In the early 1990s, when Aitken was a member of Westmount city council and Moore was a member of the Healthy Cities Project, access for the handicapped was scarcely an issue in the eyes of the public.

Wheelchair-bound individuals, or anyone else with mobility problems, had to struggle in many public places without the assistance of handrails, parking spaces for the physically disabled, and special ramps.

If Westmount today is considered one of the most access-friendly communities in the Montreal region, it’s largely thanks to Aitken, Moore and the late Pat Harris.

A guide listing virtually every place in Westmount that is wheelchair-accessible — now in its 10th edition — was largely a result of their efforts.

'Access Westmount' is compiled not only to help people with temporary or permanent physical limitations. It is also meant for mothers with children in strollers. While the main focus of the publication is wheelchair accessibility, also included are establishments with up to three steps.

The bilingual guide, which can be obtained from the City's Department of Urban Planning or at the Westmount Public Library, has been compiled with great precision and is reviewed yearly for updates.

Included in it is detailed information on the availability of parking, entrances, steps, handrails, ramps, door widths, washrooms, seating at tables and phone assistance for the various establishments.

"We take measures to identify them so that people know," says Mayor Karin Marks.

"I think we must be living in the most accessible place in the world," Aitken says emphatically. As a member of city council from 1983 to 1991, she says she was aware she had a responsibility in her role to do something to make life easier for the handicapped.

"At the time, I didn't need accessible spaces myself, " adds Aitken, who today uses an electric scooter to get around. "As it turns out, I've benefited greatly from the changes that have been made."

Moore traces the start of the Access Westmount list to a meeting Aitken organized in 1991. "She called together a meeting of people in the community that she thought were interested in community affairs, and came up with a list she felt needed to be done," says Moore, who was elected to city council in 1999 but was one of the five councillors whose terms were cut short by the creation of the Montreal megacity.

"One of them was to put together a directory of buildings which were accessible. After I got home, I phoned her and said, 'putting together that directory wouldn't be so difficult, Sally. We just need a few students from Dawson College to do the leg work.' So she asked if I would take it on, and I agreed."

While the access situation is much better today, Aitken still finds herself frustrated by establishments with a few steps at their entrances, but no wheelchair ramp. "If somebody's on a scooter or an electric wheelchair or is propelling themselves, they can't get up three or two or even one step," she says.