Several years ago, my husband, who uses a wheelchair, and I were headed to a work party in downtown Vancouver. We were assured the venue was accessible so we got dressed in our holiday best and joined our friends for an evening on the town. We arrived at the venue and we were told the ramp was around the back, in the alley, next to the dumpster, where we would have to wait (in the rain) for someone to let us in, effectively ruining the cutest shoes I owned.  We waited for ten minutes to be finally let in, followed the server down a dodgy hallway, down a freight elevator, through another venue, finally into our destination.  Our friends wondered what had taken us so long.  And, once we got there, my husband couldn’t access the washroom, which was upstairs or navigate in the tightly packed restaurant, so he was basically stuck at the table we chose to sit for the evening. -- Karin Pasqua

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Universal Design is more than getting in the building, it's about creating an equitable experience for everyone. That's Meaningful Access.