AccessTALKwithTrish.com – Radio Episode

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My guest this week was Supervisor, Accessibility Planning for the City of Mississauga, Diana Simpson.

Diana started her career with the City of Mississauga over 21 years ago, coming from the health care sector where she worked as a Recreation Therapist for 12 years.  At the City of Mississauga, Diana was initially hired as the Recreation Analyst, Seniors – overseeing city-wide recreation services for older adults, including the Mississauga 55+ Senior Games.

During this time she worked with the ‘Sauga Stroke Breakers Program (a day program for adults who had a stroke) and developed the Next Step to Active Living Program (another day program for adults with a physical disability).

In 2003, Diana joined Facilities & Property Management and developed the City’s first Accessibility Plan and the Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC).  Since then, Diana has completed 14 annual Accessibility Plans in her role as Accessibility Coordinator and most recently as Supervisor, Accessibility Planning.

She’s had many notable accomplishments over the past 21 years, including the development of the Facility Accessibility Design Standards and 8 Accessibility Events, including the Abilities Awards Event held in 2014.

Through her work in Facilities & Property Management, Diana has been instrumental in providing her accessibility lens on the city’s projects to ensure that the design of their facilities are considering all members of the community including those with disabilities.

This attention to detail has resulted in the City being recognized for numerous accessibility awards, including most recently the Rick Hansen Foundation (RHF) – Accessible Cities Award: 2017 Circle of Excellence Inductee for Mississauga Celebration Square.

Listen in and hear how the City of Mississauga recently won a Rick Hansen Foundation Accessible Cities Circle of Excellence Award.