NeighbourAble: Multiscale person-environment fit assessment to inform housing policy and planning

NeighbourAble is a partnership development project.

Disability is about the fit between the environment and people, rather than solely about medically defined conditions of individuals. Homes and neighbourhoods that do not accommodate functionalities of non-able-bodied people deprive them of independence and dignity, requiring assistance of others to conduct basic activities, or socialize and be physically active outdoors, to maintain mental health and wellbeing and lead a full life. This 'disabling' process through a person-environment (mis)fit frequently occurs and creates undue burdens among persons who experience functional limitations or decline due to medical conditions, injuries, or natural aging processes.

Conversely, environments that cater to different functions of people enable them to live more independently in their own homes and communities for longer with less assistance from others. For working-age adults, proximity to jobs and quality paths of travel around home can help them gain employment and earn income. It can also help reduce the financial costs for governments to provide alternative care in institutional settings, which is significantly more expensive. Despite these implications, there is little research that investigates the fit between persons with disability experiences (PDE) and housing and surrounding environment. The research gap has led to lack of evidence that inform strategic actions to transform neighbourhoods to be more accessible, equitable, and inclusive.

To achieve the goal of barrier-free Canada by 2040, innovative research that enables evidence-informed actions is necessary. The proposed partnership project---entitled the NeighbourAble Project---will bring together university researchers and leading community organizations to co-create a methodological framework and state-of-the-art tool that generate much-needed evidence necessary to formulate effective policy, industry, and community actions. Specifically, the NeighbourAble Project will: 1) Establish a methodological framework and pilot tool that assess the impacts of fit between ability of PDE to conduct a set of daily activities (person) and qualities of housing and surrounding neighbourhood (environment); 2) Test the pilot tool by assessing the homes of residents who experience a diverse range of disabilities in two Canadian cities (Vancouver and Halifax); and 3) Develop a partnership network of stakeholders to advance orchestrated actions, using the NeighbourAble tool-generated evidence as a catalyst---for acceleration of accessible, equitable, and
inclusive neighbourhood making.

Collaboration with the world-leading research groups on methodologies pertinent to our framework, the national leader of more-than-standard accessibility assessment grounded in lived knowledge, and non-profit advocacy leader organizations for housing and disability rights for vulnerable citizens, will realize our goal. The outcomes of the project is invaluable for not only university researchers but also policy decision-making bodies, who will gain insights into how evidence for person-environment fit can inform actions which yield measurable impacts. Community organizations with mandates of supporting the lives of PDE can add the co-created knowledge to their toolbox for advocacy and knowledge brokering to effectively influence policy. The NeighbourAble Project will act as a catalyst for creation of stakeholder networks that combine forces to generate strong collective voice for change.