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: 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