Staff: Sarah Wayland, Senior Project Manager, HIPC

Additional Staff: Mohammad Araf, Program Officer, and Natasha Martinez, Community Relations Coordinator

MATCHED: Points of Access

In addition to lack of accessible entrances, what are the other barriers impacting accessible transit pick up and drop off, and how can they be addressed through planning and design?

Project Description: We are always looking for ways to improve the overall customer experience when using public transit.  A door-to-door service is provided to clients who qualify for accessible transportation service (ATS).  The service is provided by a contractor (DARTS).  Sometimes, pick up and drop off is not easily accomplished: sometimes this is due to the accessibility of the site, and sometimes, while the site is accessible, there may be other issues: lines of sight (e.g., the location where stopping is allowed is around the corner from the accessible entrance, or the vehicle, while close, can’t easily be seen for some other reason), lack of close location to pull a vehicle in to the desired location (e.g., at a large park), heavy traffic around a curbside drop off location.

Deliverables/Outputs:

• Primary Research (i.e. conducting surveys and/or collecting data)

• Secondary Research (i.e. review of literature and finding information from books and online)

• Design

• Best practice recommendations

Staff Lead: Michelle Martin, Manager Accessible Transportation Services,

Additional Staff Participants: Mike Field, Jason Vander Heide

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS CHALLENGE BY WATCHING OUR MATCHMAKER SESSION

MATCHED: TEAM UP TO CLEAN UP

How can we enhance the promotion of Team Up to Clean Up to reach more Hamiltonians?

Project Description: Team Up to Clean Up (TUTCU) is a year-round city-wide community cleanup program. Public Works Environment Services would like to enhance the promotion of the TUTCU program. Approximately 25,000 volunteers participate in Team Up to Clean Up each year and invest more than 45,000 volunteer hours to help clean our community.

The program helps keep public places in your neighbourhood clean and safe for everyone. You can host a cleanup event on City property including parks, trails, alleyways, streets, and parking lots.

Learn more: https://www.hamilton.ca/home-neighbourhood/environmental-stewardship/community-environmental-initiatives/team-clean

Deliverables: The goal is to increase turnout and reach more people through a marketing campaign. Using existing materials, TUTCU is looking for a fresh perspective and new ideas from students.

Staff: Rob Wagner, Manager of Business Programs

Additional Staff: Florence Pirrera