Disability advocate speaks out after awards ceremony held without full accessibility

A Halifax woman being honoured for her volunteer work as a disability advocate is upset about the province's decision to hold an award ceremony at a venue that wasn't fully accessible.

Nicole McDonald, who uses a wheelchair, travelled to Truro last week to attend the Provincial Volunteer Awards ceremony being held at the Rath Eastlink Community Centre. She discovered upon her arrival that organizers hadn't adequately prepared to receive her. 

McDonald currently works for Souls Harbour Rescue Mission at their social enterprise thrift store, Mission Mart. She was on the board and the executive committee for Inclusion Nova Scotia, formerly known as the Nova Scotia Association for Community Living.

"I am grateful, but unfortunately, the feeling of happiness has been overshadowed by inaccessibility and the feeling of not being as important as the other award winners," she wrote on Facebook after the ceremony. 

When she was called up to receive her award, McDonald had to accept it on the floor because there was no ramp to the stage.

"For me to receive my award [in front] of the stage, it's like you receiving yours behind a curtain," she told Mainstreet Halifax on Wednesday. "It sucks that I keep encountering these obstacles."

Making matters more frustrating, she said, is the fact that Nova Scotia had previously made a "commitment to create an accessible province for persons with disabilities by 2030."

In May, CBC News reported the province does not expect to meet that goal.

Following her public post, she said she did receive an apology from a representative of the province and will meet with provincial officials to continue the discussion. 

"If I could change one person's mind, that's all I care about," she said.

In an email, a spokesperson from the Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage, which organized the awards, said they were "deeply sorry" for McDonald's experience.

"We will review our processes to ensure facilities we work with strive to meet our provincial accessibility standards," the email stated.