Lunch, Learn & Connect: Accessibility in Small Business
Join the Ladysmith Chamber for an insightful Lunch & Learn session focused on accessibility in our community and small businesses.
Date: Wednesday, October 22nd, 2025
Time: 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Location: Ladysmith Chamber Office, 33 Roberts St.
Price: $10 (GST included)
Speaker: Diane Hobelaid, Chair, Accessibility Advisory Committee for the Town of Ladysmith
RSVP: By October 20th at admin@ladysmithcofc.com
Bring your own lunch and enjoy coffee, tea, and water provided as you learn from Diane Hobelaid, a key voice in accessibility initiatives for the Town of Ladysmith.
This session is a great opportunity to gain practical insights, ask questions, and connect with fellow Chamber members in a relaxed, informative setting.
Diane Hobelaid, Chair, Accessibility Advisory Committee for the Town of Ladysmith.
BIO: Diane served the public as an occupational therapist for thirty-four years in Alberta, British Columbia, Australia and Kenya. She has lived in Ladysmith for the past five years, although she was a frequent visitor over the previous sixteen years, because she had friends living here. She presently is one of several well qualified individuals who serve on the Accessibility Advisory Committee in Ladysmith, hoping to contribute to the equal participation of all our citizens in the full life Ladysmith has to offer. She is open to learning how others experience life in our town, and to giving thought and input to the mechanisms that promote participation of others.
To date, the committee has created a working document for the Town, called the Ladysmith Accessibility Plan. This has just been completed and will be posted on the Ladysmith website. The document is designed to guide the approval of new infrastructure in the town, and to update existing infrastructure, such as recreation facilities, the new bathrooms downtown, and other public spaces to create optimal opportunities for all residents to participate in the life of the town. We also provide input to the town into projects that could be funded by various grants and budgeting available throughout the year.
I will be pleased to share with the business owners of the Chamber of Commerce, who may find ways to ensure that all Ladysmith’s citizens have full opportunities to make use of their services, and also ways to contribute to the town itself in projects promoting participation in community life, regardless of the challenges they may bring with them.