Corporate Profile

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INTRODUCTION

Betty Dion Enterprises Ltd. (BDEL) is a Canadian firm that offers unique and comprehensive services related to universal design. BDEL has over 30 years of experience in the fields of universal design, accessibility, human rights, fire safety and accommodation for people with disabilities.

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THE COMPANY

BDEL has an established reputation for providing professional in-depth analysis of services and accommodations, as well as universal design assessments of both existing and proposed facilities. The firm reviews construction drawings, conducts accessibility audits in order to develop recommendations to bring facilities into compliance with, and where possible, to exceed accessibility requirements.

With a combination of consumer participation, computer analysis and professional architectural expertise, BDEL provides an exceptional team approach. BDEL offers service in English, French and American Sign Language.

BDEL has conducted accessibility audits at hundreds of government, educational, and corporate facilities as well as home assessments. The firm has reviewed architectural drawings for proposed construction of public buildings, sports facilities, health care, housing, transportation and educational complexes. The firm has also conducted human rights investigations for the federal and provincial human rights commissions regarding accommodation of persons with disabilities. BDEL members sit on a variety of codes and standards committees relating to issues of universal design, accessibility and safety.

BDEL has undertaken a wide range of projects in fire and life safety including the development of a national fire safety strategy for persons with disabilities, a firefighter training program and educational training kits which are available to fire departments and community groups. The firm has also undertaken numerous projects on injury prevention for children in play spaces and universal design for seniors and the aging process.

The firm has been responsible for two seminal documents which are now in use by the World Bank, the UN and other national and International organizations, International Best Practices in Universal Design: A Global Review, and the earlier International Best Practices Study on Universal Design: A Comparative Study. The documents compare the accessibility codes and standards from developed and developing nations, in order to determine the"Best Practices" in universal design, which are presented together with photographs, drawings and technical specifications. The firm will work as part of a team that has recently begun work on a third edition, which will encompass codes from both developed and developing countries, and contain a broader scope of comparisons, and be part of a searchable database available on the GAATES site (www.gaates.org).

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