Isometric sketch of an accessible kitchen featuring lowered countertops, open space beneath work surfaces for wheelchair access, wide clearance aisles, and reachable storage units.

Our Research

The NeighbourABLE project is a collaboration of academic researchers, accessibility professionals, and community partners interested in studying "person-environment fit" (meaning, the compatibility between home/neighbourhood environments and the people who live there) for people with lived experience of disability. Our team has developed a preliminary set of accessibility indicators for indoor and outdoor environments which will be tested by several research participants living in multi-unit residential buildings from Halifax, Nova Scotia and Vancouver, British Columbia in the summer of 2025. To learn more about the latest in NeighbourABLE news, check out the blog by clicking on the button below!

Blog

Our Goals

Generating Evidence-Based Policy Recommendations

The results from this research will generate much-needed evidence that will contribute to the development of policies and standards that advocate for more inclusive housing and communities.

Adding to the toolbox of community organizations

The research will provide community organizations with evidence-based outcomes that can be used to advocate for more accessible housing and neighbourhoods.

Improving Built Environment Accessibility

The tool and resulting data will help identify architectural and neighborhood-level barriers, supporting design changes that better enable people with mobility disabilities to live independently.

Strengthening Knowledge Mobilization Networks

A partnership network will be formed, including community organizations, researchers, and policymakers, fostering ongoing collaboration and dissemination of accessible design practices.

Building Capacity for Future Research

The research data and methodologies will be made available for future academic and community use, potentially supporting graduate student projects and extended research initiatives on disability and the built environment.

Educating future planners and designers

This project will be driven by the work of planning and architecture students, which they will carry on to their future careers as design professionals.