The importance of integrating accessibility into cancer care

A cancer diagnosis for anyone can be devastating. For individuals with disabilities or impairments such as hearing or sight loss, wheelchair users or amputations, accessing care comes with an entirely new set of challenges that able-bodied individuals might not consider.

Delynne Bortis, a wheelchair user and cancer survivor herself, knows this first-hand. She, along with colleague Madison Wassermann Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Saskatchewan, Inc. provided a presentation to SCA leadership on March 12th highlighting both challenges and opportunities for the health system to better support individuals with complex needs.

“In 2014 I was diagnosed with breast cancer,” Bortis shared. “I was a mom with two adolescent children, and had lived with a disability for 27 years at that point. My diagnosis occurred because I was proactive enough to request alternative diagnostic testing as mammogram machines are very difficult to access. Once I received my diagnosis I was scared, felt very alone in the situation, but relieved because my outcome would have been very different if I did not advocate for the alternative testing. Not everyone living with a disability is a strong self-advocate, and outcomes related to late testing can be detrimental to positive outcomes.”

As Bortis explained, people with disabilities require extra consideration when receive health services. For example,

• Change rooms need to be extra-large to accommodate wheelchairs, or a support person to help and individual with changing into a gown;
• Attending appointments may require extra support facilitating accessible transportation, which needs to be kept in mind when booking appointment times;
• Service animals may be utilized to support patients receiving care.

“Organizations, such as SCI Saskatchewan, can offer guidance related to healthcare in terms of reducing physical and systemic barriers,” Bortis explains. “They can also be a resource for patients experiencing disability, and partnerships can be extremely beneficial for patient acceptance and recovery.”

The Saskatchewan Cancer Agency is committed to learning from patient experiences, and regularly seeks opportunities to invite patients to present at meetings for staff. In 2024, SCA began a process of engagement on accessibility opportunities, to create an accessibility plan for the Agency in response to the Accessible Saskatchewan Act. As of December 2, 2025, SCA's Accessibility Plan is now posted online.

While SCA supports do exist for individuals with disabilities such as interpretation services and transportation assistance, there continue to be opportunities for improvement. SCA has identified accessibility upgrades at the Regina Patient Lodge, and ensures accessibility standards are met during all new renovation projects throughout SCA, for example. Training on inclusion and accessibility is also available, and educational opportunities for staff will continue to be pursued.