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Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification Professional

White text on blue background. Your Building, our future. Make your property accessible using Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification. Contact ArtsAbly to book your RHFAC rating.

What is the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification?

Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility CertificationTM (RHFAC) rates and certifies the per-constructed and built environment on its level of meaningful access for persons with vision, hearing, and mobility disabilities. Getting a rating is a great way to show your commitment to accessibility, and to attract more customers and employees. It promotes increased access through the adoption of Universal Design principles.

What does it mean to get rated?

1 in 5 Canadian adults have a disability and this number is growing as our population ages.

Whether you are a property owner, building or facilities manager, architect or engineer, RHFAC will give you a real snapshot of your building’s current level of access, helping you discover where and how to improve.

RHFAC is the first program of its kind to:

  • Measure the level of meaningful access of a Site, based on the holistic user experience of people with varying disabilities affecting mobility, vision, and hearing
  • Qualify trained professionals to conduct RHFAC ratings through the RHFAC Professional designation
  • Recognize an organization’s commitment to accessibility through certification of their Sites as either RHF Accessibility Certified or RHF Accessibility Certified Gold.

Getting rated will position your organization as a leader in building a sustainable Canada that’s accessible for all.

RHFAC Pre-Construction Certification

RHFAC assists architects, designers, developers, and building owners in the design, planning, and construction process so accessibility is built in from the start.

Why get your building designs rated using RHFAC?

  • Improved access for new buildings comes at minimal cost: 1%. The average increase in construction cost to achieve RHFAC Gold compared to National or Ontario building code.
  • Fewer costly retrofits as codes catch up RHF Accessibility Certification can be a significant differentiator for the marketability of a building Showcasing your RHF Accessibility Certified projects will help you be recognized as a leader in diversity and inclusion.

Pre-construction certification only applies to design plans. After your site is built, you can choose to get the completed building RHFAC rated to maintain your certification.

RHFAC Built Environment Certification

We offer a range of accessibility advisory services designed to support organizations on their journey towards increased accessibility and inclusion for people of all abilities. Whether you’re looking to promote disability awareness within your organization, improve access within your current facilities or ensure new buildings are designed to meet best practices in Universal Design, our accessibility advisory services will help.

  • Facility Accessibility Assessment: Assessment of your facility to determine its current level of accessibility and provide recommendations for improvement. The assessment is conducted utilizing onsite visits, reviews of drawings and other planning documents, and may also include discussions with Site Managers.
  • Helping your site achieve your certification goal: whether or not you become certified, your RHFAC rating will provide helpful information on areas for improvement. Certified sites can celebrate by posting your label publicly on the RHFAC Registry.

Existing building codes vary widely by municipality and province, and while many sites have accessible features, they are often mobility-centric and may fall short of the actual needs of people with various disabilities. RHFAC complements existing building codes by using a universal rating scale that assesses levels of meaningful access nationally.

Know more about the RHFAC Certification and the Rick Hansen Foundation

How can ArtsAbly help?

Your first step is to send an enquiry to our team of accessibility and universal design professionals. Your quote will be customized based on the scope of the project(s) and the types of accessibility advisory services your team needs.

We can rate all kind of sites, per-constructed and built. We work with all domains but we specialize in artistic venues and sites welcoming performances, shows, exhibitions, and conferences.

Examples of services we provide:

  • Accessibility guidelines: for your conference or your public event, providing a document to your audience with useful information about accessibility can also benefit other guests.
  • Advising services: not sure where to start? need to talk about a specific project? need a quote or more details about a service for a site or an event? Contact us.
  • RHFAC rating services: get your site rated and get a snapshot of your building’s current level of access. We will work together to know where and how to improve.

Rating & Service Request Form

Tell us about your project. Our services are available in French and in English. Fill the form below and we will connect with you.