She's been in a wheelchair for most of her 33 years, so Richmond's Deepi Leihl knows all about accessibility or the lack thereof.
Leihl and her twin sister Jotti were born with a rare condition called metatropic dwarfism, which renders them to their heavy, electric chairs for mobility.
So, after spending a lifetime trying to negotiate her way in and out of buildings, new and old, Leihl decided, as a volunteer radio broadcaster at UBC, to take matters into her own hands.
This Friday, on the university's radio station, CITR, Leihl, will broadcast her hour-long Accessibility documentary, which was eight months in the making.
During the program, Leihl grilled UBC, the City of Richmond and The Bay about why some buildings are more accessible than others. She also recorded live an experience
she had with two caregivers as they tried in vain to use an electric ramp to access The Bay in Downtown Vancouver.
"I did this (documentary) because it is so close to home for me," said Leihl, who lives in east Cambie with her sister and their family.
"My sister and I (and a lot of other disabled individuals) have to deal with these issues everyday and although, for years, I have spoken to many people (MLAs, city planners, etc.) about these concerns, nothing was really happening.
"So, I thought, because I am interested in radio broadcasting I can use it to my advantage to bring some more attention to this and maybe this can be a better place to live."
During her investigations, Leihl said she was surprised how challenging it can still be for her to access even modern buildings in Richmond and Vancouver.
It's all down to building codes, Leihl discovered. "The wheelchairs have changed dramatically over the years, but it doesn't seem like the building codes have kept up.
"Hopefully, by doing this documentary, something will change."
Leihl plans to continue advocating to make B.C. a better place for all to live and is working on part two of the accessibility documentary; this time focusing on people who are blind, hearing-impaired or have other disabilities.
Leihl's documentary airs at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 30. You can listen to it on the CiTR's website at www.citr.ca or tune in on your radio at 101.9 FM.
