Today is International Persons with Disabilities Day, and Richard Harlow is working to make Nanaimo a better place to live for people with disabilities.
Harlow is the Board Director of the Nanaimo Disability Resource Centre. He may be blind, but he has a vision of reducing the stigmas and discrimination experienced by people with disabilities.
He’s encouraging Nanaimo to adopt a new icon to replace the current disability icon, as part of the worldwide movement.
Harlow says the new icon shows a person in a wheelchair in motion, as opposed to the old one that focuses mainly on the stationary wheelchair.
Harlow says Vancouver Island University was quick to start using the new icon. It’s featured in all of VIU’s parking lots, and as other signs on campus need to be replaced, they will be updated with the new icon.
He’s planning to make a presentation to City Council soon about using it more widely in Nanaimo.
