The Canadian Centre on Disability Studies (CCDS) launched the Collaborative Knowledge Building and Action for VisitAble Housing in Canadian Cities Project (hereafter “VisitAbility Project”). The Visitability Project was a three-year national initiative that ran from April 2013 to March 2016. The project was funded by the Government of Canada’s Social Development Partnerships Program — Disability Component.

Goals and Objectives

The Visitability Project intended to promote VisitAble housing for all Canadians, including persons with disabilities and seniors. The project objectives were:

  1. To increase understanding of VisitAble housing by highlighting lived experiences and reviewing current policies and practices, impacts, barriers, and best practices.
  2. To develop and implement strategies to promote VisitAble housing among buyers, builders, policy makers, and other stakeholders.
  3. To increase the awareness of VisitAble housing by highlighting the positive impacts, such as safety, social inclusion and active living of residents, inclusive community building and sustainable housing.

Key Project Activities

The key project activities included:

  • Literature review
  • Environmental scan (national and international)
  • Interviews with stakeholders who have experience with Visitable housing as a consumer, policy maker, and builder/designer
  • Creation of a provincial resource database (e.g., policies, private businesses that provide products and/or services that make VisitAble housing available)
  • Task force activities across Canada
  • Online campaign to promote VisitAble housing
  • Development of information and promotional events and material (e.g., webinars, factsheets, a brochure, VisitAble housing design contest)

This project involved six task forces across Canada, which worked with a wide range of stakeholders to promote VisitAble housing in their municipalities and communities. Their work was a significant part of this project. For more information about those task forces and their work, please see the Task Forces page on this website.