A future roadway in Vancouver will be called Jeanette Street in honour of Jeanette Andersen.
Andersen was a longtime advocate for people with disabilities, serving for 16 years on the Disability Alliance BC board and a long-time member of the city’s Persons with Disability Advisory Committee among other activities.
"Jeanette Andersen was a champion," states the Developmental Disabilities Association (DDA) in a release. "Despite being stricken with polio at a young age, she never gave up hope in making a difference for those with disabilities. Because of her illness, she spent much of her adolescence in an iron lung looking at the world through a tiny mirror positioned near her head."
The new street will be part of the George Pearson Centre redevelopment in Vancouver's south. The centre is a long-term care facility for people who need specialized assistance; Andersen was a resident of the centre, which originally opened in 1952. The redevelopment will replace the original outdated facility.
"Until her death, she mentored those who lived at Pearson Centre to show that despite disability it was possible to advocate and strive for independence," states the DDA. Andersen died at the age of 77 in 2016.
A city report notes advocates pushed for a street to be named in honour of Andersen at the redeveloped centre.
"Jeanette Andersen was a long-time resident of the George Pearson Centre and an effective and respected advocate for persons with disabilities," states a city staff report. "She played a leadership role in the founding of the Community and Residents Mentors Association at Pearson, a program aimed at helping residents move into the community and supporting those who prefer to remain at Pearson. She also was a founding member of the Provincial Respiratory Outreach Program."
The city's Standing Committee on Policy and Strategic Priorities approved the naming earlier this month.
A #Vancouver street will be named in honour of Jeanette Andersen, a champion of inclusion and diversity for people with disabilities. As a long-time member of the City’s Persons with Disability Advisory Committee, Jeanette advocated for a better and more accessible world. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/GTMLPfWxKz
— City of Vancouver (@CityofVancouver) February 24, 2021
