Everyone welcome at Walk & Roll event

The accessibility walk on Saturday, July 13, will start at 1 p.m. at the Emera Oval.

“Anyone of any ability, whether you're in chairs, whether you're blind, whether you can walk, you have a baby with a stroller, anything at all, you can join us,” says Brian George, an accessibility advocate and organizer of Walk & Roll.

George says he got the idea after seeing a similar event organized for the visually impaired community.

“I saw them walk by, and I thought that would be a really cool idea to see a bunch of people in wheelchairs do the same kind of thing,” he tells NEWS 95.7's The Todd Veinotte Show.

In the month since he got the idea, George has set the route, and began getting the word out on social media.

He's also decided to use the event as a fundraiser for the Nova Scotia Rehabilitation Centre.

“This is an aging population, and we're all going to need help sooner or later. People end up in wheelchairs, people end up with trouble walking, it's bound to happen,” he says. “So this is why I chose the Rehab Centre.”

The minimum donation to participate is $5, and is also working on pledge sheets for those who want to raise more.

George explains that places like the Rehab Centre provide accessible facilities for those who need them most.

“They have a gym that is fully accessible which is great. Cause I've been to gyms before where you see all this equipment and machines and I can only use three of them,” he says. “We need more places like that.”

The advocate is also hopeful that municipal government is paying more attention to accessibility needs in public spaces.

“In the winter I'm housebound for four months. I go to work, I come home, and that's it. I can't even get groceries.” he says. “People who work in this city, who work at city hall and are on council, they need to talk to us more. That's why it's great that Paul Vienneau works for the city, they're finally listening.”

Although George once considered a council run himself, he's putting that on the back burner now. But it's not off the table completely.

“There is so much to learn when it comes to running for council, when it comes to politics, and I'm just not there yet,” he says.

But in the meantime, organizing events like this allows him to influence the discussion around accessibility needs in our city.

“They need to get our opinions. They need to talk to us to see what we need,” he says. “Because they're not in that situation, we are.”

The Walk & Roll event will begin at the Emera Oval and from there travel to Summer Street, down Spring Garden Road, and end at Citadel Hill.

Popsicle vendor Glory Pops will also be on site at the event to help participants beat the heat.

“The weather that we're getting — yesterday it was horrendous. I'm hoping it's not like that next Saturday, but if it is, we'll deal.” he adds.