Location: 403-268 Keefer St. Vancouver, BC, V6A 1X5
When was the audit performed?  October–December 2021

Google Map link here

Link to The Full Access Audit here

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What is the space used for?

The space is used for organizing and supporting Chinese seniors’ access to community and care. The space is also used to hold events for the Chinatown and DTES community.

Where is it located?

Yarrow office is located on the 4th floor at the Sun Wah Centre, and situated at the traditional territories of Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh people.

 
Transit/bikes/etc:

Yarrow is public transit accessible and bike friendly. Bus stop for 22 is 100 meters away (Gore FS Keefer), bus stop for 8, 3, 19 + 22 northbound is 180 m away (Main FS Georgia). There are also public bike racks outside the Sun Wah Centre.

Main space:

Visitors will need security staff to open the exterior door for them. Sometimes security staff are not present.

 

The main space (i.e. Yarrow office and the multi-purpose room) is accessible for cane/walker/wheelchair/scooter users but some furniture in the office needs to be moved around for walker/wheelchair/scooter users to reach the other end of the room.

Washrooms

The bathrooms are not fully accessible. Bathrooms, including the accessible bathrooms, need a keycard or key code for entry. There may be obstacles (furniture) in the way and the door is non-automatic and quite heavy.

Possible access issues:

There is currently no adequate emergency escape plan for disabled people and seniors who use mobility aids. The fire exit doors are also heavy. This needs to be addressed by the building managers, but in the interim, Yarrow staff have been practicing emergency evacuation procedures, including different carrying maneuvers.

 

There are currently no braille signage guidelines nor electromagnetic access policies in the Sun Wah building, but Yarrow staff is working to make braille signage. Some of the emergency alarms are not accessible for d/D/HoH people (such as the ones in the washrooms). This needs to be addressed by the building managers.

Is the staff helpful and able to assist?:

Yarrow staff are helpful and able to assist in many accessibility issues, including language access for non-English speaking Chinese seniors, helping seniors and disabled people with their mobility aids, and some emergency evacuation procedures.

Scent policy:

While Yarrow has a scent-free policy for its office and spaces, the building does not have a clear scent-free or scent-reduced policy. The building does use MERV-13 and HVAC air filtration.

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Please note that while there is a scent-free policy for Yarrow staff, there  is not currently a scent-reduced or scent-free policy in place at the Sun Wah Building.

Fragrance Free Femme Of Colour Realness, by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha:
http://www.brownstargirl.org/1/post/2012/03/fragrance-free-femme-of-colour-realness-draft-15.html

A FAQ on MCS and being scent-free:

http://www.peggymunson.com/mcs/fragrancefree.html

On making your event scent-free or scent-reduced:

http://dualpowerproductions.com/2011/03/26/organizing-a-fragrance-free-event/

On products you can use to reduce your use of scents:

http://eastbaymeditation.org/accessibility/scentfree.html