An Introduction

This blog was written in 2019 and later published on the “The Silent City” blogging website, which ended in 2021. This article has been loosely edited so that others may enjoy early samples of my writings on accessibility.

Within the first few weeks of attending the University of Toronto, I have gotten used to the “hum” of the city. Everyone is on the move, hopping from the subway onto the bikes or just going about their day. Which leads to what I love about Toronto: Diversity. My family and I love to go on road trips. The main places we travel are Quebec and the United States. While both places offer different cultures and languages, they are similar in lacking diversity. There are places within Quebec and the States that display diversity, such as Montreal and New York, but generally they are filled with one race. Growing up in Quebec City was difficult and lonely, so it was nice to move to Ontario,o where I could make friends with people of different ethnicities. Just learning about different cultures has always been somewhat of a hobby of mine, which is why going downtown every day is fun.

However, Toronto has certain problems that are hard to ignore.

One problem about the city is one I experience every day: the lack of visuals on Subway line 2. Being hearing impaired, I cannot hear the announcements of stops. While line 1 offers a map that indicates the next stop by blinking colourful lights, line 2 only has a map. If I do not pay attention and follow the map, I will miss my stop and have to waste more time.

As a student who suffers from mild hearing loss, the topic of accessibility in the city is interesting to me. I hope that within this blog, I will be able to explore and examine how the city helps those who are hard of hearing, along with other disabilities, and highlight this issue so that it will be resolved.