RAAFIA: Rural Accessible and Age-Friendly Infrastructure Assessment

One in five adults and over a third of older adults identify as having some type of disability in Canada, and the proportion is likely even higher in rural communities. Older adults and people with disabilities experience many challenges when navigating the built environment due to a gap that exists between the form and the function of built environments and the needs of older adults and people with disabilities as active users of community spaces. The intention of RAAFIA is to offer a tool for community-level analysis, monitoring, and evaluation of those physical and social infrastructures that influence day-to-day access to, use, and participation in public spaces.  

RAAFIA aims to learn directly from the people living in rural communities of Nova Scotia. In partnership with the Town of Yarmouth and the Town of Bridgewater, a pilot version of RAAFIA is being co-developed with community experts from these municipalities during the summer of 2022. Consultation sessions with residents of each municipality who have lived experience and personal knowledge of aging and disability are being held to generate the content of RAAFIA based on the perspectives and views of those affected by the unique accessibility and age-friendly characteristics of these communities. Please see below what has been happening so far on this project.