For the past two years, Rogers Centre Ottawa has partnered with Whimble, an Ottawa-based care tech startup, to advance accessibility and inclusion across events of all sizes.
This partnership brings on-site personal care attendant services directly into the venue, helping ensure that attendees with disabilities can fully participate in and enjoy their event experience.
Whimble is often described as the “Uber for personal care attendants.” They connect individuals with experienced, vetted caregivers who provide on-demand support. This collaboration offers event planners a seamless solution for attendees who may require assistance with personal care tasks such as bathroom breaks, eating and drinking, or mobility-related support.
Throughout this blog, Anna from Whimble shares her firsthand experience supporting events at Rogers Centre Ottawa and offers insight into how on-site care services help create more inclusive and welcoming environments.
How do your skills as a personal care attendant support both individual attendees and overall accessibility at busy conferences?
Working in a busy conference environment means being adaptable, attentive, and respectful at all times. It’s important to stay focused on the person you’re supporting while also being aware of what’s happening around you. Good communication helps build trust and ensures people feel comfortable and respected, especially when providing personal care. Skills like mobility assistance, understanding disability etiquette, and problem-solving on the spot all help make the experience smoother. Overall, this kind of support helps attendees feel more confident and included, knowing their needs are understood and taken seriously.
What does your role involve when supporting attendees with disabilities at conferences?
The Whimble attendant role is expansive and encompasses a wide variety of responsibilities related to supporting attendees with disabilities at conferences. Attendants are often among the first to arrive to assist with event set-up and among the last to leave. This ensures that accessible care is available throughout the entire duration of each event. At conferences, our primary responsibility is to provide accessible, friendly, and professional personal care, helping to reduce the stress that individuals with disabilities often experience in crowded and fast-paced environments.
How do you collaborate with event organizers, vendors, or volunteers to ensure accessibility?
Effective collaboration is essential to ensuring accessibility, and it relies on clear communication and strong teamwork. Whimble works closely with event organizers to ensure attendants are stationed in highly visible locations to serve the greatest number of attendees. All attendants wear white T-shirts with large Whimble logos for easy identification. For very large events held across multiple spaces, clear coordination helps ensure support is available wherever and whenever it’s needed.
What’s the most rewarding part of supporting individuals with disabilities at large events?
The most rewarding part of supporting individuals with disabilities at large events is seeing diversity represented and celebrated. The more people with disabilities are visible and actively participating in community events, the more stigma can be challenged, and the more accessibility features can be recognized, utilized, and expanded in the future. Providing personal care and assistance allows attendees to fully engage in events with dignity and independence, and it is deeply fulfilling to help people participate in their communities.
Our Shared Commitment
About Rogers Centre Ottawa
Rogers Centre Ottawa is committed to delivering exceptional, inclusive event experiences by providing welcoming, accessible spaces where all guests can participate fully, comfortably, and with dignity.
About Whimble
Whimble’s mission is to empower people with disabilities to live more independently by making personal care assistance accessible, flexible, and human-centered—where and when it’s needed most. To learn more about Whimble and its services, visit www.whimble.ca.
Together, Whimble and Rogers Centre Ottawa continue to work toward a future where inclusive events are not the exception, but the standard.
