Disability rights activist Catherine Frazee curates Out from Under, an exhibit in Robson Square on disability in Canada.

Perennially ranked among the world’s most liveable cities, Vancouver also enjoys a lesser-known distinction: It’s one of the most disability-friendly places on the planet.  Buildings and attractions are largely wheelchair accessible and the public transportation system – from buses to subways to taxis – has been designed to embrace all users.

I was reminded of how progressive Vancouver is this afternoon while talking with Catherine Frazee,  who is in town during the Paralympics as a curator of Out from Under, a special exhibit in Robson Square on the history of disability in Canada.  Catherine, who directs disability studies at Toronto’s Ryerson University and uses a motorized wheelchair, has had her share of access issues (Just to get to Vancouver, she had to detour through the US after Via Rail was unable to accommodate her wheelchair).  But she had nothing but praise for the city.  “In my view, Vancouver is unparalleled in terms of accessibility,” she said to me.  “It’s nice to be in a place where you don’t have to book taxis hours or days in advance.”

Inside of the exhibit, which is housed on the ground floor of the UBC building in Robson Square, the displays are powerful and often disturbing.  On one wall hangs a poster from 1924 classifying the mentally disabled into crude categories – idiots, morons and imbeciles.   Another display case holds an old list of rules from Ontario’s Orillia Asylum for Idiots: Parents of institutionalized children are encouraged to visit no more than “once a month,” part of therapeutic protocol at the time.   “Dark histories are necessary,” Catherine said to me.  “There’s something important to be recognized in these stories.”

A 1924 poster assigns the mentally disabled to four categories.

But there are also objects that resonate with hope.  A suitcased-sized ventilator sits in one cabinet, a revolutionary portable device that enabled polio sufferers to resume a near normal life in their homes rather than be confined to institutions.  There is also a watch belonging to Mae Sophia Brown, the “Canadian Helen Keller,” who in 1972 became the first deaf-blind Canadian to earn a university degree.  The cover of the watch opens to reveal numbers marked in Braille, which enabled Brown to tell time.

The Braille watch worn by Mae Sophia Brown, the first deaf-blind Canadian to graduate university.

True to the spirit of the Paralympics, the Out from Under exhibit is itself a model of inclusiveness and accessibility.  Audio tours are available for anyone interested, and there are also texts in Braille and podcasts offering commentary in American Sign Language.  After I worked my way through the exhibit, Catherine led me into a side room where something called the “replica artifact touch tour” had been arranged.  Laid out on a long table were replicas of all the objects on display, set up to allow the visually impaired to literally feel what they cannot see (The touch tour is popular with kids, as well).

Robson Square is in party mode during the Paralympics, with live music from noon-1:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday and from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Back outside, Robson Square was in full party mode.  The rink is open for free skating from noon to 9 p.m., and it was full of skaters in Canada gear.  On the nearby stage, the Latin Jazz band Shango Ashe was pounding out a furious salsa for a small crowd.  At first, the contrast to the mood in the exhibit felt a little jarring.  But I think that’s one way the Paralympics differ from the Olympics.  The Paralympics Games are a chance not just to celebrate athleticism but to focus attention on disability in Canada and the difficult challenges that the disabled still face.  Out from Under, as well as many other performances in the Kickstart Disability Arts and Culture Festival , does a good job of walking that line.

Remy Scalza