CAPILANO UNIVERSITY
CapU collaborates with North Shore Rescue to improve inclusivity and access

From left to right: Kathy Moscrip, students Isabelle and Tia from Discover Employability, Dean Brad Martin, student Vala from Education and Employment Access and Alison Hale at the opening of the Arnold Wallner Search and Rescue base.

Capilano University's (CapU) Access Programs department has partnered with North Shore Rescue (NSR) to develop initiatives aimed at improving safety and inclusivity for individuals of all abilities, such as people on the autism spectrum and neurodiverse individuals with sensory, communication or learning challenges.

North Shore Rescue, known for their critical rescue operations, recognized the unique challenges faced by neurodiverse individuals during emergencies. In addition to training their rescue teams, NSR wanted to develop inclusive educational videos that teach safety protocols for outdoor activities.

That's when they reached out to Alison Hale, coordinator of CapU's Access Programs department, for feedback to make their educational content more inclusive and accessible.

CapU students in the Discover Employability (DE) and Education and Employment Access (EEA) programs became consultants and played a pivotal role by providing feedback on a video NSR created for the public. They highlighted aspects like avoiding graphic content that might be distressing and ensuring there are options for closed captioning and interactive elements that are paced appropriately. They also noted the importance of not assuming the neurodiverse individual was the one who got lost, as they may have been with family or friends who wandered off.

This opportunity was a chance for students to be engaged and included in a meaningful way from the start of a project and not just at the end.

"Inclusion is not about simply being visible, but about being valued, respected and actively involved," said Alison Hale, coordinator and instructor, Access Programs department.

Hale presented the feedback to NSR, who also consulted with an occupational therapist, a speech language pathologist, a behaviour interventionist, parent advocates and educators, and will begin video production inclusive of the feedback they received. Vala, a student in the Education and Employment Access program and a talented musician, created the music for the video.

Looking ahead, NSR is keen to expand their collaboration with CapU, exploring more ways to integrate inclusion and access into their operations. NSR plans to feature CapU students and their work in upcoming video production, ensuring authentic representation. The team is also planning ways to provide practicums and training opportunities to the students in Access Programs in the future.