What’s New

Comprehensive New Media Report on the Ford Government’s Record on Advancing Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

Comprehensive New Media Report on the Ford Government’s Record on Advancing Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities

 

February 4, 2025

 

SUMMARY

 

When any party asks to be re-elected, it runs on its record. It also expects the public and media to scrutinize its record. We appreciate it when any media outlet does this on a party’s record on accessibility for people with disabilities.

 

This is especially important since in the past, some of the media’s pundits, columnists and editors have failed to devote much, if any, attention to our issues during provincial election campaigns. Too often they are preoccupied with covering the “horserace” and prognosticating on the polls.

 

We are delighted that The Pointer, a local online Ontario news publication, has covered the Ford Government’s 6.5 year record on accessibility in a recent report that we set out below. We await word from the Ontario Tories and the Liberals on what they will pledge in this election, in response to our request for all parties to make the 10-point Accessible Ontario Pledge.

 

We applaud The Pointer, for again showing leadership within the journalism community on our issues. Four years ago, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Pointer was the first media outlet to cover the danger to vulnerable people with disabilities posed by the Ford Government’s disability-discriminatory critical care triage protocol.

 

This report was published before Ontario’s New Democratic Party responded to our call for all parties to make the Accessible Ontario Pledge. This article stated that only Ontario’s Green Party had made the Accessible Ontario Pledge.

 

On January 6, 2025, we held a news conference at Queen’s Park to unveil our proposed commitments.

 

Usually, our news conferences get one or two hundred views on YouTube over time. In just four weeks since we held our January 6, 2025, news conference, it has been viewed on YouTube over 2,000 times

 

How You Can Help

 

  • Send The Pointer a letter to the editor. Congratulate them for this most recent article. Tell them about the disability barriers you face in Ontario, and what you want Ontario’s next Government to do about it. Write wittnebel@thepointer.com
  • Contact the Conservative and Liberal candidates in your riding. Urge them to get their party leader to make the Accessible Ontario Pledge. Ask them to make the pledge as individual candidates. Let us know what response you get.

 

  • Contact other media. Send them this article by The Pointer. Urge them to cover this issue during the election. It is during an election campaign that media coverage matters the most!

 

  • Circulate this AODA Alliance Update to friends, family, vague acquaintances and anyone else you can reach.

 

Thirty-four days have passed since Ontario failed to meet the January 1, 2025, deadline for becoming accessible to people with disabilities set by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. Ontario now has no comprehensive plan in place that will lead Ontario to become accessible to Ontarians with disabilities. We need all parties to commit to the Accessible Ontario Pledge!

 

 

MORE DETAILS

 

 

The Pointer January 28, 2025

 

Originally posted at https://thepointer.com/article/2025-01-29/a-real-sense-of-betrayal-doug-ford-s-ghastly-treatment-of-ontarians-with-disabilities

 

‘A real sense of betrayal’: Doug Ford’s ghastly treatment of Ontarians with disabilities

 

By Paige Peacock – Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Jan 28, 2025 – Brampton, Mississauga, Niagara

Ahead of his election in 2018, Doug Ford, in a letter to the advocacy group AODA Alliance, acknowledged the goal of Ontario’s flagship accessibility legislation is to remove barriers for people with disabilities that can impede their daily lives.

“Making Ontario fully accessible by 2025 is an important goal under the AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act) and it’s one that would be taken seriously by an Ontario PC government.”

Not only did he break the vow to improve accessibility and meet a legislated 2025 deadline for Ontario to be fully accessible—he made Ontario less accessible for those living with disabilities.

Since taking office, the Ford government has not enacted a single new standard under the AODA, nor has it strengthened any preexisting accessibility standards—despite evidence highlighting the dire need. The last new accessibility standard in Ontario was enacted in 2012—two premiers ago.

Three years ago, the PC government received a report from experts appointed to its Health Care Standards Development Committee on how to remove accessibility barriers within the healthcare system. It has done nothing with the report.

Four years ago, the PCs received an expert report from the Information and Communication Standards Development Committee on ways to bolster accessibility in the digital space. They have done nothing with the report.

The same year the PCs also received a report filled with recommendations for improving accessibility in the workplace. They did nothing with that report either.

Seven years ago—months before the PCs took office—the government received recommendations from its Transportation Standards Development Committee on how to make it easier for everyone to travel across the province. The PCs have done nothing with the report.

Despite his letter in May of 2018 and his commitment to the AODA Alliance, after being elected the very next month, Ford froze the ongoing work of six committees studying ways to improve accessibility standards in the province.

“This delay added to Ontario’s being behind schedule for becoming accessible,” a press release from the AODA Alliance points out.

The PCs twice violated the AODA, first by failing to meet a deadline for appointing a Standards Development Committee to review the 2012 Design of Public Space Accessibility Standards. The PCs missed the deadline by four years. They also failed to appoint a committee to review the Customer Service Accessibility Standard for two years after the legislated deadline.

The PCs have committed billions in public money to build new schools in Ontario without any guarantee they will be fully accessible; have refused to conduct an audit of Ontario’s Provincial Demonstration Schools for the deaf and blind despite government officials paying $23 million in class action lawsuits to settle these claims and avoid any admission of wrongdoing. Ford has gutted funding for autism programs in the province, leaving families scrambling to find adequate programs for their children. The PCs spent nearly a billion dollars on a new courthouse in downtown Toronto which documents from the AODA Alliance show is “replete with preventable disabilities barriers” which the government had been warned of ahead of construction. Bike paths are built on top of sidewalks, putting those with disabilities at risk; e-scooters were approved in many municipalities across Ontario despite widespread concern from those with disabilities; and during the COVID-19 pandemic, the implementation of a triage protocol was delayed, putting those with disabilities at potential risk, and then when it was finally shared with hospitals, it was clearly discriminatory toward those with disabilities.

“It’s infuriating, and there is a real sense of betrayal,” David Lepofsky, Chair of the non- partisan AODA Alliance told The Pointer. Lepofsky has been at the forefront of advocating for accessibility improvements for 30 years. He led the decade-long campaign from 1994 to 2005 to get the AODA passed in the first place.

“The fact is, the government knew the deadline was coming up. They knew they would not meet the deadline. They should have met the deadline by saying ‘this is not good enough. People with disabilities deserve better.’”

Ford and his PCs ignored the deadline and blocked advocates demanding change from having a say in the provincial legislature. He is the first Ontario Premier in two decades who has refused to meet with the AODA Alliance. Ford’s Accessibility Minister Raymond Cho met with Lepofsky early in his mandate, but over the last three years, emails from the group looking to raise serious issues with the minister’s staff have gone unanswered.

“The government clearly doesn’t treat it as a priority. The Premier does not see it as something worthy of his time,” Lepofsky said.

The failures of the PC government under Ford speak to what Lepfosky calls a “troubling pattern” from this government which has completely disregarded the need to improve accessibility standards for those living with disabilities.

Angered and frustrated, and with a provincial election now a month away, disability advocates are calling on Ontario’s party leaders to commit to its Accessible Ontario

Pledge, a plan with specific action items and deadlines for improving accessibility in the province and committing the government to following the laws laid out in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

The Green Party was the first among Ontario’s political parties and the only to date to make the pledge. The Pointer contacted the Minister for Seniors and Accessibility’s office regarding whether the PCs will be committing to the plan, which draws on the Alliance’s years of experience with accessibility, but did not receive a direct response.

The Act, Canada’s first comprehensive disability accessibility law, was the product of a promise made in the Ontario legislature over two decades ago that by 2025, the Province of Ontario would be fully accessible to people with all kinds of disabilities.

The 20 years since have been filled with disappointment for those living with disabilities in Ontario as subsequent governments have failed to prioritize the needs of the province’s disabled population.

“Over the 30 years of advocacy in this area, we’ve found that people always come forward with an excuse about why it’s not the right time. It is more of the right time now than it has ever been, because we have categorical proof that the government’s implementation of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act failed to live up to its legislative promise,” Lepofsky said on January 6, during a press conference at Queen’s Park announcing the new Accessibility Pledge.

Disability advocates have warned elected officials for over 15 years that the province was behind schedule and that the legislated 2025 deadline would not be met unless successive governments increased their response.

The Alliance attributed the failure to several factors. Achieving accessibility gradually dropped as a government priority with strong leadership slipping with each subsequent premier in power. While there has been some progress on the AODA accessibility standards regulations enacted to date, the Alliance says they are not strong enough and “do not even remove or prevent a majority of the recurring barriers that people with disabilities face.” The provincial government has never presented a comprehensive multi-year plan with targeted deadlines to ensure that Ontario would reach the legislated goal by its 2025 deadline.

Several reviews since the Act’s implementation have repeatedly pointed out how successive governments have failed to implement measures under the Act or enforce the standards it mandates. The Act, which allows the Ontario government to implement and enforce standards around accessibility on everything from technology to the physical design of all spaces in the province, has largely been recognized as a failure by those living with disabilities in Ontario who have criticized its implementation, or lack thereof, since the legislation came into effect almost 20 years ago.

The latest review, completed in 2023 by Rich Donovan, CEO of Return on Disability Group, concluded the entire regime for enforcing and applying the AODA in Ontario is “an unequivocal failure”.

The reasons for this, he wrote, are “straightforward and predictable”. Donovan points to a lack of data collection by the Province and the total absence of any plan to change how “Ontario will get from where it currently is to where it needs to be.” There are no accountability mechanisms, and “the result is a series of failures and missed opportunities that has spanned 17 years.”

Donovan concluded Ontario is currently in the midst of an “accessibility crisis”. In another violation of the AODA, the PCs refused to release Donovan’s report. It was only after urging from the AODA Alliance that it was made public.

On a similar grim note, former lieutenant governor David Onley told Ford and his PC government in 2019 that progress toward implementing the AODA was “glacial”, leaving Ontario filled with “soul-crushing barriers” for people with disabilities.

“Having missed the legislative deadline, the government has the obligation to get us to that goal as soon as possible after that legislative deadline,” Lepofsky said on January 6. “We drew on our sense of being ambitious but being realistic. We proposed things that are required but that are also completely doable.”

The Ford government has consistently failed to take any action, despite having the power to do so. Under the AODA, the government has the ability to create and enforce accessibility standards around information and community; employment, transportation, design and public spaces, and customer service. The latest review of the Act found the Province failed to uphold and enforce these standards.

“If obligated organizations don’t believe there are any consequences for breaking the law, they are far less likely to obey the law,” an AODA Act press release states.

Despite the repeated failures of Ontario governments, Lepofsky remains optimistic about the potential for a better future for those living with disabilities in Ontario. During the course of more than three decades of advocacy, he has observed a shift in how people with disabilities view themselves. Reflecting back to his teenage years and into his early 20s, Lepofsky, who has been blind for much of his life, remembers how the prevailing perception of having a disability was associated with charity.

“Some people with disabilities just felt like whatever services or opportunities we get, that’s what we get, and others found it unacceptable,” he told The Pointer.

Fast forward four decades and he finds himself motivated by a new generation of people who see themselves as rights holders.

“I am really motivated… meeting the next generation of future advocates who were born after this law got passed, accepted that these are their rights as a given — as they should — and who are fighting because the failure to honor their rights is not good enough, that they’re not going to just accept that,” he told The Pointer. “To see more and more of them get active is a powerful force that drives me forward.”

 

A Bizarre Moment When Raising Disability Issues During the Ontario Election Campaign

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

A Bizarre Moment When Raising Disability Issues During the Ontario Election Campaign

 

February 3, 2025

 

SUMMARY

 

Here’s a recent moment in our non-partisan disability advocacy efforts during the current Ontario general election that may surprise you!

 

As background, during each election campaign, the AODA Alliance encourages you to press candidates from all the parties to make strong commitments on making Ontario accessible for the 2.9 million Ontarians with disabilities. Opportunities to do this can arise when you least expect it. Since we are non-partisan, we don’t support or oppose any party. Our goal is to get all the parties to make strong commitments.

 

Last Thursday, January 30, 2025, AODA Alliance Chair, David Lepofsky, got an unexpected opportunity to practice what the AODA Alliance preaches. The following is his explanation, in his own words, which he has posted on Facebook. It speaks for itself!

 

Feel free to share it with others. Email us your thoughts at aodafeedback@gmail.com. Let us know what happens when you try to raise disability issues with candidates and their canvassers.

 

Stay tuned for more election news, and more action tips!

 

January 30, 2025: Facebook Post by AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky

 

I just had quite an event at my front door. As background, I’m strictly committed to being non-partisan in our efforts in the current Ontario election and to getting the strongest commitments from all the parties I can on our disability issues. I encourage people with disabilities and indeed everyone to press candidates and their volunteers for commitments on our disability issues as they are campaigning.

 

I just got my first opportunity in the current Ontario election to do so, quite unexpectedly. It took an unexpected twist.

 

Our doorbell rang a few minutes ago. I opened the door. A young man said he was canvassing for our Tory candidate and for Doug Ford, and wondered if they would have my support.

 

I asked what Doug Ford was planning to do for students with disabilities? The young man said that they had made record investments.

 

I said that earlier this week, they announced 1.3 billion dollars for new school construction but did not require them to be accessible. I said he should check out www.aodaalliance.org

 

He then proudly said: “I’m friends with David Lepofsky. I worked with MPP Robin Martin (this riding’s outgoing Conservative MPP).”

 

I did not recognize his voice. He obviously did not recognize me, the person with whom he was saying that he was friends.

 

I said: “I’m David Lepofsky! What’s your name?”

 

He did not answer. Instead, he rapidly turned on his heels and walked away quickly down the path from our front door to the street. As he was leaving, he said “have a nice day.” It sounded as if he was facing away from me when he said this, while walking away from me.

 

Disability advocacy can sure have its moments!

 

David Lepofsky

 

January 30, 2025

 

 

 

Ontario New Democratic Party Responds to the Request for the Accessible Ontario Pledge – Ontarians Await Responses from the Tories and Liberals

ACCESSIBILITY FOR ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT ALLIANCE

NEWS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Ontario New Democratic Party Responds to the Request for the Accessible Ontario Pledge – Ontarians Await Responses from the Tories and Liberals

 

January 31, 2025 Toronto: Ontario’s New Democratic Party (“NDP”) has responded to the AODA Alliance’s call for all Ontario political parties to make the 10-point Accessible Ontario Pledge to lead Ontario to become accessible to 2.9 million Ontarians with disabilities, as soon as possible, after successive governments failed to meet the legislated January 1, 2025 deadline to make this province accessible. The Ontario NDP’s detailed commitments, received on January 30, 2025, are set out below. The specifics of the AODA Alliance’s requested Accessible Ontario Pledge, were made public at a widely-viewed January 6, 2025 Queen’s park news conference, both of which are available for viewing online.

 

“The Green Party made the Accessible Ontario Pledge on January 6, 2025, and now that we’ve heard from the NDP as well, we await word from Doug Ford’s Tories and Bonnie Crombie’s Liberals,” said David Lepofsky, Chair of the non-partisan grassroots AODA Alliance, that that advocates to tear down barriers facing people with disabilities in jobs, education, health care, transit and all other aspects of Ontario life. “We aim to get all parties to make the Accessible Ontario Pledge, and don’t support or oppose any party and candidate.”

 

Non-partisan efforts on accessibility issues have been raised in every provincial election for the past 30 years, since 2005 by the AODA Alliance, and before that, by its predecessor, the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee. These efforts led to the enactment of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (“AODA”) in 2005, and efforts to strengthen its implementation since then. The AODA required the Ontario Government to lead the province to become disability-accessible by the start of this year. Many media outlets have reported on the fact that the Government missed that legislated deadline.

 

“The AODA Alliance has called on news outlets, commentators and pundits to include disability issues in their election coverage,” said Lepofsky. “Voters have a right to know where the parties stand on issues that affect everyone, the 2.9 million of us who now have a disability and the rest of the public, who are all bound to get disabilities as they age.”

 

Contact: AODA Alliance Chair, David Lepofsky

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

For background, check out:

 

Ontario NDP’s January 30, 2025 Commitment to the AODA Alliance

 

Marit Stiles and the Ontario NDP support the Accessible Ontario Pledge.

 

Marit Stiles absolutely commits to meet regularly with the AODA Alliance and other accessibility advocates and experts.

 

An Ontario NDP government would prioritize AODA implementation as soon as possible now that the legislated deadline has passed. We have repeatedly raised the lack of commitment to implement the AODA by the Ford government, as well as previous Liberal governments.

 

An Ontario NDP government would establish an all-of-government coordinated approach to accessibility issues in the province, with a Minister for Accessibility Issues leading the effort. We would commit to a comprehensive plan to achieve the AODAs goals.

 

Marit Stiles and Ontario NDP have long supported the provisions of the AODA and have committed to not amend the Act in any way.

 

We commit to strengthening accessibility standards across services and areas impacting disabled Ontarians.

 

An NDP government is committed to a Built Environment Accessibility Standard under the AODA, and to ensure that the Ontario Building Code effectively addresses accessibility needs. Marit Stiles and the Ontario NDP will also create a Health Care Accessibility Standard, and an Education Accessibility Standard, drawing on the work of the Standards Development Committees in these areas.

 

We are committed as well, to setting a Residential Housing Accessibility Standard, and this is consistent with what we’ll implement with our Homes Ontario plan.

 

An NDP government will appoint Standards Development Committees by year two and will ensure that the standards developed are the result of robust public consultation.

 

We will empower and equip inspectors and investigators across government with a mandate to enforce the AODA.

 

We will publish the results of enforcement and compliance actions publicly.

 

An Ontario NDP government will work with professional regulatory bodies and post-secondary institutions to make mandatory training in accessibility design, consistent with the AODA. And we will ensure that public dollars are not used in the creation or perpetuation of accessibility barriers in public spaces.

 

Marit Stiles and the Ontario NDP are committed to universal design in public and purpose-built housing as part of our ambitious Homes Ontario plan.

Our commitment is to bolster government resources to ensure that there is AODA compliance within and outside of government.

 

As Premier, Marit Stiles will happily direct her Cabinet and senior officials to implement the government’s accessibility obligations and commitments. The Ontario NDP has long called for Mandate Letters to be made public.

 

An Ontario NDP government commits to ensuring that there is a senior staff accessibility lead in every Ministry.

 

We are committed to undertake a review of relevant legislation for any accessibility barriers, as well as direct the Ministry of the Attorney General to ensure all planned legislation and regulation include no disability barriers.

 

We remain committed to accessible elections and are prepared to mandate that all barriers to voting for Ontarians be removed.

 

Marit Stiles and the Ontario NDP have been clear in our commitment to reform the broken tribunals system, and this includes the flawed Ontario Human Rights Tribunal process. We have no illusions that the current tribunal system, including the Human Rights complaints system, is working in the best interests of Ontarians facing accessibility barriers or discrimination on the basis of disability.

 

Whether There Will Be a Better Future for Students with Disabilities in Ontario is on the Ballot in this Election, Disability Advocates Insist

ACCESSIBILITY FOR ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT ALLIANCE

NEWS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Whether There Will Be a Better Future for Students with Disabilities in Ontario is on the Ballot in this Election, Disability Advocates Insist

January 29, 2025 Toronto: With the Ontario election campaign underway, disability advocates announce that on the ballot in this election will be whether there will be a better future for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable and underserved students with disabilities in Ontario’s education system. The grassroots non-partisan AODA Alliance is asking all parties to commit to a new Accessible Ontario Pledge. Among other things, it includes timelines for tearing down the many disability barriers in Ontario’s education system.

 

The AODA Alliance aims to get all Ontario parties to make the Accessible Ontario Pledge. This was made public at a widely watched January 6, 2025, Queen’s Park news conference that can be viewed online.

 

“At least two third of a million Ontario voters have children with disabilities who face far too many barriers in Ontario’s education system. We’re looking to the political parties to commit to fix this,” said David Lepofsky, chair of the non-partisan AODA Alliance which has campaigned since 2009 for a barrier-free school system for at least 350,000 Ontario students with disabilities. “Too many of their kids have been excluded from school or allowed to attend only for shortened school days. Too many parents find it brutally hard just to find out what services, supports and placements are available for their child at school, and how to navigate a bewildering education bureaucracy.”

 

Last week, at another Queen’s Park news conference, one convened by the relentless Ontario, Autism Coalition, a damning report was released documenting how many students with disabilities are underserved by Ontario’s education system. One Education Minister after the next boasts that Ontario is “spending more than ever on them”, rings hollow in the experience of voters whose children suffer from these barriers and under-funding.

 

A blistering news report earlier this week in the online Toronto Today news publication, set out below, describes the frustrating resistance that school boards can mount when parents of students with disabilities simply ask a school board to create, even on an trial basis, a prompt, user-friendly, fair and effective process for parents to use when they are unsatisfied with how a school is meeting their child’s disability-related learning needs. Parents should not have to separately battle uphill at 72 school boards across Ontario to get such basic safeguards. A provincially enacted Education Accessibility Standard enacted under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act could solve this, once and for all, but Ontario still has none.

 

Last November, the Toronto District School Board’s Special Education Advisory Committee held a Town Hall to hear from parents of students with disabilities/special education needs about barriers their children face at school. Trying to hold back their tears, parent after parent gave wrenching accounts of problems their children faced.

 

All political parties have the benefit of a comprehensive and realistic roadmap on how to tear down disability barriers in Ontario’s education system. It was delivered to the Ontario Government three years ago, this week, by the Government-appointed expert panel on the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee. It was the most thorough investigation of how Ontario’s education system serves students with disabilities in our lifetime.

 

“In past campaigns, too many pundits, political commentators and news editors reduced each election into two or three issues. This has systemically excluded a number of serious issues that concern Ontarians, such as issues that affect over 2.9 million Ontarians with disabilities,” said Lepofsky. “In this election, we need them to spend more time on a wider range of issues that matter to voters, and less time on daily reporting on polls and horse-races. Children with disabilities in Ontario deserve it.”

 

Contact: AODA Alliance Chair, David Lepofsky

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

 

For background, check out:

  • The final report of the Government-appointed K-12 Education Standards Development Committee, which the Ford Government received on January 28, 2022.
  • The AODA Alliance website’s education page, which documents the grass roots campaign since 2009 to get the Ontario Government to enact the much-needed Education Accessibility Standard to make Ontario’s education system accessible to and barrier-free for hundreds of thousands of students with disabilities.
  • The Accessible Ontario Pledge and the January 6, 2025 AODA Alliance Queen’s park news conference where it was unveiled.

 

Toronto Today January 27, 2025

 

Originally posted at https://www.torontotoday.ca/local/education/parents-autistic-kids-demanded-new-path-dispute-disability-accommodations-tdsb-said-no-10139136

 

Parents of autistic kids demanded a new path to dispute classroom accommodations. The TDSB said no.

 

‘In a school board as big as the TDSB, you could and should have a phone line people can call,’ says David Lepofsky, chair of the TDSB’s special education advisory committee

 

Gabe Oatley

 

Parents of autistic children are frustrated by a Toronto District School Board (TDSB) decision not to explore creating an alternative dispute resolution mechanism for parents unsatisfied by the classroom accommodations their children have been offered.

 

“It’s insulting,” said parent Melissa Rojas Montoya. “It makes me really consider, what am I going to do in September?”

 

At issue is a motion, passed unanimously by TDSB trustees last week that asked school board staff to consider establishing a “prompt, user-friendly, fair and effective” process for parents to use when they are unsatisfied with how a school is accommodating a disabled student.

 

TDSB schools work with the families of students with autism and other disabilities to develop individual education plans and other accommodations.

 

Currently, parents unsatisfied with the plans provided to their children must follow the same complaint process as those upset by the fact their kid didn’t make a sports team, said David Lepofsky.

 

“The recourse needs to be to a person with dedicated expertise in educating kids with special education needs,” said the chair of the TDSB’s special education advisory committee, which drafted the initial motion on the matter.

 

“In a school board as big as the TDSB, you could and should have a phone line people can call,” he said.

 

Lepofsky told TorontoToday this work is urgent, noting many parents of the 40,000 disabled students the TDSB serves are unsatisfied by the support their kids are receiving.

 

Yet despite the unanimous approval for the motion, the TDSB told TorontoToday in an emailed statement on Jan. 24 that a new approach to dispute resolution won’t be considered.

 

“The TDSB has existing pathways that are legislated by the Ministry and Board for addressing concerns related to accommodations, and will continue to follow these mechanisms,” said spokesperson Emma Moynihan.

 

One parent’s struggle

 

Toronto parent Rob Gillezeau told TorontoToday the board’s decision is disappointing. He believes a new dispute pathway could help others to avoid the difficulty he faced last summer in trying to secure support for his daughter, Martha, who is autistic.

 

To help kids with extremely complex needs, the TDSB operates a number of so-called diagnostic kindergarten programs, which have a lower student to teacher ratio.

 

Recognizing Martha might be a candidate, Gillezeau contacted her local school last spring to discuss the possibility. In doing so, the Toronto dad learned that to be eligible for such a placement, Martha’s case would need to be discussed by the board’s special education program recommendation committee (SEPRC).

 

Throughout the spring and summer, Gillezeau emailed and called Martha’s school in the Annex, asking to arrange a committee meeting.

 

Months and months went by, however, he said, with no success.

 

At first, school staff told Gillezeau not to worry, he said. But then, as the summer progressed, staff told him that a committee date was unlikely to be scheduled because there was now too little time left before the school year.

 

The news was extremely distressing, said Gillezeau.

 

The major concern was that if Martha began school in a regular classroom, she would no longer be eligible for a SEPRC hearing and would have to be assessed through the individual education plan pathway, which could take months, he said.

 

This was a daunting prospect, the father added, because the school had made it clear they did not have the educational assistant resources to support Martha’s learning in the classroom and could not ensure she wouldn’t escape from the school.

 

Gillezeau said Martha is enormously analytically skilled. Like many other autistic children, however, she sometimes tries to run away from school or other environments. The Annex junior school’s playground is not fenced in, which meant educators could not provide assurance they’d be able to keep her safe, Gillezeau said.

 

Increasingly desperate as September approached, Gillezeau and his partner made the difficult decision to keep Martha out of school, unwilling to sacrifice her safety. As days ticked by in September, the parents tried to get action, contacting local politicians and advocacy groups, while they managed Martha’s childcare by relying on family.

 

One maneuver got action.

 

One week after Gillezeau informed the school principal he was exploring the possibility of filing a human rights complaint, the committee meeting he had been working to schedule for months was in the books.

 

“It p—es me off,” said Gillezeau. “This is a horrendous way to run the system.”

 

20250127-lepofsky

 

David Lepofsky, chair of the TDSB’s special education advisory committee, speaks at a meeting of the board’s program and school services committee in Toronto, Ont. on Jan. 15 as Etobicoke

 

Centre trustee Dan MacLean looks on. Gabe Oatley/TorontoToday

 

Benefits of an alternative dispute resolution pathway

 

The Toronto dad said he believes an alternative pathway to dispute the delay he was facing would have saved time and frustration.

 

“You get to better outcomes when you humanize the process,” he said.

 

 

While ultimately, Gillezeau said that Martha was provided with a spot in a diagnostic classroom in early October, he said it should not have taken the threat of a human rights complaint to secure the meeting.

 

Asked why the committee meeting took so long to schedule, Moynihan said the board does not comment on individual cases due to privacy.

 

Is the TDSB ‘gaslighting’ parents?

 

Leo Lagnado, a member of TDSB’s special education advisory committee, said Gillezeau’s experience is not isolated. He said the school board uses delays and minimizes student accommodation requirements as a strategy to reduce pressure on the insufficient resources it has available.

 

“[If] you don’t have spots for all the kids that need it, you have to artificially constrain the demand,” he said. “The way that they do that is basically, by gaslighting parents.”

 

Moynihan did not provide a direct response to Lagnado’s allegation.

 

“In the event that a parent feels their concerns or questions have not been addressed by their principal, the individual should contact their school superintendent for support,” she said.

 

A recent report published by the Ontario Autism Coalition, argues that the provincial government is not providing school boards with adequate funds to meet students’ needs.

 

Of the 430-odd respondents to the organization’s survey, more than 50 per cent said that some or none of their student’s individual education plan accommodations were followed consistently.

 

A third of families also reported that they felt their child had not been placed in an appropriate classroom placement to meet their needs. (49 per cent felt their placement was appropriate.)

 

Asked about the report, Education Minister Jill Dunlop told The Trillium that the province has made “historic” investments in special education.

 

Where to from here?

 

On Monday, Lepofsky told TorontoToday that he is frustrated that the TDSB will not consider the development of an alternative pathway.

 

“TDSB staff have presented no evidence that their existing pathways solve the problem,” he said. “The fact that parents report difficulties getting their child’s disability-related needs met in too many cases proves that the status quo does not work for everyone.”

 

Lagnado, too, expressed disappointment. “Yes, this is about underfunding at the provincial level, but it’s also about gross mismanagement at the board level,” he said.

 

Parent Melissa Rojas Montoya said the lack of willingness to explore a better path for concerned parents is alarming. Rojas Montoya is also seeking placement of her child in a diagnostic kindergarten, but has not yet received confirmation on whether this will be possible, she said.

 

Etobicoke Centre school trustee Dan MacLean told TorontoToday he believes there needs to be “improved pathways of parent interaction” between parents and the TDSB.

 

He said trustees will continue to monitor and support the work of staff in this area.

 

On Eve of Election Call: Ford Government Announces Another 1.3 Billion Dollars on School Construction Without Ensuring these Schools will be Accessible to Thousands of Students, Parents and Staff with Disabilities

ACCESSIBILITY FOR ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT ALLIANCE

NEWS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

On Eve of Election Call: Ford Government Announces Another 1.3 Billion Dollars on School Construction Without Ensuring these Schools will be Accessible to Thousands of Students, Parents and Staff with Disabilities

 

January 28, 2025 Toronto: On the eve of the Ford Government’s impending snap election call, disability advocates are blasting the Ford Government for failing to announce any measures to ensure that newly built or renovated schools will be designed to be accessible to thousands of students, parents, teachers, and other school staff with disabilities when it announced yesterday that it is investing another 1.3 billion tax dollars into building new schools and expanding existing ones.

 

“Our Government must ensure that public money is never again used to create new disability barriers, like when the Government built Toronto’s new billion dollar courthouse replete with accessibility barriers that an AODA Alliance video revealed,” said David Lepofsky, Chair of the non-partisan AODA Alliance, which has been campaigning to get the Ontario Government to pass an Education Accessibility Standard under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (“AODA”) to make Ontario’s public education system accessible to students with disabilities. “If new schools are wastefully built with disability barriers, it costs the public much more to later remove them.”

 

For years, Ontario’s Ministry of Education has largely left it to each school board to decide what, if anything, to include in the design of a new school building to ensure it is disability accessible. Each school board must wastefully reinvent the accessibility wheel.

 

Three years ago today, the Ford Government received the landmark final report of a Government-appointed panel of experts that detailed the barriers in Ontario’s K-12 schools and how to remove and prevent them. It included 20 detailed pages on how to design an accessible new school. Yet, for the ensuing three years, the Ford Government has not enacted a single word of the measures in that expert report. The Government had appointed that expert committee under the AODA to recommend what the Government should enact in the promised Education Accessibility Standard to make publicly funded education in Ontario fully accessible for Ontario students with disabilities.

 

“This is not the first time that the Ford Government has embarked on such a misuse of public money,” said Lepofsky. “In July 2020 and again in March 2024, the Ford Government announced major plans to build new schools and to renovate others across Ontario. Then, as now, the Ford Government announced no requirement to ensure that this new construction will be disability accessible.”

 

School boards lack expertise in accessible building design. Making this worse, architects are too often not properly trained in accessible design.

 

Ontario desperately needs mandatory provincewide standards. A student, parent or school staff member with a disability has the same accessibility needs to get into and around a school building, whether in Kenora or Cornwall, Toronto or Ottawa. It is well established for years that compliance with the insufficient accessibility requirements in the Ontario Building Code, the weak and limited AODA accessibility standards, and local municipal bylaws do not ensure that a new building is accessible and barrier-free for people with disabilities.

 

This treats people with disabilities as if they simply don’t exist or don’t matter. It is a cruel irony that the Ford Government’s announcement yesterday claimed that it would “deliver good value for Ontario taxpayers” and that “school boards were encouraged to standardize the design of new school construction…”

 

“This disregard of the most fundamental needs of students with disabilities is part of a larger and troubling pattern,” said Lepofsky, who served for four years as a member of the Government-appointed K-12 Education Standards Development Committee. “The Ford Government continues to make self-congratulatory announcements about the education system, all the while failing to enact the promised Education Accessibility Standard. This leaves students with disabilities in a school system that is replete with unfair disabilities, far beyond the design of school buildings, as the expert K-12 Education Standards Development Committee thoroughly documented.”

 

Blistering findings about Government failures to deal with disability accessibility needs across society permeate the 2019 final report of the 3rd Independent Review of the AODA conducted by former Lieutenant Governor, David Onley, and the 2023 4th Independent Review of the AODA conducted by Rich Donovan. Both Reviews, which the Ontario Government appointed, found that progress on accessibility in Ontario has been painfully slow, and that there is no effective Government leadership.

The Rich Donovan AODA Independent Review found in June 2023 that Ontario has an accessibility crisis requiring an urgent Government crisis response. None has been forthcoming from the Ford Government in the following 19 months. The Ford Government’s failure to ensure that this new school construction is disability accessible is more proof that Ontario has an accessibility crisis.

 

This week, the AODA Alliance awarded the Ford Government an “F” grade for its handling of accessibility issues during its 6.5 years in power. In the upcoming election, the AODA Alliance is asking all party leaders to make the “Accessible Ontario Pledge” to lead Ontario to become accessible as soon as possible because the Government failed to fulfil its duty to do so by 2025 as required under the AODA.

 

Contact: AODA Alliance Chair, David Lepofsky

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

 

For background, check out:

  • The June 16, 2016 AODA Alliance Update which sets out the recommendations for the design of an accessible school building which the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee circulated in 2021 for public feedback, which were well-received, and which in almost identical terms are included in the final report of the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee.
  • The final report of the Government-appointed K-12 Education Standards Development Committee, which the Ford Government received on January 28, 2022.
  • The AODA Alliance website’s education page, which documents the grass roots campaign since 2009 to get the Ontario Government to enact the much-needed Education Accessibility Standard to make Ontario’s education system accessible to and barrier-free for hundreds of thousands of students with disabilities.
  • The Accessible Ontario Pledge and the January 6, 2025 AODA Alliance Queen’s park news conference where it was unveiled.

 

Read the Accessible Ontario Pledge that the AODA Alliance is asking all Ontario political parties to make in the upcoming 2025 snap Ontario election

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance
United for a Barrier-Free Society for All People with Disabilities
Web: www.aodaalliance.org Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com Twitter: @aodaalliance

January 6, 2025

To: Hon. Premier Doug Ford
Via Email: doug.ford@ontariopc.com premier@ontario.ca
Room 281, Legislative Building Queen’s Park, Toronto, ON M7A 1A1

Marit Stiles, Leader of the Official Opposition
Via Email: MStiles-QP@ndp.on.ca
Room 113, Legislative Building Queen’s Park, Toronto, ON M7A 1A5

Mike Schreiner, Leader of the Green Party of Ontario
Via Email: leader@gpo.ca
Room 451 Legislative Building Queen’s Park, Toronto, ON M7A 1A2

Bonnie Crombie, Leader of the Ontario Liberal Party
Via Email: bonnie@ontarioliberal.ca
Suite 306, 344 Bloor St. W., Toronto, ON M5S 3A7

Dear Party Leaders,

For 2.9 million Ontarians with disabilities, their families and friends, New Year’s Day 2025 was not a day for celebration. In 2005, the Legislature proclaimed in law that January 1, 2025, was the date by which the Government must have led this province to become accessible to Ontarians with disabilities. People with disabilities had tenaciously fought for a decade to win the passage in 2005 of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).

Yet on this New Year’s Day, people with disabilities continued to live in a province full of unfair disability barriers. Ontario is far from accessible. Nineteen months ago, the Government-appointed 4th Independent Review of the AODA, conducted by Rich Donovan, declared that Ontario is in an accessibility crisis. On November 25, 2024, individuals with disabilities shared wrenching accounts of these disability barriers with the political parties at community public hearings at Queen’s Park, organized by the AODA Alliance. View that online.

The AODA did not vanish on New Year’s Day. The Government remains duty-bound to lead this province to become accessible to people with disabilities as soon as possible after the legislated deadline.

It is widely reported that a spring election is likely. We ask your parties to now make specific, clear and strong commitments on what they will do if elected to fulfil the AODA. Set out below, we call this the “Accessible Ontario Pledge.”

Our request does not depend on whether an election is called this year. Even if there is no election in 2025, we ask the Government to commit to the Accessible Ontario Pledge. We ask the opposition parties to commit to press the Government to implement the Accessible Ontario Pledge and to implement it if they form the next Ontario Government.

All parties strongly supported the AODA when it was passed in 2005. The AODA’s initial implementation got off to a promising start in 2005. So why didn’t Ontario meet the AODA’s 2025 deadline for an accessible Ontario?

First, accessibility for people with disabilities gradually dropped as a Government priority. Premier after Premier failed to show the strong leadership called for on this issue by the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Government-appointed Independent Reviews of the AODA.

Second, the AODA accessibility standards regulations enacted to date, while helpful, are not strong enough. They do not even remove or prevent a majority of the recurring barriers that people with disabilities face.

Third, AODA enforcement has been ineffective.

Fourth, the Government did not effectively use other levers of power conveniently available to it to promote accessibility.

Fifth, Ontario has never announced a comprehensive multi-year plan with targeted deadlines to ensure that the province would reach the legislated goal of an accessible Ontario by 2025, or ever.

Over two decades, successive Governments were told about the need to strengthen and speed up the AODA’s implementation. Ontario’s disability community and four successive mandatory Government-appointed AODA Independent Reviews gave the Government practical recommendations.

We present the Accessible Ontario Pledge to you in a spirit of non-partisanship. We aim for strong commitments from all parties. We never seek to elect or defeat any party or candidate.

In each Ontario election since 1995, some or all parties made election commitments on disability accessibility. They have always done so in letters to the AODA Alliance or, before 2005, to our predecessor, the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee.

We do not ask you to set a new final deadline for Ontario to become accessible. The AODA has set the deadline. It must remain. The comprehensive action plan that Ontario needs should bring each sector of the economy to the goal of accessibility as soon as that sector can achieve this. Only through a detailed public plan of action with clear timelines will Ontario succeed.

Please make the Accessible Ontario Pledge. We will make public your response to this request. Every Ontarian needs all parties to make the Accessible Ontario Pledge. Everyone has a disability now or gets one later in life.

Sincerely,

David Lepofsky, CM, O. Ont. Chair, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance

Accessible Ontario Pledge
1. Foster and Strengthen Our Relationship with Your Party

We are recognized in the legislature, the media and the public for our advocacy and expertise in disability accessibility.

A. As Premier, will you periodically meet with the AODA Alliance to discuss issues concerning persons with disabilities and accessibility, including within the first four months? If your Party does not form the Government, will you meet with us periodically? Will your Party raise our concerns in the Legislature, including in Question Period?
2. Ensure Strong Leadership on Accessibility

Four successive Government-appointed Independent Reviews of the AODA determined that Ontario needs strong new Ontario Government leadership on disability accessibility.

A. As Premier, will you show strong leadership on the issue of accessibility for people with disabilities? Will you substantially strengthen and accelerate the AODA’s implementation?

B. Will you commit to leading Ontario to the goal of becoming accessible to people with disabilities as soon as possible after the AODA-legislated deadline? Within four months, will you announce a comprehensive multi-year action plan to achieve this with targeted deadlines for action?

C. Will you assign a stand-alone minister responsible for disability issues who will periodically meet with us? Will other ministers having responsibilities bearing on our issues also periodically meet with us?
3. Prevent Backsliding on Accessibility

A. Will your Government comply with the AODA?

B. Will you ensure that no amendments to the AODA will be made and that the AODA will not be opened up in the Legislature for possible amendments? Will you commit that any provisions or protections in the AODA, its regulations, or in Government policies or programs that promote its objectives, or any rights of persons with disabilities under the Ontario Human Rights Code will not be reduced?
4. Develop and Enact Needed New Accessibility Standards Under the AODA

The AODA requires the Government to enact all the enforceable accessibility standards needed to achieve the AODA’s purpose. Properly designed accessibility standards help business and public sector organizations know what to do, helping their profitability and success.

Ontario has enacted five accessibility standards–for customer service, employment, information and communication, transportation, and a few built environment barriers in “public spaces,” mostly outside buildings. These need to be strengthened. People with disabilities still face many barriers when they try to get a job, ride public transit, use customer services, get into and around buildings, or try to get access to information and communication available to the public. AODA Accessibility standards in these areas, while somewhat helpful, have not achieved accessibility.

A. Within 12 months, will you strengthen the existing AODA accessibility standards addressing customer service, the built environment, transportation, employment, and information and communication in order to make them strong and effective?

The AODA requires the Government to ensure that the built environment becomes accessible to people with disabilities. Yet the Government has largely left this to the woefully inadequate Ontario Building Code.

B. Will you enact a comprehensive Built Environment Accessibility Standard under the AODA and revamp the Ontario Building Code as it addresses disability accessibility so that it aligns with the rights of people with disabilities under the Ontario Human Rights Code?

Ontario also needs new AODA accessibility standards. For example, students with disabilities face too many disability barriers in Ontario Kindergarten to Grade 12 (K-12) schools, colleges and universities. No Education Accessibility Standard has been enacted. All political parties have agreed that an AODA Education Accessibility Standard should be enacted. In early 2022, the Government received detailed proposals of what the Education Accessibility Standard should include from the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee and from the Post-Secondary Education Standards Development Committee. A strong public consensus supports their recommendations.

C. Within 6 months, will you enact an AODA Education Accessibility Standard that accords with the recommendations in the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee’s 2022 final report and the Post-Secondary Education Standards Development Committee’s 2022 final report?

All political parties have agreed that Ontario needs an AODA Health Care Accessibility Standard to tear down disability barriers that impede patients with disabilities in Ontario’s health care system. In early 2022, the Government received the Health Care Standards Development Committee’s final report. It shows why Ontario needs a strong Health Care Accessibility Standard, and what that standard should include.

D. Within 6 months, will you enact a comprehensive AODA Health Care Accessibility Standard under the AODA to remove and prevent the disability barriers across Ontario’s health care system that accords with the Health Care Standards Development Committee’s 2022 final report?

Ontario has a crisis shortage of accessible housing where people with disabilities can live. This crisis will get worse as society ages. Ontario has no comprehensive effective Government strategy for ensuring that Ontario will have a sufficient supply of accessible housing.

E. Will you enact an AODA Residential Housing Accessibility Standard under the AODA? Will you also announce a comprehensive multi-year accessible housing strategy within 6 months to increase the supply of accessible housing in Ontario, including supportive housing?

F. Within 6 months, will you consult the public, including the disability community, on all additional economic sectors that other accessibility standards need to address? Will you announce decisions on the economic sectors to be addressed in additional standards within three months after that, and appoint Standards Development Committees to address them four months after that announcement?
5. Speed Up the Extremely Long Process for Developing AODA Accessibility Standards

The Government has taken far too long to develop an accessibility standard. It took over six years just to decide to create an Education Accessibility Standard. Eight years after that decision, none has been created. It took six years to decide to create a Health Care Accessibility Standard. A decade later, none has been enacted.

A. Will you speed up and de-bureaucratize the development of accessibility standards under the AODA, in consultation with us and the public?
6. Substantially Strengthen AODA Enforcement

On October 29, 1998, all parties voted for a unanimous landmark resolution in the Legislature that required the Disabilities Act to have teeth. In 2005, all parties unanimously voted to include in the AODA important enforcement powers, like audits, inspections, compliance orders, and stiff monetary penalties.

Yet AODA enforcement has been paltry and weak. The Government has known for years of rampant AODA violations. Three successive Government-appointed AODA Independent Reviews over the past decade called for AODA enforcement to be substantially strengthened.

A. Will you substantially strengthen AODA enforcement, effectively using all AODA available powers to enforce all AODA requirements?

B. Will you assign operational AODA enforcement to a new arms-length public agency, and significantly increase the number of inspectors and directors appointed with AODA enforcement powers? Will you give inspectors and investigators under other legislation a mandate to enforce the AODA when they inspect or investigate an organization under other legislation?

C. Will the Ontario Government publicly release and post detailed information on AODA enforcement actions at least every three months? It should include such measures as the number of notices of proposed orders and penalties, the total final orders and penalties imposed, and the number of appeals from orders and their outcomes.

D. Will the Government ensure on-site inspection of a range of obligated organizations on the actual accessibility of their workplace, goods, services and facilities?

E. Will you establish and widely publicize an effective toll-free line for the public to report AODA violations? Will you provide and widely publicize other online avenues to report AODA violations, including Twitter, Facebook and a web page? Will you publicly report quarterly on complaints received and the specific enforcement action taken as a result?

F. Will you create ways for crowd-sourced AODA monitoring/enforcement, such as the Government publicly posting all online AODA compliance reports from obligated organizations in a publicly accessible, searchable data base, and by requiring each obligated organization to post its AODA compliance report on its own website if it has one?

G. Will you require that to get a building permit and/or site plan approval for a construction project, the provincial or municipal approving authority must be satisfied that the project, on completion, will meet all accessibility requirements of the Ontario Building Code and the AODA accessibility standards? Will you require that post-project completion inspections include compliance with accessibility requirements in the Ontario Building Code and the AODA?
7. Effectively Deploy Other Levers of Government Power to Achieve Accessibility

The K-12 Education Standards Development Committee’s final report demonstrated a pressing need for major reform to Ontario’s education system beyond enacting a strong AODA Education Accessibility Standard.

A. Will you undertake a comprehensive reform of Ontario’s education system as it relates to students with disabilities including its funding formula for students with disabilities in order to ensure that it meets their needs and that funding is based on the actual number of students with disabilities in a school board?

At present, design professionals, such as architects, do not need to be effectively trained in designing accessible buildings and other built environment to get or to keep their license.

B. Will you make it mandatory for professional bodies that regulate or license architects and other design professionals to require adequate training on accessible design? This should not use the seriously flawed Rick Hansen Foundation training for accessibility assessors. Will you require as a condition of funding a college or university that trains professions (such as architects) that their curriculum include sufficient mandatory training on meeting disability accessibility needs?

Ontario continues to build new infrastructure projects replete with disability barriers. For example, the Government built Toronto’s new billion-dollar Armoury Street courthouse replete with serious disability barriers, as an AODA Alliance video revealed.

C. Will you enact, enforce, publicize and report on compliance with standards and create a comprehensive strategy to ensure that public money is never used to create or perpetuate barriers against people with disabilities, for example, in capital or infrastructure spending, through procurement of goods, services or facilities, through business development grants or loans, or research grants? Will you reform the way public sector infrastructure projects are managed and overseen in Ontario, including a major reform of Infrastructure Ontario to ensure that accessibility is addressed far earlier and more effectively in the project?

D. Will you require that when public money is used to create public housing that housing will include universal design?

Government-appointed AODA Independent Reviews recommended that the Ontario Government should provide far better technical advice and support for obligated organizations who want to take action on accessibility but who don’t know what to do.

E. Will you establish a publicly funded centre arms-length from the Ontario Government to provide free expert detailed technical accessibility advice to the public, including obligated organizations and people with disabilities?

The Ontario Public Service too often deals poorly with accessibility in isolated silos. It has not implemented reforms recommended by Government-appointed AODA Independent Reviews.

F. After consulting with people with disabilities within the Ontario Public Service and in the general public for four months, will you announce and implement a plan to re-engineer and strengthen how the Ontario Public Service ensures that its services, facilities and workplaces are accessible? This should include periodically auditing the accessibility of its services and facilities and making public the audit results.

G. In Mandate Letters, will you direct the appropriate cabinet ministers and senior public officials to implement the Government’s accessibility obligations and commitments, and make these letters public?

H. Will you establish a full-time Ontario Government Chief Accessibility Officer at the level of a deputy minister who is responsible for ensuring the accessibility of Ontario Government services, facilities, and workplaces? Will you ensure that each Ontario Ministry and the Cabinet Office has a full-time “Accessibility Lead” directly reporting to their deputy minister?

I. Will you require that each ministry senior manager’s annual performance review include specific commitments relating to their mandate on accessibility for people with disabilities?

J. Within 6 months, will you announce a detailed plan for lawyers at the Ministry of the Attorney General to undertake a review of all Ontario laws for disability accessibility barriers, and for ensuring that new legislation and regulations will be screened in advance to ensure that they do not authorize, create or perpetuate barriers against people with disabilities, with the review to be completed and its results made public within four years?
8. Make Provincial and Municipal Elections Accessible to Voters with Disabilities

Voters with disabilities still face too many barriers in provincial and municipal elections.

A. Will you consult with voters with disabilities within one year and then introduce in the Legislature within 9 months after that a bill and an action plan to comprehensively and effectively address accessibility needs of voters and candidates with disabilities in provincial and municipal elections?

B. Will you commit that your candidates will not take part in any all-candidates’ debate in the next general election campaign if the location is not accessible to voters with disabilities?
9. Remove Recently Created New Disability Barriers Traceable to the Ontario Government

The Government has made Ontario less accessible to people with disabilities.

A. Within six months, will you appoint an independent inquiry to investigate and report on the effectiveness of the Ontario Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic as it relates to the needs of people with disabilities, including in terms of such things as healthcare services, education services, developmental services, and income supports?

Last fall, over strong objections from the disability community, the Ontario Government extended for a second 5-year period its pilot with electric scooters. E-scooters are a silent menace that endanger vulnerable pedestrians with disabilities, seniors and others.

B. Will you pass legislation or regulations to provide for effective enforcement of the ban on riding e-scooters in public places where it is prohibited, with strong penalties? Will you ban the sale of e-scooters for use in Ontario, with strong penalties?

C. Will you suspend the recent extension of the Ontario e-scooters pilot project until the Ontario Government effectively gathers information on the impact of e-scooters on vulnerable pedestrians with disabilities, seniors and others during the first 5-year pilot (which the Government never collected) and holds an open consultation with people with disabilities?
10. Reform the Dysfunctional Process for Enforcing Human Rights at the Human Rights Tribunal

When people with disabilities suffer unlawful discrimination, the dysfunctional, backlogged process for filing a human rights complaint and getting a hearing at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario can take 5 years or more. The system is broken. It needs substantial reform.

A. Within 3 months, will you appoint an independent judicial review of the entire process for filing a human rights complaint and having a hearing at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, including all aspects of the Tribunal, the Ontario Human Rights Commission and the Ontario Human Rights Legal Support Centre, to recommend reforming the system and making it effective and timely?

 

Ford Government’s 6.5 Years in Office Gets an “F” Grade on its Handling of its Duty to Lead Ontario to Become Accessible to 2.9 Million Ontarians with Disabilities

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

Ford Government’s 6.5 Years in Office Gets an “F” Grade on its Handling of its Duty to Lead Ontario to Become Accessible to 2.9 Million Ontarians with Disabilities

 

January 27, 2025

 

SUMMARY

 

Last Friday, Premier Ford announced that this Wednesday, he will call an early election. This election comes a year and a half before Ontario’s next election was scheduled by law to be held.

 

We reflect back on the Ford Government’s six and a half years in power since June 2018, to provide an assessment of how well the Ford Government has discharged its responsibility under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (“AODA”). The Government has been required to lead this province to become accessible to 2.9 million Ontarians with disabilities. The Ford Government has been in power for one third of the 20 years that the AODA gave the Government to lead Ontario to become disability accessible. It has had one cabinet minister, Raymond Cho, in charge of this file for that entire period. Minister Cho is the longest-serving minister of the eight ministers who have held this responsibility since the AODA was enacted in 2005.

 

Our conclusion in this report card is that the Ford Government sadly deserves an “F” grade. Its performance on this issue has been abysmal. It has done some things, but far, far less than was required to live up to its duties under the AODA. In important ways, it has made things worse for people with disabilities in Ontario.

 

The AODA Alliance has repeatedly offered the Ford Government constructive and practical recommendations on how to effectively fulfil its responsibilities under the AODA just days after it first took power in 2018. It has also received the expert advice of two successive Government-appointed AODA Independent Reviews, and six Government-appointed Standards Development Committees. The Government disregarded the vast majority of all these recommendations and this advice. Premier Ford never agreed to meet with AODA Alliance representatives over the two thirds of a decade that he has served in that office.

 

In providing this assessment, the AODA Alliance strictly adheres to its commitment to non-partisanship. We would give the same grade to any political party who had performed this way on this issue over the past 6.5 years. Where any government does well on our issues, we commend and applaud them. Where they do poorly, it is incumbent on the AODA Alliance to accurately evaluate this.

 

In the upcoming election, we are inviting all political parties to let us know what they will do, if elected, to lead Ontario to become accessible to people with disabilities. Voters with disabilities and indeed all voters can and should evaluate their commitments on this issue. We have called on all Ontario political parties to make the AODA Alliance’s 10-point Accessible Ontario Pledge  to lead Ontario to become disability-accessible as soon as possible after the AODA’s January 1, 2025 deadline which the Government has failed to meet.

In summary, we base this F grade on the following:

 

  1. The Ford Government has enacted no new accessibility standards under the AODA and strengthened none of the existing accessibility standards.

 

  1. The Government unnecessarily delayed the process for developing accessibility standards that the AODA establishes.

 

  1. The Ford Government has done a very poor job of discharging its duty to enforce the AODA.

 

  1. The Ford Government has let the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario become virtually dysfunctional.

 

  1. The Ford Government has used public money to create new disability barriers, making Ontario even less accessible for people with disabilities.

 

  1. The Ford Government’s emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic failed to effectively address the urgent needs of vulnerable people with disabilities.

 

  1. The Government has not effectively used other levers of power readily available to it to tear down disability barriers.

 

  1. The Ford Government has not acknowledged the severity of Ontario’s inaccessibility problem and instead spreads serious falsehoods about the accessibility of Ontario.

 

  1. The Ford Government has tried in some important ways to marginalize the AODA Alliance.

 

A comprehensive time line of our efforts and the Ford Government’s responses can be found on the What’s New page of the AODA Alliance website, with the most recent events at the top of that page.

 

A Closer Look – The AODA Alliance’s Assessment of the Ford Government’s Record on Achieving an Accessible Ontario for People with Disabilities

 

Here are key points leading to the Ford Government receiving an “F” grade for its handling of accessibility for people with disabilities.

 

1. The Ford Government has enacted no new accessibility standards under the AODA and strengthened none of the existing accessibility standards

 

Under the AODA, a key responsibility of the Government is to enact all the accessibility standards needed to ensure that Ontario became accessible to people with disabilities by the start of 2025. The Ford Government has not enacted any AODA accessibility standards at all in its 6.5 years in office. It has not revised and strengthened any of the existing AODA accessibility standards. The last new AODA accessibility standard in Ontario was enacted in 2012, two premiers ago.

 

The Ford Government has not enacted an Education Accessibility Standard to tear down the barriers impeding students with disabilities in Ontario. It received detailed recommendations of what Ontario’s students with disabilities need the Education Accessibility Standard to include for three years. These were submitted by Government-appointed experts who sat on the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee and the Post-Secondary Education Standards Development Committee. Very shortly after the Government received those recommendations, Ontario’s Accessibility Minister Raymond Cho wrote this in an email to the Chair of the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee, which was forwarded to all members of that committee on March 2, 2022:

 

On February 14, 2022, I wrote to you thanking you and the committee for all the hard work and dedication you and your committee members have shown in developing your K-12 Education Standards Development Committee’s Final Recommendations Report. I also noted at that time that I had instructed ministry staff to commence the work and analysis necessary for me to determine whether the proposed accessibility standards require any changes or modifications in order to bring them forward for broader government consideration. This includes taking the time necessary to research the full impact of any proposed change and to coordinate with other ministries and experts where necessary.

 

I am pleased to provide you with an update on the work of the ministry at this time. In order to determine how to implement the recommendations, ministry staff have started to undertake the necessary policy work to classify all of the recommendations into legislative, regulatory and program proposals. They will also be consulting with the Ministry of Education and other impacted ministries on potential amendments to the IASR. While it is still too early for me to confirm which of the proposals can be recommended to the Lieutenant Governor in Council (LGIC) for adoption into regulation, I can advise that I intend to recommend that the LGIC adopt into regulation specific requirements for the education sector either within the existing IASR accessibility standards or as an education standard for grades Kindergarten to 12, as appropriate, based upon the Education Standards Development Committee’s Final Recommendations Report.

 

Our government remains committed to removing barriers for students in Ontario’s K-12 education system and we will keep you updated on our progress.

 

Sincerely,

Raymond Cho Minister

 

The Ford Government has not enacted a Health Care Accessibility Standard to tear down the many barriers in Ontario’s health care system that obstruct patients with disabilities. Three years ago, the Government received excellent recommendations on what the Health Care Accessibility Standard should include from the panel of experts whom the Government appointed to the Health Care Standards Development Committee.

 

The Government has done nothing to strengthen the 2011 Transportation Accessibility Standard. The Ontario Government received recommendations to strengthen it from the Transportation Standards Development Committee 7 years ago, months before the Ford Government took office.

 

The Ford Government has not strengthened the 2011 Information and Communication Accessibility Standard. The Government received recommendations on needed improvements to it from the Information and Communication Standards Development Committee 4 years ago.

The Government has not strengthened the 2011 Employment Accessibility Standard. It received recommendations on needed improvements from the Employment Standards Development Committee 4 years ago.

 

The Government has enacted nothing under the AODA to remove or prevent rampant disability barriers in the built environment.

 

2. The Government unnecessarily delayed the process for developing accessibility standards that the AODA establishes

 

When it first took office, the Ford Government left the ongoing work of six Standards Development Committees frozen for months. The AODA Alliance had to divert energy to campaigning tenaciously to get their work resumed. This delay added to Ontario’s being behind schedule for becoming accessible.

 

The Ford Government violated the AODA by delaying the appointment of a Standards Development Committee to review the 2012 Design of Public Spaces Accessibility Standard for over four years after the legislated deadline. It also violated the AODA by delaying the appointment of a Standards Development Committee to review the Customer Service Accessibility Standard for two years after the legal deadline for doing so.

 

3. The Ford Government has done a very poor job of discharging its duty to enforce the AODA

 

The AODA gives the Government extensive enforcement powers. The Ford Government has made far too little use of them. In a statement to CBC broadcast on January 6, 2025, The Ford Government’s Accessibility Minister, Raymond Cho, largely abdicated the Government’s responsibility for effectively enforcing the Act, stating that the Government believes in education.

 

The Government-appointed AODA Independent Reviews by former Lieutenant Governor David Onley in 2019 and Rich Donovan in 2023, both found that AODA enforcement has been inadequate. If obligated organizations don’t believe there are any consequences for breaking the law, they are far less likely to obey the law.

 

4. The Ford Government has let the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario become virtually dysfunctional

 

With AODA enforcement so deficient, people with disabilities must rely on the Ontario Human Rights Code to battle the disability barriers they face. Yet, human rights complainants have to wait a half-decade or longer to get a hearing on their actual complaint, if they ever do get one.

 

5. The Ford Government has used public money to create new disability barriers, making Ontario even less accessible for people with disabilities

 

The AODA’s purpose, the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms all require that the Government not use public money to create new disability barriers. New accessibility barriers make things even worse for people with disabilities. Yet, the Ford Government did so on several fronts, using public money.

 

The Government announced many new infrastructure programs without requiring them to be fully accessible to people with disabilities. As one glaring example, it spent almost a billion dollars on a new criminal courthouse in the heart of downtown Toronto that is replete with preventable disability barriers about which we and others forewarned the Government. We documented these in a widely viewed online video about this billion dollar accessibility bungle.

 

The Government announced well over one billion dollars in funding for new school construction without requiring these new schools to be fully accessible. The K-12 Education Standards Development Committee’s final report included 20 pages of detailed recommendations on the accessibility requirements that the Government should require for school construction. The Ford Government appears to have ignored these.

 

The Ford Government has allowed municipalities and Metrolinx to design and build dangerous new bike paths on top of sidewalks. These endanger pedestrians with disabilities such as blind people, as an AODA Alliance video depicts. The Ford Government refused to include restrictions on this in its new legislation that regulates bike path construction, despite our requests for it to enact such restrictions.

 

As well, the Ford Government unleashed the silent menace of e-scooters on Ontarians at the behest of e-scooter corporate lobbyists, and over the strong objection of Ontarians with disabilities. It included no safeguards to require any protections for vulnerable seniors and pedestrians with disabilities, despite our requests for such. This is documented on the AODA Alliance website’s e-scooters page.

 

6. The Ford Government’s emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic failed to effectively address the urgent needs of vulnerable people with disabilities

 

Starting in March 2020, the Ontarians turned to the Ontario Government to lead the emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic. People with disabilities were disproportionately prone to contract COVID-19, to suffer its worst affects, and to die from it. Yet, the Ford Government’s one-size-fits-all COVID-19 strategies, especially in the health care system and the education system, failed to effectively address the urgent needs of vulnerable people with disabilities.

 

The AODA Alliance and other disability advocates repeatedly tried to get the Government to effectively address these needs. Perhaps the worst illustration of this is the Government’s critical care triage protocol. It was sent to all hospitals in case there was not enough room in intensive care wards for all patients who needed it. The Ontario critical care triage protocol was replete with disability discrimination. While the Government never formally invoked this protocol, its discriminatory approach to patients with disabilities has been left to fester in the health care system. This is all documented on the AODA Alliance website’s COVID-19 page and its critical care triage page.

 

7. The Government has not effectively used other levers of power readily available to it to tear down disability barriers

 

The Ontario Government has many levers of power which it can use at little or no cost to tear down disability barriers. The Ford Government has not effectively used these, beyond its failure to ensure that its new infrastructure projects are fully accessible.

 

For example, the Ford Government has not announced that it would ensure that when it spends billions of public dollars on procuring goods and services for the Government and the public, that these would be disability accessible.

 

It has used levers of power to harm the cause of accessibility. Early in its mandate, it actively promoted the severely flawed Rick Hansen Foundation private accessibility certification program. It even wasted 1.3 million dollars on that scheme. The AODA Alliance website’s RHF page documents the serious deficiencies with that program. We recommend against anyone using it.

 

 

8. The Ford Government has not acknowledged the severity of Ontario’s inaccessibility problem, and instead spreads serious falsehoods about the accessibility of Ontario

 

The Government has received detailed expert advice that Ontario has not been making enough progress on accessibility. The AODA Alliance has told the Government this time and time again. In 2019, the 3rd AODA Independent Review conducted by David Onley concluded that progress on accessibility is “glacial” and “barely-detectable.” In 2023, the Government-appointed 4th AODA Independent Review conducted by Rich Donovan declared that Ontario is in an “accessibility crisis.”

 

Even though Accessibility Minister Raymond Cho publicly stated in 2019 that David Onley did a “marvelous job,” the Government never publicly recognized the severity of the problem. It has never admitted that Ontario is in an accessibility crisis. Instead, it unjustifiably withheld the 2023 Rich Donovan final report from the public for six months. The AODA required that it be made public.

 

Recently, Accessibility Minister Raymond Cho made seriously bogus claims about progress on accessibility. He claimed among other things that 88% of people think Ontario is accessible. We document these claims in the January 17, 2025 AODA Alliance Update. When January 1, 2025, arrived with Ontario still full of disability barriers, the Ford Government announced no plan of action.

 

9. The Ford Government has tried in some important ways to marginalize the AODA Alliance

 

The AODA Alliance has three decades of experience and expertise in the area of removing and preventing disability barriers through legislation. Ontario’s last two premiers met several times with our leadership for advice and feedback, as did its several successive ministers responsible in this area.

 

In contrast, the AODA Alliance has for the most part gotten, at best, only lip service from the Ford Government. Premier Ford is the only Ontario premier in two decades who refused to meet with us. In the 2022 Ontario election, Premier Ford did not answer the AODA Alliances request for election commitments on disability accessibility issues.

 

The Accessibility Minister, Raymond Cho, had several meetings with the AODA Alliance Chair, David Lepofsky, early in his mandate. However, for the most recent three years, his Minister’s Office does not even answer our emails.

 

The Ford Government excluded the AODA Alliance from membership on the two AODA Standards Development Committees that it has appointed in its 6.5 years in office. These are the Design of Public Spaces Standards Development Committee and the Customer Service Standards Development Committee. The Government knew the AODA Alliance eagerly wanted to have a representative on each of those Standards Development Committees.

 

AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky’s January Column in Toronto Star’s Metroland Publications Around Ontario Focuses on the Need for All Ontario Parties to Make the “Accessible Ontario Pledge” in the Upcoming Election

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky’s January Column in Toronto Star’s Metroland Publications Around Ontario Focuses on the Need for All Ontario Parties to Make the “Accessible Ontario Pledge” in the Upcoming Election

 

January 26, 2025

 

SUMMARY

 

Today, the Toronto Star’s Metroland publications around Ontario published AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky’s monthly disability rights column for January 2025. Read that column below.

 

Today’s column introduced readers to the Accessible Ontario Pledge that the AODA Alliance made public at a Queen’s Park news conference on January 6, 2025. We are now campaigning to get all Ontario political parties to make the Accessible Ontario Pledge. So far, only the Green party has done so.

 

How You Can Help

 

  • Circulate the January 2025 Metroland disability rights column to your friends, family members, and anyone you meet casually. Encourage them to take it into account when they consider their vote in the upcoming Ontario election, to be called next Wednesday.

 

  • Use social media to spread the word about this new column. If you use Twitter, just follow @aodaalliance or @davidlepofsky and retweet our tweets about it. If you are on Facebook, you can easily follow the AODA Alliance Facebook page and share our posts about this Metroland column that you will find there! Similarly, AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky regularly posts about our activities on his LinkedIn page. Please share those posts, if you use LinkedIn.

 

  • Email a letter to the editor, no longer than 300 words, at Metroland. Please tell them about disability barriers you face and about why this issue is important in this election. Thank Metroland for carrying this monthly disability rights column. Write them at thenewsroom@metroland.com

 

Twenty-five days have already passed since Ontario failed to meet the January 1, 2025 deadline for becoming accessible to people with disabilities set by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. Ontario now has no comprehensive plan in place that will lead Ontario to become accessible to Ontarians with disabilities. Help us get all parties to commit to the Accessible Ontario Pledge!

 

MORE DETAILS

Simcoe.com January 26, 2025

 

Originally posted at https://www.simcoe.com/opinion/columnists/accessible-ontario-pledge-offers-next-step-for-disability-advocates-bent-on-change/article_d0757f26-d12c-5d26-a50f-4a753184db8a.html

 

Accessible Ontario Pledge offers next step for disability advocates bent on change

We are more determined than ever to get the accessible province we were legislatively promised 20 years ago, writes David Lepofsky.

 

By David Lepofsky

David Lepofsky is chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance.

 

When many people woke on New Year’s Day with their own personal resolutions, a group of Ontarians with disabilities had one specific goal in mind.

 

And it’s all because a solemn legislative promise to the 2.9 million Ontarians with disabilities has been broken.

 

We’re furious, but we’re tenacious.

 

Two decades ago, the Ontario Legislature unanimously promised that by Jan. 1, 2025, the Ontario government would lead this province to become accessible to people with all kinds of disabilities when it passed the historic Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).

 

The AODA is Canada’s first comprehensive disability accessibility law. On May 10, 2005, MPPs gave the passage of that landmark law a resounding standing ovation.

 

The AODA has brought about some progress, but far less than Ontario could have achieved.

 

Ontarians awoke on New Year’s Day in 2025 to a province that is still brimming with many preventable and soul-crushing disability barriers when we people with disabilities try to get a job, ride public transit, get health care services, go to school or university, or simply use public sidewalks.

 

Some of those barriers are described in extraordinary detail in last month’s Metroland “Restricted Access” series.

 

Over the past 15 years, disability advocates and government-appointed experts repeatedly forewarned government after government and minister after minister the 2025 deadline would be missed unless successive governments ramped up this issue as a priority and effectively implemented the AODA.

 

And we weren’t the only ones.

 

Unfair recurring barriers that too often victimize people with disabilities were documented in government-appointed independent reviews of the AODA in 2015, 2019, and 2023.

 

Those recommendations weren’t followed.

 

We are more determined than ever to get the accessible province we were legislatively promised 20 years ago.

 

Last November, individuals with disabilities gave wrenching accounts of disability barriers to Ontario’s four political parties at community public hearings at Queen’s Park.

 

We know how to fix this mess.

 

Earlier this month, we went to Queen’s Park to unveil the “Accessible Ontario Pledge” which we sent to Ontario’s party leaders. You can watch our news conference on YouTube.

 

The Accessible Ontario Pledge would lead this province to become accessible as soon as possible after the legislated 2025 deadline.

 

Over the past 30 years, each Ontario political party has turned to our movement to share its expertise on achieving an accessible Ontario when the AODA was being written and afterwards when it was being implemented.

 

Our predecessor coalition led the fight from 1994 to 2005 to get the Disabilities Act passed. We, at the AODA Alliance, led the uphill battle to get the AODA effectively implemented.

 

Our proposed Accessible Ontario Pledge draws on all our accumulated experience and expertise.

 

Our new Accessible Ontario Pledge lays out a comprehensive 10-point plan and specific deadlines for the government to put in place all the accessibility standards needed to achieve the accessible province people with disabilities have been legislatively promised.

 

It is carefully crafted to ensure the AODA’s effective enforcement, to provide obligated organizations with much-needed free technical assistance on needed accessibility, to effectively deploy other levers of government power and to make sure there is no backsliding on accessibility.

 

If Premier Doug Ford calls a spring election, we ask the parties to make the Accessible Ontario Pledge as part of their campaigns.

 

Ontario’s Green Party has made the Accessible Ontario Pledge. Now we turn our attention to getting the other provincial parties to sign on to it.

 

And what if no spring Ontario election is called?

 

In 2022, the Ford government won a mandate to govern up to June 2026. We turn to the Ford government to make the Accessible Ontario Pledge now and to immediately start implementing it.

 

The AODA did not vanish on New Year’s Day and neither did our non-partisan grassroots movement.

 

The media is asking us “What comes next?” Our Accessible Ontario Pledge is our constructive answer.

 

Our battle continues — we’re determined.

 

David Lepofsky is a retired lawyer who chairs the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, and is a visiting professor of disability rights at the law schools at Western and the University of Ottawa.

 

Ontario Government Must Increase Special Education Funding and Pass the Long-Overdue Education Accessibility Standard to Give Students with Disabilities an Equal Education in Ontario Schools, Queen’s Park News Conference Told

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

Ontario Government Must Increase Special Education Funding and Pass the Long-Overdue Education Accessibility Standard to Give Students with Disabilities an Equal Education in Ontario Schools, Queen’s Park News Conference Told

 

January 25, 2025

 

SUMMARY

 

Yesterday, the Ford Government announced that it would call an Ontario general election next Wednesday. This election comes almost a year and a half earlier than Ontario’s legislated fixed deadline in June 2026 for Ontario’s next general election.

 

The AODA Alliance is rapidly gearing up to, again, wage a non-partisan campaign to get the strongest commitments we can from all political parties and candidates on tearing down barriers that impede Ontarians with disabilities. Please expect to receive AODA Alliance Updates that offer you action tips and keep you posted on breaking events.

 

In that spirit, here is the latest news! On Thursday, January 23, 2025, one day before the Ford Government announced its election pledge and ended the rising tide of rumours, the Ontario Autism Coalition held an important news conference in the Media Studio at the Ontario Legislature at Queen’s Park. AODA Alliance Chair, David Lepofsky, was invited to be a speaker at this news conference. You can watch the archived video of this news conference.

 

This news conference focused on the serious problems of students with disabilities/special education needs being underserved in Ontario K-12 schools. Both the Ontario Autism Coalition and the AODA Alliance have collaborated on this issue many times.

 

At this news conference, the Ontario Autism Coalition unveiled the results of a survey it had conducted of parents of students with disabilities/special education needs about the challenges and barriers their children face at school. This study was not limited to children with autism. You can read the Ontario Autism Coalition’s report on the survey on the Ontario Autism Coalition website.

 

This news conference got an impressive amount of media coverage. Below we set out the January 23, 2025 report on it in the influential Queen’s Park publication “The Trillium.”

 

This January 23, 2025 news conference combines well with the AODA Alliance’s January 6, 2025 news conference where we made public the Accessible Ontario Pledge that we are calling on all political parties to make during this election campaign. We invite you to watch that earlier news conference and read the Accessible Ontario Pledge. Supplementing these two news conferences is the video of the November 25, 2024, AODA Alliance community public hearings at Queen’s Park. There, people with disabilities from around Ontario told MPPs about disability barriers they continue to face.

 

How You Can Help

 

 

Learn about the AODA Alliance’s advocacy to make the education system accessible to students with disabilities by dropping in on the AODA Alliance website’s education page.

 

There have been 24 days since Ontario failed to meet the January 1, 2025 deadline for becoming accessible to people with disabilities set by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. Help us get all parties to commit to the Accessible Ontario Pledge to turn this accessibility ship around!

 

MORE DETAILS

 

The Trillium January 23, 2025

 

Advocacy group survey shows ‘systemic neglect in special education’ in Ontario

 

School bags hang on pegs at an elementary school in Toronto on Tuesday Jan. 9, 2024. I THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young Sneh Duggal a day ago

 

A group advocating for children with autism are raising the alarm about what they say is an “under-resourced and underfunded” school system that is leaving students with disabilities “paying the price” through exclusions, safety concerns and a lack of access to a “meaningful education.”

 

The Ontario Autism Coalition (OAC) joined labour and disability advocates at Queen’s Park on Thursday to share the results of a survey it conducted last summer on families’ experiences with special education in the province’s public schools.

 

“The report paints a bleak picture of a system that is unable to properly support a large portion of the students it is meant to serve due to large shortages of staff and other resources,” the group said, noting that half the families felt their children were “not receiving a meaningful education.”

 

“For a government that concentrates on academic outcomes in education, there seems to be little concern for the outcomes of students with disabilities,” said Kate Dudley-Logue, vice president of the OAC.

 

She said the survey results showed “systemic neglect in special education in Ontario, and we are well past the time of being able to pretend that we can ignore it.”

 

“The time for commitment to equity and access to meaningful and safe education for students with disabilities is now,” said Dudley-Logue.

 

Half of the parents who participated in the survey said they “usually or always worry” about their children’s safety and more than one-third said their child didn’t feel safe or supported, with bullying, elopement and violence being the top safety concerns.

 

The group has previously raised safety concerns, including after a couple of incidents at Ontario schools, one of which ended tragically.

 

Last year, Landyn Ferris, 16, a student at Trenton High School with a rare form of epilepsy called Dravet syndrome, was found without vital signs at the end of the school day on May 14. He was found “unattended in a sensory room,” Josh Nisker, founding partner of Beyond Law and a lawyer representing Ferris’s family, told The Trillium at the time.

Early in the year, a seven-year-old boy with autism wandered from his school at the Durham District School Board and was found at a “busy intersection” during a storm in January.

 

“Still, we have seen no action to address safety concerns in schools for vulnerable students,” said Dudley-Logue. “Educators and school staff are left to do the best they can just to keep students with disabilities safe due to chronic staffing shortages and a lack of resources; often the only tool they have left in their tool box is exclusions.”

 

The OAC’s survey, which included 429 responses covering children in 60 school boards for the 202324 school year, also found that six per cent of families said their children were “fully excluded” from school — so they didn’t attend. More than a third said their children were “partially excluded,” which could include the school asking the family to pick up their child early or the child not being able to participate in activities such as field trips.

 

Nearly 20 per cent of families said their children had been on a modified schedule, with 35 per cent of these children going to school for three to five hours a day. Of those experiencing a modified schedule, 38 per cent said the reason for this was the “school lacked the resources to accommodate the student’s needs or to keep them safe.”

 

“It’s not about a blank cheque,” said Laura Walton, the president of the Ontario Federation of

 

Labour who also used to work as an educational assistant. “It’s about providing the services and the supports and the resources where they are needed. Fair doesn’t mean that everyone gets everything the same. It means that we give what we need to the people who need it in order for them to be successful.”

 

The survey also touched on Individual Education Plans (IEPs), which outline special education instruction, supports and services for students. It found that more than 50 per cent of families felt that “some or none of their student’s Individual Education Plan accommodations were followed consistently.”

 

Dudley-Logue attributed the reported “failures” of IEPs to a “lack of resources.”

 

She said while educators might have the “best intentions” to follow IEPs, the reality on the ground is much different.

 

“When there’s one teacher in the classroom and no (educational assistants), and the teacher has sometimes a dozen kids in their class on IEPs, plus maybe another 20 kids in the class, they’re going to have a real struggle to make sure that every item on an IEP is being followed, and that’s likely what’s happening,” Dudley-Logue said. “The answer is more educators in the classroom providing more commitment to make sure that IEPs are being followed.”

 

NDP education critic Chandra Pasma agreed, saying underfunding has led to a lack of qualified educators in classrooms, with those coming in to fill absences having “no time to read the IEP, let alone know how to put it in place.”

 

David Lepofsky, chair of the AODA Alliance, said one issue is that when parents go through the typical channels with a complaint, “nobody going up that hierarchy may have specialized experience and expertise in educating students with disabilities.”

 

He called for the province to pass an accessibility standard, under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, that would require the establishment of an “effective, fast, fair method for parents of students with disabilities to try to get these issues resolved,” instead of advocates having to lobby each school board to do this.

 

For its part, the government said its education funding has reached “historic amounts,” including funding for an additional 9,000 education workers since 2018.

 

“Our government is ensuring students have access to high-quality education, including those with special needs. For the 2024/25 school year, we invested over $3.7 billion for special education — the largest investment ever in Ontario history — which has increased the number of educational assistants by nearly 3,500,” said Education Minister Jill Dunlop in a statement.

 

“Our government will continue to make historic investments to support the next generation including those with special needs,” she said.

 

But Walton shot back at the government’s argument of making “historic” investments, saying, “that’s not true.”

 

“Those investments are not keeping up with the current costs of providing an education in Ontario,” said Walton.

 

Each of the groups said they’d be gearing up if Premier Doug Ford calls an early election, which is expected to happen next week.

 

“We are going to arm our membership of families and supporters with the information and the questions that they need to be asking when the election campaign is happening,” said Dudley-Logue.

 

Walton said that if an election is called, the OFL will work closely with the autism community to “ensure that these voices are lifted up and that we are putting in place (a) government that understands the needs of supporting these students, supporting the families and clearing those barriers that have been long in existence and far overdue to be removed.”

 

The AODA Alliance has issued a call to all provincial party leaders asking them to commit to what the group calls the “Accessible Ontario Pledge” regardless of whether or not an election is held soon, with Lepofsky saying that so far only the Greens have signed on.

 

-With files from Alan Hale

 

 

Striking CBC News Report Illustrates Why Ontario Needs a Residential Housing Accessibility Standard to Be Enacted Under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

Striking CBC News Report Illustrates Why Ontario Needs a Residential Housing Accessibility Standard to Be Enacted Under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act

 

January 21, 2025

 

SUMMARY

 

For months if not years, Ontario, federal, and municipal politicians have made many speeches about why it is a huge priority to increase the supply of affordable housing. Yet far too little is said about the massive need for a dramatic increase in the supply of accessible housing. Ontario has an accessible housing crisis.

 

Accessible housing includes houses, condos and rental apartments where people with disabilities can live and visit, free from any kind of disability barriers.

 

For well over a decade, the AODA Alliance has campaigned for the Ontario Government to create a Residential Housing Accessibility Standard under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. As part of our advocacy for the dramatic reform of the Design of Public Spaces Accessibility Standard, now under review by the Design of Public Spaces Standards Development Committee (which the Ford Government appointed under the AODA), we have again urged that disability barriers in residential housing be addressed.

 

Of course, some of the barriers that people with disabilities confront when they seek an accessible place to live are physical barriers—houses, condos and rental apartments that are not designed and built in conformity with principles of universal design. However, there can be other less physical but equally obstructing barriers. An exceedingly disturbing article that CBC published and broadcast on Christmas Eve last month is an example of this. We set that article out below.

 

CBC reported how a person with disabilities regularly visited her ailing mother in the mother’s condo. She is accompanied by a service animal. The condo, however, established rules that created barriers for people who come to that condo with a service animal. The woman engaged a lawyer and took the issue to CBC for help. CBC sought comment from the AODA Alliance. We set out that CBC report below. It also led Talk 640 Radio in Toronto to interview AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky on this story on December 24, 2024.

 

Thanks to the pressure generated by CBC’s coverage, the condo board reportedly made an exception to its draconian policy for the woman in issue. However, that is too little too late. The condo board did not repeal the policy altogether. The barrier at that condo therefore remains in place for all other people with disabilities with service animals. The whole idea of the AODA is that people with disabilities should not have to battle barriers one at a time.

 

The Ontario Government needs to enact a strong Residential Housing Accessibility Standard that will remove and prevent all barriers, physical and bureaucratic, that impede the housing needs of people with disabilities. The AODA Alliance has called on all Ontario political parties to make the Accessible Ontario Pledge, which includes a commitment to create a Residential Housing Accessibility Standard. So far, only the Green Party has made the Accessible Ontario Pledge. The AODA Alliance is now actively advocating to get the other Ontario political parties to do the same. This is especially important, since an Ontario election may be called as soon as tomorrow!

 

How You Can Help

 

  • Email members of the Ontario Legislature. Urge them to commit to create a Residential Housing Accessibility Standard under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and to make the Accessible Ontario Pledge.

 

  • Publicize the online video of the AODA Alliance’s January 6, 2025, Queen’s Park news conference. We unveiled the Accessible Ontario Pledge at that news conference. Get others to watch that video!

 

  • Visit the AODA Alliance website’s built environment page to learn about our advocacy for over 15 years to tear down disability barriers in the built environment.

 

There have now been 20 days since Ontario failed to meet the January 1, 2025 deadline for becoming accessible to people with disabilities set by the AODA. We need all parties to commit to the Accessible Ontario Pledge to turn this accessibility ship around!

 

MORE DETAILS

CBC News December 24, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/condo-board-rules-service-dog-1.7416606

 

Condo board backs down after trying to restrict visitors with service dogs

New rules won’t be enforced, lawyer says. But will they be formally revoked?

 

Michael Smee

Emily Mclennan, of Kitchener, and her service dog Honey, infront of the Mississauga building where her mom and sister live. Mclennan says she’s not felt welcome in the building since she began visiting with Honey.

 

Emily Mclennan, of Kitchener, Ont., and her service dog Honey, in front of the condo building where her mom and sister live. The condo board recently imposed new restrictions on visitors with service dogs. (Mike Smee/CBC)

 

The board of a Toronto-area condo is reversing course on an order that forced a disabled woman with a service dog to register with the property manager every time she wanted to visit the building, where her mother and sister live.

 

Emily Mclennan, who drops by 1515 Lakeshore Rd. E., in Mississauga, Ont., with her service dog Honey about once a week, had told the board through a lawyer last week that the new rules violate the Ontario Human Rights Code, and gave them until Monday to expunge them or face legal action.

 

Despite the board’s reversal on Wednesday, Mclennan says she’s skeptical.

 

“I’ll believe when I see it,” removed from the condo’s rules, the Kitchener, Ont., psychotherapist told CBC Toronto.

 

The case is a cautionary example for condo boards says Deborah Howden, a condo law specialist at the Toronto law firm Shibley Righton LLP.

 

“Rules have to be reasonable, as do bylaws,” said Howden, who was not involved in this case. “If they are not reasonable, they are not enforceable.”

 

David Lepofsky, of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, says the aides that school boards provide to students with disabilities are a right not a privilege.

David Lepofsky, chairman of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, says people with service animals must be accommodated under the Ontario Human Rights Code. (Mike Smee/CBC)

 

3 different forms

The controversy began earlier this month when the condo board circulated a letter about an updated rule that bans dogs. That bylaw was accompanied by a separate set of rules that said service dogs would be allowed — but only under certain circumstances.

 

For starters, any visiting service dog must be registered with the building, and its owner must fill out a second form for each visit. The rules also required a third form to be filled out if the dog and its owner were staying more than 24 hours.

 

Mclennan says she took the new orders personally: “This feels like a witch hunt against my service dog,” she said.

 

Mclennan says she developed thrombocytopenia and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome — both of which can cause her to suddenly lose consciousness — about two years ago.

 

Deborah Howden, a partner with the Toronto law form Shibley Righton LLP, says rules drafted by condo boards must be reasonable, in order to be enforceable.

Deborah Howden, a partner with the Toronto law form Shibley Righton LLP, says rules drafted by condo boards must be reasonable in order to be enforceable. (Craig Chivers/CBC)

Six months later she got Honey, a specially trained labradoodle mix that begins to shake when she senses Mclennan is about to black out.

 

But soon after, she says, building residents began making her feel uneasy during visits.

 

“I’ve had neighbours follow me out and take pictures of me with my dog,” she said. “I feel spied on when I’m here.”

 

The new rules, announced Dec. 10, made the situation worse, Mclennan says.

 

“I don’t feel welcome in this building. I don’t feel like I can spend Christmas with my family here. It’s heartbreaking.”

 

But Patricia Elia, the lawyer for the condo’s board of directors, says the rules were not meant to alienate anyone, and won’t be enforced in Mclennan’s case.

 

“If she’s a frequent visitor, we’ll note that on the file of the unit owner so that she’ll be allowed to visit, with her service animal,” Elia said. “There’s no need to escalate it. This is a common sense board.”

 

‘This is ridiculous’

A letter from Mclennan’s lawyer to the board, dated Dec. 16, states the new rules violate the Ontario Human Rights Code.

 

They impose “an extra burden on persons with disabilities visiting the building that is not imposed on able-bodied visitors,” the letter reads. “If Ms. Mclennan were able-bodied, there would be no restriction on when or for how long she could visit her mother and sister.”

 

David Lepofsky, founder and chairman of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Coalition and a visiting professor of disability rights at Western University and the University of Ottawa, believes Mclennan has a case.

 

Clearer disability policy needed for airlines, says man denied boarding at Calgary airport

Young adults with disabilities discriminated against based on age, human rights commission says

He said the Ontario Human Rights Code says people with disabilities must be accommodated, provided it doesn’t pose undue hardship.

 

“People without disabilities aren’t told you’ve got to leave your legs at the door,” nor are people in wheelchairs required to register them, he said. “This is ridiculous.”

 

Though Elia says the rules won’t be enforced in Mclennan’s case — nor, likely, in any similar cases — she would not say if they will be formally revoked.

 

She says the rules could be changed without a vote of the condo’s unit owners, because they are not strictly speaking part of a bylaw, which requires a majority vote to alter.

 

Honey is trained to begin shaking when she senses that Mclennan is on the verge of losing consciousness, because of her disability.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

Michael Smee

Reporter, CBC Toronto

 

Michael Smee has worked in print, radio, TV and online journalism for many years. You can reach him at michael.smee@cbc.ca

Ford Government Responds to the Failure to Achieve an Accessible Ontario by 2025 with Bogus Claims

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

Ford Government Responds to the Failure to Achieve an Accessible Ontario by 2025 with Bogus Claims

 

January 17, 2025

 

SUMMARY

 

There has been so much encouraging media and public attention on the fact that Ontario is not fully accessible to Ontarians with disabilities, even though the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (“AODA”) required the Ontario Government to lead Ontario to this goal by January 1, 2025. The AODA gave the Ontario Government a long 20 years to lead Ontario to that destination. The Government sadly squandered those two decades, doing far too little to implement and enforce the AODA.

 

What has been the Ford Government’s response over the time leading up to and after New Year’s Day? Its response has not been to bring forward a bold new plan of action. Rather it has been to make a series of bogus claims. These fly in the face of the reality which people with disabilities face every day in this province. Below we list and dissect these bogus claims.

 

Because the Ontario Government has no comprehensive plan of action, the AODA Alliance has come forward with one. We call it the Accessible Ontario Pledge. We are now campaigning to get Ontario’s political leaders to sign on to it. The only provincial party so far that has made the Accessible Ontario Pledge is the Ontario Green Party. Our January 6, 2025 Queen’s Park news conference has been viewed on YouTube over 1,300 times, far more than any of our previous news conferences.

 

How You Can Help

 

 

 

  • Publicly post this AODA Alliance Update on the web and on social media. Invite others to sign up for AODA Alliance Updates by going to the sign-up link on the AODA Alliance web site’s home page.

 

There have now been 16 days since January 1, 2025, the legislated deadline for Ontario to become fully accessible to 2.9 million Ontarians with disabilities. We need all political parties to make the Accessible Ontario Pledge to get Ontario to that goal as soon as possible after that missed deadline.

 

MORE DETAILS

 

Premier Ford broke his commitment to fulfil the AODA’s 2025 deadline. Two and a half years ago, on June 27, 2022, the QP Briefing reported that Premier Ford had this to say about his Government’s duty to meet this legislated deadline:

 

“We’ll make sure we meet those time lines…”

 

The Ford Government knew full well that the January 1, 2025 deadline was fast approaching. For years, the AODA Alliance has maintained a countdown on Twitter. We know the Government follows the AODA Alliance’s Twitter feed.

 

The Government had plenty of time to prepare its response to the new year’s arrival. Despite this, the Ford Government’s response has been deeply troubling. It did not even acknowledge that Ontario has failed to reach this deadline, and that Ontario is still replete with accessibility barriers. It has not publicly recognized the harm that this does for over 2.9 million Ontarians with disabilities, their families and their loved ones. It did not admit the long-term harm this causes for all other Ontarians who are bound to get a disability later in their lives.

 

The Ford Government has not recognized that Ontario is in an accessibility crisis. This is still the case even though over one and a half years ago, the Government received the 4th Independent Review of the AODA. The Government had appointed Rich Donovan to conduct that review. The Donovan Report declared that Ontario has an accessibility crisis.

 

Making this worse, the Ford Government has announced no plan of action to respond to the fact that Ontario is still not accessible to people with disabilities, despite the legislated 2025 deadline and Premier Ford’s commitment to fulfil it. When the media or the opposition in the Legislature have asked the Ford Government about the slow pace of progress towards an accessible Ontario, the Government’s responses have only made the situation more disturbing for people with disabilities.

 

  1. Back on November 25, 2025, the Ford Government’s Accessibility Minister Raymond Cho, who is responsible for the AODA’s implementation and enforcement, said that 88% of people think Ontario is accessible. As the November 29, 2024 AODA Alliance Update explains, this claim contradicts the life experience of many people with disabilities, the wrenching presentations made at the November 25, 2024 AODA Alliance community public hearings at Queen’s Park, and the clear and strong findings of government-appointed AODA Independent Reviews in 2015, 2019 and 2023.

 

  1. On December 30, 2024, CBC national radio reported on a rare instance when Raymond Cho, the Ford Government’s Accessibility Minister, spoke to the media. CBC Radio News reported on December 30, 2024 as follows:

 

“But Raymond Cho, Ontario’s Minister for Seniors and Accessibility, says the Province won’t be forcing compliance.”

 

Raymond Cho: “We don’t believe in punishment. But we believe in Education.”

 

This statement is devastating for Ontarians with disabilities. The Government in effect abdicates its responsibility to enforce the AODA. The AODA contains robust enforcement powers. The Accessibility Minister has lead responsibility for overseeing the use of those enforcement powers.

 

This statement sadly harkens back to the harmful policy of the Government under Conservative Premier Mike Harris, starting in 1995. That Government promised a Disabilities Act in the 1995 Ontario election. After it won that election, it announced that its Disabilities Act would be voluntary. That meant it would have no enforcement. As a result, the Harris Government’s widely criticized Ontarians with Disabilities Act (enacted in 2001 and later repealed) mandated no enforcement whatsoever for removal and prevention of disability barriers.

 

Moreover, the claim “(w)e don’t believe in punishment” embodies a seriously incorrect understanding of the AODA. The AODA’s enforcement powers are not about punishment at all. They aim to create a real financial motivation to comply with the law. The Ford Government has, through its actions and Minister Cho’s statement, taken that motivation away.

 

The Ford Government’s claim that “we believe in Education” is a harmful and hurtful throw-back to decades ago, when some claimed that disability barriers would go away if we educated the public about them. Minister after minister and government after government have said they are leading efforts at educating the public. The debate is over. That approach does not work. Disability barriers persist. New ones are created, including barriers that the Government itself has created.

 

The AODA, in contrast to the earlier and much weaker Ontarians with Disabilities Act 2001, includes potent enforcement requirements. A core principle for the Disabilities Act which the Legislature approved in 1998, in a unanimous resolution, is that it must have effective enforcement. The importance of effective enforcement was emphasized at the May 10, 2005 Queen’s Park news conference right after the Legislature unanimously passed the AODA.

 

When Doug Ford and the Tories campaigned to be elected in 2018 and again in 2022, they never, to our knowledge, warned the public, if they are elected, that they will essentially abdicate their responsibility to enforce the AODA.

 

  1. Accessibility Minister Cho also claims in the December 30, 2024 CBC News report:

 

“And 99% of accessibility audits is resolved. So, it’s working.”

 

This amounts to smoke and mirrors. Extremely few obligated organizations are audited, according to any information the Government provided to the AODA Alliance. The so-called “audits” are not inspections of an obligated organization’s premises or services. They are simply Government reviews of an obligated organization’s self-reports. Such paper audits are no verification of an obligated organizations accessibility.

 

  1. The Government has repeatedly told the media it is meeting or exceeding standards in the AODA. For example, a January 3, 2025 City News report stated:

 

“But the Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility tells CityNews Ontario is meeting, achieving, or exceeding the AODA standards.”

 

Even if we assumed that this claim were true (even though there is no evidence to support it), it means very little for people with disabilities. The five accessibility standards enacted under the AODA since 2005 are very weak and limited. They do not even address a majority of the disability barriers in Ontario. Too often, those standards set requirements for action that fall well short of the guarantees to people with disabilities in the Ontario Human Rights Code.

 

  1. In the Legislature on November 25, 2024, Minister Cho claimed:

 

“All new GO Transit stations, train platforms and bus stations adhere to the AODA…”

 

In fact, no AODA accessibility standards set any accessibility requirements for GO Transit stations, train platforms or bus stations. We have been calling for them to be strengthened since the Ford Government took office, so that they would require the accessibility of such places as GO Transit stations, train platforms and bus stations. The Government has done nothing in response. It has been sitting on the final report of the Transportation Standards Development Committee that the Government received before the Ford Government even took office.

 

  1. The Government has repeatedly claimed that it has invested heavily in new accessible infrastructure. For example:

 

A November 12, 2024 CBC News report quoted a Government official in part as follows:

 

“Pidgeon said in the email that under the current government, Ontario has had “historic spending” on infrastructure to improve accessibility, which includes school upgrades, new and retrofitted hospitals and long-term care facilities, as well as public transit upgrades including over 2,200 new accessible buses being delivered province-wide.”

 

During Question Period on November 25, 2024, Accessibility Minister Cho said:

 

“This year, school boards received $1.4 billion for AODA improvements. We have built the standards of the AODA into the Ontario building code. The province is making historic investments to make Ontario more accessible today and for the future. We are getting it done, Mr. Speaker.”

 

He also said this during Question Period that day:

 

“…We are the government that is seeking 50 new hospitals, 60 new schools—projects all exceeding accessibility standards. We are the government that has been a champion for accessibility.”

These claims are very substantially overinflated and overblown. The Government has nothing in place to ensure that all new infrastructure, such as new hospitals, public transit and schools, are fully accessible. One need not look any further than Toronto’s new Armoury Street courthouse. Last year, an AODA Alliance’s online video revealed that this billion-dollar project was replete with accessibility bungles.

 

As well, a new Toronto bike lane that turns out to have been built by the Ontario Government is situated on a sidewalk, endangering pedestrians with disabilities, as a 2023 AODA Alliance video revealed. Contrary to the Ford Government’s inaccurate boasts about the accessibility of new schools built in Ontario, the April 8, 2024 AODA Alliance Update demonstrates that the Government is not ensuring that its new school construction projects meet the accessibility needs of students, school staff and parents with disabilities. The K-12 Education Standards Development Committee’s final report offered detailed recommendations on this, which the Ford Government has never enacted in the three years since it received that report.

 

Moreover, these claims appear to include at least some figures about total infrastructure spending, not spending specifically limited to ensuring the accessibility of infrastructure.

 

  1. In the Legislature on November 25, 2024, Accessibility Minister Cho also stated:

 

“This is because we are the government that built AODA standards into the building code.”

 

In fact, the Government did not “build AODA standards into the Building Code.” There are no comprehensive built environment accessibility standards enacted under the AODA. There is only the very weak and limited 2012 Design of Public Spaces Accessibility Standard that was enacted under the AODA. It only addresses a tiny fraction of the barriers in the built environment, and almost none inside buildings.

 

The Ontario Building Code has, for years, included some built environment accessibility requirements. However, these have always been grossly inadequate. They fall far short of what the Ontario Human Rights Code requires.

 

Similarly, On November 25, 2024, Minister Cho said this in the Legislature:

 

“We have delivered over 2,200 accessible buses to municipalities.”

 

In fact, the provincial policy requiring accessible municipal buses started three decades ago, under Ontario’s NDP Government of Premier Bob Rae.

 

 

Green Party is First Ontario Political Party to Make the Accessible Ontario Pledge

ACCESSIBILITY FOR ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT ALLIANCE

NEWS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Green Party is First Ontario Political Party to Make the Accessible Ontario Pledge

January 13, 2025, Toronto: Ontario’s Green Party has made the Accessible Ontario Pledge requested by the grassroots non-partisan AODA Alliance! It is the first and only Ontario political party to do so. (See email from the Green Party to the AODA Alliance below)

 

Two decades ago, the Ontario Legislature unanimously promised that by January 1, 2025, the Ontario Government would lead this province to become accessible to people with all kinds of disabilities. It did this by unanimously passing the historic Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, Canada’s first comprehensive disability accessibility law.

 

Successive Ontario Governments have broken that promise. Progress on accessibility has been “glacial” in the words of former Lieutenant Governor David Onley. Ontarians awoke on New Year’s Day 2025 to a province still full of many soul-crushing disability barriers when people with disabilities try to get a job, ride public transit, go to the doctor, go to school or university, or stroll on public sidewalks. This includes barriers that the Ontario Government created using public money, such as Toronto’s new Armoury Street courthouse.

 

On January 6, 2025, the AODA Alliance wrote the leaders of Ontario’s four political parties, asking them each to make the 10-point Accessible Ontario Pledge. It unveiled that Pledge to the public at a January 6, 2025, Queen’s Park news conference, now archived online.

 

“We’re delighted that the Green Party made the Accessible Ontario Pledge,” said David Lepofsky, Chair of the AODA Alliance that leads Ontario’s campaign to tear down barriers impeding people with all kinds of disabilities. “Now we need the leaders of Ontario’s Conservatives, Liberals, and NDP to do the same!”

 

The Accessible Ontario Pledge is a practical roadmap for the Government to lead this province to become accessible as soon as possible after the legislated 2025 deadline. It includes such measures as:

  • Putting in place all the accessibility standards needed to achieve an accessible province.
  • Effectively enforcing the Disabilities Act.
  • Providing obligated organizations with free technical assistance on achieving accessibility.
  • Effectively deploying other levers of government power to prevent the creation of disability barriers, and
  • Making sure there is no backsliding on accessibility.

 

So far, the only other party to make any sort of public statement is the Ontario NDP. It commits to ensuring an accessible Ontario as soon as possible but does not yet commit to the 10-tpoint roadmap in the Accessible Ontario Pledge. (See the NDP statement below) The AODA Alliance is eager to work with any political party to help it work through the details of the Accessible Ontario Pledge.

 

“If Premier Ford calls a spring Ontario election, we are pressing the Tories, Liberals, and NDP to also make the Accessible Ontario Pledge as part of their campaigns,” said Lepofsky. “In our spirit of non-partisanship, we welcome the chance to work with any political party.”

 

If no spring Ontario election is called, the AODA Alliance urges the Ford Government to now implement the Accessible Ontario Pledge. We want the opposition parties to make this pledge now and to press the Government to implement it.

 

Contact: AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky, aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

 

For more background

The text of the Accessible Ontario Pledge

The AODA Alliance’s January 6, 2025, Queen’s Park news conference, unveiling the Accessible Ontario Pledge

  • A timeline of major events over the past 30 years in the grassroots campaign for accessibility in Ontario.
  • The Legislature’s historic May 10, 2005, vote to pass the AODA and the Queen’s Park news conference right after that vote.
  • The AODA Alliance’s captioned online video series of the major news conferences and other key events in the 30-year campaign for accessibility for people with disabilities.
  • For the AODA Alliance’s work from 2005 to the present, visit aodaalliance.org

 

January 6, 2025, Email to the AODA Alliance from the Ontario Green Party

 

Subject: Re: Asking Ontario Party Leaders to Make the Accessible Ontario Pledge

 

Mike Schreiner and the Ontario Green Party are pleased to support this pledge to make an #Accessible Ontario for everyone.

 

Thank you for your steadfast work in holding elected officials and political parties accountable to the legislation they all supported.

 

Candice

 

Candice Lepage

Leader’s Assistant | Mike Schreiner

Green Party of Ontario

Pronouns: She/Her

 

^January 6, 2025, Statement by NDP MPP Lise VaugeoisShared with the Media

 

“I would like to start by thanking David Lepofsky from the AODA Alliance, for his remarks today regarding what the government should be doing in Ontario to uphold accessibility standards in the province. The AODA Alliance has been tireless in their advocacy to ensure that accessibility for all is finally a reality in Ontario and we continue to be very supportive of their work.

We have repeatedly raised raise AODA compliance issues and sponsored the Alliance for their watershed public consultations at the legislature. We have called on the Ford government many times for the implementation of AODA standards in Ontario in many sectors such as education, health and many more. The previous Liberal government did not take up their responsibilities to implement the AODA and, despite many calls from advocates, Ford’s Conservatives have failed to make accessibility a priority, missing the AODA commitment of January 1, 2025, by a long shot.

 

We continue to engage with the AODA Alliance about policy development and how to have strong accessibility components brought forward in our legislature. The Ontario NDP has championed AODA issues for a long time and will continue to advocate for the province to meet its accessibility promises. Fulfilling the requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities is long overdue and the ONDP is committed to working with the AODA Alliance to make Ontario fully accessible as soon as possible.”

–           MPP Lise Vaugeois

Torrent of Media on Ontario Government’s Failure to Meet the 2025 Deadline for Ontario to Become Accessible

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

Torrent of Media on Ontario Government’s Failure to Meet the 2025 Deadline for Ontario to Become Accessible

January 8, 2025

 

SUMMARY

 

What an incredible week we’ve had since New Year’s Day!

 

1. At any Time, Watch the Video of the AODA Alliance’s January 6, 2025, Queen’s Park News Conference

 

You can now watch the AODA Alliance’s highly successful January 6, 2025, Queen’s Park news conference on YouTube. At that news conference, we unveiled the new Accessible Ontario Pledge that we are asking all Ontario political parties to make. This addresses the fact that Ontario was not fully accessible to 2.9 million Ontarians with disabilities on January 1, 2025. That’s the deadline that the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act set 20 years ago.

 

Our news conference shall stand as a very important event on the road to a barrier-free Ontario for people with disabilities. It launches our key agenda going forward in our non-partisan grassroots advocacy campaign.

 

2. Amazing Flood of Media Coverage

 

There has been at least as much if not more media coverage than we have ever before secured in the three decades of our grassroots accessibility campaign. Here’s the coverage that we’ve tracked!

 

 

 

  • On Friday, January 3, 2025, CBC TV included a report on Ontario’s having missed the 2025 deadline under the AODA. A similar story was broadcast on CBC Radio’s December 30, 2025, morning “World Report” national newscast.

 

  • On January 6, 2025, CBC Radio included an excellent report in advance of our upcoming news conference in its early morning hourly national World Report broadcast.

 

  • On the evening of January 6, 2025, every English language TV network included great reports on the AODA Alliance’s Queen’s Park news conference earlier that day. This included the nightly newscasts on CBC TV news, City News, Global News, and CTV news.

 

  • Early on the morning of January 7, 2025, seven of CBC Radio’s local morning programs each separately interviewed AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky, including Toronto’s Metro Morning program, London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Sudbury, Windsor, Thunder Bay, and the smaller town Ontario Morning program. Only some of these are archived online.

 

  • On January 7, 2025, CP24 Breakfast interviewed AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky.

 

  • Below you can find the text of the January 3, 2025, City News report, a letter to the editor on January 5, 2025, in Cambridge Today, the January 6, 2025, CBC news report, and the January 7, 2025, CBC news report, all online.

 

It is especially amazing that we got so much coverage, given the other major breaking news story that grabbed much of the media attention that day. In an unrelated development, just three minutes after our January 6, 2025, Queen’s Park news conference wrapped up, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation in Ottawa. No matter how careful you are to time a news conference, there is always the risk of other major news stories erupting at the same time.

 

We encourage you to subscribe to the AODA Alliance’s YouTube channel. It includes a good number of news reports over the years on our accessibility efforts. You will get notified each time a new video is posted to our channel.

 

3. How You Can Help

 

 

 

There have now been 7 days since January 1, 2025, the legislated deadline for Ontario to become fully accessible to 2.9 million Ontarians with disabilities. We need all political parties to make the Accessible Ontario Pledge, to get Ontario to that goal as soon as possible after that missed deadline.

 

MORE DETAILS

 

City News January 3, 2025

 

Originally posted at https://toronto.citynews.ca/video/2025/01/02/advocates-say-province-failed-promise-to-make-ontario-fully-accessible-by-2025/

 

Advocates say province failed on promise to make Ontario fully accessible by 2025

 

Disability advocates say the government failed to meet its goal of a fully accessible province by 2025. Our Michelle Mackey is tracking what comes next

for the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

 

By Michelle Mackey

 

By January 1, 2025, Ontario was supposed to be fully accessible.

 

It was a target set 20 years ago by the province, but disability advocates say the new year has only brought a broken legislative promise.

 

Lawyer David Lepofsky, who is blind, spearheaded the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA, a law unanimously passed in the Ontario legislature in 2005.

 

“We woke up to a province that’s still full of soul-crushing barriers,” said Lepofsky, who is the AODA Alliance Chair. 3rd party ad content

 

The legislation required the government to lead Ontario to become fully accessible for people with all kinds of disabilities within 20 years.

 

“They had to enact a series of regulations called accessibility standards that told people what they got to do and when they got to do it by. And they had to effectively enforce those standards,” explained Lepofsky. “Now the government did some of that and we made some progress, but nowhere near enough.”

 

The standards were introduced for transportation, public spaces and education for which the province says it’s invested $1.4 billion a year for school boards to support students with disabilities since 2020.

 

But for advocate Bianca Dahl, speaking at a public hearing in November, it’s still not enough to tackle the daily challenges faced by people with disabilities.

 

“The helpful wheelchair ramps from Stop Gap … I live down in the Queen Street West area, they are a huge support, they allow people that are wheelchair bound or in scooters to get in and out of stores, but the problem with the Stop Gap ramps is that they actually reduce the amount of usable sidewalk space,” said Dahl.

 

There are also to be fines for persons or organizations convicted of an offence under the AODA, including up to $100,000 for a corporation for each and every day or part day that an offence happens.

 

“Their enforcement has been paltry and pathetic,” added Lepofsky.

 

But the Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility tells CityNews Ontario is meeting, achieving, or exceeding the AODA standards.

 

“This includes historic spending in infrastructure, school upgrades, new and retrofitted hospitals, and long-term care facilities, as well as public transit investments in GO Transit, GO trains, GO buses and GO stations, plus over 2200 new accessible buses being delivered provincewide,” read the ministry’s statement.

 

The AODA Alliance says Ontario needs a new approach that would make the law live up to it’s true potential, they’ll be unveiling the next step in their campaign in the coming days.

 

CBC News January 6, 2025

 

Originally posted at https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-aodoa-deadline-1.7412706

 

Ontario was supposed to be accessible by 2025. Some advocates say it’s not even close

Province maintains it has met accessibility goals laid out 20 years ago

 

Lane Harrison CBC News

 

A button people who use wheelchairs can push to open doors.

The Accessibility for Ontarians With Disabilities Act (AODA) was created to help people with disabilities fully participate in society. (Michael Wilson/CBC)

When Ontario crossed into 2025, it was supposed to do so as an accessible province. Instead, advocates say it’s missed its own deadline.

 

In 2005, a unanimous vote carried in Queen’s Park to make the province accessible to people with disabilities within two decades.

 

The Accessibility for Ontarians With Disabilities Act (AODA) was created to help people with disabilities fully participate in society, bring them to the table in crafting regulations and build mechanisms to enforce standards. Advocates and experts hailed the legislation as groundbreaking and progressive.

 

But as Beau Hayward moves through Toronto in his wheelchair today, he still finds room for improvement.

 

“One of the biggest impacts is transportation,” he said, pointing to sometimes spotty elevator service in TTC stations as an example. “During the winter time, if you have to bypass your location by several stations, pushing through the snow in a wheelchair for myself is quite difficult.”

 

Oda Al-Anizi outfitted his wheelchair with a special attachment that transformed it into a bike, allowing him to navigate the city as a cyclist. As he told CBC’s Talia Ricci, it’s been a gamechanger.

Hayward, a quadriplegic with some arm and shoulder function, said the biggest improvement to his mobility has come through a motorized wheel attachment for his wheelchair. Before, he was using a cumbersome fully motorized chair and ran into more barriers that others still face.

 

“Like, if a restaurant has a six-inch step to get in for a power chair user,” he said. “That’s pretty much like locking the door.”

 

The fact that Ontario is not accessible to all in 2025 doesn’t come as a surprise to those who’ve spent years calling on the government to make it happen. One of them was back at Queen’s Park this fall, nearly 20 years after he and others fought for the AODA, still calling for change.

 

Advocates sounding alarm for decades

David Lepofsky, chair of the AODA alliance, said in November that for more than a decade, minister after minister and government after government was warned the deadline would not be met. He said the province is “not even close” to its goal.

 

“At the rate we are going, not only won’t we reach a fully accessible province that we were promised by 2025, we never will,” said Lepofsky, who is blind.

 

The minister responsible for the file, Raymond Cho, said he understands what those with disabilities are experiencing.

 

Asked if Ontario will be barrier-free in 2025 as promised, Cho, who turned 88 in November, said he is a stroke survivor with hearing challenges. He touted the province’s investments to help open job opportunities for those with disabilities.

 

“Project by project, community by community, Ontario is meeting, achieving, exceeding the AODA,” he said at a media availability in November.

 

The TTC said 57 of its 70 stations are accessible and work is underway on the rest of them. A spokesperson said adding elevators to built-up downtown areas is challenging, and funding for the initiatives has only been in place in recent years.

 

Enforcement lacking, says legislation review

The AODA was supposed to create enforceable accessibility standards for goods, services, accommodation, employment and buildings before 2025, applying to everyone in the public and private sector.

 

Implementation of the act has been reviewed four times over the years, most recently by Rich Donovan. His 2023 report found the legislation wasn’t being enforced and the state of accessibility in the province was in “crisis.”

 

“The reality is you can create all the standards you want in the world. If companies don’t adopt them and use them, they’re totally ineffective,” he said in a recent interview with CBC Toronto.

 

A statement from the Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility said the government uses a collaborative “modern regulatory process” to ensure accessibility standards are met.

 

Donovan said one of the problems with the AODA is it was sold as a simple task.

 

Honour late lieutenant-governor David Onley by making Ontario accessible, advocates, friends say

Ontario accessibility in ‘crisis,’ says report quietly released by Ford government

“This is far more complex than people think it is,” he said.

 

“It requires intent activation on the part of the regulators, on the part of those who are regulated and frankly the people with disabilities as well.”

 

He said the idea of a deadline was silly, because it suggests people will wake up one day and everything will be accessible.

 

“These are things that require constant improvement,” he said. “And right now we don’t have that.”

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

Lane Harrison

Reporter

 

Lane Harrison is a journalist with CBC Toronto. Born and raised in Toronto, he previously worked for CBC New Brunswick in Saint John. You can reach him at lane.harrison@cbc.ca

 

Follow Lane on Twitter

With files from Vanessa Balintec

 

Cambridge Today January 5, 2025

 

Originally posted at https://www.cambridgetoday.ca/letters-to-the-editor/letter-province-breaks-accessibility-promise-yet-again-10031835

 

LETTER: Province breaks accessibility promise yet again

‘Every government promised change, but instead of delivering ramps, they delivered excuses,’ writes reader Devin Sisak.

Letter to the Editor

 

CambridgeToday received the following letter about the provincial government’s promise to make Ontario fully accessible by Jan. 1, 2025. It has still not kept that promise.

 

This New Year’s Eve, my son Holden took in the tradition of eating 12 grapes under a table in hopes of prosperity in 2025. So as the clock struck midnight, under a folding table propped up on boards spread across chairs so Holden in his wheelchair could fit, he ate his magic grapes one by one before tucking in for the night.

 

The next morning, while most Ontarians were waking up on New Year’s Day groggy from late-night celebrations, Holden, like many others with disabilities, woke up to something far worse: the crushing realization that his grapes were not magic and Ontario is still not fully accessible. Twenty years ago, the government vowed that by Jan. 1, 2025, our province would be a utopia of ramps, elevators, and braille signs. Instead, we’ve got a broken escalator, a “closed for maintenance” sign, and a shrug from Queen’s Park.

 

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) was supposed to be the ultimate New Year’s resolution—ambitious, life-changing, and something we’d actually stick to. But like that gym membership everyone buys in January, it’s clear the government lost interest around February… of 2005.

 

Holden, who uses a wheelchair, wasn’t expecting a parade this New Year’s Day, but he also wasn’t expecting the same old obstacles.

 

Over the past two decades, we’ve had more premiers than we’ve had meaningful improvements in accessibility. Every government promised change, but instead of delivering ramps, they delivered excuses. “We’re making progress!” they said, while the goalposts quietly rolled into the next decade. If procrastination were an Olympic sport, Ontario would take gold.

 

But here’s the kicker: people like Holden aren’t asking for the moon. They’re asking for an Ontario where getting to work, visiting friends, or going to the doctor doesn’t feel like competing on The Amazing Race: Accessibility Edition. Is that really so hard?

 

The deadline has come and gone, but the barriers remain. Maybe it’s time for a new resolution: less talk, more action. And while we’re at it, let’s aim for an Ontario where accessibility isn’t treated like a nice-to-have but as the basic right it always should’ve been.

 

Devin Sisak

Cambridge

 

CBC News January 7, 2025

 

Originally posted at https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/aoda-deadline-1.7424204

 

Ontario set a goal 20 years ago to be accessible by 2025. Hamilton group says standards are now outdated

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act committed to enforce standards by Jan. 1, 2025

 

Justin Chandler

man pushes person using a wheelchair onto a city bus

The AODA sets out standards in five areas, including transportation. (Samantha Beattie/CBC)

 

Jan. 1, 2025, was a day “disabled folks across the province have been waiting for for 20 years,” says Brad Evoy, executive director of the Hamilton-based Disability Justice Network of Ontario.

 

That’s the deadline the Ontario government set to fully implement the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), which passed in 2005 with a commitment to develop, implement and enforce accessibility standards in the public and private sectors.

 

But, days after the day passed, Evoy told CBC Hamilton, there remains a “huge chasm” between reality and where Ontarians with disabilities want to be.

 

He believes living conditions for them are worsening, in part because social assistance isn’t keeping up with the high cost of housing.

 

“If used as intended, the act could be materially improving people’s conditions,” said Evoy, who is a disabled person himself. “I think the customer service standards alone would really push some big changes for folks engaging in the commercial and civic aspects of life.”

 

 

The AODA aims to reduce and remove barriers to accessibility, the province says on its website.

 

For example, the site reads, a clothing store with a no-return policy that lacks an accessible changing room creates a barrier by excluding some customers from trying on clothes before purchasing them. The law requires organizations to identify barriers like that and remove them. For example, the store could provide an exemption to its return policy.

 

The act also asserts someone with disabilities can have a support person with them at all times and can give feedback through accessible means.

 

Unfortunately, Evoy said, the AODA “notoriously has really weak and absent enforcement provisions,” and its standards are outdated.

 

In 2023, the reviewer appointed to assess the province’s implementation of the act found it was a “near certainty” Ontario would not be fully accessible by 2025, adding enforcement did “not exist.”

 

People with disabilities have little to no recourse under the act if an organization fails to meet its standards and are more likely to find remedy through human rights legislation, Evoy said.

 

The 2023 review found Ontario had a staff of 20 to 25 to monitor the compliance of over 400,000 organizations, leading to few onsite audits.

 

The Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility recently told CBC Toronto it uses a collaborative “modern regulatory process” to ensure standards are met.

 

“I think what we’re seeing is a consistent position … that [governments] want to do the bare minimum,” Evoy said.

 

Has Ontario’s accessibility law delivered?

Introduced in 2005, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act promised that organizations would have to follow accessibility standards by 2025. Holly Ellingwood, vice-chair of the city of Ottawa’s Accessibility Advisory Committee shares his thoughts on the progress made, and what still needs to happen.

Even when organizations are in compliance, he added, the standards they’re meeting are sometimes outdated. For example, he said, accessibility standards for transit pre-date the Presto fare system.

 

Going forward, Evoy said, he’d like the government to reopen the AODA to improve enforcement and create new standards, including some for housing, which is currently not included in the act.

 

Ontario cities need help — and cash — to meet 2025 accessibility deadline, advocates say

Ontario’s accessibility legislation is failing. Advocates say lack of enforcement, complaints process to blame

Ontario says it’s working to meet people’s needs

CBC Hamilton asked the Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility to respond to these criticisms and whether it considers the Jan. 1 deadline has been met.

 

Wallace Pidgeon, a spokesperson for the minister of seniors and accessibility, Raymond Cho, did not directly address the questions. In a statement, Pidgeon said accessibility standards for information and communications, employment, transportation, the design of public spaces and customer service are in place as required under the AODA.

 

“We use a whole of government approach that ensures these standards are met through a modern regulatory process that works collaboratively with organizations and businesses.”

 

Pidgeon said the province has also worked to meet the needs of people with disabilities through changes to the Ontario Building Code and investments in public transit that include “over 2,200 new accessible buses.”

 

An accessible Ontario by 2025? Here’s where the province stands on its goal

Ontario accessibility in ‘crisis,’ says report quietly released by Ford government

28% of Ontarians over 14 have at least 1 disability: StatsCan

Over a quarter of Ontarians over 15 have at least one disability, according to Statistics Canada. In 2022, the agency said, 28 per cent reported a disability, 3.9 percentage points higher than in 2017.

 

Brad Evoy, executive director of the Disability Justice Network of Ontario, says the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act could be ‘materially improving people’s conditions.’ But Evoy argues it has ‘weak and absent enforcement provisions.’ (Submitted by Brad Evoy)

Anecdotally, Hamilton has a high proportion of people with disabilities, Evoy said, and they’re “at the centre of an all-out assault.”

 

An end to free transit for people with disabilities, policies reducing the availability of safe injection sites and those preventing encampments are making life more difficult for some of the most marginalized people with disabilities, he said.

 

“Ultimately, while it’s important to look at the AODA and to look at the supports one could theoretically receive from it, it’s also really important to look at broader legislation around the Human Rights Code,” Evoy said.

 

He said people with disabilities and their allies also need to be prepared to organize to get what they need “from every level of government and from broader society.”

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

Justin Chandler

Reporter

 

Justin Chandler is a CBC News reporter in Hamilton. He has a special interest in how public policy affects people, and he loves a quirky human-interest story. Justin covered current affairs in Hamilton and Niagara for TVO, and has worked on a variety of CBC teams and programs, including As It Happens, Day 6 and CBC Music. He co-hosted Radio Free Krypton on Met Radio. You can email story ideas to justin.chandler(at)cbc(dot)ca.

 

Follow Justin on social media

At 10 a.m. Queen’s Park News Conference Today, Furious Disability Advocates Will Call on Party Leaders to Commit to a 10-Point Action Plan after the Government Violated Disabilities Act’s Requirement to Make Ontario Accessible by 2025

ACCESSIBILITY FOR ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT ALLIANCE

NEWS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

At 10 a.m. Queen’s Park News Conference Today, Furious Disability Advocates Will Call on Party Leaders to Commit to a 10-Point Action Plan after the Government Violated Disabilities Act’s Requirement to Make Ontario Accessible by 2025

 

January 6, 2025, Toronto: They’re furious! They’re tenacious! They’re coming to Queen’s Park on Monday, January 6, 2025, to hold a news conference in the Queen’s Park Media Studio at 10 a.m., just after the Legislative Assembly building opens for the first time this year. They will demand bold new Government action for over 2.9 million Ontarians with disabilities.

 

Two decades ago, the Ontario Legislature unanimously promised that by January 1, 2025, the Ontario Government would lead this province to become accessible to people with all kinds of disabilities when it passed the historic Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), Canada’s first comprehensive disability accessibility law. MPPs gave that historic achievement a resounding standing ovation. Watch it on video.

 

Yet that solemn legislative promise has now been categorically broken. Ontarians awoke on New year’s Day 2025 to a province that is still brimming with many preventable and soul-crushing disability barriers when people with disabilities try to get a job, ride public transit, get health care services, go to school or university, or simply walk on public sidewalks. This includes barriers that the Ontario Government itself created using public money, such as Toronto’s new Armoury Street courthouse.

 

For over 15 years, disability advocates, including the non-partisan AODA Alliance and Government-appointed experts, repeatedly forewarned Government after Government and minister after minister that this promise would be broken by 2025 unless successive Governments ramped up this issue as a priority and effectively implemented the AODA.

 

“With the real possibility of a spring election, we are more determined than ever to get the accessible Ontario that we were legislatively promised 20 years ago,” said David Lepofsky, Chair of the grassroots AODA Alliance. “Today we’re unveiling the “Accessible Ontario Pledge,” which we sent to Ontario’s party leaders this morning and which we’re pressing them to make to lead this province to become accessible as soon as possible.” (Letter to party leaders set out below)

 

The Disabilities Act has brought about some progress, but far less than Ontario could have achieved in the two decades since 2005. Unfair recurring barriers that too often victimize Ontarians with disabilities were documented time and again in Government-appointed independent reviews of the AODA in 2015, 2019, and 2023. Most of the recommendations made in these reviews were never implemented.

 

On November 25, 2024, individuals with disabilities gave wrenching accounts of disability barriers to Ontario’s four political parties at community public hearings at Queen’s Park organized by the AODA Alliance. Please view those public hearings online.

 

“Over the past thirty years, each party turned to our movement to share its expertise on achieving an accessible Ontario when the AODA was being written and afterwards when it was being implemented,” said Lepofsky. “Our predecessor coalition led the fight from 1994 to 2005 to get the Disabilities Act passed. For the past 20 years, we’ve led the uphill battle to get the AODA effectively implemented. We know how to fix this mess.”

 

For over 20 years, all parties have endorsed the AODA’s purposes. The AODA did not vanish last week on New year’s Day.

 

The AODA Alliance drew on years of experience with accessibility to formulate today’s new Accessible Ontario Pledge, including its comprehensive 10-point plan and specific deadlines to put in place all the accessibility standards needed to achieve the accessible province that people with disabilities have been legislatively promised. It is carefully crafted to ensure the AODA’s effective enforcement, to provide obligated organizations with free technical assistance on needed accessibility, and to effectively deploy other levers of government power.

 

After the Government failed to meet the 2025 deadline for an accessible Ontario, the media has asked us “What comes next?” At this news conference, we will give a comprehensive, practical answer to fulfil the Disabilities Act’s purpose and duties, drawing on mountains of feedback from the disability community. This news conference will be streamed live on the Ontario Legislature website’s Media Studio feed at https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/video if no committees of the Legislature are meeting at that time. It will also be available on the AODA Alliance’s YouTube channel as soon as possible after the news conference.

 

Contact: AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky, aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

 

For more background

  • A timeline of major events over the past 30 years in the grassroots campaign for accessibility in Ontario.
  • The Legislature’s historic May 10, 2005, vote to pass the AODA and the Queen’s Park news conference right after that vote.
  • The AODA Alliance’s captioned online video series of the major news conferences and other key events in the 30-year campaign for accessibility for people with disabilities.
  • For the AODA Alliance’s work from 2005 to the present, visit aodaalliance.org

 

 

 

January 6, 2025, Letter from the AODA Alliance to Ontario’s Party Leaders

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance

United for a Barrier-Free Society for All People with Disabilities

Web: www.aodaalliance.org Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com Twitter: @aodaalliance

 

January 6, 2025

 

To: Hon. Premier Doug Ford

Via Email: doug.ford@ontariopc.com premier@ontario.ca

Room 281, Legislative Building Queen’s Park, Toronto, ON M7A 1A1

 

Marit Stiles, Leader of the Official Opposition

Via Email: MStiles-QP@ndp.on.ca

Room 113, Legislative Building Queen’s Park, Toronto, ON M7A 1A5

 

Mike Schreiner, Leader of the Green Party of Ontario

Via Email: leader@gpo.ca

Room 451 Legislative Building Queen’s Park, Toronto, ON M7A 1A2

 

Bonnie Crombie, Leader of the Ontario Liberal Party

Via Email: bonnie@ontarioliberal.ca

Suite 306, 344 Bloor St. W., Toronto, ON M5S 3A7

 

Dear Party Leaders,

 

For 2.9 million Ontarians with disabilities, their families and friends, New Year’s Day 2025 was not a day for celebration. In 2005, the Legislature proclaimed in law that January 1, 2025, was the date by which the Government must have led this province to become accessible to Ontarians with disabilities. People with disabilities had tenaciously fought for a decade to win the passage in 2005 of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).

 

Yet on this New Year’s Day, people with disabilities continued to live in a province full of unfair disability barriers. Ontario is far from accessible. Nineteen months ago, the Government-appointed 4th Independent Review of the AODA, conducted by Rich Donovan, declared that Ontario is in an accessibility crisis. On November 25, 2024, individuals with disabilities shared wrenching accounts of these disability barriers with the political parties at community public hearings at Queen’s Park, organized by the AODA Alliance. View that online.

 

The AODA did not vanish on New Year’s Day. The Government remains duty-bound to lead this province to become accessible to people with disabilities as soon as possible after the legislated deadline.

 

It is widely reported that a spring election is likely. We ask your parties to now make specific, clear and strong commitments on what they will do if elected to fulfil the AODA. Set out below, we call this the “Accessible Ontario Pledge.”

 

Our request does not depend on whether an election is called this year. Even if there is no election in 2025, we ask the Government to commit to the Accessible Ontario Pledge. We ask the opposition parties to commit to press the Government to implement the Accessible Ontario Pledge and to implement it if they form the next Ontario Government.

 

All parties strongly supported the AODA when it was passed in 2005. The AODA’s initial implementation got off to a promising start in 2005. So why didn’t Ontario meet the AODA’s 2025 deadline for an accessible Ontario?

 

First, accessibility for people with disabilities gradually dropped as a Government priority. Premier after Premier failed to show the strong leadership called for on this issue by the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Government-appointed Independent Reviews of the AODA.

 

Second, the AODA accessibility standards regulations enacted to date, while helpful, are not strong enough. They do not even remove or prevent a majority of the recurring barriers that people with disabilities face.

 

Third, AODA enforcement has been ineffective.

 

Fourth, the Government did not effectively use other levers of power conveniently available to it to promote accessibility.

 

Fifth, Ontario has never announced a comprehensive multi-year plan with targeted deadlines to ensure that the province would reach the legislated goal of an accessible Ontario by 2025, or ever.

 

Over two decades, successive Governments were told about the need to strengthen and speed up the AODA’s implementation. Ontario’s disability community and four successive mandatory Government-appointed AODA Independent Reviews gave the Government practical recommendations.

 

We present the Accessible Ontario Pledge to you in a spirit of non-partisanship. We aim for strong commitments from all parties. We never seek to elect or defeat any party or candidate.

 

In each Ontario election since 1995, some or all parties made election commitments on disability accessibility. They have always done so in letters to the AODA Alliance or, before 2005, to our predecessor, the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee.

 

We do not ask you to set a new final deadline for Ontario to become accessible. The AODA has set the deadline. It must remain. The comprehensive action plan that Ontario needs should bring each sector of the economy to the goal of accessibility as soon as that sector can achieve this. Only through a detailed public plan of action with clear timelines will Ontario succeed.

 

Please make the Accessible Ontario Pledge. We will make public your response to this request. Every Ontarian needs all parties to make the Accessible Ontario Pledge. Everyone has a disability now or gets one later in life.

 

Sincerely,

 

David Lepofsky, CM, O. Ont. Chair, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance

 

Accessible Ontario Pledge

 

1.     Foster and Strengthen Our Relationship with Your Party

 

We are recognized in the legislature, the media and the public for our advocacy and expertise in disability accessibility.

 

  1. As Premier, will you periodically meet with the AODA Alliance to discuss issues concerning persons with disabilities and accessibility, including within the first four months? If your Party does not form the Government, will you meet with us periodically? Will your Party raise our concerns in the Legislature, including in Question Period?

 

2.     Ensure Strong Leadership on Accessibility

 

Four successive Government-appointed Independent Reviews of the AODA determined that Ontario needs strong new Ontario Government leadership on disability accessibility.

 

  1. As Premier, will you show strong leadership on the issue of accessibility for people with disabilities? Will you substantially strengthen and accelerate the AODA’s implementation?

 

  1. Will you commit to leading Ontario to the goal of becoming accessible to people with disabilities as soon as possible after the AODA-legislated deadline? Within four months, will you announce a comprehensive multi-year action plan to achieve this with targeted deadlines for action?

 

  1. Will you assign a stand-alone minister responsible for disability issues who will periodically meet with us? Will other ministers having responsibilities bearing on our issues also periodically meet with us?

 

3.     Prevent Backsliding on Accessibility

 

  1. Will your Government comply with the AODA?

 

  1. Will you ensure that no amendments to the AODA will be made and that the AODA will not be opened up in the Legislature for possible amendments? Will you commit that any provisions or protections in the AODA, its regulations, or in Government policies or programs that promote its objectives, or any rights of persons with disabilities under the Ontario Human Rights Code will not be reduced?

 

4.     Develop and Enact Needed New Accessibility Standards Under the AODA

 

The AODA requires the Government to enact all the enforceable accessibility standards needed to achieve the AODA’s purpose. Properly designed accessibility standards help business and public sector organizations know what to do, helping their profitability and success.

 

Ontario has enacted five accessibility standards–for customer service, employment, information and communication, transportation, and a few built environment barriers in “public spaces,” mostly outside buildings. These need to be strengthened. People with disabilities still face many barriers when they try to get a job, ride public transit, use customer services, get into and around buildings, or try to get access to information and communication available to the public. AODA Accessibility standards in these areas, while somewhat helpful, have not achieved accessibility.

 

  1. Within 12 months, will you strengthen the existing AODA accessibility standards addressing customer service, the built environment, transportation, employment, and information and communication in order to make them strong and effective?

 

The AODA requires the Government to ensure that the built environment becomes accessible to people with disabilities. Yet the Government has largely left this to the woefully inadequate Ontario Building Code.

 

  1. Will you enact a comprehensive Built Environment Accessibility Standard under the AODA and revamp the Ontario Building Code as it addresses disability accessibility so that it aligns with the rights of people with disabilities under the Ontario Human Rights Code?

 

Ontario also needs new AODA accessibility standards. For example, students with disabilities face too many disability barriers in Ontario Kindergarten to Grade 12 (K-12) schools, colleges and universities. No Education Accessibility Standard has been enacted. All political parties have agreed that an AODA Education Accessibility Standard should be enacted. In early 2022, the Government received detailed proposals of what the Education Accessibility Standard should include from the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee and from the Post-Secondary Education Standards Development Committee. A strong public consensus supports their recommendations.

 

  1. Within 6 months, will you enact an AODA Education Accessibility Standard that accords with the recommendations in the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee’s 2022 final report and the Post-Secondary Education Standards Development Committee’s 2022 final report?

 

All political parties have agreed that Ontario needs an AODA Health Care Accessibility Standard to tear down disability barriers that impede patients with disabilities in Ontario’s health care system. In early 2022, the Government received the Health Care Standards Development Committee’s final report. It shows why Ontario needs a strong Health Care Accessibility Standard, and what that standard should include.

 

  1. Within 6 months, will you enact a comprehensive AODA Health Care Accessibility Standard under the AODA to remove and prevent the disability barriers across Ontario’s health care system that accords with the Health Care Standards Development Committee’s 2022 final report?

 

Ontario has a crisis shortage of accessible housing where people with disabilities can live. This crisis will get worse as society ages. Ontario has no comprehensive effective Government strategy for ensuring that Ontario will have a sufficient supply of accessible housing.

 

  1. Will you enact an AODA Residential Housing Accessibility Standard under the AODA? Will you also announce a comprehensive multi-year accessible housing strategy within 6 months to increase the supply of accessible housing in Ontario, including supportive housing?

 

  1. Within 6 months, will you consult the public, including the disability community, on all additional economic sectors that other accessibility standards need to address? Will you announce decisions on the economic sectors to be addressed in additional standards within three months after that, and appoint Standards Development Committees to address them four months after that announcement?

 

5.     Speed Up the Extremely Long Process for Developing AODA Accessibility Standards

 

The Government has taken far too long to develop an accessibility standard. It took over six years just to decide to create an Education Accessibility Standard. Eight years after that decision, none has been created. It took six years to decide to create a Health Care Accessibility Standard. A decade later, none has been enacted.

 

  1. Will you speed up and de-bureaucratize the development of accessibility standards under the AODA, in consultation with us and the public?

 

6.     Substantially Strengthen AODA Enforcement

 

On October 29, 1998, all parties voted for a unanimous landmark resolution in the Legislature that required the Disabilities Act to have teeth. In 2005, all parties unanimously voted to include in the AODA important enforcement powers, like audits, inspections, compliance orders, and stiff monetary penalties.

 

Yet AODA enforcement has been paltry and weak. The Government has known for years of rampant AODA violations. Three successive Government-appointed AODA Independent Reviews over the past decade called for AODA enforcement to be substantially strengthened.

 

  1. Will you substantially strengthen AODA enforcement, effectively using all AODA available powers to enforce all AODA requirements?

 

  1. Will you assign operational AODA enforcement to a new arms-length public agency, and significantly increase the number of inspectors and directors appointed with AODA enforcement powers? Will you give inspectors and investigators under other legislation a mandate to enforce the AODA when they inspect or investigate an organization under other legislation?

 

  1. Will the Ontario Government publicly release and post detailed information on AODA enforcement actions at least every three months? It should include such measures as the number of notices of proposed orders and penalties, the total final orders and penalties imposed, and the number of appeals from orders and their outcomes.

 

  1. Will the Government ensure on-site inspection of a range of obligated organizations on the actual accessibility of their workplace, goods, services and facilities?

 

  1. Will you establish and widely publicize an effective toll-free line for the public to report AODA violations? Will you provide and widely publicize other online avenues to report AODA violations, including Twitter, Facebook and a web page? Will you publicly report quarterly on complaints received and the specific enforcement action taken as a result?

 

  1. Will you create ways for crowd-sourced AODA monitoring/enforcement, such as the Government publicly posting all online AODA compliance reports from obligated organizations in a publicly accessible, searchable data base, and by requiring each obligated organization to post its AODA compliance report on its own website if it has one?

 

  1. Will you require that to get a building permit and/or site plan approval for a construction project, the provincial or municipal approving authority must be satisfied that the project, on completion, will meet all accessibility requirements of the Ontario Building Code and the AODA accessibility standards? Will you require that post-project completion inspections include compliance with accessibility requirements in the Ontario Building Code and the AODA?

 

7.     Effectively Deploy Other Levers of Government Power to Achieve Accessibility

 

The K-12 Education Standards Development Committee’s final report demonstrated a pressing need for major reform to Ontario’s education system beyond enacting a strong AODA Education Accessibility Standard.

 

  1. Will you undertake a comprehensive reform of Ontario’s education system as it relates to students with disabilities including its funding formula for students with disabilities in order to ensure that it meets their needs and that funding is based on the actual number of students with disabilities in a school board?

 

At present, design professionals, such as architects, do not need to be effectively trained in designing accessible buildings and other built environment to get or to keep their license.

 

  1. Will you make it mandatory for professional bodies that regulate or license architects and other design professionals to require adequate training on accessible design? This should not use the seriously flawed Rick Hansen Foundation training for accessibility assessors. Will you require as a condition of funding a college or university that trains professions (such as architects) that their curriculum include sufficient mandatory training on meeting disability accessibility needs?

 

Ontario continues to build new infrastructure projects replete with disability barriers. For example, the Government built Toronto’s new billion-dollar Armoury Street courthouse replete with serious disability barriers, as an AODA Alliance video revealed.

 

  1. Will you enact, enforce, publicize and report on compliance with standards and create a comprehensive strategy to ensure that public money is never used to create or perpetuate barriers against people with disabilities, for example, in capital or infrastructure spending, through procurement of goods, services or facilities, through business development grants or loans, or research grants? Will you reform the way public sector infrastructure projects are managed and overseen in Ontario, including a major reform of Infrastructure Ontario to ensure that accessibility is addressed far earlier and more effectively in the project?

 

  1. Will you require that when public money is used to create public housing that housing will include universal design?

 

Government-appointed AODA Independent Reviews recommended that the Ontario Government should provide far better technical advice and support for obligated organizations who want to take action on accessibility but who don’t know what to do.

 

  1. Will you establish a publicly funded centre arms-length from the Ontario Government to provide free expert detailed technical accessibility advice to the public, including obligated organizations and people with disabilities?

 

The Ontario Public Service too often deals poorly with accessibility in isolated silos. It has not implemented reforms recommended by Government-appointed AODA Independent Reviews.

 

  1. After consulting with people with disabilities within the Ontario Public Service and in the general public for four months, will you announce and implement a plan to re-engineer and strengthen how the Ontario Public Service ensures that its services, facilities and workplaces are accessible? This should include periodically auditing the accessibility of its services and facilities and making public the audit results.

 

  1. In Mandate Letters, will you direct the appropriate cabinet ministers and senior public officials to implement the Government’s accessibility obligations and commitments, and make these letters public?

 

  1. Will you establish a full-time Ontario Government Chief Accessibility Officer at the level of a deputy minister who is responsible for ensuring the accessibility of Ontario Government services, facilities, and workplaces? Will you ensure that each Ontario Ministry and the Cabinet Office has a full-time “Accessibility Lead” directly reporting to their deputy minister?

 

  1. Will you require that each ministry senior manager’s annual performance review include specific commitments relating to their mandate on accessibility for people with disabilities?

 

  1. Within 6 months, will you announce a detailed plan for lawyers at the Ministry of the Attorney General to undertake a review of all Ontario laws for disability accessibility barriers, and for ensuring that new legislation and regulations will be screened in advance to ensure that they do not authorize, create or perpetuate barriers against people with disabilities, with the review to be completed and its results made public within four years?

8.     Make Provincial and Municipal Elections Accessible to Voters with Disabilities

 

Voters with disabilities still face too many barriers in provincial and municipal elections.

 

  1. Will you consult with voters with disabilities within one year and then introduce in the Legislature within 9 months after that a bill and an action plan to comprehensively and effectively address accessibility needs of voters and candidates with disabilities in provincial and municipal elections?

 

  1. Will you commit that your candidates will not take part in any all-candidates’ debate in the next general election campaign if the location is not accessible to voters with disabilities?

 

9.     Remove Recently Created New Disability Barriers Traceable to the Ontario Government

 

The Government has made Ontario less accessible to people with disabilities.

 

  1. Within six months, will you appoint an independent inquiry to investigate and report on the effectiveness of the Ontario Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic as it relates to the needs of people with disabilities, including in terms of such things as healthcare services, education services, developmental services, and income supports?

 

Last fall, over strong objections from the disability community, the Ontario Government extended for a second 5-year period its pilot with electric scooters. E-scooters are a silent menace that endanger vulnerable pedestrians with disabilities, seniors and others.

 

  1. Will you pass legislation or regulations to provide for effective enforcement of the ban on riding e-scooters in public places where it is prohibited, with strong penalties? Will you ban the sale of e-scooters for use in Ontario, with strong penalties?

 

  1. Will you suspend the recent extension of the Ontario e-scooters pilot project until the Ontario Government effectively gathers information on the impact of e-scooters on vulnerable pedestrians with disabilities, seniors and others during the first 5-year pilot (which the Government never collected) and holds an open consultation with people with disabilities?

 

10.  Reform the Dysfunctional Process for Enforcing Human Rights at the Human Rights Tribunal

 

When people with disabilities suffer unlawful discrimination, the dysfunctional, backlogged process for filing a human rights complaint and getting a hearing at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario can take 5 years or more. The system is broken. It needs substantial reform.

 

  1. Within 3 months, will you appoint an independent judicial review of the entire process for filing a human rights complaint and having a hearing at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, including all aspects of the Tribunal, the Ontario Human Rights Commission and the Ontario Human Rights Legal Support Centre, to recommend reforming the system and making it effective and timely?

 

At Monday January 6, 2025 10 a.m. Queen’s Park News Conference, Disability Advocates to Unveil Strategy in Response to Ontario Government Failure to Lead Ontario to Become Accessible to Ontarians with Disabilities by 2025

ACCESSIBILITY FOR ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT ALLIANCE

Media Advisory for Immediate Release

 

At Monday January 6, 2025 10 a.m. Queen’s Park News Conference, Disability Advocates to Unveil Strategy in Response to Ontario Government Failure to Lead Ontario to Become Accessible to Ontarians with Disabilities by 2025

 

January 3, 2025 Toronto: Disability advocates will hold a news conference on Monday, January 6, 2025 at 10 a.m. at the Queen’s Park Media Studio. They will unveil their comprehensive new grassroots strategy in response to the Ontario Government’s abject failure to fulfil its duty under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (“AODA”) to lead Ontario to become accessible to 2.9 million Ontarians with disabilities by January 1, 2025.

 

On May 10, 2005, Ontario’s Legislature unanimously passed the landmark AODA, Canada’s first comprehensive disability accessibility law. It requires the Ontario Government to lead this province to become accessible to people with all kinds of disabilities by January 1, 2025. Yet, on January 1, 2025, Ontarians with disabilities awoke to a province that is still replete with many eminently preventable disability barriers, including barriers that the Ontario Government itself created.

 

What should Ontario now do about this? At this news conference, the non-partisan AODA Alliance (which has led the campaign to get the AODA effectively implemented) will unveil its comprehensive new plan for Ontario to live up to the AODA’s goal. All political parties have supported the AODA since the day it was first introduced into the Legislature.

 

The AODA Alliance’s comprehensive new action strategy will build on the wrenching accounts of disability barriers which MPPs heard about on November 25, 2024, when individuals with disabilities addressed MPPs from Ontario’s four political parties at the community public hearings at Queen’s Park that the AODA Alliance organized. View those public hearings online.

 

Contact: AODA Alliance Chair, David Lepofsky

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

X (Formerly known as Twitter): @aodaalliance

 

For more background

  • A timeline of major events over the past 30 years in the grassroots campaign for accessibility in Ontario.
  • The AODA Alliance’s captioned online video series of the major news conferences and other key events in the 30-year campaign for accessibility for people with disabilities.
  • For the AODA Alliance’s work from 2005 to the present, visit aodaalliance.org

 

2025 Has Arrived! Where is the Barrier-Free Society that the Ontario Legislature Unanimously Promised Ontarians with Disabilities Twenty Years Ago?

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

2025 Has Arrived! Where is the Barrier-Free Society that the Ontario Legislature Unanimously Promised Ontarians with Disabilities Twenty Years Ago?

 

SUMMARY

 

2025 has arrived! After an evening of the typical seasonal festivities, Ontarians woke up this morning to a huge broken legislative promise.

 

Two decades ago, on May 10, 2005, Ontario’s Legislature unanimously passed the landmark Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, Canada’s first comprehensive disability accessibility law. It requires the Ontario Government to lead this province to become accessible to people with all kinds of disabilities by January 1, 2025. Section 1 of the AODA provides:

 

“Purpose

  1. Recognizing the history of discrimination against persons with disabilities in Ontario, the purpose of this Act is to benefit all Ontarians by,

(a) developing, implementing and enforcing accessibility standards in order to achieve accessibility for Ontarians with disabilities with respect to goods, services, facilities, accommodation, employment, buildings, structures and premises on or before January 1, 2025; and

(b) providing for the involvement of persons with disabilities, of the Government of Ontario and of representatives of industries and of various sectors of the economy in the development of the accessibility standards.”

 

On that momentous day two decades ago, members of the Ontario Legislature of all political stripes rose in unison to give the passage of this once-in-a-generation legislation a resounding standing ovation. Watch the video of that historic moment.

 

But today, 20 years later, we all awoke to a province that is still replete with many eminently preventable disability barriers.

 

  • An article in this morning’s Toronto Star describes some of these. Read that article below.
  • These recurring disability barriers were amply documented in 2015 in the 2nd AODA Independent Review, in 2019 in the 3rd AODA Independent Review, and in 2023 in the 4th AODA Independent Review, each appointed by the Ontario Government.
  • On November 25, 2024, individuals with disabilities gave wrenching accounts of these disability barriers to Ontario’s four political parties at the community public hearings at Queen’s Park that the AODA Alliance organized. You can view those public hearings online.
  • The Toronto Star’s Metroland publications across Ontario published some 27 articles last fall in a series entitled “Restricted Access.” Those reports further described these barriers in one Ontario community after the next.

 

Where did this law come from? It came from Ontario’s grassroots non-partisan campaign for this legislation. It was first led  by a coalition that was born 30 years ago last November. The precursor to the AODA Alliance, the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee, advocated across this province for a decade to win this law’s enactment. After the AODA was passed in 2005, the AODA Alliance led the campaign to get the AODA effectively implemented.

 

We have made some accessibility gains since the AODA was passed in 2005, for which we should be proud. However, we also warned the Government, the media and the public for many years that Ontario was behind schedule and risked not achieving an accessible Ontario by 2025.

 

Our warnings were echoed by four successive Government-appointed Independent Reviews of the AODA in language that escalated in its tone of alarm. Year after year, the AODA Alliance offered the Government constructive, practical solutions to get itself on schedule. Minister after minister and premier after premier disregarded our advice. Ontario’s current Premier, Doug Ford, has refused to even meet with us.

 

Today, 2.9 million Ontarians with disabilities rang in a painful new year in a province that is still full of “soul-crushing barriers” (in the words of the late, lamented David Onley). Do we begin this New Year by giving up and going home? Not a chance!

 

The AODA did not suddenly vanish from Ontario’s law books last night at midnight. It, and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Ontario Human Rights Code on which it is built, remain in full force and effect, as do we!

 

Stay tuned over the next days to see what comes next. As the Toronto Star reports today, we declare that Ontario needs a new approach. It does not replace the AODA. It would make the AODA live up to its true landmark potential. We’ll have much more to say about this shortly. We will call on Ontarians, including Ontarians with disabilities, for their help in making this new approach become a reality.

 

In the meantime, we wish one and all a happy, safe and barrier-free New Year.

 

How You Can Help

 

  • Write a letter to the editor of the Toronto Star. Keep your letter under 300 words in length. Applaud the Star for this article. Give examples of disability barriers you and your loved ones face in Ontario. Write the Star at lettertoed@thestar.ca
  • Invite other media to cover this broken legislative promise to Ontarians with disabilities.

 

Learn about our efforts over the past year by reading the AODA Alliance’s 2024 Year-End Report.

 

MORE DETAILS

 

Toronto Star January 1, 2025

 

Originally posted at https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/ontario-set-a-goal-to-be-fully-accessible-by-jan-1-2025-its-nowhere-near/article_559fb834-c706-11ef-973b-a78a833ee8df.html

 

Province falls short on goal to be fully accessible

‘We’re way behind’: Disability rights advocates call for new approach

 

Omar Mosleh Toronto Star

In the 2023 review of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), Rich Donovan declared that the province was in an accessibility crisis.

 

Donovan, a leading advocate on disability rights, highlighted one example of how the province fails to ensure the safety of people with disabilities: a routine fire drill at a government office.

 

While most employees made their way down the stairs in orderly fashion, “others – those using wheelchairs and managing vision issues – instead made their way to what was, in essence, a closet,” wrote Donovan, who was appointed to review the act.

 

“This was what they were told to do in a fire. Sit. Wait. Hope someone comes for you.”

 

The province set a goal to achieve full accessibility by Jan. 1, 2025 – a target advocates say we’re nowhere near meeting.

 

“We’re way behind and the government needs to revise its approach,” said David Lepofsky, a retired lawyer who spearheaded the campaign for the AODA, which became law in 2005. “All of those reviews spoke in increasingly scathing language.”

 

In a statement, the Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility said Ontario is “meeting, achieving or exceeding” AODA standards.

 

But disabled people who spoke to the Star told a different story, citing ongoing challenges and day-to-day barriers with accessibility and enforcement.

 

To assess where Ontario stands after the 2025 deadline for full accessibility has passed, they also provided a grade for each of the key AODA categories: transportation, customer service, public spaces, communications and employment.

 

Transportation

 

B for Wheel-Trans

 

D for TTC’s conventional system

 

Louise Bark hates having to ask for help on public transit – and that was before the installation of Plexiglas shields for driver safety on buses and streetcars, which she says makes it even harder.

 

Bark, who has been using a wheelchair for 20 years, said the physical design of the transit vehicles has improved, but getting assistance, such as having someone secure her wheelchair or lift a seat, has become more difficult, particularly on buses.

 

“Now it’s way worse. They don’t even come out of their cubby hole. Even when you try to ask them, it’s like they don’t hear you,” she said.

 

“The outcome is that it is not a pleasant experience to ride transit. You feel kind of humiliated. You feel rather helpless.”

 

She said her experience on the new streetcars has generally been good, except for at stops where there’s no curb cut, which makes it difficult to board. She also noted that the ramps are too steep.

 

While the subway system has also improved, she said her chief issue is the elevators at subway stations, which are often out of service or are too small to accommodate the number of people trying to use them.

 

Fifty-seven out of the TTC’s 70 subway stations currently meet AODA standards. However, the TTC reported in 2023 it would not meet the province’s target of full accessibility by 2025. Six more subway stations are planned to be accessible in 2025, with another six in 2026. As a result of the difficulties Bark faces with conventional transit, she mostly relies on Wheel-Trans, though she said transferring to another city remains a challenge.

 

Customer Service – F

 

The AODA requires all organizations, including businesses and public institutions like hospitals, to remove barriers in providing accessible customer support.

 

Brian Ellison, who uses a wheelchair, said too many businesses have not taken meaningful steps to accommodate disabled people.

 

More often than not, when he can’t reach a shelf while grocery shopping, it’s fellow customers – not staff – who assist him.

 

His experiences in hospitals have been particularly challenging. Once when he needed surgery, he gave three months’ notice that he would require a room with an accessible washroom. When he arrived, he was told there were none available on that wing, and his only option was to use a washroom in the hallway.

 

He said there’s been numerous occasions where he’s had to crawl up onto a bed or examination table, because staff were either too busy or unwilling to help. “It makes me furious. But what else can I do?”

 

Information and Communications – D-

 

The AODA’s information and communications standard requires organizations and companies to provide information in accessible formats, such as captions or audio descriptions, with some exceptions. One breakthrough in this area, according to Lepofsky, was the enactment of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, which provided clear, comprehensive requirements for website accessibility.

 

However, Lepofsky, who is blind, had no shortage of examples where the province is still falling behind. He said there are still too many hotels, elevators and transportation options that don’t offer information in braille.

 

He said, when he travels to the U.S., it’s far more common to find accessibility features in taxis, for example on interactive video devices that speak to customers. He said we’re well behind other countries in accessibility.

 

“Forty years ago, I got into a taxi in New York City and that information was also on the seat in braille.”

 

Employment – D

 

While there have been strides in employers recognizing their legal obligation to accommodate employees with disabilities, the system still relies too much on accommodating individual workers, Lepofsky said, rather than addressing systemic barriers.

 

A recent report by the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work found that among workers who chose not to request accommodation, 45 per cent said they were uncomfortable asking their employer. For those who did ask, nearly one-quarter said their needs were not met.

 

Additionally, about one in 10 individuals with disabilities reported being denied employment because of their disability.

 

Anthony Frisina, who works with the Ontario Disability Coalition and uses a wheelchair, said there’s still too much stigma around hiring and accommodating people with disabilities.

 

“Companies need to genuinely invest in being equal-opportunity employers, not just say they are,” he said.

 

Design of public spaces – F

 

Between e-bikes and scooters, Ellison said Toronto’s streets and sidewalks often feel like a “nightmare.” Impatient drivers making sudden right turns and the general traffic situation in the city have also made crossing streets hazardous, he said.

 

“Until I get to the ramp in my building, I don’t feel safe,” Ellison said.

 

The design of public spaces standard primarily applies to outdoor spaces, such as sidewalks, playgrounds and recreational trails. Accessibility in indoor spaces (ramps in restaurants, public washrooms and buttons on doors) and the physical structure of buildings, fall outside of the AODA and are regulated by the Ontario Building Code, with some exceptions, such as service counters and indoor waiting areas.

 

Bike lanes were one of the most frequent issues raised among people who spoke to the Star. Lepofsky pointed to a bike lane on the same level as the sidewalk on Eglinton Avenue West, which is only separated by white paint.

 

“If I walk along there, I have no clue that I’m on a bike path,” he said.

 

“So I am in incredible danger.”

 

For Bark, bike lanes have sometimes made it difficult for Wheel-Trans buses to pull up to the curb to pick her up.

 

“When you block people with disabilities from being able to get in and out of buses,” she said, “it’s just putting people in precarious positions.”

AODA Alliance’s 2024 Year-End Report to Our Many Supporters

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

AODA Alliance’s 2024 Year-End Report to Our Many Supporters

 

December 20, 2024

 

SUMMARY

 

This year that is quickly coming to an end is one of special importance to all who have supported our non-partisan grassroots campaign to make our society accessible to 2.9 million Ontarians with disabilities and everyone who will get a disability in the future. This is the final year before the January 1, 2025, deadline mandated by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act for this province to become disability accessible. This is the year when we have sounded the alarm with the greatest urgency that Ontario will not fulfil that deadline. It is a deadline that the Ontario Legislature unanimously enshrined into law.

 

With that deadline fast approaching, we have had an extraordinarily busy year. Our year-end report gives you some highlights.

 

In other news, on December 19, 2024, the Ontario Government announced that it is extending its deadline for sending it feedback on the Initial Report of the Customer Service Standards Development Committee from January 9, 2025, to February 6, 2025. Therefore, we are extending our timeline for giving us your feedback on the draft brief that we circulated on December 19, 2024.

 

Please send us your input for our brief by Friday, January 17, 2024. Write us at aodafeedback@gmail.com We will finalize our brief around the end of January 2025.

 

You can read our draft brief on the AODA Alliance website. Email us at aodafeedback@gmail.com if you want us to send it to you as an MS Word document.

 

After a holiday break we will be ready to leap back into action. We’re ready for the big challenges that await. An Ontario election seems more and more likely in the spring. So does a federal election. We have no idea which will come first. We’ll again raise disability issues with the parties in both elections and let you know where they stand. We also know we’re going to start the new year with a bold agenda to address the Government’s failure to live up to the deadline that the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act imposed for the province to become accessible.

 

Let us again express our deep gratitude to our many supporters who helped this year with our advocacy efforts. We cannot do what we do without you! Our action tips in our AODA Alliance Updates offer you ideas. It’s you who put them into action!

 

Please have a safe, healthy holiday season and a fully barrier-free New Year.

 

MORE DETAILS

 

Here are some highlights of 2024 for the AODA Alliance and its supporters.

 

  1. On November 25, 2024, the AODA Alliance staged a very successful event at Queen’s Park to mark the 30th anniversary of the birth of Ontario’s grassroots campaign for strong accessibility legislation. In the morning, we held a Queen’s Park news conference, which was streamed across Ontario. It is now available online for anyone. Visit the AODA Alliance YouTube channel.

 

In the afternoon, we convened our own public hearings. People with disabilities told MPPs from all parties about the many wrenching barriers they face when they try to enjoy such basics of life in Ontario as health care, education, public services, jobs, and housing. Watch this public forum on the AODA Alliance YouTube channel.

 

  1. In August, the AODA Alliance unveiled the latest in its series of online videos that reveal serious disability barriers in public buildings. This time, it was the billion-dollar accessibility bungle that is the new Toronto Armoury Street courthouse. Watch the 14-minute version or the 49-minute version. The two versions have secured over 6,000 views and great media coverage. In many ways, that courthouse is now the poster child of how not to design a public building like a courthouse. Together, our comprehensive collection of online videos about advocating for disability accessibility got thousands of new views this year. You can find them all on the AODA Alliance website’s videos page.

 

  1. This year, we kept you, our many dedicated supporters, updated with a record-breaking 105 AODA Alliance Updates. These were shared with you by email, on our website, and through social media. You can browse through these by visiting the AODA Alliance website’s what’s new page.

 

We sent out thousands of tweets once again this year and many Facebook posts, which resulted in a delightful number of re-tweets, shares and likes.

 

  1. We again worked hard towards tearing down the many unfair accessibility barriers in Ontario’s education system. For example, in the spring, we highlighted how the Ford Government had announced major new funding for school construction without ensuring that the schools built with that money are fully accessible to students, teachers, staff and family members with disabilities. Later, when a student with disabilities died in a so-called “sensory room” at his high school, we joined with others to press for restrictions on the use of such isolation rooms at Ontario schools.

 

We tried to keep the pressure on the Ford Government. That Government has now been sitting for almost three years on the final reports of the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee and the Post-Secondary Education Standards Development Committee. It has still not enacted the promised Education Accessibility Standard. All this year’s efforts can be found on the AODA Alliance website’s education page.

 

  1. We wrote major written briefs to address two important areas where people with disabilities still face far too many barriers.

 

 

  1. Throughout the year, the AODA Alliance, working together with other advocates in the disability community, continued our efforts to protect vulnerable people with disabilities, seniors and others from the dangers to them created by the silent menace of electric scooters. You can find these activities documented on the AODA Alliance website’s e-scooters page.

 

The goods news is that working together, we got the Toronto City Council to again decide not to allow e-scooters in Canada’s biggest city. The e-scooter corporate lobbyists tried to get City Council to reverse its 2021 decision. In 2021, disability advocates convinced Toronto City Council to unanimously say no to e-scooters. Despite the e-scooter corporate lobbyists’ financial muscle, we won this round. Next year we must battle to get Toronto’s law enforcement to start to seriously enforce that ban.

 

The bad news is that the Ford Government decided this fall to extend its so-called “pilot” with e-scooters for another five years. They did nothing to embed any protections in that pilot for vulnerable people with disabilities, seniors and others who are endangered by e-scooters. Next year, we will try to get the Ontario Government to enact at least some protections in an effort to respond to this danger.

 

During the first five years of the Ford Government’s e-scooters pilot, we learned that it did nothing to learn from people with disabilities about the dangers that e-scooters pose for them. On our website’s briefs page, you can see briefs we submitted to the city of Toronto and the Ontario Government about the dangers e-scooters create.

 

  1. This fall, the Ford Government decided to bring forward and fast-track controversial legislation regulating and restricting the construction of bike paths. Last year, the AODA Alliance made public a video showing that people with disabilities are endangered when a bike path is built at sidewalk rather than street level. That video got a great deal of public attention and media coverage.

 

This fall, we urged the Ford Government to amend its bike path legislation, to prohibit bike paths from being constructed at sidewalk level. The Ford Government refused to do so. Its bike path legislation passed this fall without including any protection for vulnerable pedestrians with disabilities.

 

  1. We were active on the federal front. Twice this year, the House of Commons invited AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky to Ottawa to give testimony on accessibility issues within federal authority:

 

In both cases, the AODA Alliance filed detailed briefs with the House of Commons. These provided practical recommendations listing actions the House of Commons could take to accelerate action on accessibility for people with disabilities.

 

This year, we also continued to highlight the serious deficiencies in the Canada Disability Benefit Act. When the Federal Government announced a paltry $200 per month maximum for the Canada Disability Benefit last spring, even members of the disability community who had staunchly defended that Act came out with strong criticism of the Government.

 

  1. Over the year, we saw, took part in, and helped generate an unprecedented amount of media coverage concerning disability barriers. You can find lots of this coverage on the AODA Alliance website’s media page and on the AODA Alliance YouTube channel.

 

This media reporting was book-ended by a great CBC series at the start of the year and an amazing series of articles in the Toronto Star’s Metroland online publications near the year’s end. The latter focused on different facets of the Ontario Government’s failure to deliver the accessible province that the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act requires them to lead Ontario to reach by the start of next year.

 

For the first time, the AODA Alliance was invited to contribute a regular monthly column on disability issues, now appearing in all the Toronto Star’s Metroland publications. Metroland advises us that this column is generating a positive number of “clicks.”

 

As 2024 was drawing to an end, more media reached out to us, wishing to over the upcoming unmet 2025 AODA deadline.

 

  1. We helped opposition parties raise disability issues in the Ontario Legislature during the year, including during Question Period.

 

  1. On a more individual or personal note, AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky had published a new memoir about the battle in 1980 to get the new Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms amended to include equality for people with disabilities. It is called “Swimming Up Niagara Falls — The Battle to Get Disability Rights Added to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms” and is available for free download on the internet.

 

  1. In contrast to our many efforts driven by volunteer energy, the Ford Government, with all its staff and resources, have far less of which to be proud. For example:

 

It has not even acknowledged that Ontario is in an accessibility crisis. Fully 18 months ago, the Rich Donovan AODA Independent Review, which the Ford Government appointed, declared that Ontario is in an accessibility crisis and needs an emergency action plan. The Government has not announced the emergency steps that the Rich Donovan final report recommended.

  • It has enacted no new accessibility standards under the AODA in the six and a half years that it has been in office. Several are needed.
  • For another full year, the Government did not act on any of the six Standards Development Committees’ final reports on which it has been sitting. It has not revised a single existing AODA accessibility standard that is now in force, despite the many recommendations it has received to strengthen them.
  • It has continued to build new major infrastructure replete with preventable disability barriers. The most obvious of this is the new Toronto Armoury Street courthouse, whose barriers are brought to the public in plain view in this year’s new AODA Alliance video, which we mentioned earlier.
  • Its paltry enforcement of the AODA remains virtually invisible.
  • It has continued to create new barriers, as exemplified by its continued unleashing of dangerous e-scooters in Ontario.
  • It has still failed to announce a comprehensive, effective plan to lead Ontario to ever become accessible to people with disabilities.
  • This year, we’ve seen no indication that the Ford Government’s Accessibility Minister has spoken even once to any media. When the media approaches the Ford Government for comment on accessibility stories, the Government routinely responds by issuing what appears to be the same email, making the same dubious claims, and typically, not even responding to the core of the media’s questions.
  • It has itself violated AODA deadlines. It did not appoint the 5-year review of the Design of Public Spaces Standards Development Committee until 5 years after the statutory deadline. It did not appoint the mandatory 5-year review of the Customer Service Accessibility Standard until 2 years after the AODA’s deadline. This year alone, it did not make public the Initial Reports of the Design of Public Spaces Standards Development Committee or the Customer Service Standards Development Committee upon receiving them, as the AODA required. It delayed their public release for at least six months in both cases.
  • The Government’s abysmal performance on disability issues this year was most bluntly illustrated on November 25, 2024 when Ontario Accessibility Minister Raymond Cho claimed in the Legislature that 88% of people think Ontario is now accessible. That claim callously denies the reality that so many Ontarians with disabilities continue to face.

 

How You Can Help

 

  • Take a well-deserved break!
  • Have a restful, enjoyable and festive holiday with family and friends.
  • Don’t look for AODA Alliance Updates, Facebook posts and Twitter tweets. There won’t be any for a while.
  • Recharge your batteries. We have a busy 2025 waiting for us around the corner.
  • Be proud of how much we all accomplish when we join together to advocate for a barrier-free society.

 

Send the AODA Alliance Feedback on Our Draft Brief to the Customer Service Standards Development Committee on What Should Be Enacted to Tear Down Disability Barriers in Access to Goods, Services and Facilities in Ontario

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

Send the AODA Alliance Feedback on Our Draft Brief to the Customer Service Standards Development Committee on What Should Be Enacted to Tear Down Disability Barriers in Access to Goods, Services and Facilities in Ontario

 

December 19, 2024

 

SUMMARY

 

For the very last time in 2024, we’re seeking your feedback on a draft brief. We know this comes on the verge of the holidays, which is not the best time for this! Such is the life of volunteer advocacy for disability rights!

 

This new draft brief describes the measures we need the Ontario Government to enact to tear down the many disability barriers in getting customer Service. That includes barriers people with disabilities when they try to shop in stores, eat in restaurants, use public services or stay in a hotel, among many other examples.

 

On October 10, 2024, the Ford Government made public the Initial Report of the Government-appointed Customer Service Standards Development Committee. We all have up to January 9, 2025, to send our feedback to the committee. You can read the Initial Report of the Customer Service Standards Development Committee, which the Government publicly posted on October 10, 2024, and the survey of customer service disability barriers conducted by the Standards Development Committee.

 

The Government had appointed the Customer Service Standards Development Committee under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act to make recommendations on what mandatory accessibility standards should be enacted under the AODA to remove and prevent the many unfair accessibility barriers that people with disabilities still face in trying to get customer service in Ontario. A Customer Service Accessibility Standard has been on the books since 2007, but it is very weak. Here is a chance to get it strengthened.

 

Our draft brief gives our feedback to the Customer Service Standards Development Committee on its Initial Report. It lists our recommendations on things we would like that Committee to add to or change before it finalizes its Initial Report and submits it to the Ford Government. Our draft brief is 58 pages long. It has an appendix which lists our 60 recommendations. We set that appendix out below. You can read our full draft brief on the AODA Alliance website where we posted it.

 

We apologize for this, but we need your feedback by June 3, 2025. Our brief must be submitted to the Ontario Government by January 9, 2025.

 

Write us with your specific suggestions for our draft brief at aodafeedback@gmail.com

 

Please don’t mark up our draft brief. Just send us an email listing any suggestions you have. We aim to submit our finalized brief to the Government on January 9, 2025. We will make our finalized brief public.

 

If you would like us to email you this draft brief as an MS Word file, just write us and ask for it. Again, we can be emailed at aodafeedback@gmail.com

 

You can see all the AODA Alliance’s past briefs on a wide range of accessibility subjects on the AODA Alliance website’s briefs page. You can see all our efforts over the past decade and a half to fight for barrier-free customer service on the AODA Alliance website’s customer service page.

 

As is always the case, our brief is the result of volunteer effort, informed by input we’ve gathered over the years from a wide range of sources and thoughtful individuals who donate their time to help us out, at times asking not to be thanked publicly by name. We are indebted to them all for their help and their selfless dedication to our accessibility cause.

 

We are especially grateful to the ARCH Disability Law Centre with whom we’ve extensively collaborated over the past months on this issue, leading to key recommendations in this draft brief.

 

A meager 13 days remain until January 1, 2025, the AODA ‘s deadline for the Ontario Government to lead this province to become accessible to people with disabilities. Stay tuned for more news about that impending deadline.

 

MORE DETAILS

 

Appendix to the AODA Alliance’s Draft Brief to the Customer Service Standards Development Committee.

 

^** Appendix List of Recommendations in This Brief

 

#1 The proposed long-term objective of the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to read as follows:

 

“The Customer Service Accessibility Standard’s long term-objective is to ensure that people with disabilities can receive accessible, barrier free customer service in Ontario by 2025, or as soon after January 1, 2025 as can be achieved.”

 

#2 The Initial Report’s Recommendation 1 should be revised to delete the proposal that the word “equal” in the Customer Service Accessibility Standard’s policy provision be replaced with the more vague and diluted word “equitable.”

 

#3 The Initial Report’s Recommendation 3 should be strengthened to proposed amendments to the Customer Service Accessibility Standard to achieve the ‘Standards Development Committees goals.

 

#4 The Initial Report’s Recommendation 3 should be revised to require that obligated organizations with 20 to 50 employees have some requirement to establish and implement accessibility plans.

 

#5 The Initial Report Recommendation 4 should be revised to require that:

  1. a) For obligated organizations with over 50 employes, the feedback mechanism should be required to offer people with disabilities the option of giving their feedback by phone or in person directly to a human being.
  2. b) The obligated organization should be required to designate an employee to review the customer feedback and convey it to the CEO or other senior manager.
  3. c) The obligated organization should be required to take into account the customer feedback received when establishing or revising its Accessibility Plan.

 

#6 The Initial Report Recommendation 6 should not recommend devoting effort at federal-provincial-territorial collaboration in the context of procurement.

 

#7 Resources and time should not now be devoted to using artificial intelligence to address accessible procurement.

 

#8 If AI is to be considered for accessible procurement, sufficient measures should first be required to ensure that the AI is not itself creating new disability barriers by automating inequality.

 

#9 The test of “practicability” should be removed from any and all AODA accessibility standards and replaced with the legally mandatory standard of “undue hardship.”

 

#10 The Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation procurement requirements should be amended to require that public money is never used to create or exacerbate disability barriers.

 

#11 The Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation should be amended to require the Ontario Government to establish and widely publicize an avenue for the public to report to the Government on situations where public money is used to create, perpetuate or exacerbate disability accessibility barriers e.g. through the procurement process.

 

#12 The Provincial Auditor should be required to audit the Government to ensure compliance with requirements on ensuring that public money is not used to create, perpetuate or exacerbate disability accessibility barriers e.g. in the procurement process.

 

#14 the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation’s electronic kiosk provisions should be revised to set out mandatory accessibility outcomes that the accessibility features must achieve.

The Initial Report emphasizes in this context:

 

“the importance of alignment with any future federal accessibility requirements, given the impact these would have on federally regulated sectors such as banking or airlines”

 

#15 The Initial Report’s electronic kiosks’ recommendations should not require or consider any form of harmonization with present or future federal regulatory requirements.

 

#16 The Initial Report’s Recommendation 8 should cover all standards needed for electronic kiosks and should not defer any of this to the Design of Public Spaces Standards Development Committee.

 

#17 The Standards Development Committee should present detailed accessibility requirements to enhance those now in the Integrated Accessibility Standard Regulation regarding point-of-sale devices.

 

#18 The Initial Report’s Recommendation 9 should be revised to eliminate any call for Ontario service animal requirements to be aligned with federal requirements, or to provide training materials that might in any way suggest that duties to service animal users can be reduced by other provincial laws or municipal bylaws.

 

#19 The Initial Report should be revised to endorse the service animal recommendations in the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee’s final report.

 

#20 the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to remove Section 80.47(5), (6) and (7) which authorizes an obligated organization to require a customer with disabilities to be accompanied by a support person as a condition of their being admitted to the premises of the obligated organization.

 

#21 The Initial Report’s Recommendation 11 should be revised to remove its proposal that the Customer Service Accessibility Standard be renamed.

 

#22 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to include in it a broad general requirement that obligated organizations that provide goods, services or facilities must provide accessible customer service to people with disabilities, and must identify, remove and prevent disability barriers to services, goods and facilities they provide or offer.

 

#23 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to include detailed specifics of recurring barriers that should be removed and prevented, and timelines gauged to whether the obligated organization is large or small.

 

#24 The Customer Service Standards Development Committee should consult the disability community and obligated sectors to identify recurring barriers to accessible customer service, and strategies for removing and preventing barriers.

 

#25 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to provide that the obligated organization must establish and publicize a process for a person with disabilities to seek accommodation in relations to any barriers in their goods, services or facilities.

 

#26 the classes of private sector organizations should be re-defined in the Standard to take into account not only the number of employees, but as well, the organization’s total assets and revenues, and in the case of a for-profit organization, its profit position in past five years.

 

#27 The Standard should be amended to provide that when calculating an organization’s number of employees for purposes of classifying that organization, the number of employees includes the number of employees in that organization as well as any related, jointly operated or co-managed organizations.

 

#28 The Standard should be amended to make it clear that owner-operated sole proprietorships that offer goods, services or facilities must comply with the Standard.

 

#29 The Standard should be amended to add to the definition of “obligated organization” the classification “very large organization,” defined as a private sector organization with over 200 employees and commensurately more assets and revenues. Timelines and requirements for very large private sector organizations should be incorporated wherever time lines are set, which are more prompt than those for smaller private sector organizations. With 50-200 employees.

 

#30 the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to provide that any organization that provides goods, services or facilities and that has at least 10 employees should:

  1. a) designate an employee with lead responsibility for ensuring accessible customer service, and
  2. b) make public the name and contact information for that employee, both on the organization’s website, if it has one, and through postings and audible announcements, where feasible, at the organization’s public establishments.
  3. c) If the obligated organization has other readily available ways of announcing this to the public, such as on a telephone interactive voice response system, it should be required to announce that position on that line.
  4. d) The obligated organization should be required to ensure that a customer service representative is specifically trained (beyond the standard accessible Customer Service training, given to all employees) in addressing a list of recurring communication supports. The Ontario Government could assist this by creating a free online training module to fulfil this need.

 

#31 the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to require an organization that provides goods, services or facilities to

 

  1. a) Undertake a review to identify any disability barriers in any goods, services or facilities that the organization provides, and any barriers in the way the organization makes them available to the public, and
  2. b) develop and implement a targeted action plan to remove those barriers, and to prevent new ones from being created, except where doing so is impossible without undue hardship to that organization, with the goal of achieving fully accessible customer service no later than 2025.

 

#32 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to require an organization’s senior management to review periodically, and at least once every six months, the feedback the organization received through its accessible customer service feedback mechanism.

 

#33 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to require

  1. a) any organization that must make a written accessible customer service policy, to post it in an accessible format on its website, if it has one.
  2. b) Each obligated organization that provides goods, services or facilities should post on their website and on their premises a commitment to provide accessible barrier-free customer service to people with disabilities.
  3. c) Any organization that must have a written accessible customer service policy to electronically file it with the Ontario Government, with the searchable accessible data base of those policies to be made accessible to the public.

 

#34 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to require that organizations that provide goods, services or facilities make readily available information in an accessible format to inform customers of the specific accessibility supports that are offered, e.g. by posting signs, making audible announcements (where the organization has a public address system or pipes music into their public spaces), by posting on their website and announcing over any automated customer service phone lines.

 

#35 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to prohibit any added fee or surcharge for customers with disabilities when they seek to order goods, or services e.g. due to ordering these over the phone, rather than on the web.

 

#36 the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to require organizations that provide goods, services or facilities to

 

  1. a) consider accessibility features when deciding which goods, service or facilities to provide, and
  2. b) make public and readily available on their website, if they have one, and through other accessible means, information on the accessibility features of any goods, services or facilities that they provide.

 

#37 The Customer Service Standards Development Committee should now consult with the disability community and obligated organizations on, and develop specific proposals for

  1. a) removing and preventing accessibility barriers to the public premises where organizations offer or provide goods, services or facilities, including barriers which are not now addressed by the Ontario Building Code or the Integrated Accessibility Standard Regulation.
  2. b) setting requirements for built environment accessibility when an obligated organization moves any part of its existing public facilities for offering or providing goods, services or facilities to a new location, in order to make accessibility a priority in choosing any new location.
  3. c) Specifying priorities for retrofitting in the case of old buildings with substantial barriers.

 

#38 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to require an obligated organization with a small number of steps at the front door, where feasible, to install a moveable ramp to provide level access to the front door.

 

#39 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to set minimum retrofit requirements for accessible means to open and close the front door of an obligated organization.

 

#40 If the building has not yet been retrofitted, businesses and service providers should be required to post a phone number in the window at virtually no-cost so that customers with disabilities that prevent them from opening the door can contact someone inside.

 

#41 Obligated organizations should be required to remove movable physical obstacles from main paths of travel within an obligated organizations Customer Service areas, and on any outdoor public path of travel leading to the entrance. For example, where signage can be situated in a place where customers with vision loss or other disabilities won’t collide with it, this should be preferred over placing it in the middle of main traffic halls or aisles.

 

#42 Head-level obstructions should be prohibited, especially where the obstacle cannot be safely detected by the use of a white cane.

 

#43 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to designate required widths of aisles and heights of shelves for display of products for sale. These can be varied depending on whether the obligated organization is a large chain store, or a medium-size establishment, or a small local store.

 

#44 An obligated organization which, despite these efforts, cannot assure full physical accessibility of its public areas should be required by the Customer Service Accessibility Standard to create and publicize alternative ways for people with disabilities to access their goods, services, or facilities. This could include a phone number to call for curb-side shopping, offers for a store employee to help a person shop from home using Skype etc.

 

#45 the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to provide in connection with organizations that provide goods, services or facilities:

  1. a) accessibility requirements for the font, letter size and colour contrast of new signage, and for the retrofit of existing signage on their premises;
  2. b) accessibility requirements for the placement of signage in a public establishment such as a store or public office, to ensure that it is not a barrier or hazard for people with mobility disabilities, vision loss or other disabilities;
  3. c) accessibility requirements to provide ready access to the same information as is contained on public signage for customers with disabilities who cannot read the signage.

 

#46 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to require that public establishments that provide goods, services or facilities to the public implement visual fire alarm systems.

 

#47 the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to require obligated organizations that do not have accessible washrooms to find out where the nearest available ones are, and to let customers with disabilities know where to find them.

 

#48 the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to require the readily achievable measure of ensuring public washroom signage is accessible.

 

#49 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should require obligated organizations to notify customers with disabilities where the nearest available accessible parking may be found.

 

#50 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to require organizations that provide goods, services or facilities in an establishment that is open to the public, to ensure that snow is cleared on accessible routes to and from the establishment on the property they own, rent or otherwise control.

 

#51 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to require posting of no-scent policies.

 

#52 the Initial Report should be revised to recommend the repeal the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation’s complete exemption of all product labels from any accessibility requirements.

 

#53 the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to require stores that sell prescription drugs to offer to provide accessible labels.

 

#54 Cash registers in stores should be required to display information in large font.

 

#55 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to require restaurants to offer menus in an accessible format, either a hard copy or accessible online copy.

 

#56 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to require provincially-regulated financial institutions to implement accessible statements and related services.

 

#57 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to require obligated organizations to have a policy that they will reduce the music volume or turn it off, when requested based on a disability-related accommodation need. This policy should be posted and periodically announced, where the obligated organization has regular spoken announcements or a telephone interactive voice response system. Where the obligated organization has a website, it should be posted there.

 

#58 The obligated organization should be required to include, in its accessible Customer Service training, a requirement to train Customer Service staff on this policy and on how to turn down the volume.

 

#59 the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to require large retail establishments to offer a free carry-out service for customers with disabilities who cannot carry their own purchases out of the store to a car.

 

#60 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to require hotels to post guest room numbers in Braille and large print.

Read the draft AODA Alliance Brief to the Customer Service Standards Development Committee on Its October 2022 Initial Report to the Ontario Minister of Accessibility

DRAFT ONLY

 

AODA Alliance Brief to the Customer Service Standards Development Committee on Its October 2022 Initial Report to the Ontario Minister of Accessibility

 

 

 

December 19, 2024

 

 

 

1. Part I Introduction

 

1. Overview

 

This is the AODA Alliance’s brief to the Customer Service Standards Development Committee. In 2007, the Ontario Government enacted the Customer Service Accessibility Standard under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). It sets accessibility requirements for some obligated organizations to address disability accessibility barriers in THE PROVISION OF GOODS, SERVICES AND/OR FACILITIES TO THE PUBLIC.

 

In 2007, the Ontario Government enacted the original Customer Service Accessibility Standard. The Government is mandated to enforce this regulation.  Within five years of the enactment of the Customer Service Accessibility Standard the Ontario Government was required to appoint a Standards Development Committee to review the sufficiency of that Standard, and to make recommendations on how to improve and strengthen it. In or around 2013, the Ontario Government appointed the Accessibility Standards Advisory Council (ASAC) to conduct the first five-year review of the Customer Service Accessibility Standard. We made detailed submissions to ASAC as part of its review. In 2016, the Ontario Government made some very minor revisions to the Customer Service Accessibility Standard in response to recommendations from ASAC. In 2016, the Customer Service Accessibility Standard was included as part of the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation.

 

 

By June 2021, the Ontario Government was required to again appoint a new Standards Development Committee to conduct a second five-year review of the sufficiency of the Customer Service Accessibility Standard, as revised in 2016. The Government did not appoint this new Standards Development Committee until some time in 2023, some two years after the statutory deadline.

 

The new Customer Service Standards Development Committee was required to develop a draft or initial report, setting out the recommendations it is to make to the Government for reform of the Customer Service Accessibility Standard. The Customer Service Standards Development Committee delivered its Initial Report to the Ontario Government in or around April 2024. Under the AODA, the Ontario Government was required to make that Initial Report public upon receiving it, so the public could give the Customer Service Standards Development Committee its feedback. In violation of the AODA, the Government did not make it public until October 2024, around a half year after it was received.

 

The public is entitled to give the Customer Service Standards Development Committee feedback on its Initial Report, including how the Initial Report could be improved, before it is finalized. This brief provides that feedback in written form. It draws on our extensive experience with the AODA, an endless stream of feedback over the years from our supporters about the barriers they face, and earlier briefs on this issue prepared by the AODA Alliance alone, or together with the ARCH Disability Law Centre.

 

Quite a number of the ideas in this brief emerge from close corroboration with the ARCH Disability Law Centre, for which we are deeply appreciative. We don’t footnote which passage or idea comes from whom. It’s a shared effort.

 

We thank the Customer Service Standards Development Committee for its work on preparing its Initial Report and for inviting public comment now on that report.

We welcomed the chance to meet virtually with the Customer Service Standards Development Committee at the start of this year. We now request a chance to again meet with the Standards Development Committee to discuss our recommendations in this brief.

 

2. Summary of this Brief

 

We agree with many of the Initial Report’s recommendations. There are a few with which we disagree. We offer ways that the Standards Development Committee’s specific recommendations can be fine-tuned to strengthen them.

 

However, even if all of the Initial Report’s recommendations were implemented customer service in Ontario would not thereby become accessible to people with disabilities at any time in the future. We therefore offer an additional series of recommendations to substantially strengthen the Customer Service Accessibility Standard, the weakest of all accessibility standards enacted to date under the AODA.

 

At the end of this brief is an appendix which lists of the AODA Alliance’s 66 Recommendations in this Brief.

 

3. Who is the AODA Alliance?

 

The AODA Alliance has extensive experience with the design, implementation and enforcement of accessibility legislation in Canada, including in the area of customer service. We were founded in 2005 shortly after the AODA was passed. We are a voluntary, non-partisan, grassroots coalition of individuals and community organizations. Our mission is:

 

“To contribute to the achievement of a barrier-free Ontario for all persons with disabilities, by promoting and supporting the timely, effective, and comprehensive implementation of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.”

 

To learn about us, visit the AODA Alliance website. Our coalition is the successor to the non-partisan grassroots Ontarians with Disabilities Act (ODA) Committee. The ODA Committee advocated for more than ten years, from 1994 to 2005, for the enactment of strong, effective disability accessibility legislation. Our coalition builds on the ODA Committee’s work. We draw our supporters from the ODA Committee’s broad grassroots base. To learn about the ODA Committee’s history, visit the ODA Committee’s legacy website.

 

Our volunteer non-partisan coalition has within it the fullest institutional memory about the AODA available in Ontario. Our extensive advocacy efforts over the past decade and a half to get a strong and effective accessibility standard enacted to address barriers in customer service are documented on the AODA Alliance website’s customer service page. We have been quoted many times in the media in this area.

 

 

**Part II Preliminary Reflections on the Initial Report of the Customer Service Accessibility Standard

 

Before we address the details in the Initial Report’s recommendations, we offer preliminary reflections on the Customer Service Standards Development Committees overall approach.

 

The Standards Development Committee identified very good analytical steps that it took into account in developing its recommendations. This seems like a stronger and more appropriate focus than any previous Standards Development Committee has described in their reports as their principled guides for conducting their reviews of existing accessibility standards. For example, some of the earlier Standards Development Committees erroneously decided to ask themselves if the existing accessibility standard that they were reviewing was working “as intended.” That was a far too low bar for them to use.

 

In very positive contrast, the Initial Report commendably states:

“The committee considered the evolution of the customer service landscape since the time of the first review, and the resulting issues and potential gaps that have emerged since that time. This was particularly relevant in regard to the rapidly changing environment surrounding service animals and ride sharing.

As it developed its recommendations, the committee discussed the range of disabilities and barriers that exist, while also considering the technical and fiscal impacts that implementation may have on various sectors. The committee also gave substantial thought to the existing legislative and regulatory frameworks. In particular, the committee considered the procedural duty to accommodate under Ontario’s Human Rights Code (the Code) in its deliberation of proposed recommendations for customer service. Beyond this, the committee recognized the need for clear guidance, support and education to support obligated organizations in understanding their requirements, under the AODA, the IASR, and the Code.

External legal experts and disability rights advocates delivered presentations and provided perspectives that helped the committee as it developed its recommendations.

The director of the AODA Compliance Assurance Branch from the Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility presented on data gathered by the ministry and provided examples of areas where more clarity was required to assist organizations in understanding standards requirements. Ministry staff also presented on broader accessibility data and best practices from a variety of jurisdictions. This helped the committee consider both the current state of accessibility challenges, as well as desired outcomes in the future.”

 

However, we have some concerns about the Standards Development Committees overall approach. We describe them here, and urge the Standards Development Committee to modify its approach to its task accordingly. This should be easy for the Standards Development Committee to do.

 

First, in the Initial Report’s covering letter, the Chair of the Customer Service Standards Development Committee wrote:

 

“Over the course of these discussions, members underscored the importance of changing attitudes through training and education.”

 

Decades of experience, including two decades under the AODA, have proven that “changing attitudes through training and education” is a strategy that has predominated efforts on advancing the goal of accessibility for people with disabilities. It has failed to bring Ontario anywhere near the goal of an accessible province, or to achieve accessible customer service. Educating providers of goods, services and facilities can be helpful. However, it cannot be expected to drive the change we need. This has been tried under the AODA with far too little success for two decades.

 

Second, the Initial Report’s covering letter said that among other things, the Standards Development Committee aimed at developing recommendations “that aligned with national and provincial legislation…” In the abstract, that can sound reasonable. However, it is vital that this not constrain the Standards Development Committees final recommendations.

 

Ontario’s accessibility standards are not required legally or constitutionally to align with federal legislation. If the Standards Development Committee wants obligated organizations to take a specific action, needed to achieve accessibility, Ontario has constitutional authority to require such action. Federal legislation cannot and should not reduce any such obligation below the level that the Standards Development Committee deems necessary.

 

Moreover, nothing in the AODA requires its accessibility standards to align with other provincial legislation. To the contrary, other legislation, such as the Ontario Building Code, have for too long undermined the goal of achieving accessibility for people with disabilities, by setting inadequate accessibility standards requirements for the built environment. For the Customer Service Accessibility Standard to “align with” the Ontario Building Code would hurt accessibility, not help it. The same can be said for the problematic Education Act in so far as protecting students with disabilities from disability barriers in school.

 

The AODA is meant to prevail over other legislation that provide for lesser accessibility. At several points in this brief, we point out where the Standards Development Committee sought to recommend this kind of alignment e.g. with federal requirements. Throughout, we ask that this be eliminated from the Standards Development Committee’s forthcoming final report.

 

Third, the covering letter stated:

“The committee reviewed all the sections under the customer service standards and general requirements, developing recommendations that aligned with national and provincial legislation, addressed duplication, increased clarity and proposed new requirements in areas that are not covered under the current regulation.

I believe that our report and recommendations, once finalized, will provide a pathway to help prevent barriers and make it easier for Ontarians with disabilities to access goods, services and facilities.”

 

The goal of the Customer Service Accessibility Standard is not merely to “make it easier to access services, goods and facilities. Its goal is to achieve the accessibility of services, goods and facilities.

 

Similarly, the Initial Report’s background section significantly understates the AODA’s goal. It states:

 

“sets out accessibility standards in key areas of daily life, including customer service, to help create a more accessible and inclusive Ontario.”

 

In fact, the AODA’s purpose is to achieve an accessible Ontario, not a “more accessible” Ontario. Utterly minimal and inadequate action would bake Ontario “more accessible” than it now is. Merely installing one ramp somewhere would achieve this goal. It is vital that the Standards Development Committee’s recommendations not in any way diminish the AODA’s core goals for which people with disabilities fought so long and hard.

 

Fourth, the background section of the Initial Report also incorrectly states:

 

“Under these standards, public, private and not-for-profit organizations with more than one employee in Ontario must provide accessible customer service to people with disabilities.”

 

We wish that that were the case. We regret that the Customer Service Accessibility Standard and the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation general provisions are so weak that they do not come close to such a requirement. We need these standards revised to state what the Standards Development Committee here thought the standard now requires. Our recommendations would achieve this.

 

** Part III Our Detailed Feedback on the Standards Development Committee’s Specific Recommendations

 

 

1. Long Term -Objectives of the Customer Service Accessibility Standard

 

We respectfully disagree with the Initial Report’s proposed long-term objective of the Customer Service Accessibility Standard. It is far too weak and limited. It will dramatically underserve people with disabilities.

 

It only aims to ensure that those who provide services, goods and facilities to people with disabilities “understand their obligations” to people with disabilities. The Standards Development Committee recommended that the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be as follows:

 

“The long-term objective of the customer service standards is that persons or organizations providing goods, services (including programs), and facilities understand their obligations to design and deliver barrier-free customer service that is accessible and equitable to persons with disabilities in the province of Ontario. The standards specify requirements for achieving the long-term objective.”

 

The standard’s objective must not confuse means with ends. To fulfil the AODA’s goal, the Customer Service Accessibility Standard must actually lead to people with disabilities receiving accessible customer service by 2025, or as soon after that date as can be achieved. An obligated organization might fully understand its obligations, thereby fulfilling the Standards Development Committee’s stated objective, but do absolutely nothing to remove or prevent barriers to accessible customer service. The state of knowledge of service providers may be a means to the end, but it is not the end in and of itself.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#1 The proposed long-term objective of the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to read as follows:

 

“The Customer Service Accessibility Standard’s long term-objective is to ensure that people with disabilities can receive accessible, barrier free customer service in Ontario by 2025, or as soon after January 1, 2025 as can be achieved.”

 

2. Recommendation 1: establishment of accessibility policies

 

We generally agree with the Initial Report’s Recommendation 1: establishment of accessibility policies, subject to additional matters that need to be addressed, below. However, we respectfully disagree with Recommendation 1 where it states:

 

“6. Update the language in the customer service standards from “equal” to “equitable” to reflect the different needs of people with disabilities.”

 

This well-intentioned recommendation appears to rest on the erroneous implicit premise that “equal” means treating everyone the same, while “equitable” means recognizing and accommodating situations where people with disabilities have different needs.

 

However, under the Ontario Human Rights Code, “equal treatment” does not mean automatically treating everyone the same. The Supreme Court of Canada has held for decades that identical treatment can itself be discriminatory, and equality can require people to be treated differently, including, of course, in the context of accommodating the needs of people with disabilities.

 

There is therefore no need for the Initial Report’s recommended change. Using the vague term “equitable” risks diluting the protection for customers with disabilities.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#2 The Initial Report’s Recommendation 1 should be revised to delete the proposal that the word “equal” in the Customer Service Accessibility Standard’s policy provision be replaced with the more vague and diluted word “equitable.”

 

3. Recommendation 2: accessible training

 

We agree with the contents of the Initial Report’s Recommendation 2: accessible training. However, it does not go far enough. It focuses on non-legislative measures.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#3 The Initial Report’s Recommendation 3 should be strengthened to proposed amendments to the Customer Service Accessibility Standard to achieve the ‘Standards Development Committees goals.

 

4. Recommendation 3: accessibility plans

 

We agree with the content of Recommendation 3: accessibility plans, with one exception.

 

Obligated organizations with 20 to 50 employees should be required to establish accessibility plans, albeit with more flexibility and fewer requirements than for organizations with over 50 employees. An organization with 45 employees is by no means akin to a small mom and pop operation. The accessibility planning requirement plays an important role in focusing an organization on what specifically it needs to do to remove and prevent disability barriers.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#4 The Initial Report’s Recommendation 3 should be revised to require that obligated organizations with 20 to 50 employees have some requirement to establish and implement accessibility plans.

 

5. Recommendation 4: feedback process required

 

We support the contents of the Initial Report’s Recommendation 4: feedback process required. Several additional recommendations are needed to make customer feedback on accessibility issues far more effective.

 

As the Customer Service Accessibility Standard now stands, no one need ever review the customer feedback. No one in authority need ever know what people with disabilities have told the organization. There is no assurance that people with disabilities will reach a human being when giving feedback. People with disabilities are far less likely to bother giving feedback when it is merely submitted on some faceless and impersonal web form, rather than speaking to an individual.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#5 The Initial Report Recommendation 4 should be revised to require that:

  1. a) For obligated organizations with over 50 employes, the feedback mechanism should be required to offer people with disabilities the option of giving their feedback by phone or in person directly to a human being.
  2. b) The obligated organization should be required to designate an employee to review the customer feedback and convey it to the CEO or other senior manager.
  3. c) The obligated organization should be required to take into account the customer feedback received when establishing or revising its Accessibility Plan.

 

6. Recommendation 5: format of documents

 

We support the Initial Report’s Recommendation 5: format of documents. We address this topic more later in this brief.

 

7. Recommendation 6: procuring or acquiring goods, services or facilities

 

We agree with the general thrust of the Initial Report’s Recommendation 6: procuring or acquiring goods, services or facilities, with these exceptions.

 

The Initial Report recommends:

 

“The Ontario government to monitor Accessibility Standards Canada (ASC) and the Accessible Procurement Resource Centre (APRC) projects underway to evaluate changes to procurement standards and leverage opportunities to inform procurement standards, emphasizing the importance of Federal-Provincial-Territorial collaboration.”

 

It is of course always helpful to learn from others’ practices in the area of accessibility. However, there is no need for “Federal-Provincial-Territorial collaboration” in the procurement context. Ontario buys the goods and services it needs, regardless of what the Federal Government procures.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#6 The Initial Report Recommendation 6 should not recommend devoting effort at federal-provincial-territorial collaboration in the context of procurement.

 

The Initial Report recommends:

 

“The Ontario government to study the utilization of artificial intelligence and its implications for accessibility standards.”

 

It seems that AI is now the fad or flavour of the month. Accessibility however requires a keen focus on individualized human experience, not computer-generated experience. AI risks automating inequality.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#7 Resources and time should not now be devoted to using artificial intelligence to address accessible procurement.

 

#8 If AI is to be considered for accessible procurement, sufficient measures should first be required to ensure that the AI is not itself creating new disability barriers by automating inequality.

 

The Initial Report also recommends:

 

“Define practicability similarly to section 14 (6) from the information and communications standards and make it clear how it works alongside undue hardship in Ontario’s Human Rights Code.”

 

We strongly object to any AODA accessibility standard including a “practicability” standard. It falls below the Ontario Human Rights Code mandatory and overarching undue hardship standard.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#9 The test of “practicability” should be removed from any and all AODA accessibility standards and replaced with the legally mandatory standard of “undue hardship.”

 

Right now, the Customer Service Accessibility Standard does not specifically lay down the overarching principle that public money should never be used to create or exacerbate barriers against people with disabilities. This should be a requirement of the procurement provisions.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#10 The Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation procurement requirements should be amended to require that public money is never used to create or exacerbate disability barriers.

 

#11 The Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation should be amended to require the Ontario Government to establish and widely publicize an avenue for the public to report to the Government on situations where public money is used to create, perpetuate or exacerbate disability accessibility barriers e.g. through the procurement process.

 

#12 The Provincial Auditor should be required to audit the Government to ensure compliance with requirements on ensuring that public money is not used to create, perpetuate or exacerbate disability accessibility barriers e.g. in the procurement process.

 

8. Recommendation 7: notice of temporary disruptions

 

We support the Initial Report’s Recommendation 7: notice of temporary disruptions

 

9. Recommendation 8: self-service kiosks

 

In general, we support the direction of the Initial Report’s Recommendation 8: self-service kiosks with the following important exceptions:

 

The Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation’s current requirements for electronic kiosks do not address retrofitting existing electronic kiosks which have accessibility problems. The technology for these electronic kiosks is evolving. They get upgraded periodically. A retrofit requirement should be built into this cycle.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#13 the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation’s electronic kiosk provisions should be revised to require retrofitting of electronic kiosks in their development cycle, and in any event, within five years, to remove and prevent disability barriers.

 

The current electronic kiosk requirements include no specifics on what should be included in an electronic kiosk. Specific technology should not be required, since that technology is evolving. However, the provision should the accessible usability outcomes that must be achieved e.g. that persons who cannot read print must have alternative ways to access print information presented by the electronic kiosk.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#14 the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation’s electronic kiosk provisions should be revised to set out mandatory accessibility outcomes that the accessibility features must achieve.

The Initial Report emphasizes in this context:

 

“the importance of alignment with any future federal accessibility requirements, given the impact these would have on federally regulated sectors such as banking or airlines”

 

We do not see any need to harmonize with federal accessibility requirements, present or future. This risks diluting Ontario’s requirements. We want to ensure that the highest level of accessibility prevails. Moreover, any such “harmonization” creates more work and delays, with no benefit to people with disabilities.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#15 The Initial Report’s electronic kiosks’ recommendations should not require or consider any form of harmonization with present or future federal regulatory requirements.

 

The Initial Report proposes to refer an issue surrounding electronic kiosks to the Design of Public Spaces Standards Development Committee, as follows:

 

“Refer issue to the Design of Public Spaces Standards Development Committee to consider the design and definition of kiosks beyond the issue of counter height, to include the physical environment of the kiosk (for example, gap pumps, ticket machines, room size, space for a wheelchair, etc.).”

 

We do not want this issue splintered, especially given the other work on the Design of Public Spaces Standards Development Committees plate and the need for that Standards Development Committee to substantially strengthen its Initial Report’s recommendations.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#16 The Initial Report’s Recommendation 8 should cover all standards needed for electronic kiosks and should not defer any of this to the Design of Public Spaces Standards Development Committee.

 

Increasingly, stores and service providers are implementing point-of-sale devices. These must be accessible for there to be truly accessible customer service. Too often, they are not.

 

Moreover, an obligated organization that deploys these needs to offer an easily-available alternative for those who, due to disability, cannot use them e.g. a human being at a check-out or service counter.

 

The 2011 Integrated Accessibility Standard Regulation provides for new electronic kiosks in part. Its provisions are too vague, weak and limited.

 

New point-of-sale devices are popping up in stores all the time. It is no burden to ensure that they are designed to be fully accessible to persons with disabilities. Such accessibility features typically make such devices easier for all to use, not just persons with disabilities.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#17 The Standards Development Committee should present detailed accessibility requirements to enhance those now in the Integrated Accessibility Standard Regulation regarding point-of-sale devices.

 

 

 

10. Recommendation 9: the use of service animals

 

We agree with the Initial Report’s Recommendation 9: the use of service animals with these exceptions.

 

The Initial Report recommends that training materials be developed to explain where service animals can be excluded on grounds such as other provincial laws or municipal bylaws. Yet the Ontario Human Rights Code and the ban on discrimination based on use of a service animal prevails over other Ontario laws and municipal bylaws. At the very least, AODA standards also prevail over municipal bylaws.

 

The Initial Report’s Recommendation 9 includes:

 

“7. Ensure alignment with federal government standards as they are released in order to reduce confusion and work towards a seamless experience across jurisdictions.”

 

This again risks diluting Ontario protections in the case of any possible weaker federal requirements. Ontarians with disabilities should not have to fight a rear-guard battle to protect their Ontario protections against weaker federal ones.

 

In recent years, the Federal Government considered a very retrograde recommendation regarding service animals. This required a major advocacy effort by people with disabilities to fend it off. We don’t need any more of that.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#18 The Initial Report’s Recommendation 9 should be revised to eliminate any call for Ontario service animal requirements to be aligned with federal requirements, or to provide training materials that might in any way suggest that duties to service animal users can be reduced by other provincial laws or municipal bylaws.

 

We commend the Customer Service Standards Development Committee for endorsing recommendations on service animals from the Health Care Standards Development Committee. However, we regret that the Customer Service Standards Development Committee said nothing about the detailed service animal recommendations from the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee. These should be endorsed and incorporated into the Customer Service Accessibility Standard.

 

It has been almost three years since the Government received the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee’s final report. Yet the Government has not enacted any of their recommendations. The K-12 Education Standards Development Committee’s final report included:

 

“Service animals (as per Accessibility for Ontarians With Disabilities Act, 2005 customer service standards) recommendation

 

Barrier: some school boards or schools do not let students with disabilities bring a sufficiently trained service animal to school as an accommodation to their disability, either because the school board or school does not allow for this or lacks a proper policy to allow for this.

 

Some students on the autism spectrum and their families in Ontario have reported having difficulties at some school boards with being allowed to bring a service animal to school and have even had to take action before the Human Rights Tribunal against a school board. Others have been able to succeed without barriers in bringing their service animal to school.

 

  1. We therefore recommend:

 

92.1 when a student with disabilities or their parent/caregiver request permission for the student to bring a trained service animal to school with them as an accommodation to their disability, the school board shall consider, decide upon that request, and give reasons for its decision, in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, with the duty to accommodate students with disabilities under the Ontario Human Rights Code, with the policy of the Ontario Human Rights Commission on the duty to accommodate persons with disabilities, available at http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/policy-ableism-and-discrimination-based-disability and the Commission’s Policy on accessible education for students with disabilities available at http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/policy-accessible-education-students-disabilities and with the following requirements set out in these accessibility standards. This includes requests regarding a trained service animal from an accredited training organization that provided training to the animal and to the student. Where the service animal was not trained by an accredited training organization, it is open to the student or their family to present to the school board satisfactory evidence that both the service animal and the student have received sufficient training.

 

92.2 the school board shall put in place a fair and speedy procedure for considering requests for a student to bring a service animal to school. This procedure should include the following:

  1. a) if the school board has any objection to or concerns about the request, the school board will immediately notify the student and family about the specific concerns, and shall work to resolve them, in a manner consistent with the Ontario Human Rights Code.
  2. b) if the school board does not believe that the service animal could assist the student at school, the school board should investigate the request, including how the student’ benefits from the service animal outside the school and in the home.
  3. c) if the school board has any concerns about the feasibility of allowing the student to bring the service animal to school, it shall investigate the experience of other school boards and schools which have successfully enabled a student to bring their service animal to school.
  4. d) if a concern is expressed that the service animal at school would interfere with the human rights of other students or staff, the school board shall take action to effectively accommodate their rights without sacrificing the human rights of the student using the service animal, in accordance with the policy of the Ontario Human Rights Commission on conflicting rights. For example, if an EA, assigned to work with the student, cannot work with the service animal for health or other human rights reasons, the school board shall facilitate the assignment of this responsibility to another staff member.
  5. e) a student shall not be refused the opportunity to bring a qualified service animal to school without the school board first allowing a trial or test period with the service animal at school.
  6. f) where it is proposed to allow a student with disabilities to bring a service animal to school, the school board shall work out with the student, their family, and the organization providing the service animal, a plan to promote the success of the accommodation, including such things as:
  7. Allowing the service animal’s training organization to provide training in the school to school staff, including emergency response with the service animal to ensure of their safety.
  8. allowing the training organization to provide an orientation to the student population at the school to the presence of the service animal.

iii.        providing information to other families to reinforce the inclusion of the service animal at school.

  1. g) if the school board does not agree to the service animal being allowed at school, or if there is a problem with implementing the school board’s plans to facilitate its inclusion, the school board shall make available a swift dispute resolution process, including independent mediation if needed, to resolve these issues.

 

92.3 the Ministry of Education shall obtain information from school boards on where service animals have been allowed in school, to make it easier for a school board to reach out to those schools to gather information, if needed.

 

92.4 nothing in these accessibility standards shall reduce or restrict the rights of a person with vision loss who is coming to a school bringing with them their guide dog, trained by an accredited school for training guide dogs.

Timeline: six months”

 

The K-12 Education Standards Development Committee reached a strong consensus on these recommendations after very extensive work. This included working closely with disability community representatives, teachers’ union and school board representatives on the Standards Development Committee, and a recognized service animal training organization.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#19 The Initial Report should be revised to endorse the service animal recommendations in the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee’s final report.

 

 

11. Recommendation 10: the use of support persons

 

We agree with the Initial Report‘s Recommendation 10: the use of support persons with important exceptions.

 

The Initial Report’s Recommendation 10 would improve the Customer Service Accessibility Standard by attempting to reduce the opportunity for obligated organizations to require a customer with disabilities to bring a support person with them. The Independent Review includes:

 

“5.          An organization may only require a person with a disability to be accompanied by a support person where it is determined that no other reasonable accommodation measures will allow the individual to access the goods, services or facilities provided by the organization. Where that is the case, the organization must pay the fees and wages for the support person to the point of undue hardship.

 

  1. The Ontario government should partner with the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) to produce plain language training materials on the procedural duty to accommodate the need for a support person under both the AODA and OHRC and include this as mandatory training under the IASR.”

 

However, the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should simply never purport to empower an obligated organization to require a person with disabilities to be accompanied by a support person. Section 80.47 5) of the standard authorizes some organizations to create new barriers to impede access to persons with disabilities. An AODA accessibility standard cannot itself create or authorize the creation of a disability barrier. Section 80.47 states in material part:

 

“(5) The provider may require a person with a disability to be accompanied by a support person when on the premises, but only if, after consulting with the person with a disability and considering the available evidence, the provider determines that,

(a)        a support person is necessary to protect the health or safety of the person with a disability or the health or safety of others on the premises; and

(b)       there is no other reasonable way to protect the health or safety of the person with a disability and the health or safety of others on the premises.

 

(6) If an amount is payable for a person’s admission to the premises or in connection with a person’s presence on the premises, the provider shall ensure that notice is given in advance about the amount, if any, payable in respect of the support person.

 

(7) If, under subsection (5), the provider requires a person with a disability to be accompanied by a support person when on the premises, the provider shall waive payment of the amount, if any, payable in respect of the support person’s admission to the premises or in connection with the support person’s presence on the premises.”

 

Under this provision, an organization can force a person with a disability in some situations to bring a support person with them. If the person with a disability doesn’t comply, the organization can refuse to admit the person with a disability.

 

The vague standard governing this is “only if a support person is necessary to protect the health or safety of the person with a disability.” There is a real and serious risk that an organization with an uninformed stereotype-induced perception of disabilities will wrongly conclude that some person with a disability poses a health and safety risk to themselves. This provision also doesn’t require the risk to health and safety to be serious or substantial or imminent, or preventable by reasonable means short of forcing the person with a disability to be accompanied by a support person.

 

This standard lets an organization create this barrier against persons with disabilities even if a person with a disability, with far superior understanding of their disability, knows he or she poses no such risk, or concludes that the risk is one they are prepared to bear. This violates the fundamental dignity of persons with disabilities to decide what risks they wish to undertake for themselves.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#20 the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to remove Section 80.47(5), (6) and (7) which authorizes an obligated organization to require a customer with disabilities to be accompanied by a support person as a condition of their being admitted to the premises of the obligated organization.

 

12. Recommendation 11: purpose, application and definitions;

 

We agree with Recommendation 11: purpose, application and definitions where it recommends that:

 

“2. The definition of a service animal should include emotional support animals and provide examples of different types of service animals.”

 

We do not know if there is standardized documentation available for emotional support animals. As such, we are cautious about the recommendation that:

 

“The requirement to carry documentation for service animals should also apply to emotional support animals.”

 

We disagree with the Initial Report where it recommends:

 

“The ‘customer service standards’ should be renamed ‘the design and delivery of accessible programs and services standards’ to align with language used by other jurisdictions, including federal.”

 

As stated earlier, there is no general benefit to harmonizing with federal legislation or regulations. Moreover, this new name will only cause confusion. Obligated organizations and people with disabilities have had 17 years to get used to the name Customer Service Accessibility Standard. The proposed new name is not any clearer, and will not help.

 

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#21 The Initial Report’s Recommendation 11 should be revised to remove its proposal that the Customer Service Accessibility Standard be renamed.

 

**Part IV Ontario Needs Substantially Stronger Revisions to the Customer Service Accessibility Standard Beyond Those in the Initial Report

 

In the Initial Report, the Customer Service Standards Development Committee systematically reviewed the 2007 Customer Service Accessibility Standard (as revised in 2016) on a clause-by-clause basis. As the foregoing discussion shows, we agree with much of what the Standards Development Committee has recommended in its Initial Report. A number of the Initial Report’s recommendations modestly improve the sections of the Customer Service Accessibility Standard they address. A good number of the recommendations focus on ironing out inconsistencies in the Customer Service Accessibility Standard and other provisions of the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation which were enacted after 2007, and which were not added requirements in somewhat different terms than those in the Customer Service Accessibility Standard.

 

However, even if the Government enacted all the revisions to the Customer Service Accessibility Standard that the Initial Report recommends, the Standard would not significantly improve things for customers with disabilities. Those revisions would not substantially strengthen the Customer Service Accessibility Standard. Far more substantial reforms are needed, if there is to be any hope that customer service will become accessible to Ontarians with disabilities.

 

The next part of this brief lists the additional revisions that the Standards Development Committee should add to its report to the Ontario Government before it finalizes that report. They are designed to fill the gap and substantially strengthen the Customer Service Accessibility Standard.

 

This is needed for these reasons. First, we know beyond doubt that Ontarians with disabilities continue to face a myriad of accessibility barriers when seeking customer service in Ontario. The AODA Alliance regularly receives complaints about this from our supporters. We regularly get such complaints even when we don’t actively solicit such information. Indeed, complete strangers to the AODA Alliance periodically reach out to us because of these barriers.

 

As well, the media has regularly reported on customer service disability barriers. Reporters regularly reach out to the AODA Alliance for comment on stories that individuals with disabilities have brought to them. We have posted samples of this reportage on the AODA Alliance website’s media page.

 

That such barriers persist are also recognized in successive Government-appointed AODA Independent Reviews. Those Independent Reviews are required to consult the public, including people with disabilities. The first AODA Independent Review, conducted by Charles Beer, could not address this, because the Customer Service Accessibility Standard had not yet gone into full effect when the Beer Report was rendered in early 2010.

 

A decade ago, the final report of the 2nd AODA Independent Review conducted by Mayo Moran found that serious barriers still face people with disabilities in accessing goods and services, nine years after the Customer Service Accessibility Standard was first enacted in 2007. Its findings remain relevant a decade later. That report stated:

 

“Access to Goods and Services

 

Many people with disabilities have confronted personal issues with access to goods and services, despite the Customer Service standards. For example, one person with a disability told of being talked down to in a threatening way by staff of a government program. A ServiceOntario office gave a customer with a white cane a piece of paper with a number on it and told him to watch the video screen. A shop in Windsor refused to admit two women in wheelchairs, and many businesses are still denying access to guide dogs. A store clerk refused to help a person with a disability fill out a form for a points card – an accommodation that would have cost nothing. All in all, businesses may be doing more paperwork and filing more forms under the Customer Service standard, said one participant, but little change is happening at the storefront level.

 

Travellers have the strong impression that Ontario is far behind the United States as far as accessibility goes.

 

Individuals with hearing loss often find they are expected to bring their own interpreter or facilitator, even when the service provider is responsible for two-way communication. People with speech and language disabilities not caused by hearing loss worry about the lack of awareness and availability of simple tools such as alphabet boards and communications assistants in hospitals. More generally, it is felt that police, health care professionals and social service workers, in their day-to-day interaction with the public, “don’t have a clue” about deafness and other disabilities and the impact on people’s lives.

 

Travellers have the strong impression that Ontario is far behind the United States as far as accessibility goes. One presenter, who is blind, explained that the biggest difference was in awareness – in the United States the welcome received when entering a business was always positive, as opposed to what was described as avoidance and marginalization found when using services in Ontario. Another speaker remarked that restaurant employees in the U.S. are used to reading menus to customers out loud instead of suggesting they order one of the specials. One participant said that if you try renting a cottage, bed and breakfast or room in Ontario’s main tourist areas with a service animal, you are probably out of luck.

The Review also heard that although the Customer Service standard requires organizations to make information about their customer service feedback process readily available, many are not doing so effectively. The result is that few people know that there is an avenue that could help to correct problems and organizations do not receive the feedback that could enable them to remedy problems and improve their customer experience. Moreover, some participants suggested that people may be reluctant to use feedback mechanisms for fear of being seen as troublemakers.”

 

The Moran Report also found:

 

“Customer Service

 

Some disability stakeholders feel the Customer Service Standard is not specific enough to be effective. It explicitly addresses only a few named barriers, like those concerning service animals and support persons. Otherwise accessibility largely depends on the hard-to-enforce criterion of “reasonable efforts” to follow such principles such as dignity, integration and equal opportunity.

Concerns were expressed that the ASAC proposal – during the standard review – to require that a service animal be trained to assist a person with a disability would exclude emotional support animals, which may have no training or certification. It was pointed out that this would be detrimental to those with mental health issues and also inconsistent with the Human Rights Code.

 

The Review also heard that the existing standard creates a new barrier by allowing service providers to require a customer with a disability to bring a support person where the health and safety of the person with a disability or others is at risk. As well, there were calls to remove provisions that allow support persons to be charged a fee. Transit operators, for example, contended that support persons should have free access to any service that requires an admission charge, not just transit. With the decline of full-service gas stations, the Review also heard that drivers with disabilities are finding it hard to get gas. A presenter in Toronto proposed a system known as “fuel call” in which a gas station posts a wheelchair symbol on its signs when an attendant is available, and the attendant responds when a button near the pump is pushed.”

 

In 2019, the third AODA Independent Review conducted by former Lieutenant Governor David Onley, reported that progress on accessibility in Ontario had been “glacial” with improvements being “barely detectable.” It found that Ontario remains a province full of “soul-crushing barriers” and that the goal of an accessible province was hardly in sight.

 

The Onley Report made detailed assessments regarding the fact that customer service barriers are common, even as late as 2019. It found:

 

“Customer Service Barriers

 

Though the Customer Service standard was the first on the books, barriers facing consumers with disabilities remain commonplace. Many restaurants, stores and other facilities often dismiss requests for accommodation, the Review was told by a MAAC from a small community and by many others. In particular, technology available today can address virtually every situation where people with hearing impairments may need assistance, so there is no excuse for barriers. In the hospitality sector, a senior with a disability who travels a lot finds hotel beds 30 inches above floor hard to get into from a wheelchair, yet these rooms are often described as accessible. And participants observed that very few self-check-out machines are accessible to someone using a wheelchair.

 

One stakeholder called on the government to launch the next review of the Customer Service standards now, since they are still weak despite revision in 2016. A proposed change concerns the provision – which goes back to the original standard – allowing service providers to require a customer with a disability to bring a support person where the health and safety of the person with a disability or others is at risk. This clause was viewed as a new barrier that should be eliminated. Other suggested revisions to the current standard include such low-cost measures as:

­ Designating an employee to ensure accessible customer service is provided, and that complaints about accessibility are heard and resolved.

­ Communicating by diverse and adaptable methods.

­ Posting signage about scent-free policies.

­ Ensuring accessibility of cash registers or tills with price displays.

­ Providing accessible restaurant menus.

 

There were also calls to broaden the scope of the Customer Service standards so fewer small organizations are exempt from some requirements. For example, it was noted that under the current standard, businesses and non-profits with at least 20 but fewer than 50 employees are no longer obliged to document their accessible customer service policies and make them public.

 

The demise of full-service gas stations has created new barriers. A woman explained that her husband, who is paraplegic, has been independent in his car for decades. She talked to a self-service gas station to inquire about who would pump his gas. No employee was assigned this task but the owner said he was sure someone else buying gas would help. Where is the customer service in this, she wonders?

 

Training

 

Training on Customer Service and other AODA requirements was widely viewed as “underwhelming” and should be revamped with input from persons with disabilities. The current lessons were said to consist largely of common sense advice like don’t leave a person sitting in a wheelchair behind a closed door. The Review heard that training adds up to only four hours and can be taken through an online link in 15-minute increments during the lunch break – and no one checks if you pass.

 

Training on Customer Service and other AODA requirements was

widely viewed as “underwhelming”.

 

The consultations offered various ideas for improvement. Some suggested that training should be tailored to the sector rather than one size fits all, while others felt that specific training should be provided for specific jobs. It was observed that the training is often not internalized and should be repeated at least every two years. Large organizations should treat AODA training like mandatory safety training with certified trainers and a detailed list of required content. Training should address the types of accommodation generally required by people with disabilities, such as how to interact with them and how to assist with filling out forms. Training materials should be culturally sensitive and work with perspectives on disability from diverse backgrounds. To address attitudinal barriers, the content should include information about under-representation of people with disabilities and the barriers they experience.

 

As well, more e-training modules on customer service would be helpful and the government should provide more visual tools to businesses, especially smaller ones, so employees get a strong idea of why we are doing this. A further idea was to create a formal training validation system. People with disabilities could be employed to evaluate the effectiveness of the training provided, and establishments could post a placard or sticker confirming satisfactory results.

 

In addition, a MAAC from a small community suggested that the requirement to train volunteers should not apply to those volunteering for just a single day.

 

Service Animals

 

Some of the most contentious issues brought to the Review involved service animals. It was reported that many people with service animals are having trouble entering businesses and other public venues – in direct violation of the Customer Service standards. For example, a retired combat veteran and paramedic, who has been diagnosed with PTSD, was denied entry to a café patio with his dog that has had years of training. Other individuals complained of taxi drivers refusing service animals for fear saliva could get on them.

 

Some participants observed that the introduction of emotional support animals, which are considered service animals based on a health care professional’s note, have led to an epidemic of untrained “fake” service animals that are out of control. This gives all service animals a bad name, makes business owners wonder about their responsibilities and leads some to exclude all service animals.

 

The Review heard calls to change the law so that all service animals must be trained to assist their handler to perform tasks that mitigate disability without being disruptive in a public environment. Training could be provided by the handler, but all animals should have to be tested and certified by a third party. A doctor’s note should not be treated as proof of service animal status, but rather as a recommendation to seek formal obedience training for the animal.

 

Another proposed revision to the standards was to add conditions under which a business can exclude a misbehaving service animal – for example, if the animal is aggressive or disruptive or not housebroken. It was also suggested that animals in the process of training should be allowed to enter the same premises as service animals can, subject to the same behavioural restrictions.

 

The Review heard calls to change the law so that all service animals must be trained.

 

Verification requirements also sparked debate, with some stakeholders contending that a person with a disability should not be obliged to use an identifying piece of service animal equipment or carry a formal health letter. If it is not obvious that the animal is a service animal, the business should be allowed to ask and should accept credible verbal assurances.

 

Not everyone agreed, however. One individual said he believes a doctor’s note requirement is better than certification, which creates financial and distance barriers. He would also prefer to require a doctor’s note even if the animal is clearly marked because vests, harnesses and patches are easy to come by. A community group felt that service animal handlers should be required to carry proper identification from either an accredited training school or from government.

 

A woman with a mental health disability explained that she handles a service rabbit that is trained to do pressure therapy and retrieve her medication. She felt it would be a shame if service animals were restricted to dogs as seems to be happening in other provinces.

 

The presence of service animals in schools was another issue that arose. The Review was advised that each school board now decides on its own whether to permit service animals in the classroom. Autism assistive dogs are reportedly being refused despite the benefits of calming children, helping them focus and keeping them safe. Boards apparently fear the dog will distract other children and it will fall to the teacher to look after the animal.”

 

In 2023, the fourth AODA Independent Review, conducted by Rich Donovan echoed the Onley Report’s findings. The Donovan went further. It declared that Ontario is in an “accessibility crisis.”

 

The four AODA Independent Reviews each called for renewed, re-reinvigorated Government leadership on accessibility. The most recent three AODA Independent Reviews specifically called for strong new leadership by Ontario’s Premier. No premier announced or showed such new leadership. No Government announced or showed reinvigorated leadership on the AODA.

 

Third, the AODA Alliance has documented and the three most recent AODA Independent Reviews have themselves found that AODA enforcement is at best, minimal and paltry. Obligated organizations need not fear practical adverse consequences under the AODA if they do not provide accessible customer service. Similarly, in recent years, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario has become slower and more ineffective at addressing any discriminatory claims. It can take five years or more to get to a hearing, if at all, under the Ontario Human Rights Code.

 

Fourth, the Customer Service Accessibility Standard 2007 is extremely weak. Under it, even as minimally revised in 2016, customer service in Ontario need never become accessible to people with disabilities. We have pointed this out publicly to the Government since shortly after that regulation was enacted in 2007, and many times since then.

 

Among its many deficiencies are the following:

 

  • The Customer Service Accessibility Standard does not require obligated organizations to actually provide accessible and barrier-free customer service. It requires obligated organizations to have an accessible customer service policy, and mandates vague principles that the obligated organization must use reasonable efforts to reflect or embed in its policy. Standing alone, this and the corollary provisions in this brief accessibility standard don’t require a single disability barrier to ever be removed in connection with the provision of goods, services or facilities.

 

  • The Customer Service Accessibility Standard does not include a list of disability barriers to be removed and prevented. It mentions a short list of barriers, such as in relation to regarding service animals, support persons, and service interruptions. Beyond that, it leaves each obligated organization to reinvent the accessibility wheel, trying to figure out what even constitutes a customer service barrier.

 

  • As noted earlier, while it does little to remove or prevent barriers, it purports to authorize an obligated organization to create new barriers by allowing them to insist that people with disabilities bring a support person with them if they are to be admitted to the premises. An AODA accessibility standard cannot create or authorize disability barriers.

 

  • Because it is so weak and vague, it is hard to effectively enforce this Standard, should the Government start to seriously enforce it. It will be hard to show that an accessibility policy does not include reasonable efforts to use the principles listed in the accessibility standard except in the most extreme cases.

 

Finally, and most pointedly, these disability barriers in customer service violate the Ontario Human Rights Code. Section 1 of the Ontario Human Rights Code makes it illegal to discriminate against people with disabilities in access to goods, service and facilities. The Code imposes a strong duty to accommodate the needs of people with disabilities in relation to goods, services and facilities. An obligated organization can only justify a failure to accommodate if it can prove through convincing evidence that it was impossible to do any more for the customer with disabilities to accommodate their disability, without the obligated organization suffering undue hardship. The obligated organization bears the burden of proof to show undue hardship. Where an effective accommodation is not initially found, the obligated organization has a duty to investigate alternative solutions (the procedural duty to accommodate). To learn more on the duty to accommodate people with disabilities, check out this video: https://youtu.be/y32XvjWmDAQ

 

The AODA was enacted to ensure that the rights of people with disabilities under the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms were honoured, without their having to battle these barriers through individual human rights complaints, one barrier at a time and one obligated organization at a time. It was also meant to make it much easier for obligated organizations, so that they each did not have to reinvent the disability accessibility wheel. On both of these scores, the Customer Service Accessibility Standard is an abject failure, even if it were amended in all of the ways that the Initial Report urges.

 

** Part V Additional Recommendations We Urge the Customer Service Standards Development Committee to Include in Its Final Report

 

1. Set a General Requirement to Provide Accessible Customer Service and Include Extensive Non-Exhaustive List of Specific Barriers and Requirements Regarding Them

 

The Customer Service Accessibility Standard needs provisions which let obligated organizations what to do to tear down and prevent customer service barriers.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#22 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to include in it a broad general requirement that obligated organizations that provide goods, services or facilities must provide accessible customer service to people with disabilities, and must identify, remove and prevent disability barriers to services, goods and facilities they provide or offer.

 

#23 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to include detailed specifics of recurring barriers that should be removed and prevented, and timelines gauged to whether the obligated organization is large or small.

 

The Customer Service Standards Development Committee should now consult the disability community and the obligated sectors to learn what barriers to accessible customer service continue to recur.  It should also consult the disability community and the obligated sectors on suggestions for strategies to fix these barriers and to prevent new ones from being created in the future.

 

At a meeting with the Customer Service Standards Development Committee earlier this year, we had recommended that the Standards Development Committee conduct a survey of the public on these issues as part of its development of its Initial Report. We understand that it did not do so. This work is still needed, and should be undertaken now to inform the Standards Development Committee’s addressing these recommendations.

 

The Standards Development Committee can also find good illustrations of these kinds of specifics in the information and communication and transportation and public spaces portions of the Integrated Accessibility Standard Regulation. Although those accessibility standards also have some serious deficiencies, they stand in sharp contrast to the lack of such in the Customer Service Accessibility Standard, and in the Customer Service Standards Development Committee’s initial proposed revisions to the Customer Service Accessibility Standard. We provide some examples in the following pages of this brief. However, our list is not meant to be comprehensive.

 

We would be happy to assist the Customer Service Standards Development Committee in conducting a process of gathering information on this from the disability community, using our network. However, the Customer Service Standards Development Committee can be greatly helped by the Ontario Government’s far greater resources, as well as by directly canvassing the public, including all Municipal Accessibility Advisory Committees across Ontario. The Customer Service Standards Development Committee should, within the next four months, convene a focused meeting of stakeholders to crystalize proposals after that information has been gathered.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#24 The Customer Service Standards Development Committee should consult the disability community and obligated sectors to identify recurring barriers to accessible customer service, and strategies for removing and preventing barriers.

 

2. Create Process for Requesting Disability Accommodation

 

In addition to requiring the removal and prevention of recurring disability barriers, the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should also require obligated organizations to put in place and publicize to its customers a swift, easy-to-use and effective process for customers to seek individual accommodations. This is especially necessary for barriers that are not recurring.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#25 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to provide that the obligated organization must establish and publicize a process for a person with disabilities to seek accommodation in relations to any barriers in their goods, services or facilities.

 

3. Redefine Classes of Organizations under the Standard

 

There is a need to redefine the classes of organizations in the Standard.

 

We propose that classes of organizations should not be defined simply by numbers of an organization’s employees. We have always agreed that small business should be subject to a different set of requirements, and should get more time for taking action under an AODA accessibility standard. There should not be a “one size fits all” approach to any standard under the AODA.

 

For purposes of this accessibility standard, the number of employees, standing alone, is not the sole way to effectively find out if the business is small or large. A business might have only a few employees, but may be a franchisee of a huge, well-resourced chain, with ample information and communication infrastructure and supports available. A business with only a few employees may have substantial assets, substantial revenues, and substantial profits. It may have a larger number of workers with whom it has contracted as independent contractors, rather than as employees. It may only have a small staff, but a huge presence on the web.

 

It would be better to use a definition of small or large organization which takes into account these variables, but which is also clear and easy to follow. For an AODA standard, an obligated organization should be able to now at a glance whether it falls within the small business category.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#26 the classes of private sector organizations should be re-defined in the Standard to take into account not only the number of employees, but as well, the organization’s total assets and revenues, and in the case of a for-profit organization, its profit position in past five years.

 

An added class of private sector organizations should be created, with greater accessibility requirements. This should include very large private sector organizations, those with over 200 employees and commensurately more assets and revenues.

 

#27 The Standard should be amended to provide that when calculating an organization’s number of employees for purposes of classifying that organization, the number of employees includes the number of employees in that organization as well as any related, jointly operated or co-managed organizations.

 

#28 The Standard should be amended to make it clear that owner-operated sole proprietorships that offer goods, services or facilities must comply with the Standard.

 

When it comes to delivering accessibility of their workplaces, and of their goods, services and facilities, very large private sector organizations like IBM, Canadian Tire and the like, are not the same as a very modest organization with over 50 employees, such as a law firm with 20 lawyers and 30 support staff. To hold very large organizations to the longer time lines that might be justified for an organization of 50-199 employees would unjustifiably slow down efforts at accessibility of the very large organizations.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#29 The Standard should be amended to add to the definition of “obligated organization” the classification “very large organization,” defined as a private sector organization with over 200 employees and commensurately more assets and revenues. Timelines and requirements for very large private sector organizations should be incorporated wherever time lines are set, which are more prompt than those for smaller private sector organizations. With 50-200 employees.

 

4. Provide One-Stop Staff Person to Be Available When Needed for Customer Service Accommodation and Accessibility Support

 

A very efficient and helpful way to increase an organization’s ability to ensure accessible customer service is to designate one person from among its existing staff with lead responsibility for accessible customer service. That person can be the “go to” person when other staff have questions about accessible customer service. As well, if customers with disabilities need help that cannot be quickly provided, that person can be the “go to” person for customers with disabilities as well.

 

The Ministry of the Attorney General has commendably provided such a person in each court facility around Ontario for well over a decade. It has improved service for people with disabilities.

 

The designated customer service representative should be mandated to assist customers with disabilities, ensure compliance with customer service standards, and resolve customer service complaints. This “one-stop-shopping” approach helps organizations ensure accessible Customer Service while helping customers with disabilities know whom to approach. This practice is mandated under the Americans with Disabilities Act (s. 35.107).

 

If an obligated organization has a website, it should be required to clearly identify that there is an accessible Customer Service representative in their organization, and how to contact them. Contact information should include a variety of communication methods including both phone and email, in order to accommodate different communication disabilities.

 

If the obligated organization has other readily available ways of announcing this to the public, such as on a telephone interactive voice response system, it should be required to announce that position on that line. Finally, any recorded messages including phone numbers should be repeated more than once, slowly, in plain language.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#30 the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to provide that any organization that provides goods, services or facilities and that has at least 10 employees should:

 

  1. a) designate an employee with lead responsibility for ensuring accessible customer service, and

 

  1. b) make public the name and contact information for that employee, both on the organization’s website, if it has one, and through postings and audible announcements, where feasible, at the organization’s public establishments.

 

  1. c) If the obligated organization has other readily available ways of announcing this to the public, such as on a telephone interactive voice response system, it should be required to announce that position on that line.

 

  1. d) The obligated organization should be required to ensure that a customer service representative is specifically trained (beyond the standard accessible Customer Service training, given to all employees) in addressing a list of recurring communication supports. The Ontario Government could assist this by creating a free online training module to fulfil this need.

 

5. Require Obligated Organizations to Review their Goods, Services and Facilities for Barriers

 

The Customer Service Accessibility Standard does not require an obligated organization to systematically review its goods, services and facilities for accessibility barriers. Such activity may be a by-product of the Standard’s activities, by coincidence or good fortune, for some organizations. However, this has not been made a specific and universal requirement.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#31 the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to require an organization that provides goods, services or facilities to

 

  1. a) Undertake a review to identify any disability barriers in any goods, services or facilities that the organization provides, and any barriers in the way the organization makes them available to the public, and:

 

  1. b) develop and implement a targeted action plan to remove those barriers, and to prevent new ones from being created, except where doing so is impossible without undue hardship to that organization, with the goal of achieving fully accessible customer service no later than 2025.

 

6. Require Organization’s Senior Management to Periodically Review Feedback Received on Accessible Customer Service

 

As noted earlier, the Standard does not now require an organization’s senior management to ever review the feedback that the organization receives on its accessible customer service through the feedback mechanism that the Standard requires the organization to establish. Giving feedback is pointless if there is no assurance that it will be reviewed, taken seriously and used.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#32 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to require an organization’s senior management to review periodically, and at least once every six months, the feedback the organization received through its accessible customer service feedback mechanism.

 

7. Require Organizations to File with the Government Their Service Accessibility Policies

 

Under the current Customer Service Accessibility Standard, an organization that provides goods, services or facilities must develop an accessible customer service policy. However, they don’t have to file that policy with the Government.

 

Some organizations have commendably taken the positive step of posting their customer service accessibility policy on their website. This should be mandatory. It costs nothing and helps spread the word. It also helps encourage an organization to ensure that they have a good policy, worthy of public display.

 

It is easy to set up a system for organizations to electronically file their customer service accessibility policy with the Government. When an organization knows its policy is to be filed with the Government, it has a greater incentive to ensure that the policy is a good one that fully complies with the law.

 

It would make it easier for the Government to enforce the Standard if these are required to be filed. The Government will have them immediately on hand.

 

Moreover, the government easily could and should make this data base publicly accessible. These are public documents. This would enable the public, including the disability community, to be able to easily review these policies. It would help monitor how effective the AODA is at achieving full accessibility by 2025.

 

There is no downside to any of these steps. Such measures are especially important given the demonstrated rampant violations of the Customer Service Accessibility Standard known to have taken place by private sector organizations with at least 20 employees.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#33 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to require

 

  1. a) any organization that must make a written accessible customer service policy, to post it in an accessible format on its website, if it has one.

 

  1. b) Each obligated organization that provides goods, services or facilities should post on their website and on their premises a commitment to provide accessible barrier-free customer service to people with disabilities.

 

  1. c) Any organization that must have a written accessible customer service policy to electronically file it with the Ontario Government, with the searchable accessible data base of those policies to be made accessible to the public.

 

8. Require Obligated Organizations to Regularly Publicize for Customers the Availability of Accessibility Supports and Opportunities for Giving Feedback to the Organization

 

Many customers won’t know that there are accessibility supports or assistance available in an organization. Yet if one visits at least one particular drug store chain in the U.S. one can hear periodic announcements that if a customer needs their prescription instructions printed in large print, just ask the pharmacist. One U.S. bank branch in Buffalo New York had a sign in its open customer service space, announcing which counter to approach if a customer needs disability-related assistance. Such actions are extremely inexpensive. They can easily reach customers when they need the information most.

 

It is not sufficient to simply have a general accessible customer service policy available on request. Many if most won’t know to ask for this. Moreover, the policy may speak in very general terms, and not specifically list the accessibility supports that can be requested.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#34 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to require that organizations that provide goods, services or facilities make readily available information in an accessible format to inform customers of the specific accessibility supports that are offered, e.g. by posting signs, making audible announcements (where the organization has a public address system or pipes music into their public spaces), by posting on their website and announcing over any automated customer service phone lines.

 

9. Prohibit any Surcharge for Accessible Customer Service

 

Some organizations charge an added fee if their services are ordered over a call-in line, rather than on their website. Some persons with disabilities need to place their order by phoning the organization, e.g. due to accessibility issues with their website, or because they don’t have an accessible way to use a computer. For them, this surcharge amounts to an unfair disability accessibility surcharge.

 

The Integrated Accessibility Standard Regulation commendably prohibits a higher public transit fare for para-transit than for conventional transit. It also bans taxis from charging higher fares to passengers with disabilities. That principle should apply equally to all forms of customer service.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#35 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to prohibit any added fee or surcharge for customers with disabilities when they seek to order goods, or services e.g. due to ordering these over the phone, rather than on the web.

 

10. Work Toward Providing Goods, Services and Facilities that Are Disability-Accessible

 

As stated earlier, Section 1 of the Ontario Human Rights Code requires that goods, services and facilities themselves be accessible to persons with disabilities. It is important for an organization that provides goods, services or facilities to try to ensure that they are accessible. Often, stores do not create or manufacture the goods they sell. However, there are steps a store or other organization can take to try to ensure the accessibility of their goods, services or facilities.

 

For example, they can take accessibility into account, when selecting what goods, services or facilities to provide, and try to select ones which have accessibility features, or which incorporate principles of universal design. They can also let customers know what accessibility features are available. These steps are good for the bottom line, as well as for persons with disabilities.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#36 the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to require organizations that provide goods, services or facilities to

 

  1. a) consider accessibility features when deciding which goods, service or facilities to provide, and

 

  1. b) make public and readily available on their website, if they have one, and through other accessible means, information on the accessibility features of any goods, services or facilities that they provide.

 

11. Revise the Standard to Effectively Address Accessibility Barriers in the Built Environment that Impede Accessible Customer Service

 

Physical accessibility is an indispensable part of accessible Customer Service. If customers with disabilities cannot get into the facility where goods and services are provided to the public, they are placed in a very disadvantageous position due to their disability.

 

Organizations that provide goods, services or facilities in Ontario too often have physical barriers that impede access by people with disabilities. These can include, for example, steps to get into the premises, steps within the establishment’s public areas, aisles of product displays that are too narrow, products on shelves that are too high, and the lack of accessibility in other important public amenities.

 

Sufficient accessible public washrooms in public venues associated with the provision of goods, services and facilities are fundamentally important to everyone. They are especially important to anyone who, due to disability, illness, aging, medication side-effects or other cause, must frequently use the facilities.

 

The AODA requires full accessibility by 2025, including full accessibility of the built environment. To date, the Government has only enacted very limited measures to address barriers in the built environment. Those include amendments to the Ontario Building Code (which are not the promised Built Environment Accessibility Standard enacted under the AODA) to address accessibility in new construction and major renovations. Those also include the weak and very limited 2012 “Public Spaces” provisions in the Integrated Accessibility Standard Regulation, to address accessibility in new and redeveloped public trails, sidewalks, parking etc.

 

None of those measures deal with built environment barriers in the public spaces of existing establishments that are undergoing no major renovation. None of these deal with the built environment in the barriers of an establishment that the Ontario Building Code does not regulate e.g. the height of product displays. Thus, even the most easily removable built environment barriers, that violate the Ontario Human Rights Code, can often remain in place forever.

 

We have no assurance that the Design of Public Spaces Standards Development Committee’s current review of the 2012 Design of Public Spaces Accessibility Standard will effectively address built environment barriers in the context of customer service. We know that the -12 Education Standards Development Committee made detailed recommendations regarding built environment requirements needed in school facilities. The Customer Service Standards Development Committee can and should do the same for the customer service context.

 

Obligated organizations want to know what they have to do to ensure the accessibility of the built environment in their establishments. To now include detailed provisions in the Customer Service Accessibility Standard could meet this need for them, as well as for Ontarians with disabilities. It could fulfil the AODA’s aim of avoiding having to fight human rights cases, one barrier at a time, to address such recurring barriers.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#37 The Customer Service Standards Development Committee should now consult with the disability community and obligated organizations on, and develop specific proposals for

 

  1. a) removing and preventing accessibility barriers to the public premises where organizations offer or provide goods, services or facilities, including barriers which are not now addressed by the Ontario Building Code or the Integrated Accessibility Standard Regulation.

 

  1. b) setting requirements for built environment accessibility when an obligated organization moves any part of its existing public facilities for offering or providing goods, services or facilities to a new location, in order to make accessibility a priority in choosing any new location.

 

  1. c) Specifying priorities for retrofitting in the case of old buildings with substantial barriers.

 

As a first step, interim measures are immediately needed to address readily removable physical barriers that impede accessible Customer Service. We offer examples here. Retail establishments want to know what they need to do to ensure accessibility. They don’t want to each have to spend the time and money to reinvent the wheel.

 

Many establishments that offer goods, services or facilities to the public have one, two or three steps at their entrance. They should be required to at least provide a movable ramp, except where to do so would cause undue hardship within the meaning of the Ontario Human Rights Code.

 

The provision of transportable ramps is a necessary accommodation for persons with mobility disabilities. A growing number of obligated organizations have accepted this. Ontario’s ground-breaking “Stop Gap” organization offers such temporary ramps at low cost.

 

These ramps need to be positioned in a way that ensures there are no barriers at the top and bottom of the ramp. The ramp should fit the specific width of the sidewalk, or landing beyond the steps, and allow for maneuverability of a mobility device.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#38 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to require an obligated organization with a small number of steps at the front door, where feasible, to install a moveable ramp to provide level access to the front door.

 

Door handles should function without the need for tight grasping, pinching, or twisting. See the US Department of Justice’s Checklist on Polling Places (pg. 20).

 

Where manageable, doors should have automatic door openers, especially if they are used for public access and are heavy. Members of the public with no disability much prefer to use automated doors, especially if they are carrying things.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#39 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to set minimum retrofit requirements for accessible means to open and close the front door of an obligated organization.

 

#40 If the building has not yet been retrofitted, businesses and service providers should be required to post a phone number in the window at virtually no-cost so that customers with disabilities that prevent them from opening the door can contact someone inside.

 

#41 Obligated organizations should be required to remove movable physical obstacles from main paths of travel within an obligated organizations Customer Service areas, and on any outdoor public path of travel leading to the entrance. For example, where signage can be situated in a place where customers with vision loss or other disabilities won’t collide with it, this should be preferred over placing it in the middle of main traffic halls or aisles.

 

#42 Head-level obstructions should be prohibited, especially where the obstacle cannot be safely detected by the use of a white cane.

 

#43 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to designate required widths of aisles and heights of shelves for display of products for sale. These can be varied depending on whether the obligated organization is a large chain store, or a medium-size establishment, or a small local store.

 

#44 An obligated organization which, despite these efforts, cannot assure full physical accessibility of its public areas should be required by the Customer Service Accessibility Standard to create and publicize alternative ways for people with disabilities to access their goods, services, or facilities. This could include a phone number to call for curb-side shopping, offers for a store employee to help a person shop from home using Skype etc.

 

12. Ensure that Signage is Accessible and Doesn’t Create Barriers

 

To date, AODA standards deal in a sparse, spotty, incomplete and insufficient way with the accessibility of public signage. This is especially important for organizations that provide goods, services or facilities in a public establishment like a store or public office building.

 

There are generally three accessibility needs. First, the sign needs to use lettering, fonts, font size, and colour contrast, and be sufficiently lit to ensure that it is clearly readable by people with low vision. Second, the sign needs to be positioned in a way that does not constitute a barrier or danger for people with disabilities such as people with mobility disabilities or people with vision loss. Having a sign block your path, or walking into a sign that sticks out at head level and that a white cane doesn’t detect, is too frequent and too frustrating an experience in Ontario.

 

Third, where possible, the information on the sign should be made readily available to customers who cannot read print, such as those with vision loss or dyslexia. This might include audible announcements where workable and unobtrusive.

 

Neither the Customer Service Accessibility Standard nor other accessibility standards enacted under the AODA to date effectively and comprehensively addresses this.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#45 the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to provide in connection with organizations that provide goods, services or facilities:

 

  1. a) accessibility requirements for the font, letter size and colour contrast of new signage, and for the retrofit of existing signage on their premises;

 

  1. b) accessibility requirements for the placement of signage in a public establishment such as a store or public office, to ensure that it is not a barrier or hazard for people with mobility disabilities, vision loss or other disabilities;

 

  1. c) accessibility requirements to provide ready access to the same information as is contained on public signage for customers with disabilities who cannot read the signage.

 

13. m) Visual Fire Alarms

 

Having visual fire alarms installed in organizations that offer goods, services or to the public is essential for personal safety for persons who are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing. Yet despite the irremediable consequences of not having a visual alarm, they are not required in existing or older organizations. The Rich Donovan 4th AODA Independent Review emphasized the importance and urgency of establishing effective emergency protections for people with disabilities.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#46 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to require that public establishments that provide goods, services or facilities to the public implement visual fire alarm systems.

 

14. Letting Customers with Disabilities Know about Nearest Accessible Washroom and Transit Locations

 

Where obligated organizations have not yet ensured the full physical accessibility of their public premises, customers with disabilities still need vital information. When persons with disabilities cannot use the washroom in, or park near, an obligated organization that provides goods, services or facilities due to physical accessibility barriers, those obligated organizations can lose customers.

 

As an interim measure, a customer service accessibility representative could easily tell a customer with a disability the location of the closest accessible washroom, parking or public transit stop. Ensuring that an obligated organization can provide this would cost nothing, improve awareness of existing barriers, and would be quite helpful to customers with disabilities.

 

Further, the customer service accessibility representative can relay information about the accessibility measures in the office, store, or restaurant. For example, when making reservations at a restaurant, the representative should know of barriers that still exist within the space, remove any known readily removable barriers, and ask the customer what further measures are needed.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#47 the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to require obligated organizations that do not have accessible washrooms to find out where the nearest available ones are, and to let customers with disabilities know where to find them.

 

15. Provide Accessible Public Washroom Signs

 

When obligated organizations have public washrooms, they should be required to post accessible signage i.e. signs that include universal access symbols, Braille, large print and colour-contrasted raised letters. Further, if the washroom is not accessible, an accessible sign should direct users to the nearest accessible washrooms. These measures are not expensive. They are important for independent access.

 

The US Department of Justice requires signage to be acquired under the Americans for Disabilities Act (ADA) even in temporary situations such as emergency shelters. The signs should be installed “with raised characters and Braille on the wall adjacent to the latch side of the door and centered 60 inches above the floor and leave the existing sign in place on the door if removing it will damage the door,” (ADA Checklist for Emergency Shelters, 2007, pg. 42).

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#48 the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to require the readily achievable measure of ensuring public washroom signage is accessible.

 

16. Provide Access to Accessible Parking

 

Parking can be essential for the first interaction between customers and an obligated organization. While longer term accessibility measures are developed, interim or temporary measures are necessary and helpful. If a parking lot does not contain any, or enough accessible parking, and when there is an available curb cut-out in place, a temporary measure can be put in place to secure more accessible parking.

 

When there is no nearby accessible curb cut-out and the obligated organization does not have a curb ramp, the organization’s accessible customer service representative should at minimum investigate and tell customers with disabilities about the nearest accessible parking spots available.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#49 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should require obligated organizations to notify customers with disabilities where the nearest available accessible parking may be found.

 

17. Ensure Timely Snow Removal to Ensure Physical Accessibility

 

Persons with disabilities too often now face piles of snow as a barrier to access on an otherwise accessible route to an establishment that provides goods, services or facilities. Snow can pile up in a way that blocks the physical accessibility of an establishment that offers goods, services or facilities. Moreover, when snow is shoveled, it can make this worse, by being relocated on a ramp or other route needed for access to the establishment. Snow should never be shoveled in a way that creates a new accessibility barrier.

 

As with so many other contexts, the accessibility measures needed here are good for any organization. They help ensure that they can serve as broad a market as possible. It also helps reduce the risk of slip and fall injuries, and the related liability that that can cause.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#50 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to require organizations that provide goods, services or facilities in an establishment that is open to the public, to ensure that snow is cleared on accessible routes to and from the establishment on the property they own, rent or otherwise control.

 

18. Post Signage Requesting Compliance with Scent-Free Policy

 

Individuals with invisible disabilities such as Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS), or Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance (IEI), can easily be accommodated through the expanded visibility of no scent/fragrance policies. In addition, offices using cleaners should be required to use the least toxic or “green” cleaning products. We all benefit from fewer toxins in the air. This signage, web postings, and related periodic announcements on the obligated organization’s public address system and telephone voice response system, where these communication systems already exist, will also serve as a low-cost or no-cost public education tool.

 

Posting signs in stores, offices, and customer service centers will promote understanding of, and responsiveness to, no scent policies. This policy should extend to scent policies in public spaces including on public transit.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#51 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to require posting of no-scent policies.

 

19. Remove Exemption for Product Labels

 

Section 9(2) of the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation now absolutely and totally exempts product labels from any accessibility requirements whatsoever, no matter how readily achievable it would be to provide accessible product labels. This is absolutely unjustified.

 

As earlier indicated, Section 1 of the Ontario Human Rights Code bans discrimination because of disability in goods, as well as services and facilities. It imposes a duty to accommodate people with disabilities up to the point of undue hardship.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#52 the Initial Report should be revised to recommend the repeal the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation’s complete exemption of all product labels from any accessibility requirements.

 

20. Provide Accessible Drug Prescription Labels and Information

 

Large drug store chains or other large chains that have pharmacies should be required to offer accessible prescription labelling services. This technology is now readily available. Major chains in the US provide this service. It would let customers with print disabilities independently read their prescription information. Canadian media have covered shocking stories about people with disabilities who have encountered resistance from stores that are part of major drug store chains, when seeking this obvious readily achievable accommodation.

 

Similarly, those establishments should be required to offer to print prescription labels and information in large font if requested. An American drug store chain was offering this service over a decade ago.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#53 the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to require stores that sell prescription drugs to offer to provide accessible labels.

 

21. Ensure Accessibility of Cash Registers or Tills with Price Display

 

The price display on cash registers should use a large font, with proper colour contrasting. To assist customers with low vision.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#54 Cash registers in stores should be required to display information in large font.

 

22. Provide Accessible Restaurant Menus

 

There are several very low-cost options for restaurants to make menus available in an accessible format for those who cannot read print due to such things as vision loss, or dyslexia. Braille menus can be ordered for production for a few dollars. A large print menu can be easily printed for pennies. Posting the menu online in an accessible format allows a person using a smart phone to have its screen-reader read the menu aloud to him or her.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#55 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to require restaurants to offer menus in an accessible format, either a hard copy or accessible online copy.

 

23. Ensure Accessibility of Services and of Provincially-Regulated Financial Institutions that Offer Bank-Like Services

 

Organizations that provide financial services should have specific requirements to provide printed financial statements in an accessible format. Such financial records are very important to an individual. They contain very private information. A person should not have to ask others to read that private information to them aloud. Technology for this service has existed for years.

 

Provincially-regulated trust companies that provide services to their customers should implement technology that can allow customers with disabilities to conduct banking transactions at home via webcam.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#56 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to require provincially-regulated financial institutions to implement accessible statements and related services.

 

24. Require Reducing Loud Music on Request in Public Spaces Where Customer Service is Offered

 

The increasing practice of blaring loud music in public spaces and service areas of obligated organizations that provide goods, services or facilities is annoying to many if not most customers. For people with certain disabilities, this loud music can go beyond annoyance. It can constitute a real and serious barrier.

 

For some people with autism, it can be the same as shining a blinding light in one’s eyes. For a person who is hard of hearing, it can prevent carrying on a conversation. For people with vision loss, it can make it hard or even impossible to navigate independently, since sound is a part of independent orientation and mobility.

 

In some retail establishments, many employees that serve the public have no idea how to turn down or off the music volume.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#57 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to require obligated organizations to have a policy that they will reduce the music volume or turn it off, when requested based on a disability-related accommodation need. This policy should be posted and periodically announced, where the obligated organization has regular spoken announcements or a telephone interactive voice response system. Where the obligated organization has a website, it should be posted there.

 

#58 The obligated organization should be required to include, in its accessible Customer Service training, a requirement to train Customer Service staff on this policy and on how to turn down the volume.

 

 

25. Provide Carry-to-Car Services for Customers with Disabilities

 

Large retail establishments should offer carry to car service for customers with disabilities who may be unable to carry groceries by themselves. We therefore recommend that:

 

#59 the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to require large retail establishments to offer a free carry-out service for customers with disabilities who cannot carry their own purchases out of the store to a car.

 

26. Require Hotel Room Numbers to Be Posted in Braille and Large Print

 

American hotels routinely post their hotel room numbers in Braille and large print. Canadian hotels less frequently do, except where they are part of an American chain. This is an easy measure to implement.

 

We therefore recommend that:

 

#60 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to require hotels to post guest room numbers in Braille and large print.

 

 

** Appendix List of Recommendations in This Brief

 

#1 The proposed long-term objective of the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to read as follows:

 

“The Customer Service Accessibility Standard’s long term-objective is to ensure that people with disabilities can receive accessible, barrier free customer service in Ontario by 2025, or as soon after January 1, 2025 as can be achieved.”

 

#2 The Initial Report’s Recommendation 1 should be revised to delete the proposal that the word “equal” in the Customer Service Accessibility Standard’s policy provision be replaced with the more vague and diluted word “equitable.”

 

#3 The Initial Report’s Recommendation 3 should be strengthened to proposed amendments to the Customer Service Accessibility Standard to achieve the ‘Standards Development Committees goals.

 

#4 The Initial Report’s Recommendation 3 should be revised to require that obligated organizations with 20 to 50 employees have some requirement to establish and implement accessibility plans.

 

#5 The Initial Report Recommendation 4 should be revised to require that:

  1. a) For obligated organizations with over 50 employes, the feedback mechanism should be required to offer people with disabilities the option of giving their feedback by phone or in person directly to a human being.
  2. b) The obligated organization should be required to designate an employee to review the customer feedback and convey it to the CEO or other senior manager.
  3. c) The obligated organization should be required to take into account the customer feedback received when establishing or revising its Accessibility Plan.

 

#6 The Initial Report Recommendation 6 should not recommend devoting effort at federal-provincial-territorial collaboration in the context of procurement.

 

#7 Resources and time should not now be devoted to using artificial intelligence to address accessible procurement.

 

#8 If AI is to be considered for accessible procurement, sufficient measures should first be required to ensure that the AI is not itself creating new disability barriers by automating inequality.

 

#9 The test of “practicability” should be removed from any and all AODA accessibility standards and replaced with the legally mandatory standard of “undue hardship.”

 

#10 The Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation procurement requirements should be amended to require that public money is never used to create or exacerbate disability barriers.

 

#11 The Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation should be amended to require the Ontario Government to establish and widely publicize an avenue for the public to report to the Government on situations where public money is used to create, perpetuate or exacerbate disability accessibility barriers e.g. through the procurement process.

 

#12 The Provincial Auditor should be required to audit the Government to ensure compliance with requirements on ensuring that public money is not used to create, perpetuate or exacerbate disability accessibility barriers e.g. in the procurement process.

 

#14 the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation’s electronic kiosk provisions should be revised to set out mandatory accessibility outcomes that the accessibility features must achieve.

The Initial Report emphasizes in this context:

 

“the importance of alignment with any future federal accessibility requirements, given the impact these would have on federally regulated sectors such as banking or airlines”

 

#15 The Initial Report’s electronic kiosks’ recommendations should not require or consider any form of harmonization with present or future federal regulatory requirements.

 

#16 The Initial Report’s Recommendation 8 should cover all standards needed for electronic kiosks and should not defer any of this to the Design of Public Spaces Standards Development Committee.

 

#17 The Standards Development Committee should present detailed accessibility requirements to enhance those now in the Integrated Accessibility Standard Regulation regarding point-of-sale devices.

 

#18 The Initial Report’s Recommendation 9 should be revised to eliminate any call for Ontario service animal requirements to be aligned with federal requirements, or to provide training materials that might in any way suggest that duties to service animal users can be reduced by other provincial laws or municipal bylaws.

 

#19 The Initial Report should be revised to endorse the service animal recommendations in the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee’s final report.

 

#20 the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to remove Section 80.47(5), (6) and (7) which authorizes an obligated organization to require a customer with disabilities to be accompanied by a support person as a condition of their being admitted to the premises of the obligated organization.

 

#21 The Initial Report’s Recommendation 11 should be revised to remove its proposal that the Customer Service Accessibility Standard be renamed.

 

#22 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to include in it a broad general requirement that obligated organizations that provide goods, services or facilities must provide accessible customer service to people with disabilities, and must identify, remove and prevent disability barriers to services, goods and facilities they provide or offer.

 

#23 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to include detailed specifics of recurring barriers that should be removed and prevented, and timelines gauged to whether the obligated organization is large or small.

 

#24 The Customer Service Standards Development Committee should consult the disability community and obligated sectors to identify recurring barriers to accessible customer service, and strategies for removing and preventing barriers.

 

#25 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to provide that the obligated organization must establish and publicize a process for a person with disabilities to seek accommodation in relations to any barriers in their goods, services or facilities.

 

#26 the classes of private sector organizations should be re-defined in the Standard to take into account not only the number of employees, but as well, the organization’s total assets and revenues, and in the case of a for-profit organization, its profit position in past five years.

 

#27 The Standard should be amended to provide that when calculating an organization’s number of employees for purposes of classifying that organization, the number of employees includes the number of employees in that organization as well as any related, jointly operated or co-managed organizations.

 

#28 The Standard should be amended to make it clear that owner-operated sole proprietorships that offer goods, services or facilities must comply with the Standard.

 

#29 The Standard should be amended to add to the definition of “obligated organization” the classification “very large organization,” defined as a private sector organization with over 200 employees and commensurately more assets and revenues. Timelines and requirements for very large private sector organizations should be incorporated wherever time lines are set, which are more prompt than those for smaller private sector organizations. With 50-200 employees.

 

#30 the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to provide that any organization that provides goods, services or facilities and that has at least 10 employees should:

  1. a) designate an employee with lead responsibility for ensuring accessible customer service, and
  2. b) make public the name and contact information for that employee, both on the organization’s website, if it has one, and through postings and audible announcements, where feasible, at the organization’s public establishments.
  3. c) If the obligated organization has other readily available ways of announcing this to the public, such as on a telephone interactive voice response system, it should be required to announce that position on that line.
  4. d) The obligated organization should be required to ensure that a customer service representative is specifically trained (beyond the standard accessible Customer Service training, given to all employees) in addressing a list of recurring communication supports. The Ontario Government could assist this by creating a free online training module to fulfil this need.

 

#31 the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to require an organization that provides goods, services or facilities to

 

  1. a) Undertake a review to identify any disability barriers in any goods, services or facilities that the organization provides, and any barriers in the way the organization makes them available to the public, and
  2. b) develop and implement a targeted action plan to remove those barriers, and to prevent new ones from being created, except where doing so is impossible without undue hardship to that organization, with the goal of achieving fully accessible customer service no later than 2025.

 

#32 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to require an organization’s senior management to review periodically, and at least once every six months, the feedback the organization received through its accessible customer service feedback mechanism.

 

#33 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to require

  1. a) any organization that must make a written accessible customer service policy, to post it in an accessible format on its website, if it has one.
  2. b) Each obligated organization that provides goods, services or facilities should post on their website and on their premises a commitment to provide accessible barrier-free customer service to people with disabilities.
  3. c) Any organization that must have a written accessible customer service policy to electronically file it with the Ontario Government, with the searchable accessible data base of those policies to be made accessible to the public.

 

#34 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to require that organizations that provide goods, services or facilities make readily available information in an accessible format to inform customers of the specific accessibility supports that are offered, e.g. by posting signs, making audible announcements (where the organization has a public address system or pipes music into their public spaces), by posting on their website and announcing over any automated customer service phone lines.

 

#35 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to prohibit any added fee or surcharge for customers with disabilities when they seek to order goods, or services e.g. due to ordering these over the phone, rather than on the web.

 

#36 the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to require organizations that provide goods, services or facilities to

 

  1. a) consider accessibility features when deciding which goods, service or facilities to provide, and
  2. b) make public and readily available on their website, if they have one, and through other accessible means, information on the accessibility features of any goods, services or facilities that they provide.

 

#37 The Customer Service Standards Development Committee should now consult with the disability community and obligated organizations on, and develop specific proposals for

  1. a) removing and preventing accessibility barriers to the public premises where organizations offer or provide goods, services or facilities, including barriers which are not now addressed by the Ontario Building Code or the Integrated Accessibility Standard Regulation.
  2. b) setting requirements for built environment accessibility when an obligated organization moves any part of its existing public facilities for offering or providing goods, services or facilities to a new location, in order to make accessibility a priority in choosing any new location.
  3. c) Specifying priorities for retrofitting in the case of old buildings with substantial barriers.

 

#38 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to require an obligated organization with a small number of steps at the front door, where feasible, to install a moveable ramp to provide level access to the front door.

 

#39 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to set minimum retrofit requirements for accessible means to open and close the front door of an obligated organization.

 

#40 If the building has not yet been retrofitted, businesses and service providers should be required to post a phone number in the window at virtually no-cost so that customers with disabilities that prevent them from opening the door can contact someone inside.

 

#41 Obligated organizations should be required to remove movable physical obstacles from main paths of travel within an obligated organizations Customer Service areas, and on any outdoor public path of travel leading to the entrance. For example, where signage can be situated in a place where customers with vision loss or other disabilities won’t collide with it, this should be preferred over placing it in the middle of main traffic halls or aisles.

 

#42 Head-level obstructions should be prohibited, especially where the obstacle cannot be safely detected by the use of a white cane.

 

#43 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to designate required widths of aisles and heights of shelves for display of products for sale. These can be varied depending on whether the obligated organization is a large chain store, or a medium-size establishment, or a small local store.

 

#44 An obligated organization which, despite these efforts, cannot assure full physical accessibility of its public areas should be required by the Customer Service Accessibility Standard to create and publicize alternative ways for people with disabilities to access their goods, services, or facilities. This could include a phone number to call for curb-side shopping, offers for a store employee to help a person shop from home using Skype etc.

 

#45 the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to provide in connection with organizations that provide goods, services or facilities:

  1. a) accessibility requirements for the font, letter size and colour contrast of new signage, and for the retrofit of existing signage on their premises;
  2. b) accessibility requirements for the placement of signage in a public establishment such as a store or public office, to ensure that it is not a barrier or hazard for people with mobility disabilities, vision loss or other disabilities;
  3. c) accessibility requirements to provide ready access to the same information as is contained on public signage for customers with disabilities who cannot read the signage.

 

#46 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to require that public establishments that provide goods, services or facilities to the public implement visual fire alarm systems.

 

#47 the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to require obligated organizations that do not have accessible washrooms to find out where the nearest available ones are, and to let customers with disabilities know where to find them.

 

#48 the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to require the readily achievable measure of ensuring public washroom signage is accessible.

 

#49 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should require obligated organizations to notify customers with disabilities where the nearest available accessible parking may be found.

 

#50 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to require organizations that provide goods, services or facilities in an establishment that is open to the public, to ensure that snow is cleared on accessible routes to and from the establishment on the property they own, rent or otherwise control.

 

#51 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to require posting of no-scent policies.

 

#52 the Initial Report should be revised to recommend the repeal the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation’s complete exemption of all product labels from any accessibility requirements.

 

#53 the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to require stores that sell prescription drugs to offer to provide accessible labels.

 

#54 Cash registers in stores should be required to display information in large font.

 

#55 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be amended to require restaurants to offer menus in an accessible format, either a hard copy or accessible online copy.

 

#56 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to require provincially-regulated financial institutions to implement accessible statements and related services.

 

#57 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to require obligated organizations to have a policy that they will reduce the music volume or turn it off, when requested based on a disability-related accommodation need. This policy should be posted and periodically announced, where the obligated organization has regular spoken announcements or a telephone interactive voice response system. Where the obligated organization has a website, it should be posted there.

 

#58 The obligated organization should be required to include, in its accessible Customer Service training, a requirement to train Customer Service staff on this policy and on how to turn down the volume.

 

#59 the Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to require large retail establishments to offer a free carry-out service for customers with disabilities who cannot carry their own purchases out of the store to a car.

 

#60 The Customer Service Accessibility Standard should be revised to require hotels to post guest room numbers in Braille and large print.

 

Catching Up on Recent Media Reports on Accessibility Barriers that Still Plague People with Disabilities

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

Catching Up on Recent Media Reports on Accessibility Barriers that Still Plague People with Disabilities

 

December 17, 2024

 

SUMMARY

 

Amidst the blizzard of media attention that our issues have gotten over the past months, a few stories slipped between the cracks of our recent AODA Alliance Updates. Before year’s end, we wanted to be sure we caught you up on them.

 

Here is a batch of four diverse media reports in recent weeks. They are worthy of your perusal:

 

  • On December 3, 2024, CBC Radio Toronto’s Here and Now afternoon program included an 8-minute item on the International Day for People with Disabilities. It is only in audio format at this point on the CBC website.

 

  • On November 28, 2024, CP24 included a report about yet another appalling incident on Air Canada where a passenger with a disability was seriously mistreated.

 

  • On September 9, 2024, the Toronto Star published an article about a hotel refusing service to a woman accompanied by a guide dog. This illustrates how Ontario’s Customer Service Accessibility Standard is failing to ensure accessible customer service in Ontario.

 

  • On October 4, 2024, the Toronto Star included an article describing slow progress on accessibility despite innovative technology improvements.

 

There are only 15 days left until the deadline set by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act for Ontario to have become accessible to people with disabilities. These articles show how far behind we still are.

 

How You Can Help

 

Tell the media about disability barriers you face . Individual stories about unfair disability barriers can lead to great media coverage. This helps our grassroots campaign for accessibility for people with disabilities.

 

MORE DETAILS

 

CP24 November 28, 2024

 

Originally posted at

 

https://www.cp24.com/local/toronto/2024/11/28/toronto-woman-injured-after-falling-out-of-wheelchair-provided-by-air-canada-husband-says/

 

Toronto woman injured after falling out of wheelchair provided by Air Canada, husband says

By Phil Tsekouras

 

Vito and Sheila Rizzuto are seen in this image taken on their recent trip to Miami. (Supplied)

What could have possibly been Sheila Rizzuto’s last vacation ever was ruined after she fell out of an Air Canada-provided wheelchair and badly injured herself, according to her husband.

 

Vito Rizzuto told CTV News that Miami has always held a special place in the hearts of the Toronto couple and their kids. So months after Sheila was diagnosed with glioblastoma — an aggressive form of brain cancer—they booked what they thought might be one of their final visits together to their beloved city.

 

The Nov. 5 flight from Pearson International Airport marked the first time the couple had been on a plane since February, when two surgeries left Sheila partially paralyzed on her right side. She now uses a wheelchair and has vision and speech impairments.

 

When they were disembarking in Miami, Vito said, Air Canada agents attempted to place Sheila in an aisle chair — a narrower version of the wheelchair she was travelling with — to get her off the plane. But when the agents couldn’t successfully buckle Sheila into the mobility device, Vito said, they transported her to the bridge unrestrained.

 

When the couple got off the plane, the two agents who had been assisting Sheila “just left her sitting there,” Vito recalled, as they waited nearly 10 minutes for her wheelchair.

 

“I spoke to the lady from Air Canada that was standing there, and I said, ‘Where is our wheelchair?’ And they weren’t aware that we had a wheelchair. I was like, ‘Okay, how can you not be aware?’”

 

That’s when she fell.

 

“I was distracted, and all of a sudden she fell. She was on the floor, fell onto her right side, which is her weak side, which is the no mobility side,” Vito said. “It was a horrible experience for her. She was in shock when it happened, hyperventilating, you know?”

 

Sheila was left bleeding from a cut on her leg and large black and blue bruises would later develop on her ribs, as well as on her arm and leg, Vito said.

 

Sheila Rizzuto sustained injuries to her ribs, arm, leg, and ankle as a result of the fall. (Supplied)

The couple initially declined Air Canada’s offer to have emergency services attend the scene, but eventually checked into hospital on Nov. 8 as a precaution.

 

Vito suspected that Sheila’s ribs were broken, and although an X-ray didn’t find any fractures, he said the emergency room doctor they spoke with said broken ribs can be difficult to identify in a scan.

 

“Basically, all our plans got kiboshed. We didn’t go for any dinners. We ended up ordering into the room and so on,” Vito explained.

 

Sheila remained in pain for most of the trip, but Vito said the couple was able to make the most of their last two days in Florida before they flew back.

 

Vito says he’s sharing his story now to prevent this from happening to anyone else who lives with a disability.

 

“I haven’t experienced having to take care of somebody in my wife’s position except for the last nine months now. And obviously I’m more aware of the challenges that they face and that we face, because she can’t get around on her own, you know. So it’s a matter of awareness and taking care of people that are in this position and hopefully stop this from happening again,” he said.

 

Since the incident, Vito said he has been in touch with Air Canada, which apologized and offered him a $500 travel voucher.

 

Air Canada calls incident ‘concerning’

In a statement to CTV News Toronto, Air Canada said it was aware of the incident and confirmed that Sheila did sustain an injury from a fall “while being transferred to her wheelchair.”

 

“This matter is concerning and is now being reviewed by our claims department,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

 

However, they alleged that Vito did “not want our agent to touch his wife in the manner required to secure the belt” based on a “preliminary review” of the incident.

 

“The use of this belt would have likely prevented the injury,” the airline wrote.

 

Vito rebuffed that suggestion and said he was “furious” about their claim while speaking with CTV News Toronto. He added that his wife struggled to get to her seat with her walker when they boarded in Toronto, not knowing that an aisle chair was available.

 

“Someone is trying to cover things up about the sequence of events in both Toronto and Miami,” he wrote in a subsequent email.

 

Air Canada added that they will continue to be in contact with Vito and his wife to come to a “mutually agreeable” solution.

 

Vito and Sheila Rizzuto are seen with their two sons in this undated image. (Supplied)

Little being done to address accessibility issues on Canadian flights: advocate

 

Last year, the CEO of Air Canada was summoned to Ottawa following a number of high-profile incidents involving passengers with accessibility needs, including a B.C. man who was forced to drag himself off a flight in Las Vegas.

 

Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau apologized at that time for its barriers to accessibility and promised to speed up its three-year plan to make air travel more accessible.

 

In May, at the first-ever Canadian Air Accessibility Summit, airline executives, federal ministers and accessibility advocates gathered in Ottawa to discuss the issue. Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities of Canada Kamal Khera acknowledged that while only some stories have made headlines, “they represent a small number of the instances that do occur.”

 

“We can, and we must, do better,” she said at the time.

 

But according to David Lepofsky, chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, little progress has been made on making Canadian air travel more accessible since then.

 

“Let’s put it this way, they’ve not told us of anything. So if something has happened, it’s not been communicated to us,” he said in an interview with CTV News Toronto.

 

The visiting professor of disability rights at Western Law and at the University of Ottawa said the federal government and Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), an independent regulator, are effectively “sitting on their hands” in the absence of strong enforcement against airlines in this country.

 

Lepofsky, who is legally blind, suggests that Canada should, among other things, act on two recommendations immediately to address the issue: the first being introducing an air passengers with disabilities bill of rights that is enshrined into law and “vigorously enforced” and the second being on-site, rapid response supports at airports when accessibility challenges arise.

 

Ottawa previously passed the Accessible Canada Act in 2019 with the goal of making travel more accessible. Then, in 2022, the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations, was introduced. But accessibility advocates say that despite those changes airlines rarely face punishment for breaching Canadian disability regulations.

 

“These incidents keep recurring and airlines and the government keep saying that, you, know it’s important to do better. But if you keep trusting them to do better, under the present circumstances, nothing’s going to get better,” he said.

 

CTA investigating incident

In an email to CTV News Toronto, the CTA confirmed it was investigating Sheila’s fall, adding that it’s closed 176 accessibility related complaints through its mediation or adjudication processes since May 2024.

 

“Even if a complaint is not filed with it, if the CTA is made aware of an incident (e.g., through media reports), its enforcement team reviews the incident and may conduct a full investigation, leading to Notices of Violation (NOVs) and administrative monetary penalties (AMPs),” a spokesperson said.

 

The CTA also said that in December 2023, it launched a pilot project in which enforcement officers shadowed passengers with accessibility needs on domestic and international flights to better understand the challenges they face during air travel.

 

“The CTA is currently in the process of applying lessons learned from this pilot project to develop an ongoing program to ensure that it has a broader understanding of the lived experience of persons with disabilities who access the national transportation system, and are able to effectively apply that knowledge when conducting future inspections and investigations,” the CTA said.

 

With files from Annie Bergeron-Oliver and The Canadian Press

 

Toronto Star September 9, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.google.ca/search?q=toronto+star+Hotel+refused+guide+dog,+woman+says

 

Hotel refused guide dog, woman says

Manager says hockey player didn’t give documentation until after requesting refund

 

Mark Colley Toronto Star

 

A Sudbury para-athlete says a Toronto hotel refused to let her stay there with her guide dog – an alleged violation of Ontario law that the woman says left her feeling “almost not human.”

 

Canadas Best Value Inn, located just off the Gardiner in Etobicoke, denies the woman’s version of events.

 

Amanda Provan, a winger for Canada’s national blind hockey team, had driven from Sudbury on Sept. 19 with her mother, Lisette Bogoslowski, for an appointment with a low-vision specialist. After Bogoslowski checked in and had been charged a $200 deposit, she told the hotel employee they were travelling with a guide dog, she said.

 

“He said, ‘We don’t allow dogs. We don’t allow pets,'” Bogoslowski recalled.

 

She said she explained the dog was a service animal for her blind daughter, not a pet. According to Bogoslowski, the employee held firm – even after he called his manager and she offered to provide documentation for the dog, Ivan.

 

Bogoslowski said she told the employee it was a human rights violation and asked for her deposit back. The hotel complied.

 

“It makes you feel humiliated,” Provan said. “Like, I can’t stay at this hotel because I’m blind and my mobility aid happens to be a dog. It makes you feel almost not human.”

 

Bogoslowski said she and Provan later went into the hotel with Ivan and an identification card from the attorney general. At that point, Bogoslowski said, she had given up on getting the room – but wanted to show the hotel employee the Blind Persons’ Rights Act, printed on the back of the identification card.

 

“It was just to educate them,” Bogoslowski said. “It was really to show them that she did have the card, she had the vest (on Ivan).”

 

Provan, who instead stayed with friends in the city, is now in the process of filing a human rights complaint against the hotel, Bogoslowski said.

 

Provan said she contacted both Toronto and Sudbury police about the incident. Toronto police confirmed they received a call, and said Provan was instructed to report to police in Sudbury. “That police service would then forward the report to Toronto to investigate, however, we don’t have any report on file.”

 

She emailed Sudbury police but still hasn’t received a reply, she said.

 

The hotel tells a different version of the story.

 

General manager Karan Dhawan said Bogoslowski checked in, then left and returned with a dog. A hotel employee then asked for documentation to prove it was a service animal, which the mother didn’t provide until after she asked for a refund and her request had been processed, Dhawan said.

 

“If she would have just showed the card, we would have just come up with the resolution,” he said.

 

Dhawan said guests sometimes try to get around the hotel’s no-pet policy by claiming to have a service animal – and because the daughter wasn’t there at the time, “it’s just a valid question to ask for valid paperwork.”

 

“The case is being made that we’re sort of discriminating. That’s not true,” Dhawan said. “We abide by the local laws and all we were asking (for) is just the paperwork.”

 

Under Ontario law, any service provider – including hotels – cannot deny access to a blind person accompanied by a guide dog, according to Graciela Flores Méndez, a staff lawyer at the Toronto-based ARCH Disability Law Centre.

 

The law says that either providing documentation from a health-care official or having the animal be easily identifiable with a visual indicator, such as a vest or harness, is enough to qualify a dog as a service animal, Flores Méndez explained.

 

Provan said her guide dog was wearing a harness with a handle when they entered the hotel.

“Hotels, service providers, they have a legal obligation under the human rights code,” Flores Méndez said. “Failing to do that would be considered discrimination.

 

“There’s an obligation also to train your employees on human rights law,” she said. “There’s red flags everywhere here, just regarding their training, their obligations under the law.”

 

Provan has encountered minor issues at other hotels in the past, where staff ask for documentation, assign her to a pet room or ask for a pet fee.

 

Provan travels a lot. She’s a track cyclist and the first woman on the national blind hockey team. Ivan, the guide dog, is “the most incredible thing,” she said.

 

The difference between a guide dog and using a cane is astounding, she explained. With a cane, you have to find objects to avoid them. With a dog, they find the objects for you.

 

“I knew getting him would have an impact on my life, but I didn’t realize just how much it would,” she said. “The bond we have is incredible. He’s essentially a part of me.”

 

But now she worries she’ll be denied future hotel rooms, she said.

“It has unlocked a new fear for me,” Provan said. “Any time I stay at a hotel, I now have to worry about being denied access.”

 

Toronto Star October 4, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.thestar.com/business/mars/tech-update-using-tech-to-improve-accessibility-for-ontarians-with-disabilities/article_1d4cb274-7f45-11ef-8260-bb1ff14e940f.html

 

Tech Update: Using tech to improve accessibility for Ontarians with disabilities

Plus, a big boost for clean hydrogen and new investment flows to carbon removal

 

Innovative solutions such as Braze Mobility’s blind spot sensors for wheelchairs can bolster independence for people with mobility challenges — even when they’re navigating barrier-filled environments.

 

Steve McCann

By Junaid Ahmed

 

October marks Disability Employment Awareness Month in Canada, a time to recognize the importance of inclusivity in workplaces so that people with disabilities have equitable opportunities to find meaningful, sustainable work.

 

Unfortunately, recent assessments suggest the province — and the country as a whole — may be slacking on the job.

 

In September, advocacy group Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance presented a brief to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of People with Disabilities, highlighting an overall lack of action in dismantling barriers that were laid out in 2019’s Accessible Canada Act.

 

This assessment comes a little more than a year after an independent review of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) itself, which cited surveys that suggest 25 per cent of persons with disabilities have no or limited access to experiences in public places and work settings, while 75 per cent report having negative experiences. Given that AODA legislation has been in effect for nearly two decades, reviewers deemed the lack of progress in this area “a crisis.”

 

As these independent analyses demonstrate, infrastructure and policy changes can often move at a relatively glacial pace. And as persons with disabilities are left to grapple with the imperfections of existing systems, tech solutions can help provide crucial workarounds.

 

Toronto-based Braze Mobility, for instance, has developed innovative blind spot sensors for wheelchairs, which allow people with mobility issues to navigate tight spaces, such as small apartment kitchens or narrow entrances. The company’s tech can also be used by people with vision impairments — its audio and vibration cues signal when objects are in the way.

 

Braze Mobility founder Pooja Viswanathan drew on her experience exploring computer vision algorithms at Honda to develop Braze’s blind spot sensor for wheelchairs.

 

Braze Mobility founder Pooja Viswanathan believes accessible technology is a human right, but she also took inspiration from a somewhat unlikely source: the automotive industry. Viswanathan drew on her experience exploring computer vision algorithms at Honda, working on tech involved in blind spot sensors in cars. With the advent of more cost-effective ultrasonic sensors in cars, she says, this tech has become more viable for wheelchairs.

 

But adapting the solution for people with disabilities comes with distinctive considerations: unlike the automotive industry, which is laser-focused on self-driving vehicles, “wheelchair users really prefer to stay in control,” says Viswanathan. Her company developed an app that allows users to tweak the detection distances of the sensors based on their preferences.

 

Braze Mobility is part of the inaugural cohort in the Mobility Unlimited Hub, a partnership between the Toyota Mobility Foundation and MaRS Discovery District that launched this past June with the aim of helping startups bring their solutions to market. (Other participants developing tech that could improve workplace accessibility include Deaf AI, which uses AI to provide real-time voice-to-sign language interpretation and Richmond Hill–based Cheelcare, which specializes in wheelchair power add-ons and rehab mobility.)

 

There is an unequivocal ethical imperative to improve accessibility, but this kind of tech also represents a vital business opportunity. According to StatsCan data from 2022, 27 per cent of Canadians aged 15 and older report that they are living with at least one disability — and it is estimated that at least a million more people will join that group by 2040. So it should come as no surprise that some experts suggest that investments in workplace accessibility could increase GDP by as much as $16.8 billion by 2030.

 

Junaid Ahmed writes about technology for MaRS. Torstar, the parent company of the Toronto Star, has partnered with MaRS to highlight innovation in Canadian companies.

 

 

Read AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky’s December 2024 Monthly Disability Rights Column in the Toronto Star’s Metroland Online Publications

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

Read AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky’s December 2024 Monthly Disability Rights Column in the Toronto Star’s Metroland Online Publications

December 15, 2024

SUMMARY

We invite you to read AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky’s December 2024 monthly disability rights column in the Toronto Star’s online Metroland publications. We set it out below.

This column explains why we can and should be optimistic about the future of our non-partisan grassroots campaign to make our society accessible to people with disabilities. This column comes right on the heels of Metroland publishing its amazing “Restricted Access” series of articles. They report on disability barriers at the local level all over Ontario, and wonderful disability advocates working to do something about this.

How You Can Help

  • If you haven’t already looked through them, take some time to review the fantastic Metroland “Restricted Access” series of articles. You can find the entire excellent series in one place on the Metroland website. We have previously shared three of the articles in this series in AODA Alliance Updates: The November 25, 2024 report announcing the AODA Alliance’s event to take place that day at Queen’s Park celebrating the 30th anniversary of the grassroots accessibility movement, the November 29, 2024 report on our community public hearings at Queen’s Park, and the November 29, 2024 Metroland report on the timeline of the 30 years of this campaign.

The first 7 articles were included in the December 12, 2024 AODA Alliance Update. The second 8 articles were included in the December 13, 2024 AODA Alliance Update. The final 8 articles were included in the December 14, 2024 AODA Alliance Update.

  • Share this guest column, as well as the Restricted Access series, with family and friends. Spread the word about them on websites and social media.
  • Send a letter to the editor, 300 words or less, to Metroland at thenewsroom@metroland.com Thank Metroland for producing this ground-breaking series. Tell them about disability barriers you face!

Forward this column and the Restricted Access series of articles to your MPP. Tell them you want the provincial government to take swift and strong action to fix Ontario’s accessibility crisis.

Only 17 days remain until the start of 2025, the deadline which the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act set for the Ontario Government to become accessible to 2.9 million Ontarians with disabilities. On June 6, 2023, 558 days ago, the Government-appointed Rich Donovan AODA Independent Review’s final report declared that Ontario is in an “accessibility crisis.” Do you think it’s time the Ford Government announced a bold new plan of action to address this crisis?

MORE DETAILS

December 2024 Metroland Monthly Disability Rights Column by AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky

Inside Halton December 15, 2024

Originally posted at https://www.insidehalton.com/opinion/columnists/tenaciously-optimistic-8-reasons-why-this-ontario-disability-advocate-has-a-positive-outlook/article_24bdf395-cd53-5514-b4ea-97757f82a6de.html

Columnists

Opinion

‘Tenaciously optimistic’: 8 reasons why this Ontario disability advocate has a positive outlook

David Lepofsky writes he is invigorated by unstoppable young people with disabilities, who won’t settle for a world full of barriers.

By David Lepofsky

David Lepofsky is chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance.

You’d think I’d be discouraged. After 30 exhausting years of our grassroots advocacy to make Ontario accessible to 2.9 million people with disabilities, we’re far from our goal.

In 2005, we got the Ontario Legislature to unanimously pass the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). It requires the Ontario government to lead this province to be disability-accessible by 2025. That unmet deadline is days away.

Successive governments, including Premier Ford’s, promised that they’d meet that deadline. Each boasted that they were leading Ontario by example on tearing down disability barriers. Each failed us.

I was 37 when this campaign started. Now I’m 67. Yet I’m tenaciously optimistic.

We are making progress. We’re positioned to make even more despite the protracted lack of the political leadership we deserve. Here are eight reasons why.

First, Ontario would have had even more disability barriers had people with disabilities not waged our campaign. AODA Alliance Updates give them easy-to-use action tips. They swing into action on a moment’s notice. You can sign up for them at www.aodaalliance.org.

Second, rapidly emerging technologies even more effectively empower people with disabilities. As a blind law student in the 1970s, I had people read my law books aloud. Now my portable laptop on my iPhone does that.

When I go for a walk using my white cane, iPhone apps tell me what street I’m on, what stores I’m passing, and what intersection I’m approaching. The latest tech sweeping the blind community are Meta smart glasses that snap photos on command and use AI to describe in detail what is in front of me. I cannot guess what’s coming next.

Third, I’m invigorated by unstoppable young people with disabilities. The new generation won’t settle for a world full of barriers. They consider themselves rights-holders, not charity recipients. They readily launch into action using the latest tech.

Fourth, doing grassroots advocacy is far easier than ever before. Want to start a new accessibility blitz? Set up a new Facebook group. Blast invitations out on email and social media. Hold an inaugural Zoom meeting, even in dreadful winter weather. I’ve been invited to offer tips at these across Canada and from places half-a-planet away.

Fifth, more politicians, public servants and business leaders are alive to accessibility issues. We need more to stick out their necks with bold leadership. I’ve had the privilege of working with shining examples who did, and who made a huge difference for us.

Sixth, as our population ages, our numbers keep swelling. No politician dares ignore the disability vote!

Seventh, disability legislation is being passed around the world. The longer Ontario takes to seriously implement its legislation, the further behind it slips. We cannot afford to lose out on 2.9 million Ontarians with disabilities and a potential international customer base of another billion people with disabilities.

Finally, media outlets increasingly cover disability barriers. Three decades ago, getting coverage was extremely difficult. A new generation of reporters are now far more ready to see the newsworthiness of our stories.

A shining example of this is Metroland. It invited me to contribute this monthly column on disability issues.

It just published a fantastic groundbreaking series on the state of accessibility barriers around Ontario. It did this on the eve of the mandatory 2025 deadline that the province failed to fulfil.

Let other news outlets be inspired by Metroland’s visionary leadership.

Jan. 1 will confront Ontarians with disabilities with a huge broken promise. Jan. 2 will see us rolling up our sleeves with determination, gearing up for the next round!

David Lepofsky is a retired lawyer who chairs the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, and is a visiting professor of disability rights at the law schools at Western and the University of Ottawa.

Read Articles 16-23 of The Toronto Star’s Online Metroland Publications’ Amazing Ground-Breaking “Restricted Access” series of Articles on Disability Barriers Around Ontario

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

Read Articles 16-23 of The Toronto Star’s Online Metroland Publications’ Amazing Ground-Breaking “Restricted Access” series of Articles on Disability Barriers Around Ontario

 

December 14, 2024

SUMMARY

 

Here are the final 8 articles from the fantastic Metroland series of articles on disability barriers in local communities and efforts to tear them down. It is entitled “Restricted Access.” The first 7 articles were included in the December 12, 2024 AODA Alliance Update, along with our synthesis of their major points. The second 8 articles were included in the December 13, 2024 AODA Alliance Update. The entire package of articles fills an astonishing 87 pages. The final 8 articles set out below.

 

You can find the entire excellent series in one place on the Metroland website. We have previously shared three of the articles in this series in AODA Alliance Updates: The November 25, 2024 report announcing the AODA Alliance’s event to take place that day at Queen’s Park  celebrating the 30th anniversary of the grassroots accessibility movement, the November 29, 2024 report on our community public hearings at Queen’s Park, and the November 29, 2024 Metroland report on the timeline of the 30 years of this campaign.

 

How You Can Help

 

These are the very tips we offered you in the December 12, 2024 and December 13, 2024 AODA Alliance Updates. If you didn’t leap at them then, why not do it now?

 

  • Please send a letter to the editor, 300 words or less, to Metroland at thenewsroom@metroland.com Thank Metroland for producing this ground-breaking series. Tell them about disability barriers you face!

 

  • Forward this coverage to other news organizations. Challenge them to cover disability barriers as extensively as has Metroland.

 

  • Publicize this Metroland series on website and social media.

 

Let us know what you try. Email us at aodafeedback@gmail.com

 

MORE DETAILS

 

 

Newmarket Era December 2, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.yorkregion.com/news/newmarket-committee-has-dynamic-idea-for-main-street-accessibility/article_9c473a84-f8eb-52bf-8a32-5629f3b67cc0.html

 

Restricted Access

 

Newmarket committee has dynamic idea for Main Street accessibility

“It’s not that we’re disabled. The community and our environment is disabled,” the accessibility advisory committee chair says.

 

 

By Lisa Queen

Steve Foglia on Newmarket Main Street

Lisa Queen Metroland

Steve Foglia and the Newmarket accessibility advisory committee want to see Main Street renovated to make it more accessible for people with disabilities and mobility challenges.

 

 

A barrier-free Ontario was the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), unanimously passed by MPPs in 2005. With the province’s 20-year deadline for the implementation of accessibility standards looming on Jan. 1, 2025, Restricted Access: Will Ontario meet its barrier-free goals? explores this quality-of-life issue for the millions of people living with disabilities — a demographic that’s expected to skyrocket as the population ages.

 

For the first 37 years of his life, Steve Foglia came and went as he wanted without a second thought.

 

But in 1999, the Newmarket resident was in a car collision that crushed his chest and left him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

 

Suddenly, his life became about navigating barriers — and then, about advocating for change in Newmarket, York Region and Canada for people with disabilities.

 

“It’s not that we’re disabled. The community and our environment is disabled,” said Foglia, chair of Newmarket’s accessibility advisory committee, a member and former vice-chair of the region’s accessibility advisory committee and a member of Canada’s accessibility committee for the built environment. He’s just applied to sit on a federal committee looking at making existing buildings accessible.

 

“That’s the key. And if you don’t fix that disability, then you’re never going to make us abled.”

 

It’s a human rights issue, after all, he argues.

 

In addition, people with disabilities pay the same taxes as everyone else, he pointed out. Why shouldn’t they be able to enjoy all their communities have to offer?

 

Meanwhile, 40 per cent of Ontario’s population is made up of people with disabilities and older adults, who often have mobility issues. With an aging population, accessibility concerns are increasing, he said.

 

When Foglia, an artist, looks at Newmarket, he sees successes.

 

For example, Upper Canada Mall opened a fully accessible, state-of-the-art universal washroom in 2019.

 

The town has been conscious of mobility issues, such as making Riverwalk Commons fully accessible, Foglia said.

 

And it is very receptive to suggestions from the committee, such as creating a dedicated space at the Riverwalk summer concert series so people with disabilities can easily get to washrooms without disturbing other concertgoers, Foglia said.

 

But the “big sore spot” is Main Street. Foglia and the committee have a dynamic solution.

 

“It’s not fair that my wife and I can stroll up and down Main Street and see everyone chatting, having a good time at cafés, and we can’t do the same thing,” Foglia said.

 

“It’s a human rights issue when people with wheelchairs can’t access the goods and services they need in their community. You don’t want to force your disability community indoors for a lack of accessibility.”

 

Foglia acknowledges it’s very difficult to make an area built 200 years ago accessible.

 

The committee did an education campaign with store owners and managers and conducted an audit of some shops, but there is no room, for example, to put in ramps.

 

Now, the committee wants the town to bring Main Street up to the level of store entrances so everyone can easily get in and out.

 

“It puts Newmarket on the map. Plus, it becomes a tourist location, as well. I’m not the only person in a wheelchair,” he said.

 

“You don’t realize how frustrating it is when your family wants to go on an outing and you can’t join them because the location isn’t really accessible. Besides, people in wheelchairs are quite the buying power.”

 

There are federal and provincial grants the town could apply for, Foglia said.

 

However, convincing the town to buy into the idea could be an uphill battle.

 

Main Street was reconstructed within the last 25 years and is still many years away from requiring reconstruction. Infrastructure like water mains, sewers, curbs, sidewalks and roads are built to last 40 to 50 years or more, the town said in an email.

 

The last time Main Street was reconstructed, the town paid specific attention to the sidewalks to ensure they were constructed without steps or significant changes in grade to avoid creating bumps and possible tripping hazards, the email said.

 

The cross slopes in the sidewalk areas also conform to the gradual change in grade from property to property and are meant to provide a smooth, safe surface for pedestrians of all abilities, it added.

 

Foglia and the committee have done tireless work in helping to make Newmarket a more accessible community, Mayor John Taylor said.

 

“Together, we have taken action and made significant progress. We know we still have a long way to go,” he added.

 

“We want to ensure that every single person that lives in Newmarket feels an unwavering sense of belonging. Continuing to improve the accessibility of our community and our downtown is critical toward our goal of being one of the most accessible communities in the country.”

 

Lisa Queen has been a reporter for more than 30 years. The Carleton University journalism graduate has spent the majority of her career covering issues affecting communities in York Region. She was also a news reporter in Toronto for eight years. The proud mom of a grown daughter and a goldendoodle now covers Newmarket, as well as some breaking news and regional issues.

 

Ottawa Valley December 2, 2024

 

Originally posted athttps://www.yorkregion.com/news/significant-progress-reconstruction-of-bridge-street-in-carleton-place-makes-a-more-accessible-downtown/article_3ba6d1ac-cbd4-585b-b743-341b9a355a0b.html

 

Restricted Access

‘Significant progress’: Reconstruction of Bridge Street in Carleton Place makes a more accessible downtown

‘The first barrier to accessibility is attitude’, according to Maddy Dever.

 

By Tara Gesner

 

A barrier-free Ontario was the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), unanimously passed by MPPs in 2005. With the province’s 20-year deadline for the implementation of accessibility standards looming on Jan. 1, 2025, Restricted Access: Will Ontario meet its barrier-free goals? explores this quality-of-life issue for the millions of people living with disabilities — a demographic that’s expected to skyrocket as the population ages.

 

The reconstruction of Bridge Street in downtown Carleton Place improved accessibility — including removing the variance of height between the sidewalk and entrance ways to several businesses, restaurants and more.

 

The project commenced in May 2022, with Ottawa-based Louis Bray Construction tapped as general contractor. Its completion and reopening were celebrated in June the following year.

 

The extent of the work between Lake Avenue and the Central Bridge was as follows:

 

New road surface, sidewalks, trees and decorative LED lighting.

Three additional pedestrian crosswalks (legal versus courtesy).

Corridor enhancements such as benches, waste receptacles, bike racks and decorative planter boxes.

Accessibility improvements, which eliminated barriers to many several businesses and residential units.

Maddy Dever is a former Carleton Place resident. In June 2020, a car accident left them with a spinal cord injury and without the use of their left hand. Owing to significantly restrained mobility, Dever uses a wheelchair.

 

Before the reconstruction, most businesses on Bridge Street had single-step entrances — making it impossible for Dever to enter a shop, restaurant and more. Some businesses utilized Stopgap ramps, which were free and constructed by students at Carleton Place High School as part of their curriculum.

 

Dever called them “something better than nothing” but “reactive and not intentional” accessibility.

 

“It was not just individuals in wheelchairs experiencing problems,” Kory Earle told Inside Ottawa Valley. “It was seniors with walkers and people pushing strollers and using other small wheel devices like grocery buggies and other carriers.”

 

Earle is a member of the town’s Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC). He is also known locally, provincially and federally as an advocate for persons with disabilities.

 

“The goal was to make Carleton Place open to everyone,” Earle noted. “The reconstruction of Bridge Street was great, and it was significant progress, but there is always more to do.”

 

level sidewalks carleton place east

 

The reconstruction of Bridge Street in Carleton Place resulted in an accessible and a safer downtown.

 

He stressed: “It is important for people to know the economy is stronger when persons with disabilities are included. By investing in accessibility, you are ensuring everyone is included and persons with disabilities do not feel like they are a burden.”

 

Dever concurred. “There is a negative effect on the economy when inclusion is not considered or prioritized.”

 

“The first barrier to accessibility is attitude,” they stressed.

 

Dever was pleased with Carleton Place’s “intentional effort” to raise the sidewalks to be level with buildings; however, they were “discouraged” some buildings — especially on the west side of Bridge Street — “still present barriers to access.”

 

Challenges in Smiths Falls

Now living in Smiths Falls, Dever still faces barriers. They highlighted the Smiths Falls Youth Arena.

 

On Oct. 21, the town hosted a public open house there, in the second-level hall, to gather feedback for its five-year business retention and expansion and investment attraction strategic plan.

 

According to Dever, the handicapped door button to open the arena’s second set of doors did not work, and owing to the weight of the doors and their limited arm use, “I had to wait for someone also coming in to help me get it open.”

 

SF Maddy Dever door

 

Smiths Falls resident Maddy Dever says handicapped door buttons that regularly do not function properly at the Smiths Falls Youth Arena are a barrier to participation for people with disabilities. Dever sustained a spinal cord injury in a June 2020 car accident.

 

Tara Gesner Metroland

The next challenge was the elevator, they explained. It requires a key and “it took 20 minutes for the staff member who had the key to come back and open it.”

 

Accessibility gives us, for the most part, the autonomous ability to do something,” Dever continued. “Not having the key readily available denies persons with disabilities the same access as other people, and relying on someone to bring the key takes away their autonomy.”

 

SF Maddy Dever elevator

 

An elevator at the Smiths Falls Youth Arena requires a key, and resident Maddy Dever says not having the key readily available denies people with disabilities the same access as other people. Relying on someone to bring the key takes away their autonomy.

 

Tara Gesner Metroland

“Just like there is a gender lens and a diversity lens, there needs to be an accessibility lens,” they added. “When you are building something, you have to think of accessibility.”

 

Dever suggested “bringing persons with disabilities in at the start — not at the end and ask if we did a good job.”

 

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) includes requirements that all levels of government, non-profits and private sector businesses in Ontario must meet — with deadlines specific to an organization’s type and size. The AODA is made up of five standards: customer service; information and communication; employment; transportation; and design of public spaces. Deadlines for compliance began Jan. 1, 2010. The goal is to have an accessible Ontario by 2025.

 

Both Earle and Dever are concerned about enforcement. Will it only be complaint driven?

 

“It is the year 2024,” Earle emphasized. “Municipalities owe it to persons with disabilities to be accessible. Cost should never be an excuse. Accessibility is a human right.”

 

Ottawa Valley December 2, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.yorkregion.com/news/smiths-falls-hopes-to-be-a-real-leader-in-bringing-accessibility-to-small-town-rural/article_166dee18-ffc3-5201-8ffe-040de99b37cd.html

 

Restricted Access

Smiths Falls hopes to be a ‘real leader’ in bringing accessibility to small-town, rural communities

The Accessibility Advisory Committee has been able to highlight inclusivity in various projects

 

By Taylor Clark

Smiths Falls Record News

A barrier-free Ontario was the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), unanimously passed by MPPs in 2005. With the province’s 20-year deadline for the implementation of accessibility standards looming on Jan. 1, 2025, Restricted Access: Will Ontario meet its barrier-free goals? explores this quality-of-life issue for the millions of people living with disabilities — a demographic that’s expected to skyrocket as the population ages.

 

Smiths Falls is on track to fulfil the standards in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), said the Accessibility Advisory Committee chair.

 

“We are moving forward in a very positive way,” said Lucie Bingley. “It’s like many municipalities struggling to meet all the requirements by 2025, but we are on the right path. Certainly, we have a lot of plans in place to make that happen.”

 

Passed in 2005, the act aims to make the province fully accessible by 2025 with “respect to goods, services, facilities, accommodation, employment, buildings, structures and premises.”

 

With a population of a little over 9,000 residents, Smiths Falls was not required under the AODA to create an accessibility advisory committee but this did not stop Bingley from pushing to have a more inclusive community.

 

The two-time chair said things got started when Marshall Hogan and herself made presentations to council in 2019, highlighting the barriers and challenges found across Smiths Falls.

 

Marshall and I really wanted to bring accessibility issues forward and create that awareness for people that this is something that is achievable and can be done,” said Bingley.

 

She said her inspiration for change went back to her visit to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario years ago.

 

“It was all accessible and that’s owed to the late David Onley who had a disability.”

 

Onley served as the lieutenant governor of Ontario from 2007 to 2014, the first person in the province with a physical disability to hold the position. He championed disability issues and made accessibility an overarching theme during his mandate.

 

“He was certainly a very strong advocate for people with disabilities and accessibility issues. He really paved the way for moving forward. (And) it’s an honour to be able to bring some of those issues right to Smiths Falls.”

 

Living with mobility issues herself, Bingley said she felt like the community was less aware of accessibility challenges prior to the committee forming.

 

“The impact on the daily life of people with a disability and how isolating that could be for them. And now I feel like the committee has really embraced that.”

 

Now five years in the books, the chair said the group has been able to promote inclusivity and remove barriers as the town develops.

 

“Most notably the Beckwith Street downtown redevelopment. We were very heavily consulted on that and the accessibility considerations that would need to be done. We also have had a lot to do with the new development of town square.”

 

Next on the committee’s radar was parks and recreation.

 

Smiths Falls director of community services Stephanie Clark said the term accessibility tends to be associated with physical disabilities but with the help of the committee, the town has been able to expand its understanding to also include intellectual disabilities in its services and future infrastructure.

 

“We can build our play structures to also have calming areas or site-specific interventions so that all kids get a chance to play,” said Clark.

 

The town’s playground implementation plan detailed various inclusive infrastructures like accessible swings and sensory play structures that will grace the community’s parks.

 

Totalling more than $2.5 million, the planned work was expected to span until 2028.

 

Bingley recognized the largest obstacle in establishing a fully accessible community was high costs but said the committee had worked hard to identify priorities.

 

“We are hoping to be a real leader for lots of small communities, rural communities.”

 

Richmond Hill Liberal December 2, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.yorkregion.com/news/york-region-seniors-group-speaks-out-for-accessible-housing-while-gta-developers-remain-silent/article_c53d9964-700b-5120-a2db-76f4c0af03ac.html

Restricted Access

York Region seniors group speaks out for accessible housing while GTA developers remain silent

Many seniors in houses ‘have nowhere else to move into,’ CHATS CEO says.

 

By Mike Adler

Christina Bisanz, CEO of CHATS

 

Christina Bisanz, CEO of CHATS (Community and Home Assistance to Seniors) at the charity’s space in Richmond Hill, wonders why more housing isn’t being built in Ontario that can allow seniors to age comfortably in place.

 

Mike Adler Metroland

 

A barrier-free Ontario was the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), unanimously passed by MPPs in 2005. With the province’s 20-year deadline for the implementation of accessibility standards looming on Jan. 1, 2025, Restricted Access: Will Ontario meet its barrier-free goals? explores this quality-of-life issue for the millions of people living with disabilities — a demographic that’s expected to skyrocket as the population ages.

 

When will we build housing that’s accessible to all of us?

 

Two decades after the AODA passed, pressure is on to build new housing as fast as builders and municipalities can manage it — but much of what is being built is townhomes, with three or four floors reachable only by stairs.

 

That might be OK for now, but not for the people with disabilities we might become as we age.

 

Or for an aging parent coming to live with us, says Christina Bisanz, CEO of CHATS (Community and Home Assistance to Seniors) in York Region.

 

“We do need to do better,” Bisanz said in an interview.

 

Many of the older adults CHATS serves live alone in three or four-bedroom houses. Canada’s census suggests 40 per cent of them have a disability.

 

In York, about 41 per cent of existing houses have people over 65 in them, with around 80 per cent of those seniors living alone, said Bisanz.

 

“We have a lot of housing occupied by people with nowhere else to move into,” she said at the charity’s Richmond Hill location, standing by a long row of walkers left by visiting clients.

 

“We often hear people are looking to downsize to a bungalow — but bungalows are becoming as rare as hen’s teeth.”

 

To avoid long-term care, some older adults in the region want to move in with children, but if seniors can’t climb stairs to get to a bathroom with a shower, how can that work, Bisanz asked.

 

CHATS does home adaptation and maintenance programs, including falls assessment, installing grab bars and stair lifts, or whatever is needed.

 

All that is effective only to a point.

 

Bisanz wonders why universal design standards making homes more accessible aren’t in Ontario’s building code, such as requiring railings on both sides of a staircase, specifying how wide a door frame should be or the space needed in a bathroom to allow for a turning wheelchair.

 

Part of Bisanz’s job is advocacy. She said she’s talked informally with builders in the Greater Toronto Area, and they’ve told her there’s no market or interest in accessible housing or that it would be too expensive.

 

The AODA doesn’t mention housing, except to say building owners must make accommodations for their staff. The building code merely says 15 per cent of new housing units must include a “path of travel” to certain rooms for people with disabilities.

 

As the AODA era winds down, Bisanz believes a shift in attitudes is needed before more housing is built to accommodate “a whole important part of our population” — seniors.

 

“If we have artificial barriers (in housing) that prevent them from staying engaged with their community, how is that serving our society well?” she asks.

 

The Building Industry and Land Development Association — or BILD GTA, an organization representing the development industry in Greater Toronto — was asked to comment on how the industry has altered home designs and what can be done to build homes where seniors can continue to live comfortably as they age.

 

The group referred the inquiry to the Accelerating Accessibility Coalition (AAC), a “community of real estate development and accessibility leaders” whose stated mission is “challenging home builders to make physical accessibility a greater priority” for new homes.

 

Kate Chung of the Accessible Housing Network

 

Kate Chung is a member of the Accessible Housing Network advocacy group.

 

The AAC didn’t comment either, but introduced a reporter to Kate Chung, an AAC member with the Accessible Housing Network advocacy group.

 

Chung said universal design wouldn’t cost developers more and would save everyone money by preventing falls, emergency room visits and nursing home admissions.

 

“Any other industry would not ignore such a big segment of their market, but the builders are,” she said.

 

Living in an older condominium that cannot accommodate wheelchairs, Chung, 82, said she’s terrified of what will happen if she or her 88-year-old husband need one.

 

“Can I find any housing that I can get into?” she asked, adding many people with disabilities live in non-accessible housing, but stay silent because they fear losing what they have.

 

Mike Adler is a reporter for YorkRegion.com. Reach him at madler@metroland.com

 

Stayner Sun December 2, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.yorkregion.com/news/just-1-of-clearview-township-s-6-community-halls-will-meet-province-s-accessibility-for/article_770917d8-db22-5a0f-881c-6e88b34e753f.html

 

Restricted Access

 

Just 1 of Clearview Township’s 6 community halls will meet province’s Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act requirements by Jan. 1 deadline. Here’s what that means and what the municipality plans to do next

 

Sunnidale Hall only 1 of 6 to meet accessibility guidelines ahead of Jan. 1 deadline

Clearview Township has struggled to bring its aging community halls up to standards set out in province’s Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act ahead of deadline.

 

By Ian Adams

Doug Measures and Terry Vachon

 

Clearview Township Mayor Doug Measures, left, and the township’s director of parks and recreation Terry Vachon in the township’s council chambers, which were recently renovated to meet AODA standards.

 

Ian Adams Metroland

 

A barrier-free Ontario was the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), unanimously passed by MPPs in 2005. With the province’s 20-year deadline for the implementation of accessibility standards looming on Jan. 1, 2025, Restricted Access: Will Ontario meet its barrier-free goals? explores this quality-of-life issue for the millions of people living with disabilities — a demographic that’s expected to skyrocket as the population ages.

 

Clearview Township won’t meet the Jan. 1 deadline to bring its aging community halls into line with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

 

But it hasn’t been for a lack of trying, as the township juggles competing capital priorities within a limited budget.

 

For the last decade, the township has grappled with the issue of what to do with its six older community halls — Brentwood, Dunedin, Nottawa, Sunnidale, Duntroon, and Avening — with the looming 2025 deadline for them to meet AODA requirements.

 

The halls are deeply rooted in the villages they serve, hosting weddings, fundraising dinners, and funerals, but the emotional tug these facilities have on the community has been tempered at the council table by the financial constraints on the township.

 

In 2013, an engineering report estimated $800,000 was needed to address accessibility issues at six halls, on top of the $200,000 for electrical and mechanical repairs so the buildings could meet up-to-date fire, electrical and building codes.

 

Nearly a decade later, in the wake of higher construction costs in the post-pandemic era, that number is now close to $7 million.

 

With only two months until 2025, only one of the halls — Sunnidale Community Centre — has been upgraded, and work at a second, Avening Community Centre, is several months away from completion.

 

As part of its 2025 budget discussions, council will weigh whether to begin work at two more of either Dunedin, Nottawa, Duntroon and Brentwood.

 

“If we could do it all in one year and hire contractors who are available to do it all in one year, that would have been great,” said Clearview Township Mayor Doug Measures. “But the reality is it just doesn’t happen, you just don’t get a contractor who can do all of them at once.

 

“There’s no magic wand to make this happen.”

 

Council decisions based on use of halls

It comes down to the viability of each facility, and how they serve the community. In Sunnidale’s case, Measures said, the facility has regular use, and the type of use demanded accessibility upgrades.

 

“We have to make a lot of decisions about which ones, we still have some work to do, we still have some halls to take a close look at what we’re going to do with them and how they’re going to continue to serve the community,” he said.

 

The township’s director of parks and recreation, Terry Vachon, joined the township staff in 2017, and was handed the file of bringing the halls into compliance with the legislation.

 

At the time, Vachon said, former chief administrative officer Steve Sage told him the small halls project “was going to be one of the biggest, hardest challenges that my department will face.”

 

While the pandemic provided a couple of years to “gather our thoughts and really plan this process,” the municipality still faced that impending 2025 deadline to meet the requirements of the legislation.

 

But along with council, Vachon also had to convince the broader community — those who might not be as intimate with the halls as, say, the hall boards were — that upgrading the buildings to meet AODA requirements was necessary.

 

“I don’t know if the culture has really accepted it in our communities,” he said. “Everybody knows it’s important, everybody knows we have to do this, but not everybody is sold that we have to do all the buildings we have.”

 

Vachon said the perception of the legislation is that it only applies to “folks in wheelchairs.”

 

“Going through this process for the community halls … AODA is a lot more,” he said, and applies to provide access for people who have mobility challenges, as well as those who have visual or auditory impairments.

 

The hall renovations also need to be balanced with the municipality’s other capital priorities, and stay within the township’s ability to take on debt, Measures said. For example, council has to weigh the costs of the halls against the more than 100 bridges and culverts the township is responsible for maintaining, and which cost several hundred thousand dollars each to replace.

 

Province needs to step up with funding

The ministry responsible to oversee the legislation, the Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility, isn’t offering financial support.

 

“Honestly, that is kind of disappointing when you consider this is a very important piece of legislation that was passed by a previous provincial government, supported by the current provincial government, and it’s never been amended or modified by the current government,” Measures said. “And here we are, facing two months until 2025, and we still don’t have any programs in place to support these types of renovations for AODA.

 

“It surprises me they have this legislation right in front of them, that they know is coming, and they have 400 municipalities that have to deal with this type of thing.”

 

Meanwhile, the township recently opened the doors of its renovated council chambers, with a number of improvements intended to meet new accessibility standards. The council table, which at one time sat on a raised floor, has been brought down to the same level as the audience. There were also improvements to lighting and audiovisual equipment.

 

Vachon said working with the legislation has “really opened up my eyes” for the need of the municipality to be inclusive.

 

“I wasn’t the biggest AODA supporter, because I never really had to get into the trenches,” he said. “But going through this process with council, with our community halls, has really taught me what AODA means to a community and why it’s so important, and why we talk about it all the time.

 

“It’s crucial to having an inclusive community.”

 

 

Stouffville Sun-Tribune December 2, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.yorkregion.com/news/accessibility-benefits-everyone-what-its-like-to-navigate-stouffville-with-14-people-in-wheelchairs/article_dc4d4030-9f07-5c43-9f87-abc5da4fc012.html

 

Restricted Access

‘Accessibility benefits everyone’: What it’s like to navigate Stouffville with 14 people in wheelchairs

Jaqueline Hall-Fusco said her favourite place to go with Steer Friends in Stouffville is the Leisure Centre pool, which has two accessible change tables, lifts, and an adult change room.

 

By Simon Martin

Steer Friends

Simon Martin Metroland

Steer Friends executive director Jacqueline Hall-Fusco pushes day-program user Emily Bigioni in her wheelchair. Hall-Fusco is pushing for more accessibility changes in Stouffville.

 

A barrier-free Ontario was the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), unanimously passed by MPPs in 2005. With the province’s 20-year deadline for the implementation of accessibility standards looming on Jan. 1, 2025, Restricted Access: Will Ontario meet its barrier-free goals? explores this quality-of-life issue for the millions of people living with disabilities — a demographic that’s expected to skyrocket as the population ages.

 

There are few people better equipped to talk about accessibility concerns in Stouffville than Jacqueline Hall-Fusco. She is the executive director of Steer Friends, a therapeutic day program for teens and young adults with developmental and physical disabilities in Stouffville.

 

“Fourteen out of the 20 individuals here are in wheelchairs,” she said.

 

Simply getting the large group around town presents large hurdles.

 

“Even for York Region mobility transit, more than one wheelchair is an issue,” she said. “We wanted to book private transportation for 14 wheelchairs to go 10 kilometres to the Markham Fair and it was going to cost $2,500.”

 

Hall-Fusco has been thinking about the logistical challenges of getting around ever since her sister, Stephanie, became a full-time wheelchair user.

 

“It wasn’t just like let’s hop in the car and go,” she said. “There is a lot of planning that goes into leaving. We come in with my sister and look around and think can we even get in there? Is she going to be able to use the bathroom?”

 

Even sending people out for a walk at Steer Friends on Innovator Drive comes with challenges. They have set up a makeshift ramp taking up the parking spot in front of the door because there is no curb cut. But while walking around town even the smallest of imperfections in a curb can be dangerous to a wheelchair user, Hall-Fusco said.

 

Hall-Fusco joined the town’s accessibility advisory committee in an effort to make the town more accessible. She said there are some places that do a better job with accessibility than others.

 

“The pool is a great highlight for me in town. The have two accessible change tables, lifts, and an adult change room,” she said.

 

Steer Friends brings its group to the pool once a week. Accessibility is more than just having a big-stalled washroom, Hall-Fusco added. “There needs to be room for support and equipment,” she said.

 

You’re not likely to find members of Steer Friends on Main Street Downtown as the sidewalks are in really bad condition and the older buidlings a challenge to navigate, Hall-Fusco said.

 

The Town of Stouffville has made several accessibility improvements in recent years. For example, council and committee meetings, which used to be in-person only now are hybrid offering a person the option to participate virtually.

 

The second floor of town hall was renovated to incorporate accessible workstations and offices, as well as the construction of a new customer service kiosk with multi-level counters that meet accessibility requirements.

 

Additionally, sliding doors at the Leisure Centre, Stouffville Arena and Clippers Sports Complex were replaced or repaired to create wider, more functional entryways. They also upgraded the accessible change room off the pool deck, replacing the manual adult change room lift with a fully automated model.

 

The town is also looking to make Main Street more accessible with the potential for reconstruction to include wider sidewalks, more accessible crosswalks and new accessible pathways.

 

For Hall-Fusco, the biggest thing is for the public to be aware of the challenges people in the community face.

 

A huge hurdle is also cost. A push-button door operator can be $3,500.

 

“Accessibility is not just for individuals in wheelchairs. It benefits everyone: grandparents, someone with a broken leg,” she said.

 

“It’s now being thought of in advance, rather than as an afterthought.”

 

A spokesperson for the town said improved public transit accessibility is a priority.

 

“Reliable transit is crucial for mobility and independence, especially for residents with disabilities,” they said.

 

Simon Martin is a reporter for the East Gwillimbury Express and Stouffville Sun-Tribune. He can be reached at smartin@yrmg.com

 

Vaughan Citizen December 2, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.yorkregion.com/news/there-are-things-that-older-establishments-can-do-are-vaughan-s-city-facilities-accessible/article_87bf2779-07b5-54b8-9e6b-e8c072dd2f04.html

Restricted Access

‘There are things that older establishments can do’: Are Vaughan’s city facilities accessible?

Ontario is nearing the deadline to increase accessibility in the province, but has Vaughan met the challenge?

 

 

By Veracia Ankrah

Gianluca DeVuono

 

Gianluca DeVuono, 17, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, outside of the Sara Elizabeth Centre program. The centre, a small non-profit business, won Vaughan’s 2024 Accessibility Champions Award.

 

Sara Elizabeth Centre photo

 

A barrier-free Ontario was the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), unanimously passed by MPPs in 2005. With the province’s 20-year deadline for the implementation of accessibility standards looming on Jan. 1, 2025, Restricted Access: Will Ontario meet its barrier-free goals? explores this quality-of-life issue for the millions of people living with disabilities — a demographic that’s expected to skyrocket as the population ages.

 

Ontario is nearing the deadline to increase accessibility in the province, but has Vaughan met the challenge at its city facilities?

 

In November 2023, Vaughan council approved the 2023 to 2027 Multi-Year Accessibility Plan, a five-year initiative outlining the city’s approach to advancing accessibility for residents, visitors and businesses under the province’s AODA.

 

In an email with the Vaughan Citizen on Nov. 11, the city said a focus area in its plan is the accessibility of public spaces, following the completion of a Building Accessibility Assessment for all municipal buildings.

 

The assessment included evaluations of 76 city buildings, including facility exteriors, interiors, washrooms and emergency systems.

 

Vaughan has implemented “regular audits and upgrades to enhance accessibility of municipal facilities and infrastructure and promoting compliance by external stakeholders,” according to the city.

 

Some of these advancements include the best practices in way-finding and signage, recreational trails, facilities, parks, playgrounds and outdoor spaces as Vaughan constructs, redevelops or upgrades

 

As a result, accessibility upgrades have been made to several city facilities, including:

 

Redesigning the entrance to Vaughan City Hall.

Installing automatic door operators at the Maple Community Centre.

Adding new Hearing Induction Loop systems at the Bathurst Clark Resource Library and the Civic Centre Resource Library.

Installing evacuation chairs at four additional city facilities, including the Woodbridge Library, the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Library, the Pierre Berton Resource Library and the Maple Community Centre.

Adding accessibility features in the Vellore Village Community Centre washrooms.

Adding accessible parking spaces at the Al Palladini and Vellore Village community centres, Fire Station 7-5, as well as Garnet A. Williams Community Centre.

The Dufferin Clark Community Centre in Thornhill says it is equipped with a ramp, a wheelchair that can travel onto the pool deck and an elevator while the City Playhouse Theatre says it is “fully wheelchair accessible” on the city website.

 

However, a staffer at the Chancellor Community Centre in Woodbridge told the Vaughan Citizen that the building is mostly wheelchair accessible, but as an older building does not have an elevator.

 

“People think, ‘oh, we just have to help people get around physically,’ but how about the people who aren’t in a wheelchair but have other specific needs. I wish we could open that door of awareness, so people understand that accessibility comes in so many ways,” Cris Smith, executive director of Sara Elizabeth Centre, told the Vaughan Citizen.

 

On May. 7, Blue Veil Charity’s Sara Elizabeth Centre, a small non-profit business, won the city’s 2024 Accessibility Champions Award.

 

The centre empowers youths and young adults facing physical and mental challenges by working to remove accessibility barriers and foster an inclusive community with programs focusing on education, arts, life skills and technology

 

Gianluca DeVuono, 17, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, is a member of the Sara Elizabeth Centre program.

 

Maria DeVuono, his mother, says city facilities and newer infrastructures are fairly accessible, but she avoids older areas, like Marycroft Avenue and Market Lane in Woodbridge with smaller shops that are more challenging to work around, especially when they are without accessible washrooms.

 

“Sometimes we can’t go in certain areas at all because it’s just not accessible. It’s a much older area, so I guess there are limitations of what they can do so we avoid places like that just because we don’t have a choice — the washroom is a necessity.”

 

DeVuono says there are times when Gianluca is carried into an area and his wheelchair is brought inside afterwards, but when travelling with his power wheelchair, lifting the heavy assistive device is not a viable option.

 

She hopes Vaughan can expand its wheelchair mobility and partner with organizations that provide wedges to close the gaps to modify buildings that are not accessible, much like she sees in Toronto.

 

“My only disappointment (in Vaughan) is that they can tap into those resources but haven’t, where they can have certain organizations bring wedges to get into buildings and so on to make it easier.”

 

Other than navigating in community buildings, DeVuono says getting around the city outside via sidewalks can also be a challenge.

 

At times, she says there are raised curves and damaged cracks in the pavement that affect wheelchair accessibility and would ask Vaughan to monitor older areas, to match the many newer spaces that she acknowledges have helpful blended curves.

 

DeVuono says wheelchair accessibly in the winter months is also often overlooked.

 

“Snowplows tend to push all the snow in accessible spots and certain areas, there’s only a couple of (accessible) spots, so when the city’s contractors do that, they’ve taken away complete areas.”

 

She says the Sara Elizabeth Centre is also an older building, but has added things to make it fully accessible, including a lift and ramp for participants can go to all the floors.

 

“Even though it’s an older infrastructure they were able to make those modifications to make it accessible. There are things that older establishments can do (to help).”

 

SIDEBAR:

 

The city told the Vaughan Citizen that it is working in partnership with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) Access Labs and GoodMaps, on a Wayfinding Pilot Project app that will be launched later this year.

 

The way-finding pilot aims to improve independent navigation of city facilities in an app for people with vision-related disabilities and other diverse visitors, including people using wheelchairs or mobility devices.

 

The app will launch in select city facilities during the pilot stage, to be launched on International Day for Persons with Disabilities on Dec. 3. Details about the pilot project can be found in the Mar. 19 Committee of the Whole 2 report.

 

Veracia Ankrah is a reporter with YorkRegion.com. Reach her at vankrah@metroland.com.

 

 

York Region December 2, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.yorkregion.com/news/accessibility-is-for-everybody-are-sidewalk-expansions-and-public-transit-the-answer-to-improving-accessibility/article_4149d2d8-06c0-53f8-8c6b-cc9146ee1f38.html

 

Restricted Access

‘Accessibility is for everybody’: Are sidewalk expansions and public transit the answer to improving accessibility in Parry Sound?

 

Intern Architect Jenna Neilson proposes the use of ‘multimodal streets’ to improve safety for people with disabilities.

 

Improving sidewalks or incorporating a public transportation system would help, but the main challenge people with disabilities in the region face are long distances, say community members.

 

Jean Beckett standing besides Bowes Street in Parry Sound

 

Parry Sound resident Jean Beckett, who is also a member of Health Quality Ontario council and former board member of RISE, says sidewalks in town need to improve for people with disabilities.

 

Julian Orlando Chaves Metroland

 

A barrier-free Ontario was the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), unanimously passed by MPPs in 2005. With the province’s 20-year deadline for the implementation of accessibility standards looming on Jan. 1, 2025, Restricted Access: Will Ontario meet its barrier-free goals? explores this quality-of-life issue for the millions of people living with disabilities — a demographic that’s expected to skyrocket as the population ages.

 

Improving sidewalks and public transportation are key to making Parry Sound more accessible, say community members.

 

While it usually takes only five minutes to drive from downtown to reach essential services in town — from grocery stores to health-care offices — that commute can grow into a 30-minute trip for those without access to a vehicle.

 

It’s a challenging trip, especially for people with disabilities, said Marliese Gause, chief executive officer of The Friends, a charitable organization providing supportive services to those with long-term health-care needs.

 

“Just imagine, for example, that you were in a wheelchair and you needed to go up to emerge at the hospital once or twice a week for some kind of specialized treatment, and then go back here,” she said, referring to The Friends building at 27 Forest St.

 

“If so, what are you doing? There’s no accessible taxi, so you have to make pre-arrangements with West Parry Sound District Community Support Services (CSS), or you’re using the ambulance — there is no other way.”

 

Gause sits at her desk

 

Marliese Gause is the chief executive officer of The Friends.

 

Sarah Bissonette Metroland file photo

“Having other transportation resources is important because, with CSS, you have to book in advance — there’s no spontaneity,” she continued. “They’re not like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna go out for a pizza tonight and see a movie’ — not happening … When you are physically disabled, or you’re vulnerable, everything has to be planned.”

 

The Town of Parry Sound shut down its public transportation system in 2015 — a regular bus and an accessible bus driving to different spots in town — because demand did not justify the costs, said Parry Sound Mayor Jamie McGarvey.

 

Ridership was dropping off, and the costs were rising. For example, we charged $3 for a regular bus ride; it cost us about $9. We had to charge the same rate for the accessible bus, which cost $33 per ride,” wrote McGarvey in an email.

 

The town could fund the transportation system through Ontario’s gas tax program, but it redirected those funds to support CSS.

 

“The town just donated the big white transport van to the organization, and we also donated their previous van to them. This vehicle was expensive — this is what we do with the money,” said McGarvey.

 

Despite the town’s small population, Gause said “it doesn’t mean we don’t need the service.” She said the town should study alternatives for a public transportation system that helps people with disabilities.

 

“We could maybe look at an accessible minibus that reaches out to seniors and people with disabilities through a scheduling program. We can make trips to Walmart on Mondays, the pharmacy on Tuesdays and so on,” said Gause. “A sign-up page could be created where people can register to be picked up … There could be alternatives, but we have to think more creatively about what would actually work.”

 

Those who use wheelchairs or scooters face another challenge — limited sidewalks.

 

“We’ve got a lot of streets that don’t even have sidewalks, and the sidewalks we do have are very bad,” said Parry Sound resident Jean Beckett, a member of Health Quality Ontario council and former board member of RISE: Resource Centre For Independent Living in Parry Sound.

 

“There’s a difference between walkable and wheelable. Sidewalks also need to be wheelable. In our current situation, it is very rough when we have to ride sidewalks or streets. I have an electric mobility scooter that I could use to go places, but I can’t use it because I have back problems, and it hurts my back because of all the humps.”

 

Beckett says improving sidewalks will not only be safer for people using wheelchairs or scooters — which represents a only a small percentage of people with disabilities — but anyone with a disability.

 

Intern architect Jenna Neilson, who based her graduate thesis on making Parry Sound more pedestrian friendly and presented proposals at the “Wave of Possibilities” event at the Charles W. Stockey Centre in early October, identified key streets — like Bowes or Joseph — that could be turned into “multimodal streets” to improve efficiency and enhance safety.

 

“A multimodal street allows for all types of transportation, whether cars, buses, walking or biking, or any other transportation one would need throughout the town. These streets focus on active transportation but allow motorized vehicles when required,” Neilson wrote in the thesis.

 

The main concerns with several town streets that do have sidewalks are that these are narrow — and get narrower with snow in the winter — forcing cars to drive close to pedestrians.

 

Joseph Street

 

Interim architect Jenna Neilson redesigns Joseph Street by narrowing the driving lanes to slow cars and adding sidewalks and bike lanes to both sides to allow for multi-modal transit.

 

Jenna Neilson graphic

“If we also see, for example, Joseph Street, there’s going to be a lot of people around in the future, kids walking on the street coming from the neighbourhood to the high school or to the future pool (West Parry Sound Recreation and Cultural Centre), and there’s only one, small little sidewalk there — it is not ideal. If we find a way to mix its use, it will be safer for everyone,” said Neilson in a later interview with the North Star.

 

Bowes Street

 

Interim architect Jenna Neilson also redesigns Bowes Street as a linear park. With narrowed driving lanes, more areas can be brought in green spaces and third places. Bike lanes and a covered bus shelter for future buses are also proposed.

 

Jenna Neilson graphic

Beckett said that while improving sidewalks or incorporating a public transportation system would help, the issue boils down to a specific barrier.

 

“Long distances we have in the region are the biggest barrier, and sometimes you can’t avoid it … there are also people whose every step they take is painful, and they need to use cars to move around. Businesses, the municipality, everyone needs to make sure the right amount of parking for people with disabilities is available, along with proper loading and drop-off zones,” said Beckett.

 

“We need to understand that accessibility shouldn’t stick out. People with disabilities should just blend into the rest of society, and the only way they can do that is by blending these accessibility features into the built environment. If you make something more accessible for a wheelchair, then that young mom with a stroller will benefit, too. Accessibility is for everybody.”

Read Articles 8-15 of The Toronto Star’s Online Metroland Publications’ Amazing Ground-Breaking “Restricted Access” series of Articles on Disability Barriers Around Ontario

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

Read Articles 8-15 of The Toronto Star’s Online Metroland Publications’ Amazing Ground-Breaking “Restricted Access” series of Articles on Disability Barriers Around Ontario

 

December 13, 2024

 

SUMMARY

 

Here is a second set of articles from the fantastic Metroland series of articles on disability barriers in local communities and efforts to tear them down. It is entitled “Restricted Access.” The first 7 articles were included in the December 12, 2024 AODA Alliance Update, along with our synthesis of their major points. The entire package of articles fills an astonishing 87 pages. There are 8 articles set out below.

 

You can find the entire excellent series in one place on the Metroland website. We have previously shared three of the articles in this series in AODA Alliance Updates: The November 25, 2024 report announcing the AODA Alliance’s event to take place that day at Queen’s Park  celebrating the 30th anniversary of the grassroots accessibility movement, the November 29, 2024 report on our community public hearings at Queen’s Park, and the November 29, 2024 Metroland report on the timeline of the 30 years of this campaign.

 

How You Can Help

 

These are the same tips we offered you in the December 12, 2024 AODA Alliance Update. They get even more helpful each day you take them out for a spin!

 

  • Please send a letter to the editor, 300 words or less, to Metroland at thenewsroom@metroland.com Thank Metroland for producing this ground-breaking series. Tell them about disability barriers you face!

 

  • Forward this coverage to other news organizations. Challenge them to cover disability barriers as extensively as has Metroland.

 

  • Publicize this Metroland series on website and social media.

 

Let us know what you try. Email us at aodafeedback@gmail.com

 

MORE DETAILS

 

Durham Region December 2, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.yorkregion.com/news/ontario-has-failed-people-with-disabilities-people-with-disabilities-in-oshawa-whitby-and-clarington-speak/article_d1103860-d9bf-59e4-98e6-727d4262119d.html

 

‘Ontario has failed people with disabilities’: People with disabilities in Oshawa, Whitby and Clarington speak bluntly about what accessibility act means to their lives

‘As a disabled person since 2010, the improvements I’m seeming in my community are absolutely minimal’: Jim McEwen

This article explores Ontario’s progress toward a barrier-free province for people with disabilities amid the impending AODA deadlines through personal experiences.

 

By Tim Kelly

 

Dot McFarlane

 

Dot McFarlane, who has lived with a disability for a number of years and often uses a scooter to get around Oshawa, cuddles with two of her pet dogs, Morgan (on top), a schnauzer mix, and Riot, a poodle mix.

 

A barrier-free Ontario was the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), unanimously passed by MPPs in 2005. With the province’s 20-year deadline for the implementation of accessibility standards looming on Jan. 1, 2025, Restricted Access: Will Ontario meet its barrier-free goals? explores this quality-of-life issue for the millions of people living with disabilities — a demographic that’s expected to skyrocket as the population ages.

 

When passed nearly 20 years ago, the AODA, as its most commonly known, was created to “establish, develop, implement and enforce standards related to goods, services, accommodation, employment and buildings before Jan. 1, 2025.

 

The legislation applies to every person in both the public and private sector. Its ultimate aim is to work toward a barrier-free Ontario.

 

Has it met that goal? Has it come close? Has much even changed?

 

DurhamRegion.com asked four people who live with disabilities and who have been members of local accessibility advisory committees in various municipalities whether the legislation has been effective.

 

Here are their stories, through their own lived experiences and in their own words:

 

Dot McFarlane, 58, of Oshawa

Dot McFarlane is the current chair of Oshawa’s accessibility advisory committee.

 

She has “back issues that when I walk certain distances, my legs start to go numb. I also have a genetic endocrine issue and vertigo. I was diagnosed with my endocrine issue when I was in my teens. It causes problems with my face, my neck is very bulgy. It creates hypothyroidism, but my hypothyroidism manifests itself in my neck and it makes my neck look a lot bigger than most people.”

 

The City of Oshawa insisted on this disclaimer about McFarlane’s comments: “The opinions reflected by the member are their own personal comments and are not endorsed nor representative of the advisory committee, the City of Oshawa or Oshawa city council.”

 

“Because of my hypothyroidism I get a lot of comments on my face, that I’m fat, that I should lose weight, all that kind of stuff; I get negative comments in regard to that. I started needing to use a scooter six or seven years ago … At first, I wasn’t approved for a scooter, so I ended up getting my own. The doctor had prescribed it. I faced comments in regard to that too. Even people that sort of know me, here in my building, they look at me and they say, you’re too lazy, you shouldn’t need that scooter. So it’s a prime example of attitudinal disability. They think that just because they can see me walk that I shouldn’t need that scooter at all, but they can’t see what’s going on, on the inside,” she said.

 

How do you feel now as far as accessibility goes in 2024, compared to about a decade ago?

 

“We have made progress, but there is still a long way to go … In my own life, it’s been in transportation. I don’t drive, my scooter is my car. When I’m going on public transit, with the buses, I’ll go back 20 years ago when we were riding buses — the buses were not accessible at all. I used to have a roommate that used a wheelchair and I would always have to fold her wheelchair up to carry it on the bus and she managed to almost crawl on to the bus. Nowadays, it’s much better.”

 

Kathryn Bremner, 73, of Oshawa

Bremner’s adult son Scott lives with a disability. She is a longtime disability rights advocate and former member of the City of Oshawa accessibility advisory committee.

 

“We are six weeks away from the AODA deadline for an accessible Ontario and two decades removed from when it became law and it’s clear that Ontario has failed people with disabilities, miserably. This will come as no surprise to Premier Doug Ford. Four reviews raised alarms about Ontario’s lack of progress. Just north of me in Oshawa, thousands of homes are being built with no thought to accessibility. Homes that will last for decades. The construction industry and the politicians who make the laws need to wake up to the reality that roughly 2.6 million Ontarians are disabled and the number is growing, as the population ages.”

 

Mike Moraites

 

Mike Moraites, who lives with a disability, is a former member of the Whitby accessibility advisory committee. He said he was frustrated with the committee and stepped down a few months ago.

 

Mike Moraites, 63, of Whitby

Moraites lives with osteoarthritis diabetes and neuropathy and retired at age 53 from his job in Toronto, when he moved to Whitby. He is a former member of the Whitby accessibility advisory committee.

 

“One of the things I find in the Town of Whitby is the lack of enforcement for disabled parking, an inability to find a space, and people violating the laws by parking in the space, or parking in the space with a permit and waiting while they have their friend run into the store. There are all kinds of enforcement issues. That’s the town we live in,” he said.

 

“There are also two examples of how it’s not working. When I went to visit my doctor’s office, and I went to go into the accessible washroom, the door was shut. I pushed the door open, went to go in, and it was a storage room. I still went in, use the bars to get up and down. I waited and spoke to my doctor; she agreed it shouldn’t be like that. On my next visit, I went to use the accessible washroom and the door was locked. I spoke to the doctor, but they had put a bar in the other bathroom, so it was not adequately equipped in a doctor’s office. What it comes down to, there’s nobody to complain to, nobody to call. What do you use if you come in with a walker or a wheelchair?” he said.

 

“My biggest worries and concerns are the AODA is not going to be fulfilled by the Jan. 1, 2025 date. I mean, I’m 100 per cent sure they are not going to be able to do that. I understand a lot of people fought for this, but maybe the province should have another look at the act and see what’s doable and reset some achievement dates and try and figure out where the general public is going to come up with the funds to do what they have to do with regards to accessibility. Enforcement (of standards) is an important part for the province. In the town, we pay enough tax. We don’t have money to hire more bylaw enforcement, and it should be a provincial responsibility,” Moraites said.

 

Jim McEwen

 

Jim McEwen of Clarington, a member of the Region of Durham’s accessibility advisory committee, has lived with a disability since he suffered a stroke in 2010.

 

McEwen, a retired civil engineer, has lived with a disability since 2010 after suffering a stroke. He is a member of the Region of Durham accessibility advisory committee.

 

“As a disabled person since 2010, the improvements I’m seeing in my community are absolutely minimal. I’m not seeing the improvements I would like to see in restaurants. In most restaurants, I have to go to the women’s restroom with my wife. Twenty years ago, there was no standard to have proper bars in handicapped stalls. Twenty years later, I’ve been in so many washrooms where they don’t have enough bars and I’m trying to grab on the back of the toilet because they don’t have accessibility,” he said.

 

He said he’s frustrated that the need for accessible washrooms seems to be an Ontario Building Code requirement rather than an AODA standard.

 

“There seems to be a disconnect between the AODA and Ontario Building Code with respect to providing a barrier-free Ontario.”

 

“I like it when places have a washroom that is only for the disabled. I can go into it, use it and I’m totally fine with it. I have no issues with it and come out on my own. I know how to deal with them. They have a push-button door opener, and they’ve got proper bars in them. I’m totally safe in them,” he said.

 

With the advisory committee, he said “we’ve had an impact. Durham Region was proposing a new long-term-care home in north Pickering and our committee had the opportunity to review the proposed drawings for accessibility, which was good.”

 

Tim Kelly is a reporter with durhamregion.com. He can be reached at tkelly@durhamregion.com

 

Almaguin News December 2, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.yorkregion.com/news/tactile-sidewalks-in-south-river-helps-alert-walkers-including-those-visually-impaired-that-they-are/article_d885fd99-0f6f-58ef-a1bd-63a702be78c1.html

 

Tactile sidewalks in South River helps alert walkers, including those ‘visually impaired that they are approaching an intersection and are about to step on the road’

One project sees village install tactile sidewalks as aging infrastructure replaced.

 

 

By Rocco Frangione, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

 

Monday, December 2, 2024

 

A barrier-free Ontario was the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), unanimously passed by MPPs in 2005. With the province’s 20-year deadline for the implementation of accessibility standards looming on Jan. 1, 2025, Restricted Access: Will Ontario meet its barrier-free goals? explores this quality-of-life issue for the millions of people living with disabilities — a demographic that’s expected to skyrocket as the population ages.

 

It’s been a busy period for the Village of South River as it removes barriers to improve the lives of people facing accessibility obstacles.

 

The village initiated three major projects over the last year and is in various stages this fall of seeing them completed.

 

Perhaps the most visible project is the use of tactile sidewalks.

 

Don McArthur, the village’s clerk-administrator, said the tactile sidewalks are steel plates located at intersections.

 

McArthur said they are designed to let a visually impaired person know the sidewalk is about to end.

 

“Sometimes the plates are made of rubber but ours are made of steel,” McArthur said. “They have small knobs that stick out that a foot will pick up or someone with a cane. This will alert the person who is visually impaired that they are approaching an intersection and are about to step on the road.”

 

South River’s tactile sidewalks are about one square metre in size and painted a bright yellow.

 

McArthur said the municipality has been installing the tactile sidewalks as part of its water main replacement projects.

 

He said since the water main projects automatically called for the rehabilitation of the roads and sidewalks after the underground infrastructure was installed, the village installed the tactile sidewalks as the last part of the work.

 

And since the steel plates were going to be installed, McArthur said the sidewalks were also sloped down next the road so a visually impaired person or someone on a scooter or wheelchair could smoothly move from the sidewalk onto the road without having to step off a curb.

 

“So, the ability to transition from the road to the sidewalk or sidewalk to road is an important feature,” McArthur said.

 

There are about 30 tactile sidewalks spread across the village.

 

Quite a few are located on Eagle Lake Road and the several streets it intersects with like Ottawa Avenue, Lincoln Avenue, Johnston Drive and Marie Street.

 

A set of four plates is found at the intersection of Highway 124 and Ottawa Avenue and more at Ottawa Avenue and Broadway Street as well as the intersection at Cedar Court and Ottawa Avenue.

 

McArthur said there are a lot of sidewalks in South River and as more rehabilitative work is done, he said residents can expect the installation of more tactile sidewalks.

 

Another project that will make accessibility easier for people is a new trail that cuts through a bush area and leads people to the very popular Tom Thomson Park.

 

The trail is three metres wide and will easily accommodate people on wheelchairs and scooters.

 

However, for now the trail has a hard-packed surface and still needs to have asphalt applied to smooth out the surface.

 

McArthur said because it’s late in the year, this work won’t be done until next year.

 

But in the meantime, the trail can accommodate walkers and joggers.

 

Tom Thomson Park is on Ottawa Avenue and the section near the park has no sidewalks.

 

McArthur said it’s not feasible to install sidewalks in this particular area because in some sections the road is next to privately-owned land.

 

This section of Ottawa Avenue is heavily travelled because it leads to the industrial area and consequently has a lot of truck and logging traffic on it.

 

Additionally, it’s an access point to Algonquin Park meaning a great number of tourists use the roadway.

 

“So, it was best to deviate around this,” McArthur said in explaining the rationale for building a trail to the park.

 

“It’s much safer and about 600 metres long. At its end you just cross Ottawa Avenue and into the park.”

 

The third significant project involves the former train station on Ottawa Avenue.

 

The building hasn’t been used for passenger service for years and until recently was going to be repurposed as a small museum to reflect South River’s history.

 

This was a slow-moving project.

 

However, when the Ontario Government announced that it plans to bring rail passenger service back to Northern Ontario and South River is a major stop, work on the old station picked up steam.

 

McArthur said the entire station will be fully accessible.

 

“The doorways are wider, there is a level entrance coming from the parking lot where it’s all one grade and there is a fully accessible washroom,” he said.

 

Even during the heydays of train travel the station never had a washroom.

 

The single washroom will serve males and females and includes a change table.

 

When fully complete, the train station will accommodate passenger train customers and also house the museum.

 

The cost for the train station work is $450,000.

 

But the village only has to cover 18 per cent since the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation and FedNor are picking up the lion’s share of the cost.

 

McArthur said the municipality has also added one more accessible parking spot at the town hall office and put more accessible parking spots through the main core of the community along Ottawa Avenue.

 

Rocco Frangione is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter with Almaguin News. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

Durham Region December 2, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.yorkregion.com/news/discriminated-against-me-because-of-my-disability-ajax-pickering-critics-say-ontario-is-not-fully/article_712bd18a-1a99-5157-93ae-37932254b373.html

 

‘Discriminated against me because of my disability’: Ajax, Pickering critics say Ontario is not fully accessible

Critic says province focusing on wrong areas

In 2005, the provincial government passed the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), which requires Ontario to become accessible by 2025. Critics say the goal won’t be met by Jan. 1.

 

Kristen Calis Metroland

 

Kathreen Smith is the co-chair of the Ajax accessibility advisory committee and uses a wheelchair, facing constant obstacles in the community. Sarah Moore is the town’s legislative specialist. They are pictured outside of council chambers

 

A barrier-free Ontario was the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), unanimously passed by MPPs in 2005. With the province’s 20-year deadline for the implementation of accessibility standards looming on Jan. 1, 2025, Restricted Access: Will Ontario meet its barrier-free goals? explores this quality-of-life issue for the millions of people living with disabilities — a demographic that’s expected to skyrocket as the population ages.

 

Ajax resident Kathreen Smith had high hopes that the provincial target set 20 years ago to make Ontario accessible by 2025 would make a bigger impact.

 

But her biggest wish still hasn’t come true, and it’s not looking like it will by Jan. 1.

 

“My wish would be to be able to go about my day and not think about accessibility, just be able to get on a bus, go to a store and not face issues,” said Smith, the co-chair of the Ajax Accessibility Advisory Committee

 

But she still faces barriers when she goes to the bank and can’t see over the counter. It’s there, but it isn’t reserved for her or anyone else using a wheelchair.

 

When she goes to the grocery store, she wishes employees were more willing to help when she can’t reach an item.

 

“I do find other people within Ajax are very helpful, but the actual staff, they should be helping,” she said.

 

And it was a slap in the face when she was told that her longtime hair stylist could no longer cut her hair because her disability, which had progressed, had become an insurance issue.

 

“They blatantly discriminated against me because of my disability,” she said.

 

“I had been going there for years. I was happy.”

 

In 2005, the province passed the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), which requires Ontario to become accessible by 2025. The government was to lead the charge by setting and enforcing regulations stating what employers and providers of goods and services must do to remove barriers.

 

Accessibility advisory committees are required in communities with populations of 10,000 or more and help with matters such as site plans for developments, raising awareness in the community and providing input on a municipality’s accessibility plan.

 

Tim Higgins, Pickering’s accessibility co-ordinator, said he and his wife, who has a disability and uses a cane, face similar obstacles to Smith’s.

 

He spoke of a trip to the bank.

 

“It’s really clear she’s struggling to move around or even to stand in line,” he said. “But they’re happy to let her stand in line. They don’t intervene in any way, don’t say, ‘Have a seat.’”

 

Sarah Moore, the Town of Ajax’s legislative specialist, says she hears a lot of similar complaints.

 

Although the town is not responsible for addressing these concerns — it should be the province — Ajax will send a letter of understanding from the accessibility advisory committee.

 

Moore explained the town has many responsibilities, such as creating a multi-year plan every two years.

 

The town has shifted to a mentality that accessibility is not just up to one staff member.

 

“it’s something that we all have a responsibility to move toward — better inclusion and accessibility in all the different aspects of services that we provide to the Ajax community,” she said.

 

In the smaller community of Uxbridge, according to the township’s clerk, Emily Elliott, Uxbridge is continuously striving for improvement in the area of accessibility, and has implemented plans and procedures to help meet requirements, such as its own multi-year accessibility plan, facility accessibility design standards and an accessible customer service policy.

 

Being fully accessible can be challenging for a small historic town like Uxbridge, as many of its facilities predate the AODA and do not meet the current design requirements.

 

“The township is committed to making any minor adjustments that may help this issue, and follow Building Code and Accessible Design Standards when these spaces are being renovated,” she said. “Progress is ongoing, but the township is committed to making whatever improvements it can to reduce barriers for all.”

 

Being a small municipality, the township faces staffing challenges such as workload and turnover, which makes accomplishing large accessibility initiatives challenging at times. Budget constraints are also a factor impeding accessibility goals

 

She said making all of the necessary changes will take years, but “the township is committed to keeping up momentum, continuing to partner with organizations that can help, and by engaging the community and those with lived experience to help enhance and improve accessibility.”

 

According to Higgins, the province spends too much time focusing on whether municipalities are compliant and not enough time on the issues that matter, such as customer service, accessible housing and employment standards.

 

“Largely speaking on behalf of Pickering, we have been in compliance in the nine years I’ve been here,” he said. “Fully compliant and nothing else has changed. The controversy is more about what the province hasn’t done and less about what municipalities are not doing.”

 

Higgins, who worked for the province on this exact file when it was being implemented in 2005, explained the Ontario Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility has rolled out one consolidated regulation that addresses five areas: customer service, information and communications, employment, public space design and transportation.

 

By now, all organizations should be compliant.

 

“The province really hasn’t been setting a pace of leadership in this area,” he said.

 

Higgins said currently there are employment standards, but they are weak “and they need to be beefed up.”

 

He said there are about twice as many people with a disability who are unemployed than the general population who are without work, a number that is actually higher.

 

“(Many) just give up hope and opt out of the employment setting and they’re not counted in the statistics,” he said.

 

Higgins explained the Ontario Building Code, the Ontario Human Rights Code and AODA are three pieces of legislation that work together to promote accessibility.

 

The Building Code specifies things like door and ramps requirements in public buildings, but it doesn’t speak to residential properties such as condos, town homes, detached homes and bungalows, Higgins said.

 

“You could build anything pretty much with very limited expectations on the builder to meet any specific rules,” he said. “They’re building tall narrow townhouses, often lots of stairs, narrow staircases, narrow garages that you can hardly get out of the car in to begin with.”

 

There are accessible parking requirements, but “You get into that space, with a wheelchair, but you have no place to go because the next thing you see is a staircase.”

 

Wallace Pidgeon, director of communications to the minister of seniors and accessibility, Raymond Cho, said in a statement that Ontario is meeting, achieving or exceeding the AODA across the province.

 

“This includes historic spending in infrastructure, school upgrades, new and retrofitted hospitals and long-term-care facilities, as well as public transit upgrades, including over 2,200 new accessible buses being delivered provincewide,” he said.

 

Higgins and Moore both referred to four scathing reviews on the province’s AODA progress.

 

The AODA requires the province to appoint a mandatory independent review of the AODA’s implementation and enforcement, roughly every three years, to recommend reforms needed to ensure that Ontario becomes accessible by 2025.

 

These were released by former cabinet minister Charles Beer in 2010, a then-University of Toronto professor Mayo Moran in 2015, former lieutenant governor David Onley in 2019 and accessibility expert Rich Donovan, who released his report in 2023.

 

Moore explained in these, there were “substantial and numerous recommendations from high-profile leaders in the access and inclusion community … and it’s a little bit disappointing even as an able-bodied individual who works within this community realm that there hasn’t been a lot of action toward the feedback that’s been collected publicly on the legislation.”

 

Pidgeon said the ministry works directly with organizations to help them understand their accessibility obligations, submit accessibility compliance reports (public sector, private sector and non-profit organizations), inspect and audit organizations each year, provide online tools and resources and offer one-on-one assistance to address instances of noncompliance.

 

“In 2023, 98 per cent of audits conducted were resolved working directly with the public, private and not for profit as compliant,” he said

 

Moore feels “we’ve outpaced the legislation as well,” which doesn’t speak on things like social media and AI.

 

“I think there needs to be some additional reflection and review,” she said.

 

Higgins agrees the road can’t end here.

 

“The government should take the lead and review where it’s at, renew its commitment and localize its resources and so on for the next 20 years,” he said.

 

Durham Region December 2, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.yorkregion.com/news/i-think-we-will-always-be-trying-to-do-better-the-clash-between-accessibility-and/article_80eaca47-4bf3-53c6-813b-b7d546eb86e8.html

 

‘I think we will always be trying to do better’: The clash between accessibility and heritage continues in Clarington and beyond

Officials, businesses get creative in journey to barrier-free Ontario

Clarington’s historic Bowmanville downtown is a challenge for accessibility as heritage guidelines and historic buildings clash with modern needs.

 

By Moya Dillon

 

Lesley Scherer

Moya Dillon Metroland

Lesley Scherer, chair of Clarington’s accessibility advisory committee, at the recently renovated Veteran’s Square — a project that included accessibility considerations, including a ramped entry and mobility device charging stations.

 

 

A barrier-free Ontario was the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), unanimously passed by MPPs in 2005. With the province’s 20-year deadline for the implementation of accessibility standards looming on Jan. 1, 2025, Restricted Access: Will Ontario meet its barrier-free goals? explores this quality-of-life issue for the millions of people living with disabilities — a demographic that’s expected to skyrocket as the population ages.

 

In Bowmanville and other heritage downtowns across Canada, the journey to a barrier-free province requires some creativity.

 

As the January deadline for the AODA’s vision of a barrier-free Ontario approaches, experts say the reality of a fully accessible province is much more nuanced.

 

“I don’t think you can put a time frame on it,” said Lesley Scherer, chair of Clarington’s accessibility advisory committee, which advises the municipality on accessibility issues and improvements at municipal facilities.

 

“I don’t see there ever being an end to making the world accessible,” Scherer continued. “I think we will always be trying to do better.”

 

One recurring issue in Clarington is the accessibility of downtown businesses, where aging heritage buildings can require expensive upgrades that often run in contradiction to heritage guidelines.

 

“That’s probably the biggest complaint we hear from the community, and that’s where the trouble lies,” said Scherer, noting the committee can only provide guidance and recommendations to Clarington, and has no authority over private businesses, although they will often work with those looking for ways to improve.

 

“If the shop owner rents the space, they can’t make changes, and if it’s a heritage building, they have to look at how they can work with the guidelines to make it accessible, and it’s not always through the front entrance,” she explained, noting many businesses with steps at the front door have created second entrances at the back to provide more accessibility.

 

“While it might not be the best option, it’s the best option they can do,” Scherer said. “That’s the important thing, that people are trying to make those changes and doing the best they can to improve accessibility.”

 

Ron Hooper, chair of the Bowmanville BIA, said accessibility is a focus for many business owners.

 

“We’re always looking for ways to improve accessibility at all of the buildings,” he said of the organization. “Some have put ramps at the side of their buildings or opened back entrances. We’re always on the lookout for solutions.”

 

Mayor Adrian Foster said the municipality has made accessibility improvements at their own facilities a priority, including the installation of mobility device charging stations — which now total 16 at indoor and outdoor locations across Clarington — accessibility renovations at the Bowmanville and Orono library branches, audio announcements and braille added to elevators at town hall and the Bowmanville Library, and the installation of accessible fitness equipment at the South Courtice Arena.

 

He stressed the importance of accessibility improvements in the face of an aging population, with a greater percentage of residents likely to need accommodations in the coming years.

 

“We talk about having an inclusive community and we can’t be inclusive if we don’t think about all of these things,” Foster said. “A lot of this doesn’t even come through council because it’s done automatically at the staff level and I think that’s a testament to how far we’ve come that a lot of it is just a no-brainer, of course you do it.”

 

The municipality has no authority over private businesses and facilities, however, and recognizes many challenges still exist.

 

“For some mom-and-pop restaurants and such, the cost of putting in an elevator would equal the entirety of their annual receipts, so there needs to be provisions for that,” he said. “I know the greater issue is getting into some of our historic buildings and there you run into heritage issues; for instance, the sidewalk downtown isn’t wide enough to accommodate a ramp, so many challenges remain.”

 

As for the AODA’s vision of a barrier-free Ontario, Foster thinks it will be an evolving goal.

 

“This is very much an evolving issue; the things we thought we were dealing with in 2004, a lot of that is the same, but there have been a lot of changes as well in recognizing folks amongst us that might need to be accommodated that we didn’t appreciate at the time,” Foster said, citing neurodivergent conditions, mental health accommodations and more.

 

“We’re clearly not there and I don’t know if we’ll ever get there because things change, the needs of our community change and I think that’s probably a good thing that we’ll always be considering what’s next. I don’t think we’re ever going to achieve that perfection,” he said. “Maybe the 2025 change isn’t that we’re fully accessible, but that the culture has shifted to the realization that we need to do everything we should to be as accessible as possible.”

 

Scherer says an important focus of the committee is to view accessibility beyond just physical disabilities. Members bring a wealth of perspectives, including physical disabilities, visual impairments and neurodivergence.

 

“I think Clarington does a great job of making things as accessible as possible. When someone brings up an issue, we will address it as quickly as we possibly can, but one thing I do notice is that physical disabilities tend to get more attention, and I think that’s one reason committees like the AAC are so important, because they can look at issues from so many different perspectives,” she said.

 

“I don’t think we could ever make the world as accessible as we want it to be, but as long as we’re trying, that’s the important part.”

 

Muskoka Region December 2, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.yorkregion.com/news/i-was-scared-gravenhurst-councillor-recalls-frightening-moment-with-spouse-supports-accessibility-awareness-event-for/article_d115c68c-40d6-5c86-8402-648f7a366ead.html

 

 

Restricted Access

‘I was scared’: Gravenhurst councillor recalls frightening moment with spouse, supports accessibility awareness event for 2025

Initiative aims to promote inclusivity and understanding within the community

Former councillor/advocate also praises the town’s efforts, emphasizing the importance of creating allies for promoting accessibility in Muskoka.

 

By Brent Cooper

 

Coun. Penny Varney speaks to Gravenhurst council at its Oct. 15 meeting regarding the accessibility advisory committee planning an accessibility awareness event in 2025.

 

 

A barrier-free Ontario was the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), unanimously passed by MPPs in 2005. With the province’s 20-year deadline for the implementation of accessibility standards looming on Jan. 1, 2025, Restricted Access: Will Ontario meet its barrier-free goals? explores this quality-of-life issue for the millions of people living with disabilities — a demographic that’s expected to skyrocket as the population ages.

 

Penny Varney was frightened.

 

The Gravenhurst councillor was in Yonge Street subway in Toronto in late October, expecting to meet with her husband Tony, who was blind in his left eye, the result of an infection.

 

The issue was the couple were at different parts of the station, and Tony, with his disability, was having issues finding Varney.

 

“He was at one end of the station, and I was at the other, and I realized what had happened. He couldn’t even see the sign for Yonge Street. I said, ‘well, I’m going to stay where I am because I don’t know if I’ll find you. So you can stop somebody and ask them how you get to this particular spot on the subway station.’ That’s what he had to do. I just stayed where I was, and finally I saw him coming toward me … I was scared.”

 

Trying to understand what it is like to manage everyday life with a disability is one of the reasons the Town of Gravenhurst is planning to host an awareness event next year.

 

The committee of the whole passed a motion at its Oct. 15 meeting, directing the recreation, arts and culture department staff to work with the town’s accessibility advisory committee to plan an accessibility event in 2025 “that encourages the public to experience what it’s like to be a person with a disability.”

 

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, introduced in 2005, has the goal of making the province of Ontario fully accessible for persons with disabilities by the year 2025.

 

Jonathan Gilston, the deputy clerk, said planning for the 2025 accessibility awareness event is still in its infancy and the date is not confirmed. He did say the idea is to have the event in the spring, and have it open to the public potentially at the Gravenhurst Centennial Centre.

 

“When (committee members) initially discussed it, it would be in one location one day where they’d be within the given room. Different booths would be set up for experiencing what it’s like to be blind, deaf, all the range of accessible needs based on the equipment available for us to be able to use, whether it be from the (Canadian National Institute for the Blind), or other organizations who are able to provide us the equipment,” he said.

 

Varney said at the October meeting where she proposed the motion, the committee wants Gravenhurst to be “an inclusive community where all are valued, respected and thrive.”

 

“May 2025 is accessibility month throughout Muskoka. We will be asking some councillors and senior staff to take part in some of the activities. We will work in pairs where you might be blindfolded or ears covered or in a wheelchair in order to experience the life some people live.”

 

That’s the understanding Sandy Cairns hopes many residents will have at the prospective daylong event. The Gravenhurst councillor, who has a niece born with spina bifida — a condition that affects the spine usually at birth — recalls a visit by her niece to Gravenhurst around 10 years ago, watching as the then 27-year-old tried to get around town in her wheelchair.

 

“Thank goodness she’s a strong young lady because there was definitely a lot of obstacles for her to get over through town. She had to pop wheelies to get over the curbs,” Cairns said.

 

She went on to say Gravenhurst has since become very proactive with its accessibility measures, thanks to the efforts of one determined person.

 

“I have got to give credit to Bob Calhoun, our past councillor, who’s now passed away. He was the one who got us all involved in realizing (the situation), and then after that is when the town started to really implement putting in better curbs, gutters, anything that you think of that a person with a disability could fall into,” she said.

 

One former Gravenhurst councillor and accessibility advocate is applauding the town for its accessibility initiative.

 

“I think it’ll be extremely eye opening for many people,” said Graeme Murray, the Canadian sledge hockey star who was elected to council in 2018. “You can see the challenges that many people with disabilities have to deal with. Having an event like this really gives you an opportunity to wear their shoes, so to speak.”

 

Murray added the event could also help find more advocates and allies from different backgrounds to assist with promoting future programs.

 

“We can’t do this by ourselves. We’re about putting a team together to really advocate for accessibility in Muskoka … leading to beautiful properties or parks and tourist destinations, and we can’t get that because (advocates) don’t exist in all of those places,” he added.

 

Durham Region December 2, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.yorkregion.com/news/it-s-about-time-we-get-it-done-pickering-council-chambers-to-become-more-accessible/article_4745634d-7f53-5f3f-bef0-98cfe4ff9a7c.html

 

‘It’s about time we get it done’: Pickering council chambers to become more accessible

Staff chooses favourite option

The City of Pickering’s council chambers have numerous challenges for people with mobility and accessibility challenges.

 

By Kristen Calis

 

Pickering council chambers will be renovated mostly to reflect requirements to make it more accessible.

 

A barrier-free Ontario was the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), unanimously passed by MPPs in 2005. With the province’s 20-year deadline for the implementation of accessibility standards looming on Jan. 1, 2025, Restricted Access: Will Ontario meet its barrier-free goals? explores this quality-of-life issue for the millions of people living with disabilities — a demographic that’s expected to skyrocket as the population ages.

 

Pickering residents using mobility devices will have an easier time getting around council chambers now that a design has been approved.

 

At the Nov. 25 meeting, council endorsed in principal the schematic design concept for the renovations.

 

The Pickering Civic Complex opened in 1980, when accessibility was not a requirement of the Ontario Building Code (OBC). Also, use of personal computers and digital technology were in their infancy.

 

“The main impetus for this is the accessibility upgrades to this to make it available for everybody,” said Brian Duffield, director of operations.

 

The existing council chamber performs poorly against contemporary accessibility design standards, which include several updates to the OBC and the introduction of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

 

The province passed legislation 30 years ago with the goal of making Ontario fully accessible by 2025.

 

The stairs and central depressed bowl of the chamber are the most obvious impediments, though there are numerous other challenges, according to the report.

 

Scooters, for example, are far more commonplace as mobility aids than they were in 1990, and have grown larger in size.

 

“Council chambers struggles to provide suitable clearances, even for smaller wheelchairs,” the report said.

 

The report explained staff visited all other lakeshore municipalities in Durham region to see their council chambers, including the regional headquarters building. In all cases, the floor of the chamber is at, or nearly at, the same level throughout, using minimal ramping.

 

The proposed concept would see Pickering’s existing bowl depression infilled to provide a consistent floor level throughout.

 

Duffield said the accessibility advisory committee has provided input on the plan and will continue to give feedback on the design.

 

Ward 3 regional Coun. David Pickles noted other city buildings have been updated, saying “it’s about time we get it done.”

 

Pickering chief administrative officer Marisa Carpino said the council chambers renovations have been in the works for many years.

 

“The city has an annual accessibility plan and we have had in the past accessibility audits,” she said. “We get a lot of feedback from the accessibility advisory committee and this was a key concern of theirs — the chambers that is really meant to be for the people is really not accessible to all of its members.”

 

While council was engaged on the plans at the time, COVID-19 changed meetings from in-person to virtual, causing a pause to the renovations.

 

Additional upgrades in the design concept include a separation between public seating and council and staff seating, and adding two additional seats for future council positions, which may be needed as Pickering grows.

 

Kristen Calis is a reporter with durhamregion.com. She can be reached at kcalis@durhamregion.com

 

Georgina Advocate December 2, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.yorkregion.com/news/murc-walking-tracks-could-be-game-changer-as-georgina-strides-toward-full-accessibility/article_5198e6de-0bba-5fe3-ae06-900dfccd95c7.html

 

Restricted Access

 

MURC walking tracks could be ‘game-changer’ as Georgina strides toward full accessibility

Georgina aims to lead in accessibility and inclusion, says the town.

 

By Yoyo Yan

Cindy Paisley on the MURC walking track

 

Cindy Paisley, left, and her walking buddy enjoy their walk on the accessible, walker-friendly track at the MURC in Keswick.

 

Cindy Paisley photo

 

A barrier-free Ontario was the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), unanimously passed by MPPs in 2005. With the province’s 20-year deadline for the implementation of accessibility standards looming on Jan. 1, 2025, Restricted Access: Will Ontario meet its barrier-free goals? explores this quality-of-life issue for the millions of people living with disabilities — a demographic that’s expected to skyrocket as the population ages.

 

Cindy Paisley, a resident of Keswick in her mid-50s, has found a new rhythm and new companions at Georgina’s newest facility, the Multi-Use Recreation Complex (MURC).

 

Recently, Paisley took to social media to find walking buddies at the MURC. It wasn’t long before she found a steady companion to join her three times a week for light strolls, which they both complete with a walker.

 

“We only manage about 20 to 30 minutes,” Paisley shared. “It’s not far, but it means a lot to have someone to go with.”

 

Paisley’s mobility is limited due to “drop foot,” a condition requiring her to wear a supportive brace, along with a rare lung condition called pulmonary hypertension.

 

“It makes anything with endurance very hard,” she explained.

 

But at the MURC, she finds the facility’s accessible setup to be a game-changer.

 

“The track is beautiful, with windows all around, giving a nice view while you walk. It’s smooth, clean and never too busy.”

 

Paisley’s enthusiasm for the track was clear. The space boasts three lanes — one each for walking, passing and running — and offers stunning views through large, light-filled windows.

 

The thoughtful design, from smooth rubber flooring to easy elevator access, ensures the MURC remains inclusive and approachable, she said.

 

“It’s just a wonderful experience,” Paisley said. “Everyone respects each other’s pace and space.”

 

Paisley recalled her days walking in the local mall, but emphasized the MURC is a step above.

 

“There’s less impact on the rubber floor, and it’s just easier all around,” she explained. “MURC is a perfect fit.”

 

Mobi-chair and Mobi-mat at De La Salle beach

 

The Mobi-chair and Mobi-mat are available to wheelchair users, children and adults with special needs at De La Salle beach in Georgina.

 

Town of Georgina photo

Georgina has been praised for its commitment to accessibility, with the MURC and other key facilities like the Link and Georgina Ice Palace designed to meet AODA standards.

 

The town’s accessibility team works closely with the community and regional partners to make Georgina a model of inclusion. From wheelchair-friendly pathways to inclusive play structures, the town’s focus on universal design is as refreshing as the MURC’s rubber-paved track.

 

The town’s partnership with platforms like Access Now also helps residents review and rate local spots for accessibility, and the upcoming replacement Civic Centre is expected to set a new standard.

 

“Georgina continues to make great strides in ensuring an accessible community for all,” said a town spokesperson. “It is Georgina’s goal to be seen as a leader in accessibility and inclusion.”

 

As Paisley and her fellow walkers continue their meetups at the MURC, Georgina’s vision of a barrier-free town marches forward — one inclusive step at a time.

 

Yoyo Yan is a reporter for YorkRegion.com. Reach him at yyan@metroland.com

 

Muskoka Region December 2, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.yorkregion.com/news/huntsville-moves-toward-full-accessibility-for-people-with-disabilities-but-challenges-remain/article_1c62f80a-1e9a-5986-9851-dcb59c580e7e.html

 

Restricted Access

Huntsville moves toward full accessibility for people with disabilities, but challenges remain

A Huntsville man, with the help of his support worker, advocates for better accessibility in Huntsville

 

By Megan Hederson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

 

A barrier-free Ontario was the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), unanimously passed by MPPs in 2005. With the province’s 20-year deadline for the implementation of accessibility standards looming on Jan. 1, 2025, Restricted Access: Will Ontario meet its barrier-free goals? explores this quality-of-life issue for the millions of people living with disabilities — a demographic that’s expected to skyrocket as the population ages.

 

Glen Slater is a longtime Huntsville resident in his mid-60s. He and two roommates live downtown in a bungalow-style home.

 

All three residents seek services from Community Living Huntsville due to the developmental and physical disabilities they live with.

 

Slater has cerebral palsy — a condition that affects motor control and posture and leads to varying levels of movement disability. This disorder can involve sensory, cognitive and communication challenges, which Slater experiences.

 

Alex Sherar, a support worker with Community Living Huntsville, has been advocating for Slater’s needs for more than six years. He’s built a strong bond that goes beyond the support role.

 

“We’ve worked pretty close together for a long time, so I feel like I know when he wants to say something and I try to do my best for him,” Sherar said.

 

Huntsville formed an accessibility advisory committee in 2001 to advise town staff and council members on all matters about persons living with disabilities.

 

Slater sits on the committee’s board and Sherar will often attend meetings with him. “When someone’s speaking about a topic and it reminds us of a situation we’ve been in, we’re like, ‘hey wait a second, we struggled or there was an error at this point’ and we confront it,” Sherar said while Slater nodded his head.

 

Their lived experiences bring necessary perspectives to the group. This allows those in power to make changes where possible and create a more accessible town.

 

Karaoke nights used to be a challenge

Music on Main exterior during the day

 

Music on Main now has a modular ramp, which allows for mobility device access into the venue.

 

Music on Main photo

Slater said his favourite activity is singing karaoke at a local bar just behind his house.

 

On nights out, a Community Living worker will accompany Slater on the five-minute walk to Music on Main. The sidewalks and roadways are fairly easy to manoeuvre in a wheelchair. Other times, they use an accessible van for transport.

 

As of Oct. 31, Music on Main procured a modular accessibility ramp. “It’s important to be able to reach people on a human level by giving them the gift of live music. With the help of Jennifer Jerrett from Community Living, the amazing people at Home Comfort Care, we are now wheelchair accessible,” owner Mike McAvan said in a Facebook post.

 

Before the ramp, Sherar said they used to have to interrupt the band and ask for help to lift Slater and his wheelchair into the building.

 

While not all businesses are required by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act to have accessible ramps, they must make efforts to ensure accessibility based on their building type and available resources.

 

Generally, new buildings are designed to include accessibility standards during the planning stages, but for older buildings like Music on Main, meeting these standards can be challenging.

 

Sherar said there’s limited space inside and the washrooms aren’t accessible for Slater’s wheelchair, but there’s only so much the owners can do.

 

“I’m glad that they’re now accommodating him,” Sherar said.

 

Accessibility at the Summit Centre

Another one of Slater’s pastimes is swimming. Being submerged in water, especially warm water, is therapeutic for his body and mind.

 

While Slater can access the facilities to get changed and go swimming, there are still barriers. Sherar said the change room is “just like a broom closet” and there have been instances when the mechanical lifts were broken or unusable.

 

Malfunctioning equipment presents an uncomfortable obstacle for Slater. As a young man, he lived in an institution for the disabled. “He has a lot of trauma from being moved around and lifted … So when we lift him, we want to make sure it’s safe and he feels comfortable. But if we don’t have access to the right equipment, it’s not good,” Sherar said.

 

To comply with accessibility design standards, the town commits to regular maintenance and performs routine checks on accessible features in public spaces.

 

This includes handling temporary issues, like when an accessible feature is out of order.

 

More on Huntsville’s accessibility efforts

 

The Town of Huntsville’s 2023 – 2027 Accessibility Plan states websites have been upgraded to meet the World Wide Web Consortium Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. Ongoing accessibility maintenance costs for web content include staff’s time to maintain at $2,945 annually.

 

In terms of architectural barriers, municipal buildings in Huntsville require 20 additional accessible door openers that should be replaced going forward at an approximate cost of $5,000 per door. These will be included in the 2025 – 2026 multi-year budget.

 

The majority of physical barriers relating to transit services, sidewalks and intersections, and roadways are still under review and pending budget approval. The 2021 Diggin’ Downtown project led to improved sidewalk and streetscape accessibility.

 

Planning and development in Huntsville also needs to be looked at through an accessibility scope. The town’s AAC promotes accessible housing by reviewing and making recommendations based upon Universal Design for residential, institutional, industrial and commercial development.

 

The Town of Huntsville encourages the public to report any accessibility issues to the deputy clerk at 705-789-1751, ext. 2258 or to Dione Schumacher, the accessibility advisory committee chair, at 705-646-8260.

 

Read Articles 1-7 from The Toronto Star’s Online Metroland Publications’ Amazing Ground-Breaking “Restricted Access” series of Articles on Disability Barriers Around Ontario

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

Read Articles 1-7 from The Toronto Star’s Online Metroland Publications’ Amazing Ground-Breaking “Restricted Access” series of Articles on Disability Barriers Around Ontario

 

December 12, 2024

 

SUMMARY

 

Earlier this month, the Toronto Star’s 27 Metroland online publications covering local communities around Ontario have published an amazing series of articles on disability barriers in local communities and efforts to tear them down. It is entitled “Restricted Access.” Metroland did this to recognize the fast-approaching January 1, 2025 deadline which the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act set two decades ago for the Ontario Government to lead this province to become disability accessible.

 

Each of the articles in this series appeared in all of the Metroland publications. This series is without a doubt the most intensive, extensive and impressive concerted media investigation of this issue in the 30 years of Ontario’s non-partisan grassroots campaign to tear down disability barriers. We offer a resounding round of applause to Metroland for showing such leadership among news outlets. It is especially dazzling given the shrinking media all around us, especially at the local level.

 

We encourage other news outlets to take similar action. Several news organizations have approached the AODA Alliance for feedback on this newsworthy approaching deadline and the Government’s abject failure in meeting it. We’re always happy to help with both the good news and the bad news.

 

This package of news stories, if combined into one document, fills an incredible 87 single-spaced pages. It’s a lot to try to read at once! Therefore, we are going to share it with you in three successive AODA Alliance Updates. It is totally worth a thorough read. Below are the first 7 articles.

 

You can find the entire excellent series in one place on the Metroland website. We have previously shared three of the articles in this series in AODA Alliance Updates: The November 25, 2024 report announcing the AODA Alliance’s event to take place that day at Queen’s Park  celebrating the 30th anniversary of the grassroots accessibility movement, the November 29, 2024 report on our community public hearings at Queen’s Park, and the November 29, 2024 Metroland report on the timeline of the 30 years of this campaign.

 

For those who don’t have the time to read it all, here are a few key points:

 

  • These articles show just how many disability barriers remain in place in Ontario. The articles address a number of different kinds of disabilities but emphasize people using mobility devices such as wheelchairs. We encourage news organizations to also highlight the many other visible and invisible disabilities.

 

  • These articles illustrate a wide spectrum of impressive disability advocates working at the grassroots and at the local level across Ontario to campaign for change. They show both their determination and their frustration. There has been some progress, but often in the absence of strong provincial leadership and clear and comprehensive AODA accessibility standards that Ontario has needed. The weak and limited AODA accessibility standards in place, while helpful, fall far short of what these communities need.

 

  • These articles depict local leaders who want to do the right thing but, once again, lack the effective leadership that the Ontario Government should be providing.

 

  • These articles demonstrate just how obviously bogus is the claim by the Ford Government in the Legislature on November 25, 2024 that 88% of people think Ontario is accessible, as documented in the November 29, 2024 AODA Alliance Update.

 

How You Can Help

 

  • Please send a letter to the editor, 300 words or less, to Metroland at thenewsroom@metroland.com Thank Metroland for producing this ground-breaking series. Tell them about disability barriers you face!

 

  • Forward this coverage to other news organizations. Challenge them to cover disability barriers as extensively as has Metroland.

 

  • Publicize this Metroland series on website and social media.

 

Let us know what you try. Email us at aodafeedback@gmail.com

 

 

MORE DETAILS

 

The York Region December 2, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.yorkregion.com/news/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-accessibility-for-ontarians-disability-act/article_ea2646a5-e4fa-5343-ab58-9157f325aa6f.html

 

5 things you need to know about the Accessibility for Ontarians Disability Act

Keeping up the fight to ensure a barrier-free Ontario requires knowing what’s at stake and what the AODA stands for

What is the AODA? What is its purpose? And how do you fit in and what can you do about it? Check out this quick guide to find out more

 

By Tim Kelly

 

Accessibility and the battle to improve it across Ontario has been a long struggle for those with disabilities and those who care for them. With the Jan. 1, 2025 deadline for the AODA approaching it’s important to know what it stands for and what it means.

 

Richard Lautens Toronto Star file photo

 

A barrier-free Ontario was the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), unanimously passed by MPPs in 2005. With the province’s 20-year deadline for the implementation of accessibility standards looming on Jan. 1, 2025, Restricted Access: Will Ontario meet its barrier-free goals? explores this quality-of-life issue for the millions of people living with disabilities — a demographic that’s expected to skyrocket as the population ages.

 

What is the Accessibilty for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)?

 

Purpose

When it was passed into law in 2005, the act set out a defined process for developing and enforcing uniform accessibility standards across Ontario. Persons with disabilities and industry representatives work together with the government to develop the standards.

 

Goal

The goal of the Act was to establish, develop, implement and enforce standards related to goods, services, accommodation, employment and buildings before Jan. 1, 2025. The legislation applies to every person in both the public and private sector. Its ultimate aim is to work towards a barrier-free Ontario for all Ontarians.

 

What are the AODA standards?

The AODA sets forth standards for accessibility in five key areas: customer service, employment, information and communications, transportation, and public spaces. The standards cover a wide range of accessibility features within each standard and are arrived at after years of committee work and hearings and after approval by provincial cabinet. Currently, education and health care standards are being studied and worked on.

 

Who do AODA standards apply to?

Public-sector organizations, such as government, municipalities, and educational institutions; Commercial organizations that provide goods, services, or facilities to the public; nonprofits; businesses with 50 or more employees, to name some of the categories.

 

Where can I get (much) more information?

For more information on all things related to the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, visit the province’s website here.

 

The AODA Alliance website at www.aodaalliance.org is also a good source of information. A disability advocacy group, the AODA Alliance publishes regular updates and action plans on its site.

 

Mississauga News May 2, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.yorkregion.com/news/ontario-accessibility-act-lacks-standards-to-solve-housing-crisis-for-people-with-disabilities/article_4e905567-bd70-5a24-ba40-a4f2a9623288.html

Restricted Access

Ontario accessibility act lacks standards to solve housing crisis for people with disabilities

Report showed people with disabilities four times more likely to experience homelessness

Ontario’s Building Code, the primary framework for residential construction standards, is often criticized for inadequacies in ensuring accessible housing.

 

 

By Mzwandile Poncana, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

 

Ontario condos pose accessibility challenges, forcing costly retrofits for residents with disabilities amid a growing housing crisis.

 

Richard Lautens photo

 

A barrier-free Ontario was the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), unanimously passed by MPPs in 2005. With the province’s 20-year deadline for the implementation of accessibility standards looming on Jan. 1, 2025, Restricted Access: Will Ontario meet its barrier-free goals? explores this quality-of-life issue for the millions of people living with disabilities — a demographic that’s expected to skyrocket as the population ages.

 

With less than a year to meet its 2025 accessibility deadline, Ontario faces mounting criticism over housing standards that advocates say fail seniors and people with disabilities.

 

A few years ago, Kate Chung, co-founder of the Accessible Housing Network, and her partner Doug both had knee and hip replacement surgeries. They found their apartment no longer fit their needs as they transitioned to using mobility aids.

 

Extensive, costly renovations to make their home safer and more manageable for their mobility needs still left many accessibility issues unresolved. They spent $18,000 converting the bathroom, removing the bathtub in favour of a shower and adding grab bars. However, the shower installation included a five-inch lip, meant to prevent water overflow.

 

“It’s still a tripping hazard,” she said. “The issue — especially for seniors — is tripping.” She mentioned other designs could’ve been made to prevent the water overflow.

 

She explained that although eliminating the bathtub reduced fall risks, this lip remained an obstacle, and she frequently trips over other parts of the apartment, such as the raised hot water pipes at the door leading to the balcony.

 

Kate in her home

 

Kate Chung, 82, spent $18,000 on retrofitting her home to make it more suitable for her and her partner when they both went through mobility-limiting surgeries.

 

Mzwandile Poncana Metroland

Chung says that it would have been cheaper if accessibility had been in mind while the building was being constructed, since retrofitting is more expensive.

 

“Luckily, we had the savings to pay for the renovations we made in the bathroom … but not everybody does,” she said.

 

Chung is among many seniors and Canadians, living with disabilities, who have been affected by what advocates call an “accessibility crisis.”

 

The problem is prevalent in Peel Region, where the affordability and accessibility crises intersect to prevent those living with disabilities from finding adequate homes.

 

According to a recent Peel Region staff report, approximately 91,000 households face “core need” — meaning their housing is either inadequate or unaffordable. As of now, the region only meets 19 per cent of the demand for affordable housing, leaving many scrambling for safe options.

 

According to the Guide for Housing report by Peel Senior Link, Peel’s seniors, the group most likely to need mobility-friendly housing, are projected to make up 21 per cent of the population by 2041. Despite an aging demographic, affordable accessible options remain scarce, often leaving older adults in unsafe conditions or forced into long-term-care facilities far from loved ones, say advocates.

 

Kate stepping

 

Even after spending thousands on renovations, Chung says there are still tripping hazards in her home — including a raised hot water pipe at the door to her balcony.

 

Mzwandile Poncana Metroland

This reflects a larger trend across the province. Recent statistics from Statistics Canada reveal that 27 per cent of Canadians report having a disability, yet current provincial regulations only require 15 per cent of units in new developments to be accessible. This can result in more people relying on renovations.

 

Gift Tshuma, an advocacy specialist at March of Dimes who uses a wheelchair, said that since many wheelchair users need to pay for adaptations to make their apartment accessible, these individuals would require funding; however, many don’t meet the qualification requirements.

 

“So, if you’re above a certain income threshold or if you’re not on ODSP (Ontario Disability Support Program), you don’t qualify for certain funding,” he said.

 

A 2019 report by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation found that adapting existing modest housing to meet accessibility standards in several major Canadian cities typically cost under $10,000 in key areas, including entry access, horizontal circulation, bathroom modifications and rear balcony access.

 

In condos, most accessibility updates cost less than $5,000 or ranged from $5,000 to $10,000, with kitchen renovations exceeding $10,000. For other housing types, such as detached, semi-detached, bungalows and townhouses, accessibility costs ranged from $5,000 to $10,000 in these same target areas.

 

Jacob Cohen, COO of the Daniels Corporation — a GTA condo developer — said that they have found planning accessibility has to start at the very beginning of the project.

 

Sal Amenta, a chair of the Accessible Housing Network, is a senior who lives with sciatica and said it has been difficult for him to walk up the stairs and perform daily activities. There have been moments where he has had to rely on a walker or cane.

 

“It was so bad that I had to hold onto the sides of stairs when I went down, and when I came up the stairs, I had to walk on all fours like a dog. The pain was so bad,” he recalled of one painful memory.

 

Like Chung, he spent a large amount of money to remove his bathtub and make it a walk-in. His shower now also has grab bars, and there is space to sit on a stool when he is showering, if needed.

 

“What I fondly wish, for other people of my age, is that they will have a home that they can live as comfortably as possible, and not have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to renovate, in order to carry on living in their community with their friends and neighbours,” he said.

 

However, in order to get renovations for his stairs, he would need to get a reserved mortgage and take a portion of the house’s value. He estimates it would take tens of thousands of dollars, since the house was not designed for these modifications.

 

Sal Amenta and stool official

 

Sal Amenta, a senior living with sciatica, had to spend a large amount on renovating his bathroom so that his bathtub was removed and replaced with a walk-in shower.

 

Sal Amenta photo

He fears that as he ages, he will have to be dependent on a wheelchair and his home is not currently designed for wheelchair use.

 

Ontario’s Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), passed in 2005, was intended to make the province fully accessible by 2025. But advocates say the act lacks enforcement standards for residential housing, leaving people with disabilities without accessible home options.

 

“There’s a housing accessibility crisis,” said advocate David Lepofsky, describing the current state of accessible housing in Ontario.

 

He added that, despite repeated calls for accessible housing standards, the government has yet to deliver regulations specific to private housing.

 

“When the government tries to stimulate more housing but doesn’t encourage accessibility, it’s condoning the creation of more inaccessible housing and making the problem worse,” he said.

 

Rich Donovan, an accessibility expert who conducted a recent legislative review of the AODA, emphasized that the act lacks clear regulations for residential accessibility.

 

“The framework does not include residential housing accessibility standards,” he said, adding that this omission means Ontario is missing out on a “significant opportunity” to improve housing access for people with disabilities across the province.

 

Luke Anderson, co-chair of the Accelerating Accessibility Coalition, said gaps in accessibility exist even in newer buildings, where many homes — like Chung’s — still have steps or other barriers that make them impossible for some people to enter.

 

“Between half and three-quarters” of public and retail spaces, Anderson noted, remain inaccessible.

 

“The province had the intention of creating a barrier-free Ontario by 2025. And you know, as a wheelchair user myself, it’s clear that we are not going to see that,” he said.

 

Chung added that the lack of specific housing standards under the AODA leaves people vulnerable.

 

“If homes were built with accessibility in mind from the start, we wouldn’t have to invest so heavily in expensive renovations later on,” Chung said.

 

She expressed frustration over the province’s resistance to applying AODA standards to residential spaces, noting that it only worsens the accessibility gap over time.

 

Chung said that the AODA deliberately did not include housing. They said that “we’ll leave housing to the building code.”

 

“But the building code is the source of the tragedy, because it only requires that 15 per cent of the apartments in a brand-new building be visitable,” she said.

 

Ontario’s Building Code, the primary framework for residential construction standards, is often criticized for inadequacies in ensuring accessible housing. Advocates say that while the code addresses certain public spaces and commercial facilities, it largely overlooks residential buildings — a gap that leaves people with disabilities facing major barriers in their own homes.

 

Sal’s stairs official

 

The stairs of Sal Amenta’s home — he recalls when the pain from his sciatica was so severe he had to crawl up them on all fours.

 

Sal Amenta photo

A recent report from Ontario’s design of public spaces standards development committee critiques the provincial building code’s accessibility standards, saying the current requirements are “insufficient” — particularly in residential housing. The Improving Accessible Built Environment Standards — 2023 Initial Recommendations report urges comprehensive updates to the code to address gaps and ensure new constructions and major renovations include accessible design features, making spaces more usable for people with disabilities.

 

As disability rates rise, building code requirements remain minimal, leaving a critical gap in housing design, advocates say. The lack of adequate standards is evident in new builds, particularly in the Greater Toronto Area, where townhomes and condo units with raised thresholds or narrow doorways are common, says Anderson, who is also the co-founder of Stop Gap Foundation.

 

“There’s no requirement to remove the curb on balconies, for instance,” he says, explaining that wheelchair users are often unable to use outdoor spaces in their own homes.

 

At Daniels, they no longer solely use the building code as a standard for creating accessible housing.

 

“We found that it did not go far enough in terms of its use of and enhancement of accessible standards and accessible living,” said Cohen.

 

Daniels created their own framework, which included a checklist of six or seven items they believed could be easily added to enhance the building. Some things on this list include a roll-in shower, balconies without curbs and widened door frames to ensure an easier path of travel.

 

“This would lead to a better quality of life for people living in those units,” Cohen said.

 

He hopes that other organizations take inspiration from their framework and start to think about developing beyond the building code’s requirements.

 

“The more developers and builders that do this that start today, the more accessible housing we’re going to have down the road,” he said.

 

Brad Evoy, a steering committee member of the Accessible Housing Network and executive director of the Disability Justice Network of Ontario, argued that Ontario’s accessible housing crisis is inseparable from the larger housing crisis.

 

“The number of folks who are currently unhoused and on disability support has doubled in the last two years,” Evoy said.

 

He pointed to a broader issue of increasing housing precarity, exacerbated for disabled Ontarians who face added layers of disadvantage when trying to secure affordable, accessible housing.

 

“The affordability piece and the accessibility piece go hand in hand,” he added, noting that housing policies have failed to address either need. He also noted the relationship between lack of accessible, affordable homes and homelessness.

 

A report by the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) showed that people with disabilities are four times more likely to experience homelessness. Chung said this number could be significantly higher — up to 80 per cent — if all disabilities, including mental disabilities, are included.

 

Advocates argue that Ontario should adopt universal design principles which aim to make housing accessible to people of all ages and abilities by creating spaces that can easily be modified such that anybody can live in them. Amenta emphasized the urgency of universal design, noting that people do not anticipate future disabilities.

 

“For the grace of God, you’re not disabled this very moment — but you may well be soon,” Amenta said, underscoring the unpredictability of life and the necessity of planning as we age.

 

Amenta, Chung and Evoy all underscored the need for legislative and policy reforms to improve housing accessibility in Ontario.

 

“Developers are refusing to think outside the box,” Chung said, emphasizing that builders often resist changes even when accessible designs do not increase costs. She also noted that, across federal, provincial and municipal governments, responsibility for housing accessibility is often shifted rather than addressed, with each level pointing to the other for action.

 

“Every one of them is saying, ‘It’s the other guy’s job,’” she said.

 

Sidewalks for All (accessibility in Ontario)

 

Luke Anderson, co-chair of the Accelerating Accessibility Coalition, said it is “clear” that the province will not reach its deadline to be accessible by 2025.

Metroland file photo

Chung expressed frustration over the reluctance of developers and policymakers to embrace universal design.

 

“They will build to the building code and no more,” she said. “They seem to think it’ll cost too much, which is ridiculous. It doesn’t.”

 

Chung said that while some developers, such as Daniels Corporation, have shown a willingness to incorporate accessible designs in certain projects, most are still hesitant to make universal design a standard.

 

Donovan stressed the importance of rethinking Ontario’s approach to accessibility in housing, and pointed out that Ontario’s existing standards are often insufficient in meeting the daily needs of those with disabilities.

 

“If we’re not thinking about those needs from the start,” he said, “we’re creating barriers that don’t need to exist.”

 

Reflecting on the lack of practical enforcement and user-specific design, Donovan emphasized the need for a tailored approach that goes beyond existing general regulations.

 

“Building for people with disabilities isn’t about checking boxes,” he noted. Instead, he argued, Ontario should use data and feedback from people with lived experience to drive improvements.

 

Chung and her colleagues are also urging Canada to adopt standards similar to those implemented in Australia, where all new housing must be built to universal design specifications. Amenta and Chung pointed to Australia’s progress in requiring universal design, arguing that Canada should not fall behind.

 

“The Australian building code now requires that all new housing be universal design,” Chung said. “Why aren’t we doing the same?”

 

Advocates are urging the government to look beyond the immediate costs and recognize the broader benefits of universal accessibility.

 

“If we have to adopt universal principles that apply to everyone and everywhere, we will create homes that serve generations to come,” says Amenta.

 

Markham Economist Sun December 2, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.yorkregion.com/news/markham-resident-with-vision-loss-faces-ongoing-barriers-amid-ontarios-inclusivity-push/article_080921b2-7854-521e-b0e1-a5c6aa183d74.html

 

 

Restricted Access

Markham resident with vision loss faces ongoing barriers amid Ontario’s inclusivity push

Markham reports compliance with current standards but faces criticism from local resident with disability.

 

 

By Scarlett Liu, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Danny Leung

Danny Leung at JBVC Café at 105 Gibson Dr., Markham.

Scarlett Liu Metroland

 

A barrier-free Ontario was the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), unanimously passed by MPPs in 2005. With the province’s 20-year deadline for the implementation of accessibility standards looming on Jan. 1, 2025, Restricted Access: Will Ontario meet its barrier-free goals? explores this quality-of-life issue for the millions of people living with disabilities — a demographic that’s expected to skyrocket as the population ages.

 

While the City of Markham reports that it has met all current AODA standards, some residents say there’s still plenty of work to be done. Danny Leung, who is fully blind, is one of them.

 

For Leung, public transit poses one of the biggest challenges.

 

“Since I can’t drive, I rely on public transportation, but the buses are often late, especially in winter. Sometimes, there’s only one bus every half-hour or even longer, which makes the wait unbearable,” he said.

 

Leung feels the transit system discourages visually impaired people from going out. What makes it worse is that many neighbourhoods lack bus routes, further limiting his ability to travel independently.

 

Snow removal is another pain point.

 

“Some sidewalks near bus stops aren’t cleared for days after a snowfall, making it nearly impossible for people with limited mobility or visual impairments to get around,” said Leung.

 

In response, a city representative pointed out that the city recognizes the concerns regarding transit coverage and is exploring ways to enhance bus routes and schedules to improve accessibility.

 

Meanwhile, the public works team is reviewing snow removal protocols, especially for accessible routes, to ensure timely service.

 

In July, Markham launched a survey asking residents for feedback on improving accessibility. However, people like Leung — those most affected by barriers — weren’t even aware of it.

 

“I had no access to the government’s street signs for the survey or the online promotions. I doubt how this actually reaches the disabled,” he said.

 

Leung has long been an advocate for the blind community. In 2006, he founded Joy Beyond Vision Community (JBVC), a charity that helps people with visual impairments overcome challenges. Eight years later, he opened JBVC Café, a non-profit at 105 Gibson Dr., staffed entirely by visually impaired people.

 

The café struggles financially and cannot be self-sufficient, Leung admitted. It depends on donations to support its employees, while limited government funding adds to the burden. In addition to meeting various requirements, applying and filling out various forms is also a huge obstacle for him.

 

Despite these challenges, Leung is committed to keeping the café running.

 

“If the café closes, my employees will struggle to find other jobs,” he said.

 

Employing visually impaired people means much more than just a paycheque, Leung explained; it gives them a sense of community, a fulfilling life and a shot at independence.

 

“I certainly hope the city could help us more, whether that’s through subsidies, rent reduction or creating more job opportunities,” he said.

 

Currently employing eight people at JBVC, Leung believes many people with disabilities can thrive in the right environment with proper training. He also hopes the government can set an example by hiring more people with disabilities.

 

“If the government doesn’t hire us, how can it expect private companies to do the same?” he said.

 

According to the city, its updated Multi-Year Accessibility Plan outlines ways to encourage local businesses to hire people with disabilities. It is also focusing on inclusive recruitment, accessible job postings, and awareness campaigns to promote inclusivity.

 

Although the plan aligns with the AODA’s 2025 deadline, the city acknowledges that some long-term projects, particularly those involving older infrastructure and parks, may require additional time to fully meet enhanced accessibility standards.

 

The 2024-2029 Accessibility Plan, set for council approval on Dec. 3, offers a road map for continuous improvement. These efforts are expected to significantly advance the goal of making Markham an accessible city within the next five years.

 

Scarlett Liu is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter covering news in Markham and Richmond Hill, with a focus on the Chinese community. She speaks English and Chinese. The LJI supports the creation of original civic journalism.

Collingwood Connection December 2, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.yorkregion.com/news/lost-our-freedom-collingwood-disability-advocates-say-current-accessible-transit-options-limit-their-independence/article_7c63963e-edd7-5a75-affe-39a9645b4dc9.html

 

Restricted Access

‘Lost our freedom’: Collingwood disability advocates say current accessible transit options limit their independence

Accessible bus service stops at 9 p.m., which means those with disabilities in Collingwood are spending more nights at home.

 

By John Edwards

 

A barrier-free Ontario was the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), unanimously passed by MPPs in 2005. With the province’s 20-year deadline for the implementation of accessibility standards looming on Jan. 1, 2025, Restricted Access: Will Ontario meet its barrier-free goals? explores this quality-of-life issue for the millions of people living with disabilities — a demographic that’s expected to skyrocket as the population.

 

Casey Morrison continues to fight for his independence.

 

The Collingwood man, who has cerebral palsy, uses a wheelchair to get around but says the loss of the accessible taxi service will have an impact on his quality of life.

 

For nearly two decades, the Town of Collingwood and Ace Cabs had an agreement for an on-demand accessible taxi. Morrison was able to call for a cab at any time until 11 p.m., which would allow him to go to hockey games, the movies or visit friends.

 

The town subsidized the service at an annual cost of about $84,000.

 

However, Ace Cabs recently went out of business, and while the accessible taxi will continue to operate until March 2025, the hours have been cut to Monday to Friday, 9 a.m., to 5 p.m.

 

This has left Morrison and others out in the cold.

 

“I am feeling that people, living with disabilities, lost our freedom,” he said. “We need the door-to-door transit to work for everyone not just medical appointments. We had our accessible taxi for 17 years, and it was great for us because we went out independently. We could call or text for a ride and they came 15 minutes or so. We cannot go to a bus stop in rain or snow because our wheelchairs will get wet, and they will be stuck in snow.”

 

Kathryn Bloomfield is a founding member of Breaking Down Barriers, an independent living centre for individuals with disabilities.

 

She said the municipality offers an accessible option but it’s not on demand. Bloomfield said she has to book a ride 48 hours in advance and the bus only runs until 9 p.m.

 

For Bloomfield, who enjoys playing euchre at the local Leisure Time Centre, the loss of the taxi means she spends more nights at home.

 

“Now, I can’t go,” she said. “Lately, I did wheel from there. Even for me trying to get home from the Leisure time centre … it’s impossible. There are other things I would’ve liked to have gone to. Now, they want 48 hours in advance. I’m more an in-the-moment person.”

 

Nadia Hovan is friends with Morrison and works in the film and television industry. She has created a number of videos in hopes of raising awareness of the importance of accessible transportation for people with disabilities

 

“I believe decision-makers are forgetting that the people behind this cause are humans. Many have given up hope and feel unheard. I want them to know that their voices matter. Their stories matter,” said Hovan.

 

Hovan said the hours for accessible transit are far too limited.

 

“This schedule seems to imply that people with disabilities only need transportation during business hours — that they don’t work, volunteer or have social lives outside of these hours. This is simply not reflective of real life,” she said. “Imagine the backlash if these restrictions applied to everyone? What would the public do without access to transportation after a night out, or if they suddenly needed a ride home because of bad weather? These are the realities people living with disabilities have faced since October 1. It’s an insulting blow to their independence and dignity.”

 

In her video, Hovan interviewed Bethany Wilson who also has cerebral palsy. She said she has to rely on the sidewalks to be clean in order to get places she wants to go.

 

“I really don’t understand for the life of me, why everyone is making things so difficult,” she said. “It makes me feel unwanted and the fact everyone else has got what they want and people with disabilities, somehow have been left behind.”

 

Collingwood Councillor Chris Potts recently put forward a motion calling to extend both conventional and accessible municipal transit services to 6 a.m., to 11 p.m., seven days a week. This will be discussed during the upcoming budget meetings

 

York Region December 2, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.yorkregion.com/news/wheelchair-user-on-a-roll-to-make-york-public-transit-more-accessible/article_96adfeeb-3e09-5a47-bf14-bc60ce4eaeb1.html

 

Restricted Access

Wheelchair user on a roll to make York public transit more accessible

York Region Transit’s Mobility On-Request includes accessible vans and small buses with about 1,500 registered users.

 

By Yoyo Yan

 

Mobility On-Request complaint

 

Bibianne Yu has multiple sclerosis, uses a wheelchair and is having issues with York Region’s door-to-door Mobility On-Request paratransit service.

 

Steve Somerville Metroland

 

A barrier-free Ontario was the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), unanimously passed by MPPs in 2005. With the province’s 20-year deadline for the implementation of accessibility standards looming on Jan. 1, 2025, Restricted Access: Will Ontario meet its barrier-free goals? explores this quality-of-life issue for the millions of people living with disabilities — a demographic that’s expected to skyrocket as the population ages.

 

Meet Bibianne Xu. Living with multiple sclerosis (MS) in Markham, she’s a fierce advocate for accessible transit that actually works for people like her.

 

Xu relies on paratransit services to keep her moving, but York Region Transit’s (YRT) Mobility On-Request (MOR) system has her feeling, well, a little left out.

 

“I want to live my life to the fullest,” the 52-year-old says. “I don’t want transportation to keep me on the sidelines.”

 

Before moving to Chartwell Woodhaven Long Term Care Residence in Markham, Xu lived in Scarborough, where she used TTC’s Wheel-Trans regularly and had no trouble staying active in the community. But YRT’s MOR? It’s a different ride.

 

The problem is, Xu’s MS impacts her ability to regulate body temperature. For her, staying in climate-controlled, door-to-door transit is essential to prevent health risks.

 

Dr. Tania Bruno, an MS specialist, sent YRT not one but two letters explaining Xu’s needs. Still, her request for “unconditional” ridership was denied.

 

Instead, she was given “conditional” status, which means she has to use a patchwork of YRT options that require transfers. Cue the frustration.

 

“It’s like they’re ignoring what my doctor is saying,” Xu says. “It’s insulting, really.”

 

add another twist, YRT offered her a travel training program to prove her eligibility for more support, which Xu finds pretty baffling.

 

“I’m fully functional mentally and cognitively,” she points out. “If I’m having a good day, I’ll ‘pass’ the test. If it’s a bad day, I’ll risk further harm.”

 

Her advocate, Peter Busciglio of York Region MY MS FAMILY, is equally fed up. “YRT is gambling with her health,” he said in an advocacy letter to local officials. “It’s appalling and upsetting for our whole community.”

 

YRT, in response, says they’re keeping things private. YRT’s manager of Mobility On-Request mentioned they have been working with Xu within their set parameters.

 

According to YRT, MOR’s fleet includes 111 sedans and accessible vans and 30 small buses, with around 1,500 registered users and more than 302,000 rides provided in 2022. That all comes with a $23.5 million budget funded mostly by taxpayers. MOR’s “family of services” model, YRT says, helps keep costs down.

 

But on days with bad weather, Xu’s transit situation is bleak. She either has to rely on her elderly father or pay for a taxi. And while Xu teaches ESL to newcomers at Peoples Church in North York, a trip that could be easier with dependable transit, the current system means it’s often an ordeal.

 

“I don’t even consider going anywhere when the temperature is not right for my condition,” she says. “I am not feeling terribly welcome and included by this accessibility service.”

 

Originally from Hong Kong, Xu has lived in Canada since she was 13, spent two decades in Michigan, and returned to Toronto. While she’s adjusted to life changes brought on by MS, she’s not about to stop advocating for her right to “freedom of movement.”

 

“I feel like I have a role in standing up against limitations that stop people like me from living fully,” she says. And as for YRT? They’d better get ready for the ride.

 

Yoyo Yan is a reporter for YorkRegion.com. Reach him at yyan@metroland.com

 

Barrie Advance December 2, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.yorkregion.com/news/as-deadline-for-compliance-under-accessibility-for-ontarians-with-disabilities-act-approaches-is-downtown-barrie/article_c6ad403c-81dd-59c1-beaf-bc6e1aaa00f9.html

 

Restricted Access

As deadline for compliance under Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act approaches, is downtown Barrie ready to be accessible to all?

Enacted in 2005, AODA gave establishments 20 years to meet standards related to accessibility

With provincial AODA set to kick in on Jan. 1, 2025, we look at how accessible downtown Barrie really is.

 

By Brett Glover

Is downtown Barrie accessible enough to meet AODA targets by Jan. 1, 2025?

 

A barrier-free Ontario was the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), unanimously passed by MPPs in 2005. With the province’s 20-year deadline for the implementation of accessibility standards looming on Jan. 1, 2025, Restricted Access: Will Ontario meet its barrier-free goals? explores this quality-of-life issue for the millions of people living with disabilities — a demographic that’s expected to skyrocket as the population ages.

 

Is downtown Barrie accessible? We’ll find out in less than a month.

 

Organizations and businesses throughout Ontario have been given until 2025 to get up to speed on accessibility requirements, as stipulated in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. A casual stroll through downtown Barrie indicates many are not yet ready.

 

Walking along Dunlop Street from Mulcaster Street through the Five Points to Maple Avenue shows more than a dozen businesses with at least one step leading into the shop, while some have entire flights of stairs required to access their services.

 

Many are lacking the automated door buttons required under the AODA as well.

 

Add to that, a glance at several signs posted in the Barrie City Hall rotunda shows they lack braille.

 

All this begs the question: with less than a month to go before AODA requirements kick in, is downtown Barrie ready?

 

Claudine Cousins

 

Empower Simcoe CEO Claudine Cousins says there is work to be done to make downtown Barrie an accessible place for all.

 

Empower Simcoe photo

Claudine Cousins, CEO of Empower Simcoe, feels there is work to be done yet.

 

“We have older architecture down there and they’re lovely. But to be able to access those buildings downtown is very difficult for our clients. The doorways are narrow, the elevation is higher, there’s a step-up to get inside some of those spaces. So some of our clients are not able to access those spaces,” she told Simcoe.com.

 

Empower Simcoe supports those with intellectual disabilities, but Cousins recognizes the lack of AODA compliance impacts many others too.

 

“Look to individuals who are, for example, seniors who need a certain type of support to access their environment. And I think that’s what the AODA was really trying to do. It’s trying to make sure that everyone — individuals with a disability and without a disability — who needs to live in their community can do so in a way that is much more supportive of their needs,” she added.

 

Craig Stevens, executive director of the Downtown Barrie BIA, says many of the businesses in that area are limited in what enhancements can be made, purely due to the age of the buildings.

 

“These buildings were built literally, in some cases, hundreds of years ago when obviously these considerations weren’t being made at that time. So it does definitely make it more difficult. But, what I’ve witnessed as part of our downtown Barrie businesses is, you know, the majority, if not all are, in the mindset to be as accessible as possible within those limitations,” he said.

 

Stevens says the BIA has accessibility options available for downtown businesses.

 

“There are initiatives that are available and can be undertaken. One in particular is called a stopgap initiative, where ramps can be built to access those front entrances in and out,” he suggested.

 

However, in walking through the downtown core, only one business appears to have taken advantage of that, the Bohemia café.

 

Temporary accessible ramp at a downtown Barrie business

 

Ad hoc ramps are available for downtown Barrie businesses to increase accessibility, but thus far, it appears only one establishment has made use of them.

 

Brett Glover Metroland

In pointing that out to Stevens, he suggested more businesses needed to be aware of the initiative.

 

“I m sure it comes down to awareness of the program,” he surmised.

 

Simcoe.com reached out to Barrie City Hall for an interview regarding any rules or guidelines the city has on altering downtown historic structures. Instead, the city’s building department provided a written statement.

 

“The Ontario Building Code (OBC) outlines the prescribed barrier free requirements for new buildings, buildings where extensive renovations are proposed or when a renovation is proposed due to a change of the use of the building. Barrier free requirements for items such as entrances, washrooms, elevators, power door openers, etc. are regulated by the OBC and organizations are not required to retrofit buildings under the AODA,” reads the email.

 

Cousins indicates there doesn’t seem to be much appetite to make the changes required to have an accessible environment for all, saying it isn’t a question of cost, as there are grants and supports available for those businesses wanting to make enhancements.

 

“It’s really about, are you really looking at making your space welcoming for everyone? Or are you targeting a different audience? I think that’s really what it is. Maybe they’re not targeting that audience. They’re forgetting that this audience does have disposable income, and in this tight economy, they need to really think twice about where people spend their money and how they can maybe attract individuals who do have that disposable income to bring them into their stores,” she said.

 

Stevens agrees that it makes good business sense to make a store as accessible as possible.

 

“Yeah, it definitely is worth the extra effort,” he mused.

 

Cousins adds, it helps to think of the issue in a more personal light.

 

“Think about your grandmother, who just needed a little bit of support to access the community. Your grandma is not able to move as quickly as she used to move. And she’s just trying to get into a store and she’s frustrated because the door is a heavy door and she cannot pull it open. She needs to get a little bit of assistance. And just by pushing that button, grandma can go into that store. So that’s what we’re talking about. How can we make sure everyone can access their community?” she concluded.

 

The AODA takes effect Jan. 1, 2025.

 

Halton Region December 2, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.yorkregion.com/news/there-is-more-work-to-be-done-advisory-committees-working-to-make-halton-region-more/article_0e7f79d9-d074-5121-b40b-282a940f1355.html

 

‘There is more work to be done’: Advisory committees working to make Halton Region more accessible

“There is more work to be done, and we are relying on the Committee’s continued input.”

 

By Roland Cilliers

 

A barrier-free Ontario was the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), unanimously passed by MPPs in 2005. With the province’s 20-year deadline for the implementation of accessibility standards looming on Jan. 1, 2025, Restricted Access: Will Ontario meet its barrier-free goals? explores this quality-of-life issue for the millions of people living with disabilities — a demographic that’s expected to skyrocket as the population ages.

 

Accessibility is more than just ramps and large bathroom stalls.

 

It’s about being able to read a website, walk along a downtown street, access a vehicle and safely escape a structure in the event of an emergency. It’s an idea being incorporated across the province to ensure everyone, regardless of their disability, has fair access to their community.

 

It’s also the law. Passed in 2005, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) is designed to ensure all people with physical and mental disabilities have full access to public institutions by 2025.

 

To keep Halton Region and its communities on track to full accessibility, advisory committees were created. They provide input on just about every project throughout the region.

 

Oakville Mayor Rob Burton, the chair of the Halton Region Accessibility Advisory Committee (HRAAC), said the input has changed both the way business is done and the final product of numerous crucial projects.

 

“We have made a lot of progress in making the Region’s services and facilities more accessible,” said Burton. “There is more work to be done, and we are relying on the Committee’s continued input.”

 

To highlight a few examples, the HRAAC has recently provided input on three new community housing projects in Oakville — 263 Kerr St., 1258 Rebecca St. and 363 Margaret Dr. The committee is consulted during the design phase, provides feedback and highlights the necessity for features like accessible paths, door buttons low enough for someone in a wheelchair and lighting throughout the buildings.

 

Their input goes beyond just construction projects and into key plans around the region.

 

“Another project that the committee recently provided input on is the development of new Emergency Preparedness Materials for People with Disabilities. The Halton Region Emergency Management team consulted with the Committee to create materials that provide information to assist people with disabilities and their caregivers in preparing for emergencies,” said Burton.

 

The involvement of the committee’s work in government communication materials can be seen across the region. Accessibility features, such as larger text options, can be found in many municipal sites.

 

Accessibility advisory committees are also established in the lower-tier municipalities. Milton’s accessibility program was started back in 2002.

 

Judi Lytle, an Accessibility Specialist for the City of Burlington and staff liaison to the Burlington Accessibility Advisory Committee, said extensive progress has been done to remove barriers for people with disabilities but they are aware that even more progress is needed. New groups and ways to support those people are regularly being identified.

 

“We have made progress towards identifying, preventing and removing barriers to people with disabilities, and we know ongoing progress is needed,” said Lytle.

 

For example, Burlington is about to launch its new 2025 – 2028 Multi-Year Accessibility Plan to outline how additional barriers can be removed and accessibility can be improved.

 

A relatively new area in accessibility is around supporting people with specialized sensory and cognitive needs. Work has recently been done in the region to add things like Communication Boards at playgrounds to support people who are nonverbal.

 

“We are gaining an understanding about how to best include accessibility support for neurodivergent individuals. With the growing awareness of neurodivergence in society the city has identified ways to create programs and design environments that address sensory and cognitive needs,” said Lytle.

 

Milton councillor John Challinor, the chair of the Milton Accessibility Advisory Committee (MAAC), credits Milton’s committee with a fundamental change that has taken place in the way new projects are handled. He said in the early days, people weren’t clear on how the whole process worked, but today it’s a fairly streamlined process with a sort of cheat sheet for what they need to ask and which areas should be addressed.

 

Challinor credits the program’s effectiveness to the involvement of people with disabilities — both visible and invisible ones.

 

“They’re living this every day. And it’s great to sort of have them there. For example, when we’re reviewing with town staff, the website, they can actually show them because they’re trying to move through it. They use our transit system and understand its accessibility. They’re in our community every day using various buildings for whatever reason and are living with decisions that have been made,” Challinor said.

 

This year has been a busy one for the MAAC. The committee has already gone over 17 different plans, looked at accessibility in transit and provided feedback on the municipality’s website.

 

The question remains, though: has all this work achieved the goal of AODA and made Milton accessible?

 

“We’re getting there. The challenge we have is there are a lot of buildings, a lot of institutions that were built before 2002. It’s an old town — it was first settled in 1822. And you’ve got buildings on the main street, for example, they’re 170 years old. But, you know, as they’re retrofitted and they have to meet the current planning requirements, then that’s the opportunity to introduce this legislation and its requirements,” said Challinor.

 

According to accessibility advocates, true accessibility is an ongoing process. More work will be required to accommodate all those who need it.

 

For more information on Halton’s accessibility plans, or to provide feedback, visit halton.ca.

 

Roland Cilliers is a reporter for Metroland in Halton. He can be reached at rcilliers@metroland.com

 

Toronto Star is the Latest Media Outlet to Press TTC on Whether It Will Force WheelTrans Passengers to be Subjected to the Unfair “Family of Services,” which Requires Part of Paratransit Ride on the Conventional Transit System

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

Toronto Star is the Latest Media Outlet to Press TTC on Whether It Will Force WheelTrans Passengers to be Subjected to the Unfair “Family of Services,” which Requires Part of Paratransit Ride on the Conventional Transit System

 

December 11, 2024

SUMMARY

 

As the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act’s (AODA’s) 2025 deadline for Ontario to become accessible to people with disabilities gets closer and closer, the disability barriers that Ontarians with disabilities must confront are continuing to rear their unfair heads. A powerful December 6, 2024, Toronto Star report that appeared on Page A-3 of the print newspaper drilled into the question whether the Toronto Transit Commission will force any passengers with disabilities to use their dreaded “Family of Services” approach to providing accessible public transit. This would entitle TTC to direct a passenger who is qualified for WheelTrans paratransit that they must take part of their ride on the conventional bus and subway system and a WheelTrans vehicle for the other part of their journey. Below is the Toronto Star report.

 

In 2011, the Ontario Government enacted the Transportation Accessibility Standard under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. It allows a paratransit service to impose this “Family of Services” mess on people with disabilities if they wish. TTC has claimed it will never force it on an unwilling passenger. In this article, skepticism is again voiced by disability advocates, including AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky. A September 9, 2024 City TV News report focused on this same issue. It is not going away.

 

We have repeatedly called on the Ontario Government for well over a decade to amend the Transportation Accessibility Standard so that paratransit services will never have the power to force any passengers with disabilities to be subjected to this unfair “Family of Services” regime, which makes public transit worse for people with disabilities. We need public transit for people with disabilities to be made more, not less, accessible for Ontarians with disabilities.

 

In this article, TTC reportedly is going to undertake an “equity” analysis of Family of Services. The equity analysis is simple. Family of services is solely targeted at and unfairly treats transit passengers with disabilities.

How You Can Help

 

Tell your member of the Ontario Legislature to amend the Transportation Accessibility Standard enacted under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act to provide that no public transit authority in Ontario may force any passengers with disabilities to be subjected to Family of Services if they qualify for paratransit.

 

Tell TTC and all Ontario public transit authorities that Family of Services is a friendly-sounding practice that is very unfair to passengers with disabilities and should not be used.

 

Learn more about our effort to advocate for a barrier-free public transit system for all people with disabilities by visiting the AODA Alliance website’s transportation page.

 

MORE DETAILS

 

Toronto Star December 6, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/my-life-would-stop-ttcs-wheel-trans-disability-rules-raise-riders-fears-equity-concerns/article_1c506de2-034a-11ef-9a64-c74cbf783766.html

 

‘My life would stop’

TTC’s Wheel-Trans reassessments raise fears for riders

 

Mahdis Habibinia Toronto Star AbO’Brien Toronto Star

Jane Field has relied on TTC’s Wheel-Trans door-to-door service for the past 34 years. As a quadriplegic, she says her powerchair makes navigating the conventional transit system difficult.

 

“When I did try to use the subway, my wheels got caught between the platform and the train,” said Field, 65. “It was only by the grace of God there were a couple of strong guys nearby who manhandled me onto the platform. I still have nightmares about that.”

 

But under a rule change, Field had to re-register with the transit agency so her eligibility for the door-to-door service offered by Wheel-Trans at the cost of a regular fare could be reassessed.

 

The reassessment is part of a move by the TTC that began in 2017, asking users of its paratransit service to re-register so they could be classified in categories of eligibility – unconditional, conditional or temporary – to conform to the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) guidelines.

 

“Unconditional” means they could never use conventional transit, while “conditional” means they may sometimes qualify for door-to-door service, but other times a Wheel-Trans vehicle might drop them off at an accessible subway station – what the TTC calls a Family of Services trip.

 

Despite three doctor’s letters – from her family physician, neurologist and psychiatrist – Field’s status was changed to a customer who may be able to use conventional transit for all or part of her trip under the Family of Services program.

 

“There is no way I feel comfortable using the subway and the regular TTC,” said Field of her reclassification. “I would be isolated, unable to attend my community choir practices, my church. My life would stop.”

 

This week, the TTC board asked staff to do an equity analysis of Family of Services, after advocates and riders expressed heightened concerns about shifting more and more Wheel-Trans users onto this program since 2019, as the conventional system becomes more accessible.

 

Although riders classified to use Family of Services can still opt to use door-to-door service, advocates worry the TTC might make the program mandatory as a cost-saving measure, as York and Durham regions have done.

 

“The costs aren’t going to go down,” said TTC board member Coun. Josh Matlow. “That’s reality. You either fund it adequately or you make cuts. But (the TTC) is strapped for cash.”

 

With 41,481 registered customers, Wheel-Trans costs the TTC about $164 million to operate annually. According to the TTC’s five-year accessibility plan and Wheel-Trans transformation program update, the Family of Services model “addresses pressures due to a growing customer base,” saved the TTC $123 million over the past seven years.

 

The TTC has embarked on a program to make its system more accessible, with 57 of its 70 subway stations currently meeting AODA standards. The TTC reported last year that it would not be able to meet the province’s target of full accessibility by 2025: six more subway stations are planned to be accessible next year, with another six in 2026. There is no target date yet for Old Mill station. The agency’s buses and streetcars are accessible with ramps.

 

Shelagh Pizey-Allen, executive director at TTCriders, pointed to data obtained by her transit advocacy group suggesting restrictions to door-to-door service would “disproportionally impact low-income and racialized neighbourhoods” – in particular Malvern, Lawrence Heights and Rexdale.

 

“If the program becomes mandatory, this is where more trips are being booked and these are the people affected,” said Pizey-Allen.

 

“Lower income groups are more affected – but remember, people with disabilities already disproportionately live below the poverty line,” said David Lepofsky, chair of the AODA alliance, a disability consumer advocacy group. The TTC’s Family of Services “victimizes the most vulnerable, period. That’s all the equity analysis you need.”

 

TTC spokesperson Stuart Green said the transit agency has “no plans” to make Family of Services mandatory “unless the board directs it.”

 

Lepofsky said he isn’t “consoled” by this, because “we’ve already seen exactly how much we can rely on their accessibility commitments when they pledged to make (the TTC) accessible by 2025.”

 

Matlow said the emphasis on cost savings at this week’s meeting was cause for concern that, without adequate funding from other levels of government, “the TTC will eventually look to scale back the support it provides to disabled Torontonians and we need to get ahead of that.” The TTC board voted at Tuesday’s meeting to ask the province for more funding for Wheel-Trans.

 

Although the transit agency said it “strongly encourages” riders who disagree with their classification to appeal their status, Field, who successfully appealed hers, said it’s a major equity barrier because the process is a “daunting, frustrating and stressful” one.

 

“Many people do not understand it. They don’t know how to get support or may not qualify for legal aid,” said Field. “They may not have the strength, stamina, resources or language skills necessary to fight.”

 

Figure:

 

Jane Field waits to board a Wheel-Trans vehicle. Field, who is a quadriplegic, says a reassessment of her disability status would have forced her to use conventional transit for some or all of her travel – something she insists she can’t do safely in her powerchair. Steve Russell Toronto Star

 

 

Ford Government Flagrantly Ignored the Proven Danger to Vulnerable Pedestrians with Disabilities when it Extended its Pilot with the Silent Menace of Electric Scooters for a Second 5-Year Period

ACCESSIBILITY FOR ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT ALLIANCE

NEWS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Ford Government Flagrantly Ignored the Proven Danger to Vulnerable Pedestrians with Disabilities when it Extended its Pilot with the Silent Menace of Electric Scooters for a Second 5-Year Period

 

December 9, 2024, Toronto: When the Ford Government quietly extended its pilot with electric scooters for a second 5-year period last month, it flagrantly ignored proven dangers to vulnerable people with disabilities and seniors, according to a widely recognized non-partisan grassroots disability coalition. The Ford Government said it conducted its first 5-year e-scooters pilot to gather data on the impact of e-scooters. Yet the Transportation Ministry never specifically investigated e-scooters danger to pedestrians with disabilities and seniors, even though the widely recognized AODA Alliance repeatedly raised this in briefs, media interviews, and public presentations.

 

Blind people don’t know when the e-scooters, a silent menace,  rocket at them at over 20 KPH, driven by unlicensed, untrained, uninsured, unhelmeted, fun-seeking joyriders. Often left strewn on sidewalks, e-scooters are dangerous tripping hazards for blind people and accessibility nightmares for wheelchair users.

 

During a November 22, 2024 meeting with Ministry of Transportation officials responsible for the provincial e-scooters pilot’s second 5-year extension, disability community representatives learned the following, confirmed in a December 8, 2024 letter from the AODA Alliance to the Transportation Minister, set out below::

 

  • The Ministry took no concerted steps over the past five years to gather information on the dangers that e-scooters pose to vulnerable people with disabilities. The Ministry’s consultation template where it sought feedback on the impact of e-scooters did not include any specific questions about their impact on people with disabilities.

 

  • The Ministry conducted no consultations with the disability community during the last five-year e-scooter pilot on the impact of e-scooters on them. Yet the Ministry knew that several municipal Accessibility Advisory Committees, such as Toronto’s and Ottawa’s, passed strong recommendations calling on their municipalities not to allow e-scooters.

 

  • Ministry staff met with e-scooter corporate lobbyists before the Ford Government decided to extend the e-scooter pilot for another five-year period, but they did not meet with the AODA Alliance and other disability advocates until after that decision was made. Ministry staff said that they had met with the corporate lobbyists before that Government decision was made because the corporate lobbyists had asked to meet with them at a point in time before the Government decided to extend the pilot. Yet the AODA Alliance and other disability advocates had also asked to meet with Ministry staff, and indeed with the Transportation Minister, before the Government made its final decision to extend its e-scooters pilot for a second five-year period.

 

  • Ministry staff said that the information source to which they turned for feedback on the impact of e-scooters during the first pilot was Ontario’s municipalities. They therefore left it to municipalities to share feedback about e-scooters’ dangers to people with disabilities. That includes municipalities like Ottawa, Mississauga and Brampton. Those municipalities have disregarded or marginalized the dangers that e-scooters pose for vulnerable people with disabilities.

 

  • Ministry staff tracked Toronto’s decisions in 2021 and in 2024 not to allow e-scooters. They must have known that Toronto’s two widely publicized decisions in 2021 and again in 2024 against allowing e-scooters were largely driven by e-scooters’ dangers for people with disabilities. Toronto’s 2021 and 2024 City staff reports thoroughly documented their dangers.

 

  • “Despite the proven dangers that e-scooters create for vulnerable people with disabilities, seniors and others, the Ford Government added absolutely no additional safeguards in its second five-year e-scooters pilot to prevent the dangers to their safety and accessibility,” said AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky. “Premier Ford continues to inflict the undue burden on people with disabilities to have to battle well-funded e-scooter corporate lobbyists in one city after the next in an effort to try to protect themselves from e-scooters.”

 

Ministry of Transportation staff told the AODA Alliance and other disability advocates that they are open to the possibility of amending the e-scooters regulation which the Ford Government recently passed in order to enact safeguards for vulnerable people with disabilities, seniors and others. The AODA Alliance has requested an urgent meeting with Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria to explore possible amendments. No Ford Government Transportation Minister has ever met with the AODA Alliance to discuss the dangers they pose for people with disabilities.

 

“There are only 23 days until 2025, the deadline which the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act sets for the Ontario Government to have led this province to be accessible to people with disabilities,” said Lepofsky. “Extending the e-scooters pilot for an additional and unnecessary five years creates new and dangerous disability barriers at a time when the Government is far behind fulfilling its duties under the Disabilities Act for which we fought so long and hard.”

 

Contact: AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky, aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

 

For more background, visit the AODA Alliance website’s e-scooters page and the September 24, 2024 brief to the Ministry by the AODA Alliance on its proposal to extend the pilot for another five years.

 

 

Text of the AODA Alliance’s December 8, 2024, Letter to the Ontario Minister of Transportation

 

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance

United for a Barrier-Free Society for All People with Disabilities

Web: www.aodaalliance.org Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com Twitter: @aodaalliance Facebook: www.facebook.com/aodaalliance/

 

December 8, 2024

 

Via Email

Minister.mto@Ontario.ca

To: Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria Minister of Transportation

Ministry of Transportation

5th Floor

777 Bay St.

Toronto, ON M7A 1Z8

Tel.: 416-327-9200

 

Dear Minister,

 

Re: Preventing Dangers to Safety and Accessibility that Threaten Ontarians with Disabilities,

 

We write to ask you and your Ministry to amend the regulations governing the second five-year pilot with electric scooters that your Government has just adopted by regulation in order to incorporate substantial safeguards to protect vulnerable people with disabilities, seniors and other pedestrians from the proven danger to them that e-scooters create. We ask you to direct your Ministry officials to immediately develop a list of options in consultation with the disability and seniors’ communities. We also again seek an urgent meeting with you to discuss this.

 

On November 22, 2024, your Ministry’s policy officials held a virtual meeting with a group of disability community representatives. We had sought a chance to speak with your Ministry before your Government made a final decision on whether to extend its e-scooters pilot for a second period of five years. However, your Government decided to extend that pilot before your Ministry officials met with us.

 

We wish to confirm key points emerging at that November 22, 2024 meeting with your Ministry officials. They were the lead policy officials involved with overseeing the first five-year e-scooters pilot, reviewing feedback on it, and drafting the proposal to extend it for another five years. Here are key points:

 

  • Your policy staff clearly were, at best, minimally alive to the twin dangers that the silent menace of e-scooters create for vulnerable people with disabilities, seniors and others. First, people who are blind, who have low vision, or who are deafblind can’t know when silent e-scooters race at them at over 10 or 20 kph, driven by unlicensed, untrained, uninsured, unhelmeted, fun-seeking joyriders. The same is so for sighted pedestrians when an e-scooter rockets at them from behind. Fragile seniors and those whose mobility is slow or limited cannot easily get out of the way even if they see a silent e-scooter racing towards them. They are a safety danger.

 

Second, when left strewn on sidewalks, e-scooters are dangerous tripping hazards for people who are blind or partially sighted. They are major accessibility barriers to a clear path of travel for wheelchair users.

 

It is a major failing that the Ministry was so evidently oblivious to or deprioritized the seriousness of these dangers. We have been all over the media, discussing this over the past five years. It is a standard practice for a Ministry to closely track media coverage of an issue in which it is engaged.

 

Moreover, we brought these safety dangers to your Ministry’s attention over five years ago, when it first was considering an e-scooter pilot, and once again, in our detailed September 24, 2024 brief to the Ministry on its proposal to extend the pilot for another five years. Your Ministry staff said they were responsible for reviewing feedback received during its consultation on this proposed extension.

 

  • Your Ministry did not take any concerted steps over the past five years to gather information on the dangers that e-scooters could pose or have posed to vulnerable people with disabilities. Your Ministry staff agreed that its consultation template or document where it sought feedback on the impact of e-scooters did not include any specific questions about their impact on people with disabilities.

 

  • Your Ministry staff conducted no consultations with the disability community during the last five-year e-scooter pilot on the impact of e-scooters on them. Ministry officials did not dispute that we have been quite visible and public over the past five years raising these concerns and that several municipal Accessibility Advisory Committees, such as Toronto’s and Ottawa’s, had passed clear recommendations calling on their municipalities not to allow e-scooters at all.

 

  • Your Ministry staff agreed that they had met with e-scooter corporate lobbyists before the final decision was made to extend the e-scooter pilot for another five-year period, but they did not meet with us, as disability advocates, until after that decision was made. Ministry staff said that they had met with the corporate lobbyists before that Government decision was made because the corporate lobbyists had asked to meet with them at a point in time before the Government decided to extend the pilot. This is, of course, no excuse. We too had asked to meet with your Ministry staff, and indeed with you as Minister, before the Government made its final decision to extend its e-scooters pilot for a second five-year period.

 

  • The purpose of the Government’s first five-year pilot was to gather information about the impact of e-scooters. Thus, the Ministry’s failure to take any focused steps to gather information about their impact on people with disabilities is very disturbing. It shows a callous disregard for the safety and accessibility of vulnerable people with disabilities, seniors and others. At the start of this pilot, the Government said that safety is a priority for it.

 

  • Ministry staff said that the information source to which they turned for feedback on the impact of e-scooters during the first pilot was Ontario’s municipalities. They therefore left it to municipalities to share feedback about e-scooters’ dangers to people with disabilities. That includes municipalities like Ottawa, Mississauga and Brampton. Those municipalities have disregarded or marginalized the dangers that e-scooters pose for vulnerable people with disabilities.

 

  • Your Ministry staff said they tracked Toronto’s decisions in 2021 and again in 2024 to not allow e-scooters. They therefore must have known that Toronto’s two decisions in 2021 and again in 2024 against allowing e-scooters were driven in very large part because of the proven dangers that e-scooters create for people with disabilities. Toronto’s 2021 and 2024 City staff reports thoroughly documented their dangers.

 

  • Despite the proven dangers that e-scooters create for us, Ministry staff confirmed that your Government added absolutely no additional safeguards in its second five-year e-scooters pilot to protect vulnerable people with disabilities, seniors and others whom e-scooters could endanger. The Government therefore imposes the burden on people with disabilities to have to battle well-funded e-scooter corporate lobbyists in one city after the next in an effort to try to protect themselves from e-scooters.

 

  • Finally, your Ministry staff confirmed that it remains open to the Government to amend its e-scooters pilot regulation to add further safeguards. We listed several needed safeguards in the AODA Alliance’s September 24, 2024 brief to your Ministry. Ministry staff said they would be open to working with us to explore such safeguards. We said we are agreeable to help.

 

Please now direct your Ministry staff to treat the creation and enactment of disability safeguard amendments to your e-scooter pilot regulation as a major priority, with a view to their being enacted by the end of February 2025, well before the next summer season begins. We so state even though the far better and safer option is to cancel the second e-scooter pilot. You do not need another five-year pilot to investigate this topic. You need to properly investigate the e-scooters’ impact during the first five-year pilot.

 

Sincerely,

 

David Lepofsky CM, O. Ont

Chair Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance

Twitter: @davidlepofsky

 

cc: The Hon Premier Doug Ford Email premier@ontario.ca

Raymond Cho, Minister for Seniors and Accessibility Raymond.Cho@ontario.ca

Douglas Jones, Deputy Minister of Transportation Email: Doug.Jones@ontario.ca

Melissa Thomson, Deputy Minister for Seniors and Accessibility Melissa.Thomson@ontario.ca

Meenu Sikand, Assistant Deputy Minister for Seniors and Accessibility Meenu.Sikand@ontario.ca

 

 

 

 

Toronto Star’s 25 Metroland Online Publications Publish 30-Year Timeline of Ontario’s Grassroots Campaign for an Accessible Province for People with Disabilities

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

Toronto Star’s 25 Metroland Online Publications Publish 30-Year Timeline of Ontario’s Grassroots Campaign for an Accessible Province for People with Disabilities

 

December 7, 2024

 

SUMMARY

 

On Monday, December 2, 2024, the eve of the International Day for People with Disabilities, the Toronto Star’s 25 Metroland online publications published a detailed 30-year timeline of the non-partisan grassroots campaign for an accessible province for 2.9 million Ontarians with disabilities. This is the latest media following on the AODA Alliance’s successful 30th anniversary events at Queen’s Park on November 25, 2024. You can read a wonderful collection of earlier media coverage of it in the November 30, 2024 AODA Alliance Update.

 

We applaud Metroland for bringing this to their readership across Ontario. The Metroland timeline is set out below. It documents our non-stop tenacity, despite instance after instance of delay by the Ontario Government.

 

How You Can Help

 

  • Post this published 30-year timeline on the web and on social media. Do what you can to get others to read it.

 

  • Encourage as many as possible to sign up for AODA Alliance Updates by going to the AODA Alliance website’ and clicking on the sign-up link.

 

There are now only 25 days left until 2024, the deadline set by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act for the Ontario Government to lead this province to become accessible to people with disabilities. It’s too late for us to reach that deadline, but it’s not too late for the Ford Government to announce a bold new plan of action to get Ontario to that goal as soon as possible after that legislated deadline passes.

 

MORE DETAILS

 

Toronto.com December 2, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.toronto.com/news/aoda-timeline-highlights-key-moments-in-ontarios-quest-to-build-a-barrier-free-province/article_c45da859-bc40-5685-b4a2-c45d655a2a49.html

 

The battle for the AODA has stretched over 30 years | News | toronto.com

 

AODA timeline highlights key moments in Ontario’s quest to build a barrier-free province

 

Accessibility advocates have said they won’t give up despite deadline of Jan. 1, 2025 advancing quickly and goal of barrier-free Ontario far away

BY TIM KELLY

 

A remarkable 20-year struggle for disabled rights

 

David Lepofsky, a lawyer and fierce disability rights advocate, has been at the centre in the battle for accessibility in Ontario for more than 30 years.

 

The Toronto retired lawyer, who is blind, is never afraid to speak truth to power.

By Andrew Francis Wallace Toronto Star file photo

 

A barrier-free Ontario was the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), unanimously passed by MPPs in 2005. With the province’s 20-year deadline for the implementation of accessibility standards looming on Jan. 1, 2025, Restricted Access: Will Ontario meet its barrier-free goals?

 

explores this quality-of-life issue for the millions of people living with disabilities — a demographic that’s expected to skyrocket as the population ages.

 

 

As Ontario inches toward its Jan. 1, 2025 deadline for the implementation of accessibility standards under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), the following timeline, compiled by the advocacy group ADOA Alliance and edited for length, highlights moments on the province’s 20-year journey.

 

Key dates include the passage of the act itself in May 2005, and important independent reports provided to the provincial government in 2010, 2015, 2019 and 2023 that uniformly indicated progress on accessibility in Ontario was not satisfactory.

 

By 2019 and 2023, the reports described the situation on accessibility in Ontario as “soul-crushing,” “glacial” and finally “a crisis.”

 

1982

Ontario Legislature amends the Ontario Human Rights Code to make it illegal to discriminate because of physical or mental disability.

Charter of Rights enacted, including right to equality for people with mental or physical disabilities.

Read the history of the fight for the disability amendment to the Charter in David Lepofsky’s

“Swimming Up Niagara Falls! The Battle to Get Disability Rights Added to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”

 

Spring 1994

NDP backbench MPP Gary Malkowski introduces a private member’s bill at Ontario legislature, the proposed Ontarians with Disabilities Act. It’s the first such bill in Ontario.

 

Nov. 29, 1994

Public hearings on Malkowski’s bill begin in the Ontario legislature. Ontarians with Disabilities Act (ODA) Committee is spontaneously formed in a meeting room at the Ontario legislature.

 

Nov. 23, 1999

Ontario legislature unanimously passes a resolution, proposed by the ODA Committee and introduced by Liberal MPP Steve Peters, calling on the government to enact the Disabilities Act within two years.

 

Dec. 13, 2001

Ontario Conservatives pass the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001. Liberals and NDP vote against it, citing it is too weak, doesn’t cover the private sector, and lacks enforcement.

 

Spring 2003

Party leaders Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) and Howard Hampton (NDP) each make an election campaign promise that, if elected, they would enact a Disabilities Act that fulfilled the ODA Committee’s 11 principles. These promises are in letters to the ODA Committee.

 

Oct. 12, 2004

Liberal Citizenship Minister Dr. Marie Bountrogianni introduces Bill 118 into the legislature, the Liberals’ proposed Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).

Dalton McGuinty

Dalton McGuinty, who was premier in 2005 when the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act was passed unanimously in the legislature, was in office during the early heady days of the AODA.

By Blair Gable photo

 

May 10, 2005

Ontario legislature unanimously passes Bill 118. MPPs unanimously give standing ovation to this historic event after the vote.

 

August 2005

The ODA Committee winds down, having secured enactment of the AODA. It is replaced by its successor coalition, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, with a mission to get the AODA effectively implemented and enforced.

 

Summer 2007

The province enacts the Customer Service Accessibility Standard, the first accessibility standard established under the AODA.

 

May 2010

Bill 231 is enacted to modernize Ontario elections. It includes some of the amendments the AODA Alliance sought to remove voting barriers facing voters with disabilities.

 

May 31, 2010

Ontario government makes public the final report of the first independent review of the AODA’s implementation, which the government appointed Charles Beer to conduct. Report called for the government to show new leadership on the AODA and to revitalize and breathe new life into its implementation. Most of its recommendations are not implemented.

 

June 3, 2011

Ontario government enacts the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation, an accessibility standard under the AODA to address barriers in employment, transportation, and information and communication.

 

June 24, 2011

The province releases Building Together, a long-term infrastructure plan that includes commitments on the accessibility of new infrastructure. Despite this, new infrastructure is built with disability barriers.

 

October 2011

Premier McGuinty’s Liberals win a third term — a minority government.

 

Nov. 18, 2013

The AODA Alliance reveals the province knew for months that 70 per cent of private sector organizations with at least 20 employees violated the AODA without any real government enforcement. This was despite the government having ample enforcement powers and an unused budget on hand for enforcement.

Kathleen Wynne

Kathleen Wynne, who was premier of Ontario from 2013-18, had a mixed record on the AODA during her five-year term.

By Bryon Johnson Metroland file photo

 

December 2013

Government passes limited accessibility amendments to the Ontario Building Code for new buildings and major renovations, but the promised Built Environment Accessibility Standard is not enacted under the AODA to address many physical barriers in the built environment.

 

June 12, 2014

The Liberals secure a fourth term in office, now as a majority government with Kathleen Wynne serving as the province’s premier.

 

Feb. 3, 2015

Ontario makes public the final report of the second mandatory independent review of the AODA. The report calls for new, strong leadership on accessibility by Ontario’s premier and for the AODA’s implementation to be revitalized. Most of the report’s recommendations are not implemented.

The province commits to developing a Health Care Accessibility Standard under the AODA to tear down barriers impeding patients with disabilities in the health care system. This standard has yet to be established.

 

Fall 2017/Early 2018

The Health Care Standards Development Committee is appointed to make recommendations on what the promised Health Care Accessibility Standard should include. This appointment comes two years after the province committed to develop a Health Care Accessibility Standard.

 

Spring 2018

Ontario makes public the final recommendations of the Transportation Standards Development Committee, which recommended measures to strengthen the 2011 Transportation Accessibility Standard. No reforms have been enacted in response to that report.

Doug Ford

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who has been in office since 2018, has shown little interest in accessibility issues during his time in government, according to keen accessibility advocates.

By Andrew Francis Wallace Toronto Star file photo

 

June 2018

Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives win a majority government. Raymond Cho is appointed minister of seniors and accessibility.

 

Jan. 31, 2019

The province receives the final report of the third independent review of the AODA, which former lieutenant-governor David Onley was appointed to conduct. This blistering report reveals Ontario is full of “soul-crushing barriers” facing people with disabilities and progress has been “glacial” and “barely detectable.” The report indicates the province is not on schedule to becoming accessible by 2025, and that the premier must show strong, new leadership on this issue.

Accessibility Minister Raymond Cho tells the legislature that Onley did a “marvellous job.”

Most of the report’s recommendations are not implemented.

 

March 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic breaks out. The provincial government mounts emergency initiatives for the public, especially in the education and health-care systems.

People with disabilities are disproportionately vulnerable to and die from COVID-19. The government’s responses fail to address the urgent needs of people with disabilities in the pandemic.

Ontario hospitals are sent a critical care triage protocol in the event that intensive care wards cannot serve all patients. The disability community reveals the critical care triage protocol is infected with disability discrimination, which is never removed from that protocol.

 

July 2020

The K-12 Education Standards Development Committee submits a detailed report and recommendations to the government on measures needed to remove disability barriers from the school system’s responses to the pandemic. None of its recommendations are implemented.

 

January — February, 2022

Ontario receives final reports and recommendations by the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee, the Postsecondary Education Standards Development Committee, and the Health Care Standards Development Committee. None of their recommendations are enacted. No Education Accessibility Standard or Health Care Accessibility Standard has been enacted.

David Onley

Former lieutenant-governor David Onley, who died in January 2023, was a longtime disability rights advocate who wrote a scathing report in 2019 on the ineffective the job the provincial government was doing in enforcing the AODA and applying its standards.

By Steve Russell Toronto Star file photo

 

June 2022

The Ford government is re-elected with a majority government. All opposition parties make written election commitments to the AODA Alliance, while the Progressive Conservatives don’t answer the advocacy group’s request.

 

March 2023

The Ontario government opens the new Toronto courthouse on Armoury Street. An AODA Alliance video, released in August 2024, describes the new establishment as a billion-dollar accessibility bungle, replete with many preventable disability barriers.

 

June 6, 2023

Rich Donovan submits the final report of the fourth independent review of the AODA to the government. Even more scathing than the 2019 Onley report, this report declares Ontario is in an “accessibility crisis.” It recommends that Premier Ford establish and chair a crisis committee. The government has not implemented any of this report’s recommendations.

 

Jan. 1, 2025

The date in the 2005 AODA legislation by when it was envisioned the AODA would have established standards to provide full accessibility in private and public spaces for all Ontarians creating a barrier-free province.

There is virtually unanimous agreement within the disability community that this goal is far from being met.

Tim Kelly is a reporter with durhamregion.com.

He can be reached at tkelly@durhamregion.com.

 

Ford Government Again Endangers Vulnerable Pedestrians with Disabilities, Seniors and Others by Extending Its 5-Year E-Scooter Pilot for Another 5 Years

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

Ford Government Again Endangers Vulnerable Pedestrians with Disabilities, Seniors and Others by Extending Its 5-Year E-Scooter Pilot for Another 5 Years

 

December 5, 2024

 

SUMMARY

 

The Ford Government is making Ontario a less safe and more inaccessible place for vulnerable pedestrians with disabilities, seniors and others. It is doing so on the eve of the January 1, 2025 legal deadline for the Government to lead Ontario to be an accessible province for people with disabilities, as required by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

 

Last month, the Ford Government quietly decided to extend its 5-year pilot with e-scooters that ran from 2020 to 2024 for another 5-year pilot. E-scooters are a silent menace, ridden by unlicensed, untrained, uninsured and unhelmeted joy-riders. They create twin dangers. Riders and innocent pedestrians can get seriously injured or killed.

 

First, people who are blind, who have low vision, or who are deafblind can’t know when silent e-scooters rocket at them at over 20 kph. The same is so for sighted pedestrians when an e-scooter comes at them from behind. Fragile seniors, and those whose mobility is slow or limited, cannot easily get out of the way, even if they see a silent e-scooter racing towards them.

 

Second, when left strewn on sidewalks, e-scooters are dangerous tripping hazards for people who are blind or partially sighted. They are major accessibility barriers to a clear path of travel for wheelchair users.

 

The media has turned to the AODA Alliance for responses to this development. On November 27, 2024, AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky appeared on CFRB’s Jim Richards Show. The podcast is posted on the radio program’s website. The host Jim Richards strongly suggested that the idea of a 10-year pilot with e-scooters is bogus, and that this sounds like the Government is trying to simply legalize e-scooters, pure and simple.

 

As well, Global News published a very good article on this issue, which you can find below.

 

We will have lots more to say about this soon.

 

How You Can Help

 

Write your member of the Ontario Legislature. Tell them you object to the Ontario Government extending its e-scooters pilot project for a second 5-year period. Ontario does not need 10 years to prove that e-scooters endanger safety and accessibility for people with disabilities and seniors. We know that now!

 

Learn about our advocacy efforts against the silent menace of e-scooters by visiting the AODA Alliance website’s e-scooters page.

 

MORE DETAILS

 

Global News November 26, 2025

 

Originally posted at https://globalnews.ca/news/10884497/ontario-extend-electric-scooter-pilot/

 

Ontario’s 10-year e-scooter pilot a ‘slap in the face,’ disability advocacy group says

 

By Isaac Callan & Colin D’Mello Global News

Ontario has quietly extended a five-year pilot allowing electric scooters to be ridden in some towns and cities until the end of the decade, a move critics say avoids public scrutiny and acts as a “complete slap in the face” to vulnerable and older people.

 

At the beginning of 2020, the Ford government introduced a micro-mobility pilot, allowing municipalities that opted in to create rules allowing electric scooters to be ridden within their boundaries.

 

The pilot program, which was met with fierce opposition from disability advocates, was due to expire at the end of 2024.

 

Shortly before it was due to expire, however, the government added another five years to the clock, meaning the now 10-year pilot will be in place until the end of the decade.

 

“Not only is this extension unnecessary, it is a complete slap in the face to vulnerable people with disabilities and seniors across Ontario,” David Lepofsky, chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance told Global News.

 

Story continues below advertisement

 

“We did not need a first five years of a pilot but having conducted that pilot, the debate is over, the evidence is overwhelming: electric scooters endanger vulnerable people with disabilities and seniors as pedestrians.”, who is blind, has actively campaigned against the scooters over the past five years, appearing at city councils considering introducing them to explain how their introduction can endanger seniors and people with limited vision.

 

“We were public about these serious dangers in 2019 before this pilot was even established,” he said. “The government of Ontario systemically rejected and disregarded everything we said, and we couldn’t even get a meeting with the minister of transportation.”

 

While the City of Toronto appeared to listen to his concerns and has twice voted not to introduce an e-scooter pilot, other large cities opted in. Ottawa, Mississauga and Brampton — Ontario’s second, third and fourth largest cities — all have pilots underway.

 

“Since the introduction of the pilot, only 16 municipalities have opted in,” a spokesperson for the minister of transportation told Global News. “(The Ministry of Transportation) has heard from municipalities that they would like to participate but due to the fast-approaching pilot expiry date of November 27, 2024, they have refrained.”

 

Lepofsky — who also pointed to growing concerns about electric battery fires as another reason not to extend the pilot — said the extension was bad for people with disabilities.

 

“The Ford government, with five years of proof, did not impose any new protections for people with disabilities,” he said.

 

“It is important for me to emphasize both times when the City of Toronto studied e-scooters carefully and said no, it was in no small part because of concerns raised by people with disabilities and seniors.”

 

The extension has also raised questions over whether the government is essentially legalizing electric scooters without passing legislation or new rules to make the change permanent.

 

“I would say that the government keeps extending pilots when they don’t want to make decisions — it’s frankly, it’s bad government,” Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles said.

 

“Learn from the pilot, look at the expertise, build policy around proven results.”

 

The Ministry of Transportation said extending the pilot would allow more municipalities to join, creating a more diverse number of cities to gather data from and come to an ultimate decision.

 

“MTO continues to work closely with its municipal and regional partners to understand the evolving data collection landscape and to develop standards for collection and reporting that allow us to consolidate and analyze information at the provincial level,” they said.

 

Lepofsky, however, believes the move could be to avoid scrutiny.

 

“They certainly don’t have the courage of facing the legislature with a bill and having hearings on it and having it publicly debated,” he said.

 

“Instead, they’re approving these in a backdoor, secret, closed-door meeting with cabinet where there are no public hearings, there’s no public debate and there’s no accountability.”

 

 

 

Education is Holding Closed Invitation-Only Consultations on Reforming Widely-Criticized Power of School Principals to Exclude Students from School — AODA Alliance Has Been Frozen Out

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

AODA Alliance Discovers Via the Grapevine that Ontario Ministry of Education is Holding Closed Invitation-Only Consultations on Reforming Widely-Criticized Power of School Principals to Exclude Students from School — AODA Alliance Has Been Frozen Out

 

December 4, 2024

 

SUMMARY

 

For almost five years, the AODA Alliance, as well as any number of other disability organizations, have been trying to get the Ontario Government to rein in the sweeping power of every school principal in an Ontario-funded school to exclude a student from school. This power has disproportionately been used against students with disabilities. When students with disabilities are excluded from school, their fundamental right to an education is denied.

 

For years, the Ontario Government has done nothing to fix this, as far as we could tell. In July 2020, we made public a scathing report, that shows that practices vary wildly from school board to school board. That report is entitled “For Too Much of Ontario, Each School Principal Is a Law Unto Themselves, When It Comes to the Right of Students with Disabilities to Go To School — A Report by the AODA Alliance on the Sweeping Power of Ontario School Principals to Refuse to Admit a Student to School.” The Ford Government has never disputed its accuracy, or even responded to it.

 

In the past few days, we learned via the grapevine that the Ontario Ministry of Education is considering the possibility of issuing a “Policy and Program Memorandum” (PPM) to every school board giving directions for the first time that could regulate or limit how this sweeping power is used. The Government is holding some sort of a consultation on this.

 

The Government did not tell the AODA Alliance or some key disability advocacy organizations about this. We have never been invited to take part in this. This is inexcusable. We and other disability organizations have been very public for years, advocating for reform. All should be included in an open consultation.

 

On December 4, 2024, the AODA Alliance wrote a strong letter to the Ministry of Education officials who appear to be responsible for this consultation, which we set out below. We have asked to attend the December 10, 2024 consultative webinar that the Government appears to have scheduled. We have also insisted that a wide spectrum of disability organizations be invited as well. We object to the Government’s apparent plan to keep confidential the draft PPM that they have under consideration. The public, including students with special education needs and their families, have a right to know what this draft now says, and to have their voices heard.

 

How You Can Help

 

  • Tell the Minister of Education Jill Dunlap and Premier Doug Ford that they should make public the draft PPM on excluding students with disabilities from schools, and hold a wide-open consultation, not a closed, invitation-only consultation, on this important topic. Their email addresses are all at the end of our letter, set out below.
  • Tell Premier Ford and Education Minister Dunlap that they should enact the long-overdue Education Accessibility Standard under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, which should address this issue, as the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee recommended in its final report. The Government received that report almost three years ago, and claims to have been studying it since then.

 

  • Urge your local media to cover this issue.

 

  • Invite your school board’s Special Education Advisory Committee and any other disability organizations that might be interested to reach out to the Ford Government and ask to take part in this consultation.

 

  • Learn more by visiting the AODA Alliance website’s education page.

 

MORE DETAILS

 

Text of the AODA Alliance’s December 4, 2024 Email to the Ministry of Education

 

December 4, 2024

 

To: Charmaine Perera, Director of the Special Education / Success for All branch.

charmaine.perera@ontario.ca

And healthy.schools@ontario.ca

 

Dear Ms. Perera,

 

Re: Ministry of Education Consultation on Potential Policy and Program Memorandum to Ontario School Boards Regarding Refusals to Admit Students to School,

 

I write as Chair of the AODA Alliance, a widely-recognized non-partisan grassroots coalition. We advocate for accessibility and full inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of life. For at least 15 years, we have made it a priority to advocate to tear down the many barriers that impede students with disabilities in Ontario’s education system. Our website’s education page shows our major activities in this area.

 

We recently received word through the disability community grapevine that Ontario’s Ministry of Education is now holding some sort of consultation on the development of a future Policy and Program Memorandum to Ontario school boards about a school principal’s power under Section 265(1)(m) of the Education Act to refuse to admit a person, including students, to school. We wish to be actively included in this consultation. However, we have not been invited to take any part in it, nor even notified about it, by the Ministry.

 

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance is an obvious and important participant in this consultation. Yet we have inexplicably been left out. I have played the lead role on education issues, including on exclusions, for the AODA Alliance that we list here.

 

Since 2009, the AODA Alliance has led the provincewide campaign to get the Government to enact the Education Accessibility Standard under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. From 2018 to 2022, I served as the AODA Alliance’s representative on the Government-appointed K-12 Education Standards Development Committee. It’s final report made very detailed findings and recommendations on the need for reform to full-day and partial-day exclusions from school as they apply to students with disabilities. I was an active participant in the development of those recommendations.

 

Your Ministry had a senior representative on the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee. She was well-aware throughout its four years of work of our focus on the need for reform in the area of full-day and partial -day exclusions of students with disabilities from school. Your Minister and deputy minister each met with the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee and were well aware of our work.

 

In December 2019, the AODA Alliance and the Ontario Autism Coalition held a joint news conference at Queen’s Park to focus on the need for reforms to rein in the power of school principals in this area. Your Ministry monitored that news conference.

 

In July, 2020, the AODA Alliance made public a comprehensive report on the wildly varying policies over school exclusions from one school board to the next. This report was shared with your Ministry at senior levels. No one at the Ministry ever disputed its findings.

 

In 2017-2018, the Special Education Advisory Committee of the Toronto District School Board passed a strong motion calling for reforms in this area. This led to some real improvements at TDSB. I had the honour of serving as Chair of TDSB’s SEAC at the time that motion was developed. I am again serving as TDSB SEAC’s Chair. We are again revisiting this issue at the December 10, 2024 TDSB SEAC meeting.

 

Beyond the AODA Alliance, there are many other voices from the disability community and the community of parents of students with special education needs who should have a central role in this consultation from the beginning to the end. For example, each school board’s Special Education Advisory Committee should be actively participating.

 

The Ministry’s recent email, of which we have obtained a copy, which invites some to a December 10, 2024 consultation of some sort, and which we set out in full at the end of this email, states:

 

“A confidential draft of the PPM will be provided to you for your review. There will be an opportunity to review and provide further written feedback to the ministry following the sessions.”

 

With great respect, any draft PPM in this area should not be confidential. There are no trade or military secrets in issue here. Everyone involved should be free to get input from the broader community, including from those who have been the victims of full-day or partial-day exclusions from school, without any such restrictions. After all, we are dealing here with the fundamental right of students with disabilities to attend school and get a public education.

 

Please sign me up to attend the December 10, 2024 consultation webinar on behalf of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance. We may wish to bring an additional representative. Please let us know who you have invited to attend this session, and please make public an open invitation to community organizations and groups in this space to attend and take part, including all of Ontario’s SEAC s. Please also remove any confidential restrictions on the draft PPM and make it public in advance.

 

We would welcome the opportunity to help your Ministry succeed in implementing long-overdue reforms in this area.

 

Sincerely,

 

David Lepofsky CM, O. Ont

Chair Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance

Twitter: @davidlepofsky

 

 

CC: The Hon. Premier Doug Ford Premier@ontario.ca

Jill Dunlap, Minister of Education Minister.edu@ontario.ca

Denise.cole@ontario.ca

Raymond Cho, Minister for Seniors and Accessibility Raymond.cho@ontario.ca

Melissa Thomson, Deputy Minister for Seniors and Accessibility Melissa.Thomson@ontario.ca

Meenu Sikand, Assistant Deputy Minister for Seniors and Accessibility Meenu.Sikand@ontario.ca

 

^Text of November 28, 2024 Email from Ontario Ministry of Education to Undisclosed Recipients

 

From: Healthy Schools (EDU) <

Healthy.Schools@ontario.ca>

 

Sent: November 28, 2024 9:28 AM

To: Healthy Schools (EDU) <

Healthy.Schools@ontario.ca>

Cc: Healthy Schools (EDU) <

Healthy.Schools@ontario.ca>

Subject: Consultation on the draft policy/program memorandum on exclusions of students – Consultation sur la version préliminaire de la note politique/du programme sur les exclusions d’élèves

 

Greetings,

 

You are invited to participate in an engagement session to provide your input on a draft Policy/Program Memorandum (PPM) that the Ministry of Education is developing to provide guidance on the use of student exclusions, under clause 265(1)(m) of the Education Act.

 

The session will be led by the Safe and Healthy Schools Branch at the Ministry of Education to gather feedback on the draft policy.

 

A confidential draft of the PPM will be provided to you for your review. There will be an opportunity to review and provide further written feedback to the ministry following the sessions.

 

This meeting will be held virtually over Zoom for 1.5 hours per session on the following day December 10th, 2024, 10:30am-12:00pm.

 

Please RSVP here.

A meeting invitation with a link will be sent to you to confirm your participation. Meeting materials will follow closer to the date.

 

Please let us know if you have any accessibility needs/requirements in order to participate in this session.

 

If you have any questions about this meeting, please email:

healthy.schools@ontario.ca.

Regards,

Safe and Healthy Schools Branch

 

 

On International Day for People with Disabilities, Let’s Focus on Crushing Disability Barriers Still Hurting Students with Disabilities

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

On International Day for People with Disabilities, Let’s Focus on Crushing Disability Barriers Still Hurting Students with Disabilities

 

December 3, 2024

 

SUMMARY

 

On December 3, the International Day for People with Disabilities (IDPD), governments usually make glowing statements about all the great things they are doing and applaud themselves about all the money they are spending for people with disabilities. They typically follow this with a somber declaration that “More needs to be Done,” and a pledge that this is a priority for their government.

 

Needless to say, this hollow annual ritual has never produced any real changes for people with disabilities. The media pays it scant if any attention, for obvious reasons.

 

Let’s change the channel today! Let’s take this IDPD to focus on one of the many areas where disability barriers persist, to the detriment of all Ontarians.

 

On this IDPD, Ontario’s education system remains replete with disability barriers. We have seen no plan from the Ford Government to fix this. School boards and the Ontario Government have a frustrating never-ending war of words between them over who needs to do more. In fact, both need to do more, as an excellent November 28, 2024, article in “The Local,” an online news publication, reveals. We set out that article below. It correctly concludes that there is a crisis in Ontario schools confronting students with disabilities.

 

The AODA Alliance has been very active since 2009 proposing constructive solutions to this festering problem. The Special Education Advisory Committee of the Toronto District School Board held a town hall meeting for parents of students with special education needs last month, as this article reports. At that forum, parent after parent told wrenching stories of problems facing their children. If only one quarter of them is accurate (and we have no reason to disbelieve any of them), then this crisis is a clear and present danger.

 

What should be done? Almost three years ago, the Ford Government received a comprehensive blueprint of how to fix this problem from experts whom the Government itself appointed for that purpose, namely the final report of the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee and the final report of the Post-Secondary Education Standards Development Committee. These two reports combine to provide the most comprehensive review to date of Ontario’s education system from the perspective of students with disabilities. Yet in the ensuing period of almost three years, the Government has not enacted any legislation to implement any of their recommendations.

 

Has the Ford Government even admitted that there is a problem that needs to be fixed? Sadly, no. Instead, it repeatedly boasts about how much it spends on education for students with special education needs, at times pointing to dollars that are not targeted at students with special education needs.

 

Speaking in the Legislature on November 25, 2024, the Ford Government’s Accessibility Minister Raymond Cho made the preposterous claim that 88% of Ontarians think Ontario is accessible to people with disabilities and that new schools are being built to meet accessibility standards in the AODA. In reality, the Ford Government has enacted no accessibility standards governing the construction of new schools, even though the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee made detailed recommendations for this very thing.

 

Since early 2022, the Government has been saying that it is studying the reports of the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee and the Post-Secondary Education Standards Development Committee. Three years is more than long enough for studying them. Today we need the Ontario Government to announce a deadline for enacting the promised Education Accessibility Standard.

 

 How You Can Help

 

  • Please email your member of the Ontario Legislature today. Tell them to press Premier Ford to at long last enact the promised Education Accessibility Standard under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act that fully implements the recommendations of the Government-appointed K-12 Education Standards Development Committee and Post-Secondary Education Standards Development Committee.

 

 

  • Encourage your local school board and its Special Education Advisory Committee to hold an open town hall for parents of students with special education needs to learn about the barriers they face at school. TDSB’s SEAC successfully did so. So can and should other school boards!

 

  • Encourage parents of students with special education needs to watch the AODA Alliance’s captioned video that offers tips for parents of students with special education needs on how to advocate for their child’s needs at school.

 

  • Contact your local media. Urge them to report on the barriers that students with disabilities face in the education system in your community.

 

  • Invite members of your local Special Education Advisory Committee to watch the AODA Alliance video that gives them tips on how to advocate to tear down barriers in the school system that impede students with disabilities.

 

Learn more by visiting the AODA Alliance website’s education page.

 

MORE DETAILS

 

The Local,

November 28, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://thelocal.to/special-education-tdsb-crisis/

A Long-Brewing Crisis in Special Education

Feature by Wency Leung

Parents and teachers say schools are underfunded and understaffed, kids are being “abandoned” in mainstream classrooms in the name of inclusion, and neither the TDSB nor the province will take responsibility.

 

Marie Smith sat next to the boy, stunned by what he wrote.

 

The boy had already spent a full year with Smith, a veteran educational assistant with the Toronto District School Board (TDSB). Smith works with a special education teacher in an intensive support program, or special education class, of 12 students between grades one and three with mild intellectual disabilities.

 

Amid the daily chaos of the classroom, the boy was generally quiet and kept to himself. But he was also quick to explode, physically striking out at anything or anyone near him if he heard a loud noise like a sneeze. He was considered non-verbal, meaning he didn’t express himself through speech. And like some of his classmates, he wasn’t yet using the toilet on his own.

 

So that day when Smith had a rare moment to sit down with him and explain that “E” was for “elephant,” she was shocked when he responded by writing out the word “elephant.”

 

She tried again.

 

“‘E’ as in ‘envelope,’” she said.

 

With his pencil in hand, he wrote “envelope.”

 

“‘E’ as in ‘electricity,’” she said.

 

Again, he wrote out the entire word.

 

“He was absolutely brilliant, and we didn’t even know it,” said Smith, who is using a pseudonym because she was not authorized by the TDSB to speak with the media. “Nobody ever had time to sit with him and learn.”

 

As amazed as she was, the belated discovery of her young student’s abilities also felt deflating to Smith. It was a clear sign she was no longer doing the job she’d signed up for. She was now spending most of her time simply trying to make sure everyone got through the day instead of assisting students with their learning.

 

In her 25 years on the job, she has noticed a dramatic increase in the proportion of students placed in her class who need high levels of assistance, yet the school system’s ability to serve them has not kept up. There’s a huge demand for the school board’s professionals and paraprofessionals, like speech-language pathologists and physiotherapists, she said. But they only visit Smith’s school “once in a blue moon”—that is, if they visit at all. (She hasn’t seen an occupational therapist come in years.) And instead of actually delivering therapy, these experts tend to merely observe students and offer their recommendations, adding to the list of things Smith doesn’t have time to do.

 

More of her students these days wear diapers, but there are no changing stations—not even a gym mat, which means she changes them while they stand next to a sink in the washroom. And while she used to take some of her students to join the school’s mainstream classes for gym, art, or music to try to integrate them with the rest of the student body, that has now become impossible, since at any time, one of them may need a diaper change, while another is lashing out and yet another is trying to run away.

 

“I’m an educational assistant, so I’m there to assist educationally, but I’m not even doing that anymore,” Smith said.

 

In a public education system that is suffering from decades of underfunding, it’s the students receiving special education who feel it most. That broad designation includes students with disabilities, those with a wide range of developmental, learning, and behavioural conditions, and those who struggle in school for various reasons but do not have a diagnosis. Special education students are often the most vulnerable, the kids who would benefit most from educational intervention. They’re the proverbial canaries in the coal mine: the quality of their school experience is an indicator of how well the education system is working as a whole. When students get the attention, resources, and opportunities they need, they’re less prone to outbursts, less likely to become frustrated, bored, or overwhelmed, and at lower risk of acting out violently or trying to flee. Teachers have more time and energy for the entire class, and everyone is safer and better off.

 

Yet all too often, according to TDSB educators and parents, that’s not happening. They say schools are woefully underfunded and understaffed, without enough caring adults to keep students safe, never mind help them flourish. Under the guise of “inclusion”—that is, the aim of having schools and classrooms accommodate all students, instead of segregating them by their ability—many students with disabilities are essentially “abandoned” in mainstream classrooms, without appropriate support, they say.

 

Meanwhile, disability rights advocates say the very foundations of the public education system are flawed, as it treats students with disabilities as an afterthought. The answer isn’t necessarily more money or more staff, some advocates say, but a long-overdue paradigm shift that eliminates segregated learning, tears down barriers for students with disabilities, and requires teachers to teach to all students.

 

While opinions differ about what the solutions are—whether it’s increased funding or an overhaul in pedagogy, or both—the consensus is that special education is in a state of crisis, currently serving neither the students it’s meant to serve, nor anyone else. And one thing is clear: there’s no fixing the broader public education system so long as students with disabilities and other special education needs are left behind.

 

“People who are in their 20s and 30s and 40s right now kind of think of school as the same as it was when they were kids. [But] the support and the safety nets that we had growing up …are not there now in the same way,” said Alison Attanasio, a parent organizer with the grassroots Toronto Schools Caregiver Coalition, who has a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the TDSB. However, she said, for families with children whose learning needs aren’t being met and for educators with an insider view of what’s happening in schools, the inadequacies are obvious.

 

“I don’t think most parents understand how bad it is,” Attanasio said, adding she’s concerned the consequences of inaction will be long-lasting. “On a societal level, I think this is really going to impact this generation of Torontonians and the economic and social health of our city.”

 

Roughly one in six students in the TDSB receives some level of special education, which can mean certain accommodations in a regular classroom, instruction in a special education class within a mainstream school like Smith’s, or a placement in one of the board’s 12 self-contained special education schools.

 

According to the TDSB’s 2024 Financial Facts report on its revenue and expenditure trends, there were an estimated 41,549 students receiving special education in 2023-24, or just under 18 percent of the board’s nearly quarter of a million students. Nearly half were identified as having a so-called “exceptionality,” including autism, behavioural challenges, blindness and low vision, language impairment, and giftedness. The formal process of identifying students and placing them into special education programs is done by members of a school board committee, called an identification, placement and review committee (IPRC).

 

The total number of students receiving special education at the TDSB has actually declined by 14 percent from 2019-20, though it’s not clear why. The TDSB said the decline has been relatively similar to an overall drop in student enrolment. The total number of kids in Toronto has fallen, as young families migrate to more affordable areas beyond the city. But there may be other reasons, too. Parents who can afford to do so may be pulling their children out of the public education system in favour of private schools. And some advocates say they suspect the decline in numbers simply means many students have disabilities or conditions that are not identified, and therefore they’re left out of the count.

 

As special education enrolment has gone down, there’s been a reduction in special education teaching staff within the past five years as well, by 8.4 percent in elementary and 3.5 percent in secondary grades. However, these shrinking numbers don’t capture the extent of students’ needs. Nor do they capture a multitude of other factors, including the high rates of burnout among educators; the decline in other staff members, like office support staff and lunch supervisors, to whom students can turn for help; the woefully insufficient professional and paraprofessional support; and the poorly tracked frequency at which students are excluded or sent home early when schools can’t handle or accommodate them. All are issues that parents, educators, and advocates described in interviews with The Local.

 

“I don’t think most parents understand how bad it is”

 

Some of the trends occurring at the TDSB mirror what’s happening at other school boards in the province. A 2023-24 survey by the charitable organization People for Education found the ratio of special education students to special education teachers at public schools across Ontario has remained relatively unchanged over the past five years, at 39 students to one teacher in elementary schools and 85 to one in secondary schools. But daily staff shortages, particularly among educational assistants, have become severe. According to the survey, special education teachers often have to fill in for regular classroom teachers and educational assistants, which takes them away from special education students. Nearly half of all elementary and secondary schools reported shortages of educational assistants every day. Tied to these shortages, the survey found 63 percent of elementary school principals and 58 percent of secondary school principals said they had asked parents to keep their child with special education needs home for the day, a steady increase from 48 percent and 40 percent respectively a decade ago.

 

It’s only relatively recently that schools have been required to serve children with disabilities. In 1980, Ontario’s Ministry of Education introduced Bill 82, which required that all children, including children with disabilities, have access to publicly funded education in the province. Nearly three decades later, in 2009, the province outlined its strategy for equitable and inclusive education, with the stated vision that “every student is supported and inspired to succeed in a culture of high expectations for learning.”

 

At a special education advisory committee meeting earlier this spring, then-TDSB chair Rachel Chernos Lin acknowledged the board needs to do better to live up to its commitment to inclusion.

 

But, she said, “in a time of scarcity, it’s a challenge. And that is unfortunately where we’ve been for several years.”

 

In early November, the TDSB’s Special Education Advisory Committee, composed of trustees and representatives of local organizations with an interest in special education, held a special town hall meeting to hear from parents. Dozens showed up and took turns speaking about how years of scarcity have affected their children. One after another, they expressed frustration, fear, and desperation.

 

One parent choked up while describing her family’s struggle to get her child a placement in a special education kindergarten class. The child, who had autism spectrum disorder, couldn’t cope in a mainstream junior kindergarten, and attended class only a few hours a day, crying constantly. School should be a positive experience for children, the parent said. Instead, “it’s been an absolute nightmare for my family.”

 

At least two other parents had the reverse problem: their children were automatically directed to segregated special education classes or schools, based solely on school officials’ assumptions about the children’s diagnoses. They weren’t offered the option of sending their children to a mainstream class, as they’d wished.

 

Some parents described the onerous process of having to fill out forms year after year for their children’s individual education plans, or IEPs, only to find that the accommodations their children were granted existed only on paper. Their schools didn’t have enough educational assistants or child and youth workers, and teachers lacked the time or know-how to implement those IEPs. Several said their children were frequently sent home early because their schools didn’t have the resources to deal with them. One parent said that while her child was at the TDSB, he ended up barely attending school. And when he did, he wound up watching YouTube in a corner.

 

Sandra Huh told The Local that her son, Ashton, who is in grade 7, masks the signs of having autism spectrum disorder while he’s at school, in his mainstream classroom. But whenever he gets sensory overload in the noisy environment or has trouble coping with a change in routine, he gets anxious. When that happens, he gets headaches or sick to his stomach, or will cry over things he wouldn’t normally cry about, or feel the need to get away. He once went and hid inside a locker.

 

Ashton has trusted adults at his school to whom he can turn for help, Huh said. But this fall, cuts to staff meant the loss of a child and youth worker, who wasn’t directly assigned to Ashton but would look out for him and knew every student in the school by name, she said. It also meant the loss of an office administrator, who would regularly call Huh just to touch base or update her if she spotted her son in the hall looking as though he was having a bad time. That office administrator played an integral role in her son’s improved self-confidence and regulation skills, Huh said.

 

The task of balancing school budgets is done “on the backs of students—and not just special needs students, but all students,” Huh said, noting that in a given class of 30 students, there could be as many as five students who require some degree of extra support. “When you have special needs students that are not being supported properly…no one’s learning.”

 

A Thousand Cuts

From cuts to caretakers, to overworked school administrators, to a lack of resources for special education, our ongoing series examines how our schools got to where they are now—and what it will take to fix them.

 

That lack of learning can occur even in a segregated classroom, where everyone has special education needs. Every day, Marie Smith, the veteran educational assistant, helps her class through their routine, which includes a mix of individual and group activities like reading, writing, singing songs, outdoor learning, gym class, recesses, snack times, and a half-hour lunch.

 

The students benefit from having a predictable schedule, Smith explained. But for her, getting through the day is like running a gauntlet. “This student’s doing this. This student’s doing that, or whatever. There’s a fight here,” she said. “It’s constant: ‘I need to go to the bathroom. I need water. I need this, I need that,’ you know, tapping on you because they’re non-verbal.”

 

She says she has always tried to find a task, a skill, or a concept that she can work on with her students that can eventually help them when they reach age 21, and age out of the education system. But these days, she finds it hard to do that any more “because all I’m doing is putting out fires.”

 

What’s changed is not the ratio of 12 students to two adults in the class, she said. Rather, the functioning level of the students assigned to her class has declined. About a decade ago, she would get students who scored in the 9th percentile or below among the student population in tests of their cognitive function. That was eventually changed to the 5th percentile and below, she said, and now it’s the third percentile and below. Students who score above that threshold may either qualify for a different program, or stay in a mainstream class with or without support, she explained.

 

Smith believes the answer isn’t to bring more adults in, but to reduce the number of students per class. “And they’re telling us that can’t be done because of funding,” she said.

 

It baffles her to hear announcements from Premier Doug Ford and the Education Ministry, boasting of record-high investments in education. “I don’t know what [Ford]’s talking about, because all we’ve seen is cuts,” she said.

 

The Ministry of Education did not respond to multiple requests for comment from The Local.

 

Special education students are often the most vulnerable, the kids who would benefit most from educational intervention. They’re the proverbial canaries in the coal mine

 

Inadequacies in the funding model pre-date the current government, however. According to a Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives report by long-time researcher Hugh Mackenzie, a substantial proportion of funding that school boards received for special education in Ontario was previously directly tied to whatever the school boards’ identification, placement and review committees, or IPRCs, determined the programming needs were for students. That changed during the Ontario Liberal government led by Dalton McGuinty in the early 2000s when this funding was frozen. Over time, the proportion of funding for special education was instead determined by a formula based on census data.

 

As funding became constrained, the role of IPRCs, which is meant to be to figure out what additional supports students require, has become “an elaborate exercise in figuring out how to say ‘no’ to parents,” Mackenzie said in an interview earlier this year. “The IPRC has become the funding police.”

 

A 2022 report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives explained that under the current funding formula, there was one speech specialist in 2020 for every 2,370 students, or roughly 0.2 specialists per school, and one professional providing psychological services for every 2,580 students. When it came to attendance counsellors, social service professionals, and child and youth workers, Ontario had the equivalent of about half a staff member per school on average.

 

Like Smith, staff at other schools said they, too, were overstretched.

 

Joyce Girard, a special education teacher with a class of 12 students in a mainstream high school, said she similarly felt most of her class time was spent “just keeping everyone safe, keeping everyone fed, going to the bathroom.” That’s no small task. When students become dysregulated—whether it’s because a school lacks air-conditioning on hot days, or because they have trouble adjusting to new faces filling in for staff shortages—it’s not uncommon for them to punch, push, or hit.

 

Insufficient one-on-one support from child and youth workers, who focus on students’ behaviour, social, and emotional development, is “100 percent” contributing to the violence, said Girard, who is also using a pseudonym because she was not authorized to speak to the media.

 

The scarcity of social workers—141 of them spread out across the TDSB—also means teachers like Girard take on some of their duties as well. For Girard, that means helping her students’ families beyond the classroom to get them on waitlists, fill out paperwork, and access resources offered by the province, such as autism programs, funding, and respite services. But it’s discouraging work; many of her students come from marginalized communities in the low-income neighbourhood of Rexdale, where such resources are scarce.

 

“It’s so depressing,” she said.

 

When they’re not at school, Girard explained, some of her students will stay in their apartments all day, because their parents are afraid of what could happen to them if they venture outside. Some have disabilities that are invisible, so to those who don’t know them, they can look like any other young adult. Their parents aren’t at fault for shutting them in, she said. “It’s because they’re so scared that they’ll run away, or they’ll hurt someone, or they’ll get arrested or shot by the police.”

 

Beyond the issues of staffing and funding, disability rights advocates have some fundamental disagreements about how students should be taught—about what inclusion should look like, and whether segregated schools and classrooms should play a role.

 

Since the province introduced a regulation in 1998, school boards are required to consider placing students in regular classes with appropriate special education services before placing them in a special education class. But if it’s determined that a regular class isn’t best for them, some TDSB students may be put in an intensive support program, which include classes specifically for students with autism, who are deaf or hard of hearing, or have developmental, physical, or mild intellectual disabilities. Some of these classes are in the board’s 12 segregated, or self-contained, special education schools, which serve more than 1,100 students.

 

Some advocates, however, argue that it goes against the idea of inclusive education to teach students with disabilities elsewhere, away from their peers. Marilyn Dolmage, a long-time disability rights advocate and associate with the non-governmental organization Inclusive Education Canada, challenges the necessity of segregated schools and classrooms at all. She points out that unlike the TDSB, many other school boards in the province have closed their segregated special education schools and classes, or never had them in the first place.

 

One thing is clear: there’s no fixing the broader public education system so long as students with disabilities and other special education needs are left behind.

 

In her view, underfunding is not the biggest problem when it comes to special education. The bigger issue is how school boards spend the money they receive, she said, explaining there’s a lack of oversight to determine whether the TDSB’s spending actually leads to positive student outcomes.

 

Placing students in segregated schools, which have far higher per-pupil costs than mainstream schools, “takes kids considered most different out of society for their whole lives. It isolates them,” Dolmage said. “All of the rest of the children in Toronto grow up without knowing them.”

 

Even the idea that disabled students in mainstream classes need an extra adult with them is “totally wrong,” Dolmage said. It can make the student overly dependent on that adult, and can lead to more behavioural problems, she said, “because no student wants to be joined at the hip with an adult.”

 

Educators, instead, need to adopt a different model of education where students’ differences aren’t seen as a big deal, Dolmage said. Under such a model, she said, it’s logical to pair a student who can’t read with a student who learns better by reading out loud, and a student who demonstrates their learning through art would create materials for a student who learns from pictures better than words. Offering different ways for students to engage with course material is part of a framework called “universal design for learning,” developed by the U.S. non-profit education and research development organization CAST to design curriculum that can be flexible enough that all students can access it.

 

“It’s a structural change,” Dolmage said. “We shouldn’t be in 2024 just starting to think about this.”

 

Nora Green, a member of the non-profit Inclusion Action in Ontario and the TDSB’s Special Education Advisory Committee, agrees that teachers need to be able to teach to all students. They shouldn’t assume, as often happens, that teaching students with disabilities is the job of special education staff, she said. Ensuring that teachers can teach to all won’t solve everything, Green said, explaining she believes there is a real need for additional people to provide things like physical help and coaching in reading for students. “But we don’t even have the foundational belief that we’re responsible for everybody in our class,” she said. “The moment I think that a special education teacher is going to do my job, that’s a problem because that special education teacher is only going to see that kid maybe for a period a day. And what’s happening [in] the other periods?”

 

Leo Lagnado, a member of the TDSB’s Special Education Advisory Committee and representative for Autism Ontario, holds a different view on segregated schools. For some students with very complex needs, there’s no amount of staffing, universal design for learning, or other approach that would allow them to thrive in a mainstream class, he says, noting students should have access to a range of placement options.

 

According to Lagnado, severe underfunding over many years and multiple governments has led to an inability to recruit and retain much-needed educational assistants. Underfunding, too, is related to a lack of comprehensive training for teachers and support staff to work with students with complex needs, he added.

 

What’s happening amid this scarcity, he said, is parents often hear from school officials that their child doesn’t need as many supports as they request, and that if they’re given those supports, it means someone else who needs them more won’t get them. This happens even though school boards have a legal duty to accommodate all students with disabilities and other special learning needs.

 

The concept of inclusion is often used as a cost-cutting device, and a rationale for closing segregated classrooms, Lagnado said. As a result, he said, “they throw those kids into the mainstream classroom without any supports.”

 

The frustrating thing is there’s a lack of accountability from both the school boards and the Ministry of Education, which blame each other for failing students, Lagnado said. “The reality is that the problem is in both places in different ways.”

 

Support

Setting aside the neverending clash over funding between school boards and the Ministry and the debate over segregated settings, there are many low-cost and practical measures that could be implemented almost immediately that would go a long way to improve the experiences of students and their families, according to David Lepofsky, chair of the TDSB’s Special Education Advisory Committee. The fact that they aren’t speaks to how students with disabilities and special education needs are not prioritized.

 

For eight years, Lepofsky said, the advisory committee has been urging the TDSB to provide families with an easy to understand “menu” of the programs, services, and accommodations it offers to students with special education needs. Having this resource, he said, would help families navigate what is currently a confounding system, filled with jargon and confusing acronyms.

 

For many parents, it’s “brutally difficult” to find out what’s available, where to go, and whom to ask, Lepofsky said. They’re either directed to the TDSB’s website, which is written in technical language that’s difficult to understand, or to school administrators, who are already overburdened and must then individually explain it all to each family.

 

This basic information is critical for parents to be able to advocate for their children, Lepofsky said. He also noted parents aren’t always clearly informed that they can request a meeting to collaborate on their children’s individual education plans. Yet if school officials go on to develop those plans without parental involvement, they could be discordant with the student’s needs, and could set students even further behind.

 

“If you make the information available simply, clearly, in plain language, easy to find, it’s gonna save everybody a lot of grief,” he said.

 

At a board meeting this fall, where Lepofsky made a public appeal for this resource, the board adopted a motion to call on the TDSB director to consider it a priority to “effectively and proactively” inform all parents and guardians of the options available and how to access them. Staff, however, gave no clear indication of when an easy-to-understand “menu” would be made available.

 

Meanwhile, getting action from the province has also been a struggle. Lepofsky, a retired lawyer who is also chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, has been pushing for the province to enact an education accessibility standard under the Ontarians with Disabilities Act since 2009. This standard would set out requirements for school boards to ensure the entire school system is accessible—not just buildings, but playgrounds, software, and classroom supports for students with all disabilities. Lepofsky explained that even though all this is required by the Human Rights Code and the Charter of Rights, too often, schools don’t provide them.

 

He noted he was part of an advisory committee of government-appointed experts that submitted a comprehensive report to the province in January 2022, providing detailed recommendations for developing an education accessibility standard. Nearly three years later, that standard has yet to materialize.

 

“What has the government done with it so far?” he said. “The answer: absolutely nothing.”

 

The point is not to say there’s no need for more money, he said. Rather, money is too often used as “a political football”—an excuse for inaction.

 

And the students are the ones who invariably lose.

 

Back in Marie Smith’s class, the boy who surprised her with his ability to write eventually moved on to a different school. But in the remaining time he had there, Smith and the special education teacher found ways to tailor his education, given their newfound, belated understanding of his capabilities.

 

With their guidance, the boy who was previously considered non-verbal learned how to say what he wanted. The day he first uttered a request, Smith recalled, they all celebrated with joy.

 

It’s been a long time, though—years even—since Smith had a truly great day at work. She said she’s now exhausted. At the end of each school day, she gets into her vehicle, turns the radio off, and drives home in complete silence. She plans to retire this year, two years early, even though she knows she’s good at her job and that the techniques and skills she’s gained over many years could help more students and teachers. “I just cannot physically, I think, hang on there for another two years,” she said.

 

If the education system weren’t so underfunded, and the environment were better, she’d stay, she said. But she doesn’t see things improving in the near future. If anything, she said, the situation is deteriorating. And unless the province and the board urgently improve the state of special education, others will likely follow, to the detriment of their colleagues and the students they leave behind.

 

As it is, Smith said, she’s had enough. “I can’t fight the fight any longer when nobody will listen.”

 

 

About the author, Wency Leung

Wency Leung is a reporter for The Local. She was previously a health reporter for The Globe and Mail. You can reach her by email at wency@thelocal.to or on Bluesky @wencyleung.bsky.social.

Why Isn’t the Ford Government Fulfilling Its Duties under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act to Tear Down Disability Barriers in the Workplace that Impede Employees and Job-Seekers with Disabilities?

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

Why Isn’t the Ford Government Fulfilling Its Duties under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act to Tear Down Disability Barriers in the Workplace that Impede Employees and Job-Seekers with Disabilities?

 

December 2, 2024

 

SUMMARY

 

Let’s focus today on another important disability issue that the media covered this past week, and on which the AODA Alliance has advocated for years. This is the perennial unemployment rate facing people with disabilities. It is always much higher than the unemployment rate experienced by the general public.

 

Ontario’s former Lieutenant Governor, the late David Onley, often said that the unemployment rate facing Canadians with disabilities is not only a national crisis, it is a national shame. But what is the Ontario Government doing about it?

 

Past strategies have not made a dent into this crisis. The front page of the business section in the Toronto Star that was published on November 29, 2024 (the 30th anniversary of the birth of Ontario’s grassroots accessibility campaign) featured a report on a new study. It concluded once again that there are great economic benefits to employing people with disabilities. Read that article below.

 

Yet this is not news. Government after government, study after study, and accessibility minister after disability minister have said the same thing. So have an endless series of business roundtables and the like.

 

Normally, we’d hope that the market would respond to this reality, thereby solving the disability unemployment problem. The market has not done so. It would be foolish after so many years to expect anything different.

 

What is the solution? Ontario needs a strong and effective Employment Accessibility Standard to be enacted under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. Yet all we have is the weak one enacted in 2011. We have 13 years of proof that it has not solved the problem.

 

The AODA Alliance identified the ways that the Employment Accessibility Standard should be strengthened in its May 7, 2018, brief to the Employment Standards Development Committee. Sadly, that Employment Standards Development Committee did not adopt much if any of our recommendations in its final report.

 

Even worse, the Ford Government has sat on the final report of the Employment Standards Development Committee for over three and a half years since it received it. It has not enacted any revisions to the 2011 Employment Accessibility Standard. In fact, the Ford Government violated the AODA when it kept the Employment Standards Development Committee’s final report secret for some two years after it received it. It received that report on January 22, 2019, but only made it public in February 2021. Sections 10 and 11 of the AODA require the Government to make such reports public upon receiving them.

 

Sadly, it gets even worse. As the Toronto Star notes, people with disabilities cannot get a good job if they cannot get a good education. Yet, students with disabilities face too many disability barriers throughout Ontario’s education system. The Ford Government has also been sitting on the final report of the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee and the Post-Secondary Education Standards Development Committee for almost three years. Ontario needs a strong and effective Education Accessibility Standard to be enacted under the AODA.

How You Can Help

 

Have you faced disability barriers in the workplace? Let your local media know about them.

 

If an employer wants their workplace to be disability-accessible in five years, they have to plan for that starting right now. If you are employed, talk to your employer about formulating a team of employees to develop a workplace accessibility action plan.

 

Of course, press your member of the Ontario Legislature to demand that the Ford Government now enact the promised Education Accessibility Standard and strengthen the weak 2011 Employment Accessibility Standard.

 

Learn more by visiting the AODA Alliance website’s employment page.

 

MORE DETAILS

 

Toronto Star November 29, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/hiring-people-with-disabilities-is-good-for-business-heres-how-companies-benefit/article_94f87ff0-ad9f-11ef-9291-db8c9bf1bae9.html#:~:text=As%20Canada%20grapples%20with%20a,are%20better%20positioned%20to%20succeed.&text=Omar%20Mosleh%20is%20an%20Toronto%2Dbased%20reporter%20for%20the%20Star

 

Business

 

Companies benefit when they hire people with disabilities, report finds

 

Omar Mosleh Toronto Star

Hiring people with disabilities is not only a matter of inclusion – it may also offer a business advantage.

 

A new report from the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW) highlights the economic benefits of disability inclusion in the workplace, including higher productivity, increased revenue and a stronger bottom line. As Canada grapples with a labour shortage and an aging workforce, the report makes the case that companies who hire people with disabilities are better positioned to succeed.

 

The CCRW hopes to reframe how some employers look at hiring people with disabilities – from a “social good” to a critical component of a productive and profitable workplace.

 

Advocates say that while there’s been progress in how employers look at accessibility and accommodation, there are still many systemic barriers in society that hinder people from getting a fair shot when seeking a job.

 

The research shows that having a disability-inclusive workplace is not just good for the people who are gainfully employed, but also for individual organizations and the whole country, according to the report. Hiring people with disabilities drives economic growth, boosts Canada’s GDP and makes workplaces more competitive, it says.

 

“Instead of looking at disability as a drain on society and an impairment, we need to be looking at our own systems to figure out what we’re going to change … to make sure that everybody who wants to work is able to work,” said Maureen Haan, the president and CEO of CCRW.

 

Having a disability-inclusive workplace is not just good for a company’s bottom line, but also inspires creativity and innovation because people with disabilities bring different perspectives and problem-solving skills.

 

Andrea Hatala, who is visually impaired, shared her experience of seeking a promotion while working in the market research sector – she said living with a disability had made her more patient and adaptable, but those kinds of skills aren’t always valued by employers.

 

She says she believes she was passed over on a supervisor position, despite having extensive experience, because she didn’t work as fast as her colleagues. Not feeling valued at her workplace affected her motivation and productivity.

 

“I knew that I would never get a promotion and that I would be stuck working the same job forever,” she said. “If you think that people are not going to appreciate what you can do, you’re not going to try as hard.”

 

According to the report, “Maximizing Impact: The Return on Investing in Workplace Disability Inclusion,” businesses leading in disability inclusion have reported 1.6 times more revenue and 2.6 times more net income compared to companies that aren’t.

 

There are about 740,000 working-age adults with a disability in Canada who are unemployed but eager to work, according to Statistics Canada numbers cited in the report. It’s particularly pressing as Canada faces a labour shortage with nearly 527,000 job vacancies as of July 2024, tighter controls on immigration and an aging workforce, Haan said.

 

About 62 per cent of working age Canadians with a disability are working, compared to 78 per cent of people without a disability in that age group, according to Statistics Canada. About 27 per cent of Canadians reported having a disability that limits their daily activity.

 

The report highlights how closing the employment gap between Canadians with disabilities and those who don’t could create 450,000 new jobs by 2030 and add $50 billion to Canada’s GDP, citing research by TD Canada. Having a fully-inclusive labour workforce could reap rewards between $252.8 billion to $422.7 billion in a single year, according to research by the Institute for Work & Health cited in the report.

 

Employers are often reluctant to accommodate people’s disabilities or make their work environment because of perceived cost, but also because of misconceptions around what workers with disabilities are capable of, Haan said. But the report shows that companies that prioritize disability inclusion are 25 per cent more likely to outperform competitors in productivity, according to research from Accenture.

 

Longtime disability advocate David Lepofsky, who earlier this week marked 30 years since he and his peers started advocating for the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, said there’s been a lot of progress in the private sector and in how workplaces are designed to be more accessible, but there are still barriers in areas such as public transit and education.

 

“You can’t get a good job if you can’t get to the interview … For a blind person like me, not having Braille on the elevator buttons is a barrier. For kids with autism, having teachers who don’t know how to teach kids with autism is barrier,” he said. “It’s across society, not just buildings.”

Tremendous Media Coverage of the 30th Anniversary of Ontario’s Grassroots Campaign for Disability Legislation

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

Tremendous Media Coverage of the 30th Anniversary of Ontario’s Grassroots Campaign for Disability Legislation

 

November 30, 2024

 

SUMMARY

 

Over the past week, we’ve been in the media almost every weekday, pressing our call for more action to tear down disability barriers. Over the next days, our AODA Alliance Updates will roll out these reports for you.

 

For example, over this week, the AODA Alliance got fantastic media coverage of our November 25, 2024, event at Queen’s Park, marking the 30th anniversary of the birth of the grassroots non-partisan campaign for strong Ontario disability legislation. On November 25, 2024, the AODA Alliance held a news conference in the Queen’s Park Media Studio. That afternoon at Queen’s Park, the AODA Alliance staged their own community public hearings. MPPs from the four Ontario political parties received deputations by people with disabilities in person and over Zoom. Presenters described disability barriers they still face and what the Government must do to make Ontario accessible to all.

 

Here’s the coverage we’ve found. Send us any other media reports you find about our November 25, 2024, Queen’s Park events!

 

  • On November 25, 2024, CBC Radio reported on the AODA Alliance’s Queen’s Park news conference. You can watch that news conference online at any time, but we did not get a recording of the radio news coverage.

 

  • On November 25, 2024, CTV news and CP24 included a great TV report on our Queen’s Park events. You can watch that CTV news report whenever you wish!

 

  • The November 28, 2024, edition of the Guelph Mercury Tribune and at least 24 other Metroland publications included AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky’s disability rights column, set out below, which reflected on this important anniversary of our advocacy efforts.

 

  • The November 28, 2024, edition of The Trillium, a publication focusing on Queen’s Park politics, included a superb report by journalist Sneh Duggal on our Queen’s Park events. You’ll find it below.

 

  • The November 29, 2024, Durham Region and all the other Metroland online news publications included a report on the November 25, 2024, Queen’s Park events, focusing on some of the individual presentations at the community public hearings we staged for MPPs.

 

  • The November 25, 2024, edition of Metroland’s Halton Today had a report in advance of our Queen’s Park events to take place that day. Read it below.

 

There is a huge chasm between the reality of accessibility barriers facing Ontarians with disabilities, on the one hand, and the Ford Government’s shocking claims during Question Period in the Legislature on November 25, 2024, suggesting that things are just rosy and that the Ford Government is doing a great job on this issue. Read the November 29, 2024 AODA Alliance Update for all the details.

 

How You Can Help

 

Circulate this media coverage widely and post it on social media and the web. Email it to family and friends.

 

Use email, social media and personal conversations to encourage as many people as possible to watch the online recordings of the AODA Alliance’s November 25, 2024 Queen’s Park news conference, and the community public hearings held at Queen’s Park later the same day.

 

Invite people to watch the short and sweet November 25, 2024 CTV news report on our 30th anniversary events at Queen’s Park.

 

Press your local media to cover these events and issues. Let the media know what you think of the Ford Government’s November 25, 2024, claim that 88% of people think Ontario is accessible to people with disabilities.

 

Watch for more action tips over the next days.

For more background

 

 

MORE DETAILS

 

Guelph Mercury Tribune November 28, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.guelphmercury.com/opinion/columnists/ontario-s-grassroots-disability-advocates-mark-30-year-milestone-with-public-hearings-at-queen-s/article_25f6c3a2-c015-55f6-b5ad-fe6c0da53fb5.html

 

Ontario’s grassroots disability advocates mark 30-year milestone with public hearings at Queen’s Park

Grassroots groups are as determined and tenacious as they were three decades ago, writes David Lepofsky.

 

By David Lepofsky

Monday, November 25, 2024

David Lepofsky breaks down barriers

 

David Lepofsky, who is blind, outside the Ontario Court of Justice at 10 Armoury St. in Toronto. Lepofsky has fought for more than 45 years to break down barriers for people with disabilities and won’t stop anytime soon, he says.

 

Nick Kozak photo

 

This month marks an incredible anniversary for 2.9 million Ontarians with disabilities. You probably don’t know anything about it.

 

On Nov. 29, 1994, 20 of us found ourselves sitting in a Queen’s Park legislative hearing room. Our blood was boiling.

 

Hearings had begun on a private member’s bill that aimed to tear down the many accessibility barriers impeding people with disabilities in education, employment, health care, public transit and access to other goods and services.

 

Ontario’s first deaf MPP, Gary Malkowski, had introduced this bill into the Legislature.

 

At these hearings, the NDP government responded to that bill with evasive, patronizing lip service.

 

Outraged, we stormed down the hall. I followed the crowd. We found an empty committee room. Spontaneously we launched a new grassroots coalition, dedicated to win the enactment of new legislation to make Ontario a barrier-free province for Ontarians with disabilities.

 

We had no idea what we were getting into.

 

What we wanted appeared, objectively, to be impossible to win. The broad disability community had not united around our goal, nor even knew much if anything about it. No political party supported us. Social media did not yet exist to enable us to rally people to support us.

 

Yet a decade later and after endless efforts at non-partisan advocacy, on May 10, 2005, our dream of new legislation was realized. The Legislature passed the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. It passed unanimously with all MPPs giving it a standing ovation, something beyond our wildest dreams.

 

I never thought I’d take on a leadership role in this when we met that afternoon three decades ago. However, I ended up with the privilege as a volunteer to lead the 10-year campaign to get the Disabilities Act passed.

 

How did we do it?

 

It was thanks to so many people with disabilities in their local communities, most with no prior advocacy training. There was Cathy in London, writing guest columns for her local newspaper. There was Barb in Thunder Bay who managed our fledgling new website. Don’t forget Paul in Kingston who used this new thing called email to write every MPP in Ontario. Dean in Windsor organized a disability march in support down a main street to city hall. In Mississauga, Chris pulled together a town hall meeting. Louise single-handedly went from Kingston to Peterborough to organize a local group there to support our campaign. Michael in London wrote and sang a theme song for our movement, “Still Waiting,” with lyrics that remain relevant today.

 

In city after town, municipal councils passed resolutions calling for Ontario to enact the law we sought. Conservative premier Mike Harris promised to pass it in his first term, but endlessly dragged his feet and showed no interest. A weak law was passed under Harris, the very last during his reign. It didn’t require a single disability barrier to ever be removed.

 

In 2003, Dalton McGuinty led the Liberals to victory, having promised a stronger and effective Disabilities Act. He delivered on that promise in 2005, after working closely with us on developing it. In opposition, the Tories supported it, even though it was much stronger than the paltry legislation that they had earlier enacted.

 

How have things gone since then?

 

Progress under that legislation has been far too sluggish. But we are undeterred.

 

To celebrate this anniversary, we’re going back to where it all began, Queen’s Park, to stage our own public hearings.

 

On Monday, Nov. 25, Ontarians with disabilities will talk about the barriers they still face and what the government needs to do now. We’ve invited all the political parties to send MPPs to listen and learn.

 

We’re as determined and tenacious as we were three decades ago. We have amassed a great deal of experience in how to keep up the pressure. Just watch us.

 

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David Lepofsky is a retired lawyer who chairs the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance and is a visiting professor of disability rights at the law schools at Western and the University of Ottawa.

 

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The Trillium November 28, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.thetrillium.ca/municipalities-newsletter/disability-advocates-say-province-not-even-close-to-reaching-full-accessibility-by-2025-goal-9876617

 

Disability advocates say province ‘not even close’ to reaching full accessibility by 2025 goal

The AODA Alliance held hearings at Queen’s Park on Monday so members of the public could share with the government the barriers people with disabilities still face

Sneh Duggal

 

Disability advocates held a press conference at Queen’s Park on Nov. 25, 2024.

Disability advocates say Ontario is on track to miss its goal of a fully accessible province by 2025.

 

Thirty years after the launch of a movement that eventually led to Ontario passing accessibility legislation, they also question whether provincewide accessibility will ever happen.

 

“Ontario will not be accessible to Ontarians with disabilities … as the (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act) AODA had promised, not even close,” David Lepofsky, chair of the AODA Alliance, said at Queen’s Park on Monday.

 

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, passed in 2005, outlined the goal of achieving “accessibility for Ontarians with disabilities with respect to goods, services, facilities, accommodation, employment, buildings, structures and premises on or before January 1, 2025.”

 

The act, which applies to all people and organizations in the public and private sectors, requires the government to create accessibility standards for organizations to follow.

 

“We’ve been warning government after government and minister after minister that this was going to happen for well over a decade,” said Lepofsky, adding that while there has been some progress, it’s been “glacial.”

 

“But successively, government after government, minister after minister, slowed down to the point where our current rate of progress can only be described as abysmal,” he continued. “At the rate we are going, not only won’t we reach a fully accessible province that we were promised by 2025, we never will.”

 

Lepofsky and other advocates held a press conference at Queen’s Park on Monday, prior to hosting hearings so that members of the public could share with legislators the barriers that people with disabilities still face and what they believe the government should do.

 

Representatives from all parties were expected to attend, with the government sending Daisy Wai, parliamentary assistant to Minister for Seniors and Accessibility Raymond Cho.

 

Lepofsky said it was 30 years ago that about 20 people with disabilities gathered at Queen’s Park for public hearings on a private member’s bill. Frustrated with what Lepofsky called “patronizing lip service,” the group ended up “storming down the hall, somebody found a meeting room, and spontaneously, a new coalition was born.”

 

“But the fact is, we can’t just celebrate because we come here with a mixture of pride and anger,” he said. “We are not dispirited. We are more motivated than ever.”

 

Lepofsky said around 2.9 million Ontarians with disabilities will “suffer” as a result of the province’s failure to meet its January goal, as will their families and friends and those who get a disability later in life.

 

“If you total that up, it means every Ontarian will ultimately suffer from the successive failures to effectively implement this law,” Lepofsky said.

 

Nora Green, a retired special education teacher and member of the Toronto District School Board’s Special Education Advisory Committee, said Ontario’s 300,000 students with disabilities in publicly funded schools “experience far too many barriers.”

 

Green said it’s not just about “insufficient funding,” and that parents have told the committee it’s hard to find out what services and supports are available for their children at school.

 

“They must navigate a frustrating, dispiriting maze to try and get action if the school doesn’t deliver what it promised,” she said, adding that many students with disabilities are sent home or excluded and are being refused the right to an education.

 

She said accessibility standards for education haven’t been enacted under the AODA, with Lepofsky adding that neither have standards for health care.

 

As for how long it could take for the province to reach its goal of being fully accessible, Lepofsky said while target dates are helpful, he thinks the focus should be on “goals that we can achieve individually.”

 

For example, ensuring hotels have braille room numbers.

 

“You go to a hotel, one thing you kind of want to know is your room number,” said Lepofsky. “We don’t need five years, 10 years to get braille numbers up on hotel room doors, or, dare I say, on elevator buttons. So there are a number of accommodations that could be achieved extremely quickly.”

 

With speculation of an early provincial election, Lepofsky said the alliance plans to write to all the parties to “seek commitments on what they will do when we don’t meet the deadline of 2025 for full accessibility to get us as close to that goal, as quickly after that deadline as they can.”

 

NDP Leader Marit Stiles said she thinks her party’s proposal for a “New Deal for municipalities” would help them “meet more of the requirements of the AODA.”

 

“I think these are the ways that the government can actually help support change happening a lot faster than it is,” she said. “When you’re underfunding municipalities, you’re underfunding school boards … it’s really, really hard for folks on the ground to be able to meet these standards.”

 

Robin Jones, president of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), said municipalities have been “at the forefront of removing barriers and making our communities more inclusive.”

 

“AMO continues to focus on improving municipal capacity to fulfill the promise of the Act in a way that is both effective and feasible,” said Jones. “There is still more work to do across Ontario to make the province more accessible. A provincial action plan that goes beyond 2025 would ensure that Ontario continues to make progress.”

 

For its part, the government said the province is “exceeding the AODA standards each and every day.”

 

“We have built the standards of the AODA into the Ontario building code. All new GO Transit stations, train platforms and bus stations adhere to the AODA. We have delivered over 2,200 accessible buses to municipalities,” said Cho, the accessibility minister, during question period. “The province is making historic investments to make Ontario more accessible today and for the future.”

 

—With files from Jack Hauen

 

Durham Region November 29, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.durhamregion.com/news/the-aoda-is-toothless-accessibility-advocate-complains-in-forum-of-ontario-legislations-lack-of-accessibility/article_bbc8d28d-2533-5d6b-8b06-dfca7147923a.html

 

‘The AODA is toothless:’ Accessibility advocate complains in forum of Ontario legislation’s lack of accessibility enforcement power as Jan. 1, 2025 deadline nears

The article highlights the 30-year journey of accessibility advocates in Ontario, emphasizing the need for stronger enforcement, proactive action, and inclusive design standards under the AODA.

 

By Tim Kelly

David Lepofsky stands on subway platform

 

Lawyer David Lepofsky, who is blind, is chair of the AODA Alliance, a non-partisan coalition that monitors progress on the province’s Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

 

Bernard Weil Toronto Star file photo

 

The original fighters for accessibility in Ontario, the “pioneers” if you will, gathered together in a Queen’s Park meeting room Monday to mark a 30-year anniversary.

 

It was back on Nov. 29, 1994 that a private member’s bill introduced by NDP MPP Gary Malkowski, came before a committee at the legislature for discussion. Plenty of disability advocates gathered to eagerly listen to what would be said — and came away alternately deflated and fully determined to take action.

 

According to David Lepofsky, the long-standing AODA Alliance chair who was there that day and remains just as committed to accessibility today as he was 30 years ago, the NDP minister who spoke at the committee showed little inclination to push forward with an Ontario Disability Act.

 

But the 20 or so disability committee advocates who met afterward would become the seeds of the group who would help push forward to get the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) passed in 2005.

 

Lepofsky was there Monday at a committee room at Queen’s Park, urging disability advocates to speak up, especially with a deadline for the AODA looming on Jan. 1, 2025. That’s when, back in 2005, the goal was to create a barrier-free Ontario.

 

“The AODA is not going away on Jan. 1. It remains the law, the law the government must obey. We are going nowhere. This is our 30th anniversary of tenacity because we’re not stopping, we’re not slowing down; we’re going to speed up,” Lepofsky said on Monday afternoon.

 

“There is an election expected, if not next year, then the year after, and by all rumours, it’s going to be this spring. In this ninth election in a row, we will contact the political parties and list what we want them to do in the spirit of non-partisanship to commit to get us to the goal of the disabilities act, as close as possible to the deadline of the disabilities act.

 

“What are going to ask for? We’d like to hear from you today. This is your opportunity to speak to us and to members of the legislature. All four parties said they’re going to send an MPP. We want to hear what you have to say to them and we want to build on what you experience as we formulate our demands that will be coming out by the end of this year or the start of net year.

 

“So, this is our big opportunity to turn the tables on what happened 30 years ago. Thirty years ago, we listened to public hearings. This time, we’re organizing the public hearings,” he said.

 

A number of people spoke up and they were asked to concentrate on two issues: What disability barriers do you still face and what should the government do about those barriers?

 

This is a selection from several of those who spoke:

 

Bianca Dahl

 

Bianca Dahl is an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Toronto’s Scarborough Campus.

 

“I am an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus and I was born with a genetic condition that resulted in me losing the ability to walk independently in 2014.

 

“The main problem that I see with the AODA is that it’s toothless, that it reduces accessibility to a check list, rather than embracing it as an ethos. Accessibility can’t be a temporary fix, it doesn’t work. The standard excuse, which is that’s it’s hard to implement new measures into a city that was built and designed before these regulations were called into place; that’s an excuse that doesn’t cut it.

 

“People in positions of marginalization should not just be given positions of equality, the same access to health care as everybody else, but a preferential option. But we want the most basic forms of access, just the most basic baseline. This seems like a task that should already have been completed. It is a stain on our province and on the memory of lieutenant-governor David Onley that accessibility has not been made for all of us.”

 

Lorin MacDonald

 

Order of Ontario recipient (2022) Lorin MacDonald. MacDonald, who is a lawyer with a hearing impairment and is working on health standards for the AODA, spoke on Monday during discussions about disability awareness.

 

Lorin MacDonald

Lorin MacDonald, a lawyer who supports people with disabilities, is a disability awareness trainer and instructor at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law at Toronto Metropolitan University.

 

“I want to discuss the right to accessible health care which isn’t negotiable. As a member of the AODA health-care standards committee, which provided steps for the care of people with disabilities, I’ve seen first-hand how Ontarians face significant barriers to accessing essential medical care.

 

“The 2022 Canadian survey on disabilities released last year, stated nearly 2.5 Ontarians live with one or more disabilities. Nearly 450,000 Ontarians have a hearing disability. I am one of them. I want to share my experience in accessing health care.

 

“For us, medical interactions can be dangerous and traumatic. Imagine trying to communicate symptoms through masks that muffle speech and block lip-reading; straining to hear your name in a waiting room or trying to understand crucial medical instructions in a noisy hospital environment. Add inaccessible intercom systems and critical information, provided only verbally. It becomes overwhelming.

 

“I can attest to all this over the past few years. I changed what I could, but barriers sometimes caused even strong self-advocates like me to break. These aren’t mere inconveniences, they lead to misdiagnosis, medication errors. The COVID pandemic only intensified these barriers.

 

“Our committee began its work in 2017 and powered through the pandemic, submitting its final recommendation report on Feb. 28, 2022. Nearly three years later, we still await these desperately needed regulations.

 

“Solutions exist. Our committee spent years developing them. What we need now is political will and public demand. With nearly 2.5 million Ontarians living with one or more disabilities, these barriers impact entire families and communities.

 

“Contact your MPPs, demand action on our recommendations and support disability advocacy organizations.”

 

Thea Kurdi

Thea Kurdi is an accessible design strategist.

 

“I work with architects, builders and the developers. The architects and building owners and design teams have to create accessibility standards above and beyond. Why do we have to do that? Because the Building Code has been so resistant to change. It is not yet aligned with the Ontario Human Rights Code.

 

“So, the Ontario Human Rights Code says Building Code spaces shall not discriminate against people but the Building Code does not create environments that achieve that. That is a significant problem.

 

“If we try to push this onto procurements, adding additional requirements, that will require additional legislation. It always comes back to, where does it say that I have to do that? If it’s not in legislation, if it’s in a set of standards for a municipality, that’s not legislation. If it’s in a procurement policy, that’s not legislation. It is seen as being open to negotiation.

 

“This pushes it back to human rights tribunals; this pushes it back to people with disabilities. We have not seen the progress we should have seen. The delay has to stop. The wasting money on studies and talking to experts has to stop. We knew in 2005 what needed to be changed in the built environment, we already had it written down.

 

“The Building Code must be rewritten top to bottom; we must insist that licensing for professionals and continuing education must be updated so design professionals have the ability to create. Take that as an urgent call. Every day you wait is another day with another building that is inaccessible.”

 

Odelia Bay

 

Odelia Bay, who has multiple sclerosis, is a lawyer and co-founder of the Canadian Association of Lawyers with Disabilities.

 

Tim Kelly screenshotOdelia Bay

Odelia Bay is co-founder of the Canadian Association of Lawyers with Disabilities who also has multiple sclerosis.

 

“We are a national association of lawyers, paralegals and other legal practitioners. Our members are very diverse with respect to our experiences of disability and practice.

 

“Last year, something exciting happened or something potentially exciting. The province of Ontario opened a new state-of-the-art courthouse in downtown Toronto. And the promise of an accessible Ontario that we’ve come to expect under the AODA is well — the building is sadly full of access barriers.

 

“Some are minor irritants and some create serious potential to physical harm. All communicate to the disabled people who both use and serve the justice system that they are either forgotten, ignored, or even worse, not actually valued.”

 

Omar Ha-Redeye

Omar Ha-Redeye is a lawyer on the board of directors with Spinal Cord Injury Ontario.

 

“The (Rich) Donovan report highlights a critical gap in the AODA: enforcement. Without stronger mechanisms, the vision of a wholly accessible Ontario will fall short.

 

“The 2019 review by lieutenant-governor David Onley found many organizations remain non-compliant, leaving many Ontarians with disabilities to face persistent barriers. Enforcement has relied too much on voluntary compliance, which has proven ineffective.

 

“Many organizations remain unaware of their obligations and lack the incentive to act. Accountability must become a priority. We must commit to proactive enforcement, which includes bolstering the enforcement and compliance branch, conduct audits and impose penalties.

 

“Public awareness must improve. Many organizations aren’t aware of their responsibilities. We must empower people with disabilities to enforce their rights. This means easier ways to enforce violations and access legal support.

 

“Accessibility is a right, not a privilege. But rights without enforcement are empty promises.”

 

Tim Kelly is a reporter with durhamregion.com. He can be reached at tkelly@durhamregion.com.

 

Inside Halton November 25, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.insidehalton.com/news/how-close-is-ontario-to-meeting-accessibility-standards-watch-and-listen-to-what-advocates-and/article_cb6cb684-a12c-5f0a-9a31-75f612dbd505.html

 

How close is Ontario to meeting accessibility standards? Watch and listen to what advocates and people with disabilities have to say

Presenters will describe disability barriers they still face and what the government’s role in the process during live event beginning at 2 p.m.

 

By

Metroland Staff

Insidehaltoncom

Monday, November 25, 2024

 

With Ontario’s deadline to implement accessibility standards a little over a month away, a disability rights activist is part of a group holding an online forum.

 

 

A barrier-free Ontario was the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), unanimously passed by members of provincial parliament in 2005.

 

With the province’s 20-year deadline for the implementation of accessibility standards looming on Jan. 1, 2025, AODA Alliance chair David Lepofsky will be part of the panel hosting the event from 2 to 4 p.m. today, and we will have the YouTube stream of the event of the public hearing.

 

AODA Alliance will stage community public hearings. MPPs from the four Ontario political parties will receive deputations from people with disabilities in person and via video. Presenters will describe disability barriers they still face and the government’s role in the process.

 

The event will stream live on the AODA Alliance YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance.

 

Spadina Avenue, Suite 10A, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8

 

Ford Government Made Shocking Bogus Claims in the Legislature About Progress on Accessibility, on the Day Ontarians with Disabilities Came to Queen’s Park to Mark the 30th Anniversary of the Grassroots Movement for a Barrier-free Province

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

Ford Government Made Shocking Bogus Claims in the Legislature About Progress on Accessibility, on the Day Ontarians with Disabilities Came to Queen’s Park to Mark the 30th Anniversary of the Grassroots Movement for a Barrier-free Province

 

November 29, 2024

 

SUMMARY

 

On November 25, 2024, the Ford Government made the shocking and palpably preposterous claim that 88% of Ontarians think Ontario is accessible to people with disabilities. Speaking for the Ford Government, Seniors and Accessibility, Minister Cho said this in the Legislature on Monday, November 25, 2024. That was the same day that people with disabilities converged on Queen’s Park to mark the 30th anniversary of the birth of the non-partisan grassroots movement to make Ontario barrier-free for 2.9 million Ontarians with disabilities.

 

During Question Period, opposition NDP disabilities critic Lise Vaugeois pressed the Ford Government to recognize that Ontario is in an accessibility crisis. On June 6, 2023, the Ford Government had received the final report of the 4th Independent Review of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, which Premier Ford appointed Rich Donovan to conduct. The final Donovan Report declared that Ontario is in an accessibility crisis. In the year and a half since then, the Government has neither recognized this crisis nor announced any action plan to address it.

 

In Question Period, Seniors and Accessibility Minister Raymond Cho stated in part:

 

“88% of Ontarians believe Ontario is now accessible…”

 

In a similarly shocking claim, Minister Cho stated:

 

“We are the government that is seeking 50 new hospitals, 60 new schools—projects all exceeding accessibility standards.”

 

Yet the AODA actually sets no accessibility requirements for the construction of hospitals and schools, apart from the height of public service counters and the design of queuing lines. The Government is boasting that it is exceeding AODA standards that in reality require virtually nothing to be done.

 

In fact, the Government’s record of building new public infrastructure is far from glowing. Last August, the AODA Alliance made public an online video that documents serious accessibility problems at Toronto’s new Armoury Street courthouse – a billion-dollar accessibility bungle.

 

The Ford Government’s claim is an especially cruel irony, since the Government has taken no action to enact the recommendations of the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee or the final report of the Health Care Standards Development Committee that it received almost three years ago. For example, the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee’s final report includes some 20 pages of recommendations on how to design an accessible school facility. The AODA Alliance has urged the Government to implement those recommendations as it spends hundreds of millions of dollars on new schools. The Ford Government has never agreed to do so.

 

It is extremely worrisome that the Government that is required to lead Ontario to become accessible to people with disabilities somehow thinks there is a pervasive public belief that Ontario has already achieved this goal. In our 30 years of grassroots advocacy, first from 1994 to 2005 as the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee and then from 2005 as the AODA Alliance, we’ve encountered no one, including no public official, who believes that Ontario is now an accessible province.

 

On January 31, 2019, former Lieutenant Governor David Onley delivered the final report of the 3rd AODA Independent Review to the Ford Government. Drawing on feedback from his consultation with Ontarians with disabilities, David Onley had concluded that Ontario is full of “soul-crushing barriers,” that progress on accessibility has been “glacial” and that the goal of an accessible province was “nowhere in sight.” On April 10, 2019, speaking in the Legislature, Minister Raymond Cho said that David Onley did a “marvelous job.”

 

It is unconscionable that the Ford Government would make such bogus claims just a month before we reach 2025, the AODA’s deadline for this province to become accessible to people with disabilities. It is widely recognized that Ontario will be far from that goal on January 1, 2025.

 

There is a massive disconnect between Minister Cho’s glowing claims in the Legislature on November 25, 2024, about progress on accessibility and the wrenching stories about disability barriers that individuals with disabilities described that same day during the AODA Alliance’s community public hearings. You can watch the video of those hearings on the AODA Alliance YouTube channel. Drawing on volunteer effort, we are working on the accuracy of the captions there. There is American Sign Language on the screen, but only after the first few minutes. This was due to a technical glitch at the time.

 

You can also watch the AODA Alliance’s November 25, 2024 Queen’s Park news conference that took place earlier that day. Here too, we are working on improving the captioning.

 

We bring you this Update on November 29, 2024, the AODA movement’s actual 30th Birthday! Happy birthday to us! Of course, we welcome your birthday wishes at aodafeedback@gmail.com As a great birthday gift to us, please get more people to go to the AODA Alliance website and sign up to get our AODA Alliance Updates!

 

For more background

 

 

MORE DETAILS

 

Ontario Hansard November 25th 2024

Question Period

Accessibility for persons with disabilities

MPP Lise Vaugeois: My question is to the Premier.

Twenty years ago, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act passed, with the goal to make the province accessible to Ontarians with disabilities by 2025.

Unfortunately, the rate of progress has been glacial. The 2019 report by former Lieutenant Governor David Onley described the state of inaccessibility of the province as “soul-crushing.” In 2023, the latest independent reviewer of the AODA, Rich Donovan, told this government it would not meet the legislated deadline to achieve full accessibility by 2025 and that Ontario has an accessibility crisis.

With the deadline only a month away, does the government agree that Ontario has an accessibility crisis?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): To respond, the Minister for Seniors and Accessibility.

Hon. Raymond Sung Joon Cho: Mr. Speaker, Ontario is meeting, achieving and exceeding the AODA standards each and every day. All 444 municipalities in Ontario have accessibility plans to meet the goals of the AODA in their own communities.

This year, school boards received $1.4 billion for AODA improvements. We have built the standards of the AODA into the Ontario building code. All new GO Transit stations, train platforms and bus stations adhere to the AODA. We have delivered over 2,200 accessible buses to municipalities.

The province is making historic investments to make Ontario more accessible today and for the future. We are getting it done, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The supplementary question.

MPP Lise Vaugeois: Students with disabilities face crushing disability barriers in school and university. Patients with disabilities face multiple barriers in our health care system. In 2022, your government received final reports and recommendations from the K-12 Education, Post-Secondary Education and Health Care Standards Development Committees, but not one of these reports has been implemented.

Premier, can you tell us today when your government will enact the promised health care and accessibilities standards recommended by experts almost three years ago?

Hon. Raymond Sung Joon Cho: Thank you for the question again. Our government is working really hard for accessibility and that is why 88% of Ontarians believe Ontario is now accessible and 86% rate public space positively for accessibility. This is because we are the government that built AODA standards into the building code. We are the government that created the Skills Development Fund so people with disabilities can find meaningful jobs and training. We are the government that is seeking 50 new hospitals, 60 new schools—projects all exceeding accessibility standards. We are the government that has been a champion for accessibility.

 

Tenacious Ontarians with Disabilities Converge Today at Queen’s Park to Demand Action to Tear Down the Many Accessibility Barriers, Marking 30th Anniversary of the Birth of Grassroots Accessibility Campaign

ACCESSIBILITY FOR ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT ALLIANCE

NEWS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Tenacious Ontarians with Disabilities Converge Today at Queen’s Park to Demand Action to Tear Down the Many Accessibility Barriers, Marking 30th Anniversary of the Birth of Grassroots Accessibility Campaign

 

November 25, 2024 Toronto: Disability advocates converged on Queen’s Park today to demand government action, marking the 30th anniversary of a tenacious campaign to make Ontario accessible to 2.9 million Ontarians with disabilities.

 

At a Queen’s Park news conference this morning, AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky slammed successive Ontario Governments. They failed to lead Ontario to become accessible to people with disabilities by January 1, 2025.

 

In 2005, after a decade of non-partisan provincewide advocacy, the Legislature unanimously passed the landmark Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. It requires the Ontario Government to lead the province to become accessible to people with disabilities by 2025. Yet almost twenty years later, Ontarians with disabilities still face too many accessibility barriers when they try to get a job, ride public transit, use our health care system, get an education, eat in restaurants, or shop in stores.

 

Retired special education teacher and parent of a child with disabilities, Nora Green described the many crushing barriers that K-12 students with disabilities face at school. These were again revealed three weeks ago at a Town Hall for parents of students with special education needs that she helped organize as a member of TDSB’s Special Education Advisory Committee.

 

Longtime built-environment accessible design consultant Thea Kurdi described the absurdity that even after all this time, all new Ontario buildings following the Building Code are still replete with disability barriers, including those funded with public money. A prime example of the kinds of disability barriers described by Kurdi were revealed recently in the AODA Alliance’s widely watched video of the new Toronto Armoury Street courthouse entitled “Billion-Dollar Accessibility Bungle.”

 

This afternoon, the AODA Alliance convened community public hearings At Queen’s Park. The Legislature did not organize these hearings. We did. Presenter after presenter told MPPs from the four parties about barriers they face in education, health care, transportation, employment,  long term care, the built environment, enforcement, and much more.

 

“Thirty years ago this week, on November 29, 1994, our grassroots accessibility advocacy movement was spontaneously born in a Queen’s Park meeting room to fight for legislation to make Ontario barrier free for people with disabilities,” said AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky who led the campaign from 1994 to 2005 to get the Disabilities Act passed. “After our three decades of provincewide advocacy, we’re returning to where it began to commemorate our anniversary of tenacity and to press the political parties to speed up the glacially paced action to make Ontario accessible.”

 

The feedback that MPPs received today will fuel a forthcoming letter to the party leaders from the AODA Alliance, which will seek concrete and specific commitments on what they will do to achieve the AODA’s goal as soon after 2025 as possible. A possible spring Ontario election is widely anticipated. The AODA Alliance will seek election commitments that over a million Ontario voters with disabilities can mull over as they decide for whom they will vote. In each of the eight Ontario elections starting in 1995, every party that made pledges on accessibility did so in letters to the AODA Alliance or to its predecessor coalition, the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee.

 

“Over these three decades, we’ve sent hundreds of email updates, posted thousands of tweets, taken part in many town halls and public forums, held dozens of news conferences, written innumerable briefs and  letters to the Government, issued a barrage of  news releases, been quoted in an untold number of news reports, met with a parade of premiers, ministers and MPPs, made presentations to a large number of legislative, municipal and other committees, and trained new generations of disability advocates,” said Lepofsky. “The Disabilities Act doesn’t vanish on January 1, 2025, and neither will we! We’re more determined than ever.”

 

Contact: AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky, aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

 

For more background

 

  • A comprehensive timeline of major events over the past 30 years in the grassroots campaign for accessibility in Ontario.
  • The AODA Alliance’s November 2, 2024 letter to the party leaders inviting the parties to take part in our community public hearings.
  • The AODA Alliance’s captioned online video series of the major news conferences and other key events in the 30-year campaign for accessibility for people with disabilities.
  • For all the background on the work of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee from 1994 to its dissolution in August 2005, visit odacommittee.net
  • For all the work of its successor coalition, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, from Fall 2005 to the present, visit aodaalliance.org

 

How it all began! Excerpt from “The Long, Arduous Road to a Barrier-Free Ontario for People with Disabilities: The History of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act — The First Chapter” by

David Lepofsky

Published in the National Journal of Constitutional Law Volume 15, Number 2, Carswell

 

Despite sporadic discussions among some in the early 1990s, there was no grassroots groundswell in Ontario supporting an ODA. There was also no major grassroots political force building to push for one. Similarly, there was no organized grassroots disability rights movement pushing for the inclusion of disability equality in the Ontario Human Rights Code in 1979 before the Ontario Government proposed its new disability discrimination legislation in that year.

 

In the early 1990s, Ontario disability organizations involved in disability advocacy were primarily focused on other things, such as the NDP Ontario Government’s proposed Employment Equity Act, expected to be the first provincial legislation of its kind in Canada. That legislation, aimed at increasing the employment of persons with disabilities as well as women, racial minorities and Aboriginal persons was on the agenda of the provincial New Democratic Party that was then in power in Ontario.

 

What ultimately led to the birth of a province-wide, organized grassroots ODA movement in Ontario was the decision of an NDP back-bench member of the Ontario Legislature, Gary Malkowski, to introduce into the Legislature a private member’s ODA bill in the Spring of 1994, over three years into the NDP Government’s term in office. By that time, the NDP Government had not brought forward a Government ODA bill.

 

Malkowski decided to bring forward Bill 168, the first proposed Ontarians with Disabilities Act, to focus public and political interest in this new issue. Malkowski was well-known as Ontario’s, and indeed North America’s, first elected parliamentarian who was deaf. Ontario’s New Democratic Party Government, then entering the final year of its term in office, allowed Malkowski’s bill to proceed to a Second Reading vote in the Ontario Legislature in June 1994 and then to public hearings before a committee of the Ontario Legislature in November and December 1994.

 

In 1994, word got around various quarters in Ontario’s disability community that Malkowski had introduced this bill. Interest in it started to percolate. Malkowski met with groups in the disability community, urging them to come together to support his bill. He called for the disability community to unite in a new coalition to support an Ontarians with Disabilities Act. A significant number of persons with disabilities turned up at the Ontario Legislature when this bill came forward for Second Reading debate in the Spring of 1994.

 

Over the spring, summer and fall months of 1994, around the same time as Malkowski was coming forward with his ODA bill, some of the beginnings of the organized ODA movement were also simmering within an organization of Ontario Government employees with disabilities. Under the governing NDP, the Ontario Government had set up an “Advisory Group” of provincial public servants with disabilities to advise it on measures to achieve equality for persons with disabilities in the Ontario Public Service. In the Spring of 1994, this Advisory Group set as one of its priorities working within the machinery of the Ontario Government to promote the idea of an ODA.

 

This public service Advisory Group met with several provincial Cabinet Ministers and later with Ontario’s Premier, Bob Rae, to discuss the idea of an ODA. It successfully pressed the Government to hold public hearings on Malkowski’s ODA bill.

 

As 1994 progressed, Malkowski’s bill served its important purpose. It sparked the attention and interest of several players in Ontario’s disability community in the idea of an ODA. No one was then too preoccupied with the details of the contents of Malkowski’s ODA bill.

 

Malkowski’s bill had an even more decisive effect on November 29, 1994, when it first came before the Legislature’s Standing Committee for debate and public hearings. On that date, NDP Citizenship Minister Elaine Ziemba was asked to make a presentation to the Committee on the Government’s views on Malkowski’s bill. She was called upon to do this before community groups would be called on to start making presentations to the legislative committee. The hearing room was packed with persons with disabilities, eager to hear what the Minister would have to say.

 

Much to the audience’s dismay, the Minister’s lengthy speech said little if anything about the bill. She focused instead on the Government’s record on other disability issues. The temperature in the room elevated as the audience’s frustration mounted.

 

When the committee session ended for the day, word quickly spread among the audience that all were invited to go to another room in Ontario’s legislative building. An informal, impromptu gathering came together to talk about taking action in support of Malkowski’s bill. Malkowski passionately urged those present to come together and to get active on this cause.

 

I was one of the 20 or so people who made their way into that room. In an informal meeting that lasted about an hour, it was unanimously decided to form a new coalition to fight for a strong and effective Ontarians with Disabilities Act. There was no debate over the content of such legislation at that meeting. However, there was a strong and united realization that new legislation was desperately needed, and that a new coalition needed to be formed to fight for it. This coalition did not spawn the first ODA bill. Rather, the first ODA bill had spawned this coalition.

 

 

Monday November 25, 2024, 9:30 a.m. Queen’s Park News Conference and 2 to 4 p.m. Community Public Hearings Will Mark 30th Anniversary of Grassroots Campaign to Make Ontario Accessible to 2.9 Million People with Disabilities

ACCESSIBILITY FOR ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT ALLIANCE

Media Advisory For Immediate Release

 

Monday November 25, 2024, 9:30 a.m. Queen’s Park News Conference and 2 to 4 p.m. Community Public Hearings Will Mark 30th Anniversary of Grassroots Campaign to Make Ontario Accessible to 2.9 Million People with Disabilities

 

November 23, 2024 Toronto: Grassroots disability advocates will converge on Queen’s Park on Monday, November 25, 2024 for two events to mark the 30th anniversary of the birth of the unstoppable, non-partisan, provincewide movement to tear down the many barriers that impede 2.9 million Ontarians with disabilities:

 

  • At 9:30 a.m., the AODA Alliance holds a news conference in the Queen’s Park Media Studio.
  • From 2 to 4 p.m. in Room 351 at Queen’s Park, the AODA Alliance will stage their own community public hearings. MPPs from the four Ontario political parties will receive deputations by people with disabilities in person and over Zoom. Presenters will describe disability barriers they still face and what the Government must do to make Ontario accessible to all.

 

Thirty years ago, on November 29, 1994, this grassroots movement was spontaneously born in a Queen’s Park meeting room to fight for legislation to make Ontario barrier-free for people with disabilities,” said AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky. “After three decades of provincewide advocacy, we’re returning to where it began to commemorate our anniversary of tenacity and to press the political parties to speed up action to make Ontario accessible.”

 

At the 2 to 4 p.m. public hearings, the media can record presenters and can interview presenters to be interviewed. The event will stream live on the AODA Alliance YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance A live stream link will appear there at 2 p.m. when the event begins. When it appears, just click on it. American Sign Language interpretation and real time captioning will be provided.

 

Contact: AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky, aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

 

For more background

 

  • A comprehensive time line of major events over the past 30 years in the grassroots campaign for accessibility in Ontario.
  • The AODA Alliance’s November 2, 2024 letter to the party leaders inviting the parties to take part in our community public hearings.
  • The AODA Alliance’s captioned online video series of the major news conferences and other key events in the 30-year campaign for accessibility for people with disabilities.
  • For all the background on the work of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee from 1994 to its dissolution in August 2005, visit odacommittee.net
  • For all the work of its successor coalition, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, from Fall 2005 to the present, visit aodaalliance.org

 

How It All Began! Excerpt from “The Long, Arduous Road To A Barrier-Free Ontario For People With Disabilities: The History Of The Ontarians with Disabilities Act — The First Chapter” by

David Lepofsky

Published in the National Journal of Constitutional Law Volume 15, Number 2, Carswell

 

Despite sporadic discussions among some in the early 1990s, there was no grassroots groundswell in Ontario supporting an ODA. There was also no major grassroots political force building to push for one. Similarly, there was no organized grassroots disability rights movement pushing for the inclusion of disability equality in the Ontario Human Rights Code in 1979 before the Ontario Government proposed its new disability discrimination legislation in that year.

 

In the early 1990s, Ontario disability organizations involved in disability advocacy were primarily focused on other things, such as the NDP Ontario Government’s proposed Employment Equity Act, expected to be the first provincial legislation of its kind in Canada. That legislation, aimed at increasing the employment of persons with disabilities as well as women, racial minorities and Aboriginal persons was on the agenda of the provincial New Democratic Party that was then in power in Ontario.

 

What ultimately led to the birth of a province-wide, organized grassroots ODA movement in Ontario was the decision of an NDP back-bench member of the Ontario Legislature, Gary Malkowski, to introduce into the Legislature a private member’s ODA bill in the Spring of 1994, over three years into the NDP Government’s term in office. By that time, the NDP Government had not brought forward a Government ODA bill.

 

Malkowski decided to bring forward Bill 168, the first proposed Ontarians with Disabilities Act, to focus public and political interest in this new issue. Malkowski was well-known as Ontario’s, and indeed North America’s, first elected parliamentarian who was deaf. Ontario’s New Democratic Party Government, then entering the final year of its term in office, allowed Malkowski’s bill to proceed to a Second Reading vote in the Ontario Legislature in June 1994 and then to public hearings before a committee of the Ontario Legislature in November and December 1994.

 

In 1994, word got around various quarters in Ontario’s disability community that Malkowski had introduced this bill. Interest in it started to percolate. Malkowski met with groups in the disability community, urging them to come together to support his bill. He called for the disability community to unite in a new coalition to support an Ontarians with Disabilities Act. A significant number of persons with disabilities turned up at the Ontario Legislature when this bill came forward for Second Reading debate in the Spring of 1994.

 

Over the spring, summer and fall months of 1994, around the same time as Malkowski was coming forward with his ODA bill, some of the beginnings of the organized ODA movement were also simmering within an organization of Ontario Government employees with disabilities. Under the governing NDP, the Ontario Government had set up an “Advisory Group” of provincial public servants with disabilities to advise it on measures to achieve equality for persons with disabilities in the Ontario Public Service. In the Spring of 1994, this Advisory Group set as one of its priorities working within the machinery of the Ontario Government to promote the idea of an ODA.

 

This public service Advisory Group met with several provincial Cabinet Ministers and later with Ontario’s Premier, Bob Rae, to discuss the idea of an ODA. It successfully pressed the Government to hold public hearings on Malkowski’s ODA bill.

 

As 1994 progressed, Malkowski’s bill served its important purpose. It sparked the attention and interest of several players in Ontario’s disability community in the idea of an ODA. No one was then too preoccupied with the details of the contents of Malkowski’s ODA bill.

 

Malkowski’s bill had an even more decisive effect on November 29, 1994, when it first came before the Legislature’s Standing Committee for debate and public hearings. On that date, NDP Citizenship Minister Elaine Ziemba was asked to make a presentation to the Committee on the Government’s views on Malkowski’s bill. She was called upon to do this before community groups would be called on to start making presentations to the legislative committee. The hearing room was packed with persons with disabilities, eager to hear what the Minister would have to say.

 

Much to the audience’s dismay, the Minister’s lengthy speech said little if anything about the bill. She focused instead on the Government’s record on other disability issues. The temperature in the room elevated as the audience’s frustration mounted.

 

When the committee session ended for the day, word quickly spread among the audience that all were invited to go to another room in Ontario’s legislative building. An informal, impromptu gathering came together to talk about taking action in support of Malkowski’s bill. Malkowski passionately urged those present to come together and to get active on this cause.

 

I was one of the 20 or so people who made their way into that room. In an informal meeting that lasted about an hour, it was unanimously decided to form a new coalition to fight for a strong and effective Ontarians with Disabilities Act. There was no debate over the content of such legislation at that meeting. However, there was a strong and united realization that new legislation was desperately needed, and that a new coalition needed to be formed to fight for it. This coalition did not spawn the first ODA bill. Rather, the first ODA bill had spawned this coalition.

 

ACCESSIBILITY FOR ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT HISTORICAL TIME LINE — 30 Years of Tenaciously Campaigning to Tear Down Barriers Impeding over 2.9 Million Ontarians with Disabilities

ACCESSIBILITY FOR ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT HISTORICAL TIME LINE — 30 Years of Tenaciously Campaigning to Tear Down Barriers Impeding over 2.9 Million Ontarians with Disabilities

 

1982

Ontario Legislature amends the Ontario Human Rights Code to make it illegal to discriminate because of physical or mental disability.

 

Charter of Rights enacted, including right to equality for people with mental or physical disabilities. Read the history of the fight for the disability amendment to the Charter in D. Lepofsky’s Swimming Up Niagara Falls: The Battle to Get Disability Rights Added to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

 

Spring 1994

NDP backbench MPP Gary Malkowski introduces Private Member’s Bill into Ontario Legislature, the proposed Ontarians with Disabilities Act. First such bill in Ontario.

 

November 29, 1994

Public hearings on Malkowski’s bill begin in Ontario Legislature. Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee is spontaneously formed in meeting room at Ontario Legislature.

 

May 1995

Ontario election called. Malkowski’s bill dies on the order paper.

Liberal Leader Lyn McLeod promises to enact Disabilities Act if elected. Conservative leader Mike Harris promises to enact Disabilities Act in his first term if elected. These pledges are set out in letters to the Ontario Disability Act (ODA) Committee.

 

June 1995

Mike Harris elected Premier of Ontario.

 

May 16, 1996 

Ontario Legislature unanimously passed a resolution proposed by ODA Committee and presented by NDP MPP Marion Boyd calling on the Harris Government to keep its promise to pass the Disabilities Act and to work with the disability community to develop it.

 

October 29, 1998

The Legislature unanimously passed Liberal MPP Dwight Duncan’s resolution proposed by the ODA Committee calling for a Disabilities Act to be passed that complies with the ODA Committee’s 11 principles to make it strong, effective and mandatory. Liberal Opposition leader Dalton McGuinty appeared at a Queen’s Park news conference with ODA Committee Chair David Lepofsky and publicly pledged for the first time that, if elected, he will pass a Disabilities Act that fulfils this resolution.

 

November 23, 1998

Conservative Minister Isabel Basset introduces into the Legislature Bill 83, a three-page proposed Ontarians with Disabilities Act. It required no barriers to be removed or prevented. It dies on the order paper days later, after it was widely condemned.

 

Spring 1999

1999 Ontario election called. Premier Mike Harris did not enact the Disabilities Act in his first term despite promising to do so. In Ontario election, Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty and NDP leader Howard Hampton each promise that if elected, they would pass a Disabilities Act that fulfils the ODA Committee’s 11 principles. These promises are in letters to the ODA Committee. Mike Harris Conservatives elected to second term in office.

 

November 23, 1999

Ontario Legislature unanimously passed a resolution proposed by the ODA Committee and introduced by Liberal MPP Steve Peters calling on the Government to enact the Disabilities Act within two years.

 

November 5, 2001

PC Minister Cam Jackson introduced Bill 125, the Conservatives’ second Disabilities Act bill. It is sent to legislative to public hearings.

 

December 13, 2001

Ontario Conservatives passed the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001. Liberals and NDP in opposition vote against it as being too weak, not covering the private sector, and lacking enforcement.

 

Spring 2003

Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty and NDP leader Howard Hampton each promise in the 2003 election campaign that if elected, they would enact a Disabilities Act that fulfilled the ODA Committee’s 11 principles. These promises are in letters to the ODA Committee.

 

October 2003

Dalton McGuinty elected Ontario premier as head of the new Liberal Government.

 

October 12, 2004

Liberal Citizenship Minister Dr. Marie Bountrogianni introduces into the Legislature Bill 118, the Liberals’ proposed Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

 

Fall 2004

Conservative leader John Tory announced that the Conservative Party will support the mandatory, enforceable Bill 118 – dramatically changing party policy from the Mike Harris years.

 

January-February 2005

Legislature holds public hearings on Bill 118, first time public hearings were televised while held outside Toronto.

 

May 10, 2005

Ontario Legislature unanimously passes Bill 118, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. MPPs unanimously give standing ovation to this historic event right after the vote.

 

August 2005

ODA Committee winds down, having secured enactment of the AODA. It is replaced by its successor coalition, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, with a mission to get the AODA effectively implemented and enforced.

 

Fall 2006

 

Over the AODA Alliance’s strong objection, the Legislature passes Bill 107, which privatizes enforcement of human rights. It removes the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s mandate to investigate and litigate individual human rights cases. Individuals must thereafter investigate and litigate their own cases.

 

Summer 2007

Ontario Government enacted the Customer Service Accessibility Standard, the first accessibility standard enacted under the AODA.

 

September 14, 2007

Premier McGuinty made written election promises to strengthen the implementation of the AODA during the 2007 election campaign. NDP leader Howard Hampton and PC leader John Tory make election commitments on this topic. All promises are in letters to the AODA Alliance.

 

May 2010

Legislature enacted Bill 231 to modernize Ontario elections. Includes some of the amendments the AODA Alliance sought to remove voting barriers facing voters with disabilities.

 

May 31, 2010

Ontario Government made public the final report of the first Independent Review of the AODA’s implementation, which the Government appointed Charles Beer to conduct. Report called for the Government to show new leadership on the AODA and to revitalize and breathe new life into its implementation. Most of its recommendations are not implemented.

 

June 3, 2011

Ontario Government enacted the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation, an accessibility standard under the AODA to address barriers in employment, transportation and information and communication.

 

June 24, 2011

Ontario Government announces major Ten-Year Infrastructure Plan which includes commitments on the accessibility of new infrastructure. Despite this, new infrastructure is built with disability barriers.

 

August 2011

Premier Dalton McGuinty and NDP leader Andrea Horwath make written election pledges to AODA Alliance to strengthen the implementation of the AODA during the 2011 election.

 

October 2011

Premier McGuinty’s Liberals win third term with a minority Government.

 

December 2012

The Government expands the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation by enacting the Design of Public Spaces Accessibility Standard. It addresses physical barriers in a narrow range of public spaces, such as recreation trails, public parking, and service areas.

 

December 3, 2012

Kathleen Wynne, running for leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party, promises the AODA Alliance that as premier she would keep all her Government’s earlier promises on accessibility and would ensure Ontario is on schedule for full accessibility by 2025.

 

November 18, 2013

AODA Alliance reveals that Government knew for months that 70% of private sector organizations with at least 20 employees violated AODA without any real Government enforcement. This was despite the Government having ample enforcement powers and unused budget on hand for enforcement.

 

December 2013

Government passes limited accessibility amendments to the Ontario building code for new buildings and major renovations, but the promised Built Environment Accessibility Standard is not enacted under the AODA to address many physical barriers in the built environment.

 

January 26, 2014

Kathleen Wynne wins Liberal Party leadership and becomes Ontario Premier.

Ontario Government designates the Accessibility Standards Advisory Council to conduct a mandatory five-year review of the sufficiency of the 2007 Customer Service Accessibility Standard.

 

May 2014

The three parties in the legislature make written election pledges to the AODA Alliance during the 2014 election.

 

June 12, 2014

Liberals under Premier Kathleen Wynne win fourth term in office, now as a majority government.

 

September 25, 2014

Premier Wynne writes “Mandate Letters” to each cabinet minister to set their marching orders and priorities. Many if not most Government promises and duties on disability accessibility are systematically left out of these letters. On May 14, 2014, Premier Wynne had promised the AODA Alliance in writing that she would instruct cabinet ministers and other senior officials on their accessibility promises and duties.

 

February 3, 2015

Ontario Government makes public the final report of the 2nd mandatory Independent Review of the AODA, which the Government appointed Mayo Moran to conduct. Report calls for new strong leadership on accessibility by Ontario’s premier and for the AODA’s implementation to be revitalized. Most of the report’s recommendations are not implemented.

 

Ontario Government commits to develop a Health Care Accessibility Standard under the AODA to tear down barriers impeding patients with disabilities in the health care system. This has still not been enacted.

 

July-August 2015

Ontario hosts the Pan/Parapan American Games in the greater Toronto area. No concerted strategy is announced or implemented to increase accessibility of tourism services surrounding the games to accommodate the influx of tourists, including tourists with disabilities.

 

June 2016

Ontario Government makes minor amendments to the 2007 Customer Service Accessibility Standard but disregards most if not all of the AODA Alliance’s reform recommendations.

 

December 5, 2016

In Question Period, Premier Wynne commits that the Government will enact an Education Accessibility Standard under the AODA to tear down the barriers impeding students with disabilities in Ontario schools, colleges and universities. This has still not been enacted.

 

2016

Ontario Government appoints Standards Development Committees under the AODA to review the sufficiency of the Transportation Accessibility Standard, Employment Accessibility Standard and Information and Communication Accessibility Standard. Under the AODA, these Standards Development Committees were required to be appointed by 2016.

 

Fall 2017/ Early 2018

Ontario Government appoints the Health Care Standards Development Committee to make recommendations on what the promised Health Care Accessibility Standard should include. This appointment came two years after the Government had committed to develop a Health Care Accessibility Standard.

 

Ontario Government appoints the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee and the Post-Secondary Education Standards Development Committee to recommend what should be enacted in an Education Accessibility Standard to tear down the disability barriers in Ontario’s schools, colleges and universities.

 

Spring 2018

The Ontario Government makes public the final recommendations of the Transportation Standards Development Committee which recommended measures to strengthen the 2011 Transportation Accessibility Standard. The Government has enacted no reforms in response to that report.

 

June 2018

Doug Ford’s Conservatives win majority Government.

Raymond Cho appointed Minister for Seniors and Accessibility.

Work of five AODA Standards Development Committees had been frozen during the election campaign, the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee, the Post-Secondary Education Standards Development Committee, the Information and Communication Standards Development Committee, the Employment Standards Development Committee, and the Health Care Standards Development Committee. Ontario Government left these Committees frozen for several months over our objection before it let them get back to work.

 

January 22, 2019

The Ontario Government received the final recommendations of the Employment Standards Development Committee. The AODA required the Government to make this report public upon receiving it. The Government did not make it public until in or about February 2021, some two years later. The Government has enacted none of that Standards Development Committee’s recommendations.

 

January 31, 2019

The Ontario Government receives the final report of the 3rd AODA Independent Review which former Lieutenant Governor David Onley was appointed to conduct. This blistering report found that Ontario is full of “soul-crushing barriers” facing people with disabilities, that progress has been “glacial” and “barely detectable.” It indicated that Ontario is not on schedule for becoming accessible by 2025. The Premier must show strong new leadership on this issue. Accessibility Minister Raymond Cho tells the Legislature that David Onley did a “marvelous job.” Most of the report’s recommendations are not implemented.

 

February 23, 2020

The Information and Communication Standards Development Committee delivered its final report to the Government. The AODA required the Government to make it public upon receiving it. However, the Government did not publicly post it until around November 16, 2020, 8 months later. The Government has not enacted any of its recommendations.

 

March 2020

COVID-19 pandemic breaks out. Government mounts emergency initiatives for the public especially in the education and health care systems. People with disabilities are disproportionately vulnerable to and die from COVID-19. Government responses fail to address the urgent needs of people with disabilities in the pandemic.

 

Ontario hospitals are sent a critical care triage protocol in the event that intensive care wards cannot serve all patients. Disability community reveals that the critical care triage protocol is infected with disability discrimination, which is never removed from that protocol.

 

July 2020

K-12 Education Standards Development Committee submits detailed report and recommendations to the Government on measures needed to remove disability barriers from the school system’s responses to the pandemic. None of its recommendations are implemented.

 

January-February 2022

Ontario Government receives final reports and recommendations by the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee, the Post-Secondary Education Standards Development Committee, and the Health Care Standards Development Committee. None of their recommendations are enacted. No Education Accessibility Standard or Health Care Accessibility Standard has been enacted.

 

2022

Ontario Government appoints Design of Public Spaces Standards Development Committee to review the sufficiency of the 2011 Design of Public Spaces Accessibility Standard (which addresses a few disability barriers in the built environment). The Government held no open public process to apply to serve on that committee. Committee was appointed some five years after the deadline for its appointment set by the AODA.

 

June 2022

Ford Government re-elected with a majority government. All opposition parties made written election commitments to the AODA Alliance. The Ford Government did not answer the AODA Alliance’s request for written commitments.

 

Mid-2023

Ontario Government appoints Customer Service Standards Development Committee to review the sufficiency of the 2007 Customer Service Accessibility Standard. This appointment came two years after the AODA’s deadline for appointing this review.

 

March 2023

The Ontario Government makes public the Initial report of the 4th Independent Review of the AODA, which the Government appointed Rich Donovan to conduct. This report blasted the Government’s failed implementation of the AODA, concluding that the Government has not prioritized accessibility. The results for people with disabilities have been poor.

 

March 2023

The Ontario Government opens the new Toronto courthouse on Armoury Street, Toronto. An AODA Alliance video released in August 2024 reveals that it is a billion-dollar accessibility bungle, replete with many preventable disability barriers.

 

June 6, 2023

Rich Donovan submits to the Government the final report of the 4th Independent Review of the AODA. Even more scathing than the 2019 Onley Report, this Report declares that Ontario is in an “accessibility crisis.” It recommends that Premier Ford should establish and chair a crisis committee. The Government has not implemented any of this report’s recommendations.

 

 

AODA Alliance Chair Addresses Jamaican Conference on Access to Justice for Jamaicans with Disabilities

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

AODA Alliance Chair Addresses Jamaican Conference on Access to Justice for Jamaicans with Disabilities

November 18 2024

 

Once again, the AODA Alliance has gone international! It is very exciting that our perspective and experience interests people in other parts of the world who advocate on accessibility for people with disabilities.

 

Last week, a major conference was held in Kingston, Jamaica exploring the barriers to access to justice experienced by Jamaicans with disabilities. AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky was invited to speak at this conference. The others on the panel with him included, among others, the President of the Caribbean Court of Justice and the Director of Public Prosecutions for Guyana. We applaud the Government of Canada for co-sponsoring this conference.

 

Details about this event are available on the conference Facebook page. That Here is a link to AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky’s November 13, 2024 speech. We will let you know when we get this speech posted on the AODA Alliance YouTube page with captioning.

 

The conference provided a great opportunity to learn from each other’s country and from other Caribbean countries. It addressed barriers in the court system and the law enforcement by police. In some areas, Canada is ahead of Jamaica. In other areas, Jamaica is ahead of Canada.

 

AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky described positive initiatives in Ontario. For over 16 years, the Ontario Courts Accessibility Committee, appointed by the Chief Justice of Ontario and the Attorney General of Ontario, has overseen progress on removing and preventing disability barriers in Ontario’s courts. They oversee implementation of the landmark 2006 report of the Weiler Committee entitled “Making Ontario’s Courts Fully Accessible to People with Disabilities,” which provides a strong and effective roadmap to the goal of barrier-free courts. He also explained that we have had major problems, notably the Ontario Government’s new Armoury Street courthouse in Toronto, which is full of disability barriers. See the AODA Alliance online video detailing many of the accessibility blunders in this new building.

 

Canada should learn from the fact that Jamaica has in place a program for training some lawyers and court staff in Jamaican Sign Language. We are not aware of any parallel program in Ontario.

 

As well, Ontario should organize a similar conference to the one held in Jamaica. Its aim was to identify the barriers that people with disabilities face throughout the broad justice system and to make concrete recommendations for reform. Attendees and speakers included disability advocates and organizations, senior government officials (including the Minister of Justice), representation from the judiciary, the police, other court-related services, the law schools, the Legal Aid system, other academics, and experts in this area from other parts of the world. It was fantastic when participants from so many parts of the community came together formally and informally for two days at the same time and place.

 

We can be proud that the Government of Canada co-sponsored this Jamaican conference and has funded the Sign Language training for the justice system in Jamaica. We encourage the Government of Canada or of Ontario to undertake similar initiatives here.

 

What You Can Do to Help

 

Write the Attorney General of Ontario Doug Downey doug.downey@ontario.ca and the Minister of Justice for Canada Arif Virani MCU@justice.gc.ca and urge them to fund an Ontario conference on access to justice for people with disabilities and Sign Language training for lawyers and court staff,.

 

Encourage others to watch AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky’s November 13, 2024 speech at the Jamaica conference on access to justice for people with disabilities.

 

Learn more about the AODA Alliance’s advocacy on access to justice by visiting the AODA Alliance website’s courts accessibility page.

 

 

 

Is the Ford Government in Denial About the Accessibility Crisis in Ontario?

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

Is the Ford Government in Denial About the Accessibility Crisis in Ontario?

 

November 17, 2024

 

SUMMARY

 

It’s great that the media is increasingly focusing on the fact that the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act’s 2025 deadline is under two months away. That’s when the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act requires the Ontario Government to have led this province to be accessible to 2.9 million Ontarians with disabilities. The November 12, 2024 report by CBC Sudbury, set out below is a great example of this media attention.

 

The Ford Government’s formulaic response to the CBC is very disturbing. It does not acknowledge that Ontario is in an accessibility crisis, as was declared on June 6, 2023 by Rich Donovan. He is the person that the Ford Government hand-picked to conduct the mandatory 4th Independent Review of the AODA.

 

Once again, the Ford Government gave CBC the same misleading boilerplate response that it has given other media outlets time and again. The CBC article states in part:

 

“In an email to CBC News, Wallace Pidgeon, director of communications for Seniors and Accessibility Minister Raymond Cho, said ‘Ontario is meeting, achieving, or exceeding the AODA standards across the province.’”

 

The Government was told over a decade ago by the 2nd AODA Independent Review  that the accessibility standards that have been enacted under the AODA are far too weak. Let’s assume for the moment that this claim is true, even though we would question it. For the Government “to meet or exceed” those weak and limited standards achieves very little for people with disabilities. Those standards don’t address or rectify the majority of barriers that people with disabilities face.

 

In this article, the Ford Government ventured further into inaccurate and misleading statements when it claimed as follows, according to the CBC report:

 

“Pidgeon said in the email that under the current government, Ontario has had ‘historic spending’ on infrastructure to improve accessibility, which includes school upgrades, new and retrofitted hospitals and long-term care facilities, as well as public transit upgrades including over 2,200 new accessible buses being delivered province-wide.”

 

The AODA Alliance revealed last August that a brand new billion-dollar criminal courthouse in Toronto that the Government built is replete with serious disability barriers. The AODA Alliance made this public in an online video that has been seen several thousand times and that the media has widely covered.

 

As well, the Ford Government can hardly claim credit for new accessible busses being deployed. It was the NDP Ontario Government under Premier Bob Rae that established this requirement some three decades ago.

 

What You Can Do to Help

 

  • Urge your local media to cover the ongoing accessibility barriers that people with disabilities face in your community, as the January 1, 2025 AODA accessibility deadline approaches. If Sudbury CBC can do this, so can local media around the province.

 

  • Remember to sign up to attend in person or watch online the AODA Alliance’s exciting celebration of the 30th anniversary of the birth of Ontario’s grassroots non-partisan movement to win a strong Disabilities Act. It looks like all the speaking slots have been taken by people who already signed up. We will keep a waiting list, so there’s still hope for others who want to speak at this event. Check out the November 2, 2024 AODA Alliance Update for details about this program. You can sign up for it online. Of course, you are welcome to come in person (space permitting) or watch online, even if you don’t want to speak to the hearings that we are holding from 2 to 4 p.m. on November 25, 2024. We’ll reach out to those who signed up, closer to the event, with all the details they’ll need.

 

 

MORE DETAILS

 

CBC News November 12, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/accessibility-standards-ontario-1.7380451

 

Sudbury

 

Ontario is supposed to be fully accessible by Jan. 1, but advocates say it’s ‘nowhere close’

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act outlines standards in 5 areas of daily life

 

Jonathan Migneault CBC News

A municipal bus with a wheelchair ramp.

 

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) includes a standard on transportation, which would ensuring municipal buses are wheelchair-accessible. (Sarah MacMillan/CBC)

 

In the new year, Ontario is supposed to be fully accessible for disabled people, but advocates say the province is “nowhere near” meeting standards it created 20 years ago.

 

In 2005, the Ontario Legislature enacted the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). It set a 20-year goal to meet standards in five areas that affect everyday life: information and communication, employment, transportation, customer service and the design of public spaces.

 

“We are nowhere close to being accessible by 2025 and we’ve been warning the government about this for years,” said David Lepofsky, chair of the AODA Alliance.

 

Lepofsky was part of the group of disability advocates that lobbied Dalton McGuinty’s government to enact the AODA in 2005.

 

Since then, he’s continued the fight to have standards fully implemented by Jan. 1, 2025.

 

Those standards cover everything from accessible transportation, including having wheelchair-accessible buses and taxis, to accessible buildings with sufficient elevators, automatic doors and wheelchair ramps.

 

The legislation applies to all organizations and businesses with 20 employees or more.

 

Failure to meet standards can result in a fine of up to $100,000 per day for a business or organization, and up to $50,000 a day for a director at that organization.

 

David Lepofsky, of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, says the aides that school boards provide to students with disabilities are a right not a privilege.

 

David Lepofsky chairs the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance. He’s been a longtime advocate for better accessibility in Ontario. (Mike Smee/CBC)

Outside of physical accommodations for disabled people, the legislation also outlines equitable hiring practices and implementing accessible technology within an organization.

 

That technology extends to websites, where things like alternative text, which describes photos, and compatibility with screen readers are part of the standard.

 

The customer service standard means organizations need to train their staff to properly accommodate people with disabilities.

 

“You want to treat them like equals. Don’t talk down to them,” said Nadine Law, a disability advocate from Sudbury.

 

Their [Ontario government] record is abysmal.

– David Lepofsky

 

Lepofsky argues that in addition to falling short on meeting the five existing standards under the legislation, there should be others.

 

“We’ve pressed for reforms in the area of health-care,” he said.

 

“Patients with disabilities face too many barriers in the health-care system, just as students with disabilities face too many barriers in the education system. So we pressed for the government to enact a health-care accessibility standard.”

 

But despite recommendations from two independent reviews to both strengthen existing standards and add new ones – such as health and education – Lepofsky says Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government has sat on its hands.

 

“Their record is abysmal,” he said.

 

Portrait of a man.

 

Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre says the city plans to fully involve its accessibility panel from the start on future decisions around new developments and programs. (Maxime Beauchemin/Radio-Canada)

 

In an email to CBC News, Wallace Pidgeon, director of communications for Seniors and Accessibility Minister Raymond Cho, said “Ontario is meeting, achieving, or exceeding the AODA standards across the province.”

 

Pidgeon said in the email that under the current government, Ontario has had “historic spending” on infrastructure to improve accessibility, which includes school upgrades, new and retrofitted hospitals and long-term care facilities, as well as public transit upgrades including over 2,200 new accessible buses being delivered province-wide.

 

He added that all 444 municipalities in Ontario must have accessibility plans in place to meet the AODA standards.

 

In Timmins, city council will vote Tuesday evening to approve its five-year accessibility plan which touches on the five standards.

 

The plan outlines things the city has already done to improve accessibility, such as redesigning its transit building to make it more accessible. And it includes future plans to improve accessibility, such as a redesign of the local arena, the McIntyre Community Centre in 2025.

 

 

 

Nadine Law is a Sudbury resident living with a physical disability and the regional client services coordinator for Spinal Cord Injury Ontario. She is pushing for the city to consider replacing the Accessibility Advisory Panel with a municipal accessibility advisory committee.

In Sudbury, city council is voting on Tuesday to approve an accessibility consultation policy.

 

The policy would require the city’s accessibility panel to consult on any new municipal buildings, upgrades or programs to make sure they meet AODA standards.

 

“What I’m hearing is that they’re happier that they’re not brought in midway through a project, but at the beginning of the project,” Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre said about the city’s accessibility panel.

 

But disability advocate Nadine Law argues the city should have an accessibility committee, as opposed to a panel.

 

“With a committee everything is transparent,” she said.

 

“You’ve got minutes that are taken and they should be available on the website for the public to see.”

 

Other cities in northeastern Ontario, including North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie and Timmins have accessibility committees.

 

Lefebvre said the city’s clerk is currently exploring the benefits of a committee instead of a panel.

 

“I think we’ll always be focused on the result of what we’re getting,” he said. “Certainly the way that we get there is important as well.”

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

Jonathan Migneault

Digital reporter/editor

 

Jonathan Migneault is a CBC digital reporter/editor based in Sudbury. He is always looking for good stories about northeastern Ontario. Send story ideas to jonathan.migneault@cbc.ca.

 

 

“We need to enforce the law, absolutely,” Said Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow About Electric Scooters and Other Micromobility Vehicles

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

“We need to enforce the law, absolutely,” Said Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow About Electric Scooters and Other Micromobility Vehicles

November 16, 2024

 

SUMMARY

 

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said, “We need to enforce the law, absolutely,” about e-scooters and other micromobility vehicles. This is very important for vulnerable pedestrians with disabilities, seniors and others.

 

Right now, it is illegal to ride an e-scooter anywhere in public in Toronto. That includes public places like roads, bike paths, sidewalks and parks. Disability advocates including the AODA Alliance fought long and hard to achieve this. Yet people riding e-scooters can be seen all over Toronto without any fear of police enforcement.

 

The mayor’s new commitment is reported in an article in the November 6, 2024, Toronto Star, set out below. The AODA Alliance applauds the mayor’s commitment. We look forward to Toronto law enforcement putting it into action.

 

On November 4, 2024, Toronto police announced a two-week plan to step up action regarding e-scooters and other micromobility devices. However, the AODA Alliance’s November 5, 2024, news release criticized Toronto Police, because it was only intending to focus on people who ride e-scooters at excessive speeds or while unhelmeted. Ontario law bans any e-scooter riding in public, not just riding e-scooters too fast or while unhelmeted, as the Toronto Star article reports.

 

We call on Toronto Police Services to fully enforce the law against anyone riding e-scooters on streets, sidewalks, bike paths, park paths, or any public place where they are prohibited. E-scooters pose a silent menace that endangers safety and accessibility for vulnerable people with disabilities, seniors and others.

 

What You Can Do to Help

 

  • Write the Toronto Chief of Police. Tell them to fully enforce the ban on riding e-scooters anywhere in public in order to protect safety and accessibility for vulnerable people with disabilities, seniors and others. Email the Toronto Chief of Police by going to their web page for this.

 

  • Write Premier Ford. Tell him not to extend Toronto’s pilot project with e-scooters. Write him at premier@ontario.ca

 

  • Send a letter to the editor at the Toronto Star to call for Toronto police to fully enforce the ban on riding e-scooters anywhere in public in Toronto. Write The Star at lettertoed@thestar.ca

 

For More Background

 

 

 

 

MORE DETAILS

 

Toronto Star November 6, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/theyre-a-silent-menace-toronto-police-to-crack-down-on-use-of-e-scooters-and/article_0edbfe2a-9b8d-11ef-9f25-3ff55a15518e.html

 

‘They’re a silent menace’: Toronto police to crack down on use of e-scooters and e-bikes

A total of 16 people have been killed or seriously injured while using micromobility vehicles so far this year, say Toronto police.

 

Toronto police and Traffic Services have launched a campaign to raise awareness and enforce rules around micromobility devices such as e-bikes and e-scooters.

 

Richard Lautens/Toronto Star file photo

By Serena AustinStaff Reporter

 

A total of 16 people have been killed or seriously injured while using a micromobility vehicle such as an e-scooter, bike or skateboard, so far this year, according to Toronto police.

 

These incidents are part of the reason why officers will be raising awareness and enforcing rules on the use of micromobility vehicles on the city’s roads as part of a two-week “safe rides, safe streets,” campaign.

 

“Toronto has seen an increase in various forms of electric vehicles, including e-bikes, electric kick scooters and electric one-wheeled devices,” police said in a news release Monday.

 

The enforcement campaign, which Toronto police said is meant to raise public awareness and enhance the safety of all road users, began on Nov. 4 and will end on Nov. 17.

 

According to the release, electric kick scooters, skateboards, unicycles and hoverboards are not allowed to be operated on Toronto’s roads.

 

During the campaign, police said Traffic Services officers will be educating members of the public and enforcing the Highway Traffic Act along with the City of Toronto’s bylaws applying to micromobility vehicles, with a focus on “unsafe behaviours.”

 

E-scooter ban in Toronto

Despite e-scooters popping up in multiple municipalities in recent years, Toronto council voted unanimously to opt out of the province’s pilot to roll them out in 2021.

 

A news release on the decision said council agreed with a report that found “significant accessibility barriers,” and issues surrounding “safety, enforcement, insurance and liability,” when it came to the use of both rental and privately owned e-scooters.

 

According to the City of Toronto’s website, e-scooters, also known as standing electric kick-scooters, are not allowed to be “operated, left, stored or parked,” on any public street including, bike lanes or cycle tracks, trails, paths, sidewalks or parks.

 

“We need to enforce the law, absolutely,” Mayor Olivia Chow said about micromobility vehicles. “The numbers of deaths and injuries of people riding them and people that are being hurt is unacceptable.”

 

“We need to keep everybody safe,” said Chow.

 

Advocates call for better enforcement

People with disabilities have been advocating “tenaciously” against allowing e-scooters on streets and in public spaces in Toronto and Ontario for the past five years, David Lepofsky, chair of the AODA Alliance, told the Star.

 

“They’re a silent menace for people like me,” said Lepofsky, who is blind.

 

Lepofsky is glad the city voted to prohibit e-scooters, which he said pose risks for people who are blind, seniors and people with mobility issues, because of their speed and how quiet they can be, among other factors.

 

“Riding e-scooters in Toronto is not legal,” he said. “It’s not just if you don’t wear a helmet of if you ride too fast. It’s just not legal.”

 

Despite being prohibited, “what our problem is,” said Lepofsky, “is if you go out on the street, you’re going to see scooters in Toronto all over the place,” which he believes comes from a lack of enforcement.

 

“It wouldn’t surprise me if there are people riding e-scooters who don’t have a clue that they’re not allowed,” he added.

 

In Lepofsky and the AODA Alliance’s perspective, it’s good that Toronto police are taking steps to raise awareness about rules on micromobility vehicles. But unless they focus on enforcing the fact that most, including e-scooters, are not allowed on the city’s roads, people with disabilities will be left “endangered,” he said.

 

Serena Austin is a Toronto-based general assignment reporter at the Star. Reach her via email: serenaaustin@thestar.ca

Toronto Police Announce Crackdown on E-Scooter and E-Bikes, But Don’t Appear to Know E-Scooter Riding in Public in Toronto is Prohibited

ACCESSIBILITY FOR ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT ALLIANCE

NEWS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Toronto Police Announce Crackdown on E-Scooter and E-Bikes, But Don’t Appear to Know E-Scooter Riding in Public in Toronto is Prohibited

 

November 5, 2024 Toronto: Toronto police say they’re cracking down on e-bike and e-scooter riders but don’t seem to know that e-scooter-riding in Toronto in public places is totally illegal. Yesterday, City News reported that Toronto Police Services have announced a two-week crackdown focusing only on such things as riding at excessive speeds or riding without a helmet. (City News report set out below.)

 

“Toronto City Council twice voted to completely ban any e-scooter riding in public, in 2021 and again in 2024, but Toronto’s cops don’t seem to have gotten the memo!” said David Lepofsky, Chair of the AODA Alliance which spearheaded the grassroots disability campaign to get Toronto to ban e-scooters. “Toronto police should be enforcing the law against anyone who rides an e-scooter on a public road, sidewalk, park trail or any other public property. We fought long and hard for that ban to protect vulnerable people with disabilities and seniors.”

 

E-scooters especially endanger seniors and people with disabilities. Blind people can’t tell when silent e-scooters rocket at them at over 20 kph, driven by unlicensed, untrained, uninsured, unhelmeted joy riders. Left strewn on sidewalks, e-scooters are tripping hazards for blind people and accessibility barriers for wheelchair users.

 

Toronto City Staff twice recommended against allowing e-scooters, in 2021 and 2024. Toronto’s Accessibility Advisory Committee three times made strong recommendations to City Council against allowing e-scooters, in 2020, 2021, and 2024. Following these recommendations, City Council twice voted to ban e-scooters in 2021 and 2024.

 

Toronto police’s new strategy creates a false impression that riding e-scooters is permitted in Toronto if you wear a helmet and don’t speed. This is not the case.

 

Contact: AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky, aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

Learn more about the AODA Alliance efforts to protect vulnerable people with disabilities, seniors and others from e-scooters. Watch the captioned video of AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky’s 3-minute presentation at the May 2, 2024 Toronto Infrastructure and Environment Committee meeting. Check out the AODA Alliance website’s e-scooters page.

 

 

City News November 4, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://toronto.citynews.ca/2024/11/04/toronto-police-cracking-down-on-unsafe-e-bike-operators/

 

Toronto police cracking down on unsafe e-bike operators

A food delivery courier rides an e-bike in Toronto on Wednesday, January 3, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

By Erica Natividad and Denio Lourenco

 

The Toronto Police Service (TPS) says it is cracking down on unsafe operators of “micromobility” vehicles, which include e-bikes, e-scooters and other small electric vehicles like hoverboards and unicycles.

 

“A lot of them are aligned with the food industry and there’s been a lack of education,” TPS Acting Supt. Matt Moyer tells CityNews. “As a result of that, it’s been very unclear as to what the standard and what the guidelines are for safe operation of these vehicles.”

 

An education and enforcement campaign titled “Safe Streets, Safe Roads” began on Monday and will be in effect for the next two weeks until Sunday, November 17, primarily in the downtown core.

 

Traffic officers will be pulling over those who are potentially breaking the law, including those who are speeding, running red lights, hopping on and off sidewalks, and not wearing a helmet.

 

“I definitely think they should crack down on it,” one Toronto resident told CityNews. “They’re really dangerous, especially because they’re electronic,

so they’re silent. And it makes sidewalks inaccessible for people with wheelchairs, strollers, or just two people walking together.”

 

“I think they should stay off the footpaths anyway,” another resident quipped. “If they’re on the roads, I don’t mind.”

 

At least 16 people have been killed or seriously injured while operating micromobility vehicles so far this year, according to police.

 

One e-bike rider who was standing by Yonge-Dundas Square told CityNews there are situations where a ticket would be unfair. He points out the dangers that food delivery drivers face, saying he’s often the target of thieves and claims that he was once held at knifepoint while making a delivery at 3 a.m.

 

The rider says he’s had his helmet stolen three times and was recently ticketed by police and fined $110.00 for riding without one.

 

“I don’t have much money for buying a helmet,” the rider explained. “And I told the officer, but he [didn’t] want to understand.”

 

At a press conference on Monday, Acting Supt. Don Belanger told reporters the legality of “micromobility” devices on city roads is an “unfolding issue.”

 

“Our main concern is the safety of individuals that are utilizing these devices in the city. Some of them hit very high speeds,” Belanger said. “Often we see people not wearing helmets. When you combine that with, particularly, our downtown congestion, it certainly creates safety issues for the users, as well as for drivers frankly and pedestrians.”

 

Riders who are caught breaking the law face potential fines starting at $90.00.

 

 

AODA Alliance Seeks Urgent Meeting with Ontario’s Transportation Minister to Protect Vulnerable Pedestrians with Disabilities from Electric Scooters and from Bike Lanes Built on Sidewalks

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

 

AODA Alliance Seeks Urgent Meeting with Ontario’s Transportation Minister to Protect Vulnerable Pedestrians with Disabilities from Electric Scooters and from Bike Lanes Built on Sidewalks

 

November 5, 2024

 

SUMMARY

 

The AODA Alliance wrote Ontario’s Transportation Minister on November 4, 2024. We asked for an urgent meeting to discuss two major Ford Government initiatives that the minister is leading.

 

  • We want to discuss the Government’s proposal to conduct another 5-year pilot with electric scooters that endanger people with disabilities, seniors and others.
  • We also want the Government to amend its Bill 212, which will regulate construction of bike lanes in Ontario. We want that bill to require bike lanes to be built only at street level and not at sidewalk level. A widely viewed AODA Alliance video shows how it endangers safety for vulnerable people with disabilities and seniors, among others when a bike lane is built at sidewalk level.

 

You can read our letter to the Minister below. It includes an excellent article included in The Pointer, an online news publication, about the dangers that e-scooters pose for people with disabilities.

 

How You Can Help

 

Write the Minister of Transportation. His contact information is set out below in our letter to him. Tell him to agree to meet with the AODA Alliance.

 

Here’s another reminder to sign up to attend the upcoming 30th anniversary of the birth of Ontario’s grassroots campaign for strong disability legislation. This celebration will be held at Queen’s Park, Toronto, from 2 to 4 p.m. EST on November 25, 2024. You can take part in person or online. Use our online sign-up form to register to come in person as an observer or if you want to give a 3-minute speech. You should also use the online sign-up form if you want to register to give a 3-minute speech online from home.

 

If you want to watch the festivities online but don’t want to speak, you don’t need to register. We will later make public a YouTube link to watch from home. In-person space is limited, so sign up fast. We will close sign-ups when we reach capacity.

 

Learn more about this event by reading the November 2, 2024 AODA Alliance Update.

 

MORE DETAILS

 

November 4, 2024, AODA Alliance Letter to Ontario’s Minister of Transportation

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance

United for a Barrier-Free Society for All People with Disabilities

Web: www.aodaalliance.org Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com Twitter: @aodaalliance Facebook: www.facebook.com/aodaalliance/

 

November 4, 2024

 

Via Email

Minister.mto@Ontario.ca

To: Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria Minister of Transportation

Ministry of Transportation

5th Floor

777 Bay St.

Toronto, ON M7A 1Z8

Tel.: 416-327-9200

 

Dear Minister,

 

Re: Preventing Dangers to Safety and Accessibility that Threaten Ontarians with Disabilities,

 

We request a meeting with you on two important issues that you are spearheading. Both concern safety and accessibility for at least 2.9 million Ontarians with disabilities as well as seniors and others. We have been very public about these concerns for quite some time. This letter summarizes them.

 

Your Ministry’s Proposal to Conduct a Second Five-Year Pilot With Electric Scooters

 

The Government is proposing to extend for another five years its pilot project with the silent menace of e-scooters. That pilot lets Ontario cities decide to allow e-scooters to be ridden in public spaces.

 

We oppose Ontario extending its e-scooters pilot for another five years. If Ontario does extend this pilot despite our opposition to it, Ontario should add substantial new provincial safeguards to it. In any event, Ontario should enact strong penalties for unlawfully riding an e-scooter in public.

 

We strongly support micromobility. All the goals of micromobility can be achieved through a much safer, healthier, environmentally friendly option that we support, namely bikes and BikeShare. Moreover, other micromobility options can be used. An effective micromobility strategy need not and should not include e-scooters.

 

Experience in city after city shows that e-scooters are a silent menace that present twin dangers to public safety. First, riders and innocent pedestrians can get seriously injured or killed. E-scooters especially endanger vulnerable seniors and people with disabilities.

 

People who are blind, who have low vision, or who are deafblind can’t know when silent e-scooters rocket at them at over 10 or 20 kph, driven by unlicensed, untrained, uninsured, unhelmeted, fun-seeking joyriders. The same is so for sighted pedestrians when an e-scooter comes at them from behind. Fragile seniors, and those whose mobility is slow or limited, cannot easily get out of the way, even if they see a silent e-scooter racing towards them.

 

Second, when left strewn on sidewalks, e-scooters are dangerous tripping hazards for people who are blind or partially sighted. They are major accessibility barriers to a clear path of travel for wheelchair users.

 

These dangers are not limited to times when an e-scooter is ridden on a sidewalk. There are times that pedestrians must walk on the road, such as when they cross a road, or on a road where there is no sidewalk.

 

These concerns as they have played out in Brampton Ontario are thoroughly addressed in an excellent October 2, 2024 report in The Pointer online news publication. We set that article out for you below.

 

We warned the Government about these dangers before it launched its first 5-year pilot with e-scooters, back in 2019. Despite this, no effective safeguards were included in the provincial pilot that prevent these twin dangers.

 

Since then, five years of experience in Ontario and elsewhere all prove that our warnings were correct. Yet your Ministry has not reached out to us and the broad disability community to learn about any problems before coming forward with its proposal to extend the provincial e-scooters pilot for another 5 years. The provincial proposed extension includes no effective mandatory safeguards for vulnerable people with disabilities, seniors and others who are endangered.

 

We further documented our concerns in detail in the AODA Alliance’s September 24, 2024 brief, submitted to your Ministry’s public consultation on extending the e-scooter pilot.

 

No Ministry staff have reached out to us to investigate any of these concerns after we submitted that brief. The stated purpose of the pilot’s extension is to gather more information about e-scooters. Why has the Ministry not attempted to gather any of this from us over the past five years? The five years of our activity on the e-scooters issue are fully documented on the AODA Alliance website’s e-scooters page. It is likely the most comprehensive compilation of information available on the disability issues we raise.

 

Extending this e-scooter pilot would create new barriers against people with disabilities. That flies in the face of the Government’s duties under the Ontario Human Rights Code, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

 

Amending Bill 212 to Require that Bike Lanes be Built at Street Level and Never at Sidewalk Level

 

A harmful new trend has been to build new bike paths on sidewalks. This endangers blind pedestrians who won’t know they are walking in the middle of a bike path when they think they are on a sidewalk reserved for pedestrians.

 

The AODA Alliance requests that Bill 212 be amended to require that bike paths be built only at street level. Bill 212, which you introduced into the Legislature last month, regulates the construction of bike lanes in Ontario. That bill fails to protect the urgent safety needs of vulnerable pedestrians with disabilities, seniors and others. It does not require that bike lanes be built at street level instead of sidewalk level so that cyclists don’t endanger vulnerable pedestrians.

 

Last fall, the AODA Alliance posted an 8-minute online video  showing how a bike path on Toronto’s Eglinton Avenue built at sidewalk rather than road level seriously endangers people with disabilities. That video secured a great deal of media coverage and public support. We urge you and your staff to watch it.

 

We are eager for the Legislature to hold public hearings on Bill 212 and for the AODA Alliance and other disability organizations to be given opportunities to give testimony in person or virtually at those hearings.

 

In conclusion, we would welcome an opportunity to meet with you to discuss these two important issues. No Cabinet Minister in the Ontario Government has met with us to discuss any of these concerns. We briefed a member of your Minister’s Office staff and asked him to arrange a meeting for us with you. We hope and trust that you will agree to meet.

 

Sincerely,

 

David Lepofsky CM, O. Ont

Chair Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance

Twitter: @davidlepofsky

 

CC: The Hon Premier Doug Ford Email premier@ontario.ca

Raymond Cho, Minister for Seniors and Accessibility Raymond.cho@ontario.ca

 

The Pointer October 2, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://thepointer.com/article/2024-10-03/disability-and-safety-advocates-want-to-see-end-to-e-scooter-program-in-brampton

 

Disability and safety advocates want to see end to e-scooter program in Brampton

 

A five-year test phase for e-scooters is nearing its end, leaving it in the hands of the PC government to determine the future of these micro-mobility machines in Ontario. Disability advocates are hoping the government will finally listen to their warnings about the risks—many of them played out across Brampton, where a pilot program has come under fire.

By Muhammad Hamza

 

By the time snow begins to fall, electric scooters rolled out months ago by Brampton residents to navigate summer in the city will be bundled up and stored away for the winter.

 

These nimble, motorized two-wheel devices have been gaining popularity in big cities across the globe, and over the last five years in Ontario. The provincial government gave municipalities permission to regulate their use in 2019 as part of a five-year pilot period.

 

In March, following the inaugural 2023 season for e-scooters in Brampton, City officials heralded the program as a success.  “The Shared E-scooter Pilot Program has exceeded expectations in ridership numbers and the feedback received from the community has been positive,” a staff report declared. “Since April (2023), residents and visitors alike have embraced the convenience and eco-friendly nature of the e-scooter initiative, contributing to the program’s overall success.”

 

Three private companies were awarded contracts to participate in the pilot and 750 e-scooters were made available across the city.

 

The “Scooty” platform was one and like the others allowed residents to rent e-scooters at designated transit stations and stops, community centres, libraries and parks, using a convenient app to manage transactions and navigate the system.

 

Former Brampton councillor Gurpreet Dhillon, right, and current Councillor Harkirat Singh, tried out the Scooty scooters three years ago when the pilot was being considered. (Scooty/X)

 

With speeds that can reach 50 kilometres an hour, and the use of scooters on both sidewalks and roadways, their growing presence has introduced a sometimes chaotic element to transportation infrastructure in cities around the world.

 

Statistics across Canada and from around the world show that injuries from e-scooter accidents have surged as their use has spread.

 

Alberta reported that 1,000 children and teens were hurt in e-scooter accidents from 2022 to August of this year. Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed e-scooter injuries in the U.S. ballooned from 8,566 in 2017 to 56,847 in 2022 (the rapid rise in their use contributed to the dramatic increase).

 

But despite growing concerns in cities around the world, including in Ontario, Brampton’s elected officials decided in 2022 that the City would launch the pilot program through the provincial government’s five-year window to do so.

 

Staff noted a significant number of the 200,000 rides initiated in 2023 were from transit terminals under the rental program, showing riders took advantage of scooters as an alternative to other modes of transportation to complete “their first and last mile”, addressing a significant gap in a city with limited active transportation infrastructure and congested suburban roadways.

 

The introduction of the program also came with a number of problems. Residents have complained about the reckless use of e-scooters on sidewalks and social media posts have described widespread issues around their use. In the spring City officials were told by staff that eleven percent of all complaints to 311 in 2023 related to litter and obstruction were due to e-scooters.

 

Concerns around the impacts on residents with a range of disabilities have also been voiced since the provincial government first considered the pilot period.

 

While the City of Brampton’s official statement described the first year of the pilot as a success, disability advocates are renewing their efforts to curtail e-scooter use and want a seat at the table to share their views before municipalities continue their programs.

 

David Lepofsky is Chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance (AODA Alliance), a non-partisan advocacy organization that fights for regulations and policies that protect those living with disabilities. His organization has been critical of e-scooter pilot programs across the province and chastized the City of Brampton in 2022 for failing to consult with his organization before moving forward with the pilot program. With the five-year study phase launched by the Ontario government coming to an end next month, Lepfosky is urging the PCs to take a second look at e-scooters.

 

“They are a silent menace that endangers vulnerable seniors, people with disabilities and others,” Lepofsky and the AODA Alliance wrote as part of a submission to the PC government. Public consultations on the future of e-scooters in Ontario are currently open for comment. “The Ontario cities that have allowed e-scooters have proven that all our fears about which we warned in 2019 have come true. Five years of pilot projects in Ontario have shown that we were right. No city has found a way to effectively prevent these dangers.”

 

The scooters can pose a dangerous tripping hazard for blind people, block paths for those travelling with wheelchairs, walkers or strollers and pose unique obstacles for others who use transportation infrastructure in a range of ways. There is also the risk of collisions when motorized scooters move at high speeds around people who may not be aware of them or are unable to move fast enough to avoid being struck. With motorized platform scooters gaining in popularity around the world, the number of collisions involving them is also rising steadily, posing a range of physical risks and financial liability.

 

“Ontario already has far too many accessibility barriers in public places and has been getting less disability accessible. E-scooters would make this even worse,” the AODA Alliance brief warns.

 

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act 2005 establishes clear policies for locating and eliminating obstacles in public areas, including transportation. The legislation notes that municipalities must “set out measures, policies, practices, or other requirements for the identification and removal of barriers with respect to goods, services, facilities, accommodation, employment, buildings, structures, premises, or such other things as may be prescribed, and for the prevention of the erection of such barriers.”

 

Local bylaws are supposed to ensure that public spaces, including sidewalks and transit stations, are free from any barriers. The Act suggests that failure to comply with rules and regulations can result in a legal penalty for a municipal government.

 

Despite the positive spin around Brampton’s pilot, the results of its first year show the concerns of the AODA Alliance becoming a reality. Despite the requirement for e-scooters to be parked in designated areas and locked with two wheels on the ground once a ride was completed, this only occurred in 60 percent of rides, according to data from the City. Other jurisdictions have compliance rates closer to 97 percent.

 

This led to the testing of two new parking policies in small areas of Brampton that allowed riders to either leave these scooters in designated parking areas, or anywhere along their route as long as they were placed on the public boulevard and did not obstruct the pedestrian right of way (it is unclear how this was enforced).

 

According to the latest report by Statistics Canada on the Canadian Survey on Disability, which was conducted between 2017 and 2022, eight million Canadians aged 15 and over, or 27 percent of the population, had one or more impairments that restricted their everyday activities. Since 2017, when 6.2 million individuals, or 22 percent of the population, had one or more impairments, the number of Canadians with disabilities has climbed by five percent. Both the aging population and the sharp rise in mental health-related impairments among young people and individuals in the working age range have contributed to this increase. In 2022, women had a greater percentage of disability (30 percent) than men (24 percent), continuing the trend that began in 2017.

 

Six out of ten people reported having difficulty entering both indoor and outdoor public venues. The research indicated that in 2022, 72 percent of persons with disabilities said that they faced one or more of 27 categories of obstacles to accessibility due to their condition at least sometimes in the last year.

 

Despite the increasing need for municipalities to address the needs of this growing population, Brampton’s reporting on this issue continues to ignore these voices.

 

The accessibility concerns for those with disabilities were not addressed in the staff report on e-scooters submitted by Fernanda Duarte Peixoto Soares, Project Manager, Active Transportation, Integrated City Planning, to councillors earlier this year. In early 2022, when the e-scooter pilot was being considered, for reasons that remain unclear, the City’s accessibility advisory committee was not included in the process.

 

Toronto, by contrast, fully engaged Lepofsky and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, who were invited to the table when advocates came out in full force as a similar e-scooter pilot was floated. It was voted down unanimously in 2021 by Toronto council members, largely due to the obvious problems people with disabilities would have faced.

 

Statistics Canada has shared data indicating that the most common barriers faced by people with disabilities are those related to features found in or around public spaces, such as sidewalks and entrances and exits (56 percent), followed by barriers pertaining to communication (48 percent), behaviors, misconceptions, or assumptions (37 percent), and online activities (17 percent). The figures indicated that in addition to the accessibility obstacles already faced by those with special needs, the e-scooter plan presents additional difficulties that make moving on sidewalks difficult for them.

 

Operating an e-scooter also poses serious safety risks and has legal ramifications that must be recognized. According to recent reports, their use might put communities in legal hot water in addition to posing hazards to riders. As the City of Brampton evaluates the future of the e-scooter program, concerns about insurance gaps and liability, helmet noncompliance, and a rise in pedestrian accidents raise questions about risks to taxpayers who ultimately have to pay for any escalating problems and, more importantly, the safety of residents.

 

E-scooters are cheap alternatives to commuting, but they are also a safety risk for pedestrians. Photo credit : Pexels.com Figures from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, assembled and analyzed by academics at the University of California, registered a 354 percent rise of e-scooter-related injuries in United States adults between 2014 and 2018 (take-up of the products increased significantly over this period).

 

The research noted almost one third of incidents involved a head injury.

 

According to an article from personal injury lawyers at Dietrich Law Firm, under Ontario’s no-fault system, the insurance company will not be held liable for harm that the driver does to another individual in the event of an e-scooter accident. The hefty monetary settlements in such instances must be paid entirely by the driver of the e-scooter who is at fault. The rider is responsible for covering all medical costs and property damage associated with an e-scooter collision because vehicle insurance does not cover such incidents. If the rider is not protected by the homeowner’s insurance plan, they have to pay everything from their pocket. There won’t be insurance in places where scooters are prohibited that will cover both the rider and the injured party, which is even worse.

 

The AODA Alliance has informed the Province that the e-scooter program is not feasible unless significant preventive measures are implemented. The organization’s submission to the PC government states it supports micro-mobility initiatives, provided that the right policies and procedures are put in place.

 

“We have heard over and over from diverse members of the public, including from those with and without disabilities, that they strongly object to e-scooters,” the AODA Alliance said in its written statement on its website.

 

“Past and present members of city councils have confided how they find e-scooters objectionable, as they race at them at high speeds, seem to come out of nowhere, and endanger themselves and others.”

 

Disability, Poverty, Policy and Politics

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

Disability, Poverty, policy  and Politics

 

November 4, 2024

 

SUMMARY

 

It is very important that several recent media reports have once again focused on the cruel reality that so many people with disabilities still languish in poverty in our affluent society. Below you can read articles on this in:

  • The October 21, 2024, edition of the Toronto Star.
  • The October 31, 2024, edition of Mississauga News.
  • The October 19, 224 edition of the Toronto Star and
  • CBC News on October 14, 2024.

 

In the October 21, 2024, Toronto Star report, federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is quoted as promising to use federal power to press provincial governments to stop clawing back provincial benefits from people with disabilities if they get a job. This would be helpful, but only to the small number of impoverished people with disabilities who get jobs. To get a job requires people with disabilities to overcome the huge disability barriers in employment, transportation and education.

 

If a federal party is prepared to take such new action, it should similarly be ready to take actions that we have called for in the past.

 

We need the Federal Government to use the same power to prevent provincial governments from clawing back the long-overdue Canada Disability Benefit. We also need the Federal Government to impose mandatory accessibility strings on any federal grants or loans to provinces, municipalities or anyone else who uses that money to build buildings or infrastructure. Public money should never be used to create new accessibility barriers against people with disabilities.

 

How could the Federal Government do this? It has federal “spending power.” It can attach conditions on receiving federal funds. It can designate what federal transfers can be used for and what they cannot be used for.

 

In 2023, the Trudeau Liberals wrongly and harmfully vetoed a Senate amendment to Bill C-22, the Canada Disability Benefit Act, that would have blocked private insurance companies from clawing back the Canada Disability Benefit. The Federal Government’s “spending power” allows for such conditions to be imposed. Similarly, the Federal Government did not agree to amend Bill C-81, which later became the Accessible Canada Act, in order to impose accessibility conditions on federal payments to provinces or others to fund the building of new infrastructure.

 

How You Can Help

 

A federal election is just months away! Press all the federal parties to promise to use the federal spending power to prevent provincial clawbacks of federal or provincial social assistance benefits that are paid to people with disabilities. Press them to also pledge to amend the Accessible Canada Act to impose accessibility strings on any federal money used to build new infrastructure.

 

Remember to sign up to attend the upcoming celebration of the 30th anniversary of the birth of Ontario’s grassroots campaign for strong disability legislation. The event will be held at Queen’s Park, Toronto, from 2 to 4 p.m. EST on November 25, 2024. You can take part in person or online. Use our online sign-up form to register to come in person as an observer or if you want to give a 3-minute speech. You should also use the online sign-up form if you want to register to give a 3-minute speech online from home.

 

If you want to watch the festivities online but don’t want to speak, you don’t need to register. We will later make public a YouTube link to watch from home. In-person space is limited, so sign up fast if you want to come to Queen’s Park. We will close sign ups when we reach capacity.

 

Learn more about this event by reading the November 2, 2024, AODA Alliance Update.

 

MORE DETAILS

 

 Toronto Star October 21, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/pierre-poilievre-says-he-wants-provinces-to-overhaul-their-disability-programs-and-he-could-withhold/article_992f65a8-8189-11ef-96ff-8b61b1372f5e.html

 

Poilievre wants provinces to overhaul disability programs

Conservative leader says he could withhold funding to make it happen

 

Mark Ramzy Toronto Star

OTTAWA – Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he wants provinces to overhaul their disability assistance programs so that disabled Canadians don’t see working income clawed back from provincial benefits, and he could put billions in federal transfers at stake to make it happen.

 

Poilievre made that commitment in a 2023 video recently viewed by the Star, in which he referred to a private member’s bill he introduced as the Conservative finance critic in 2018.

 

If passed, the bill would have required those changes as a condition to receiving the Canada Social Transfer, a federal payment to the provinces that helps to cover the cost of social programs.

 

“For those roughly a million Canadians with disabilities who do work, we need to reform the benefit programs to reward that work. Right now, there are clawbacks if you’re a person on disability and you get a job. Often, they take away your income, rental support, even medication,” he said in the video, posted online by political commentator Darshan Maharaja and viewed just over 2,000 times.

 

“I will pass the fairness for workers with disabilities act, which will require provinces, as a condition of getting their federal money, to reform their systems to make sure that every time a person with disabilities earns an extra dollar, they’re made better off and that they’re not punished for that. Everybody should have the chance to put their talents to work for this great country of ours.”

 

The change would be one step to address what many see as a thorny flaw in the social assistance programs offered across Canada. However, it raises questions about the approach of a Conservative leader who’s routinely accused the Trudeau government of overreach and could lead to pushback from provinces antsy about the precedent it would set, said policy experts who spoke to the Star.

 

“Anything that helps impoverished people with disabilities get to live above the poverty line is a good step,” said David Lepofsky, a lawyer and disability advocate in Ontario. “If the Tories are going to take this approach to federal power, there is more to do.”

 

But “imagine trying to put conditions on something that’s been unconditional since 1995,” said Gillian Petit, an economist at the University of Calgary, pointing to Poilievre’s proposal to tie the Canada Social Transfer to the reforms. This year, provinces and territories are expected to receive $16.9 billion from the Canada Social Transfer, with Ontario getting $6.5 billion.

 

“It would probably be a bit of a political fiasco.”

 

Faced with that question in 2018 – before the bill was voted down by the Liberals – Poilievre pointed to delivery standards set out in the Canada Health Transfer and said this scenario justifies adding conditions.

 

Whether he is still willing to put billions in federal transfers at stake to implement those changes, however, remains unclear.

 

In a statement to the Star, Poilievre repeated his criticism of current systems that penalize disabled Canadians that work, but did not say if he would use the threat of withdrawing federal money to force change. And that is no different from what he said in the 2023 video, his office said, though it would not provide details on his proposal.

 

“As prime minister, I will be working with provinces to ensure workers with disabilities always benefit from working another hour, taking another shift, or accepting a job opportunity,” Poilievre said.

 

Among the unanswered questions is how he would get provinces on board, how much working income he would want exempted from clawbacks, and how this principle would apply to non-cash benefits and towards federal programs.

 

In the 2018 bill, Poilievre proposed disallowing provinces from clawing back benefits for disabled Canadians on employment income up to $30,000 and any province that did risked losing their portion of the Canada Social Transfer. The bill also said Finance Canada should use available data to calculate clawbacks on benefits and the finance minister should “identify and consider” changes that could be made to federal taxes and benefits in order to reduce those clawbacks.

 

He said the principle of allowing disabled Canadians to keep their working income should be consistent across all levels of government and argued it would save governments money if people are able to work.

 

Right now, only a small portion of people who receive disability assistance are able to work, said Alexi White, the director of systems change at Maytree. For example, out of the 367,828 Ontario Disability Support Program cases in 2022/23, 10 per cent reported working income, according to data from the social policy group.

 

But Jen Robson, an associate professor of public policy at Carleton University, said the proposal as outlined in the 2018 bill could lead to strong pushback from provinces, including legal challenges. Referencing Poilievre’s housing bill, she said that would be another piece of legislation from the Conservative leader that overrides provincial jurisdiction with the “Ottawa-knows-best” approach he’s accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government of.

 

“It’s well-intentioned but inherently flawed,” she said. “It’s very heavy handed.”

 

She said it would be best to achieve the results Poilievre wants through negotiations rather than trying to force the provinces, similar to how the Liberals have approached the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB), which is slated to roll out next summer.

 

The Liberals had argued it would have been unconstitutional to disallow clawbacks in the legislation despite repeated pleas from advocates and some senators. So far, four provinces and two territories have said they won’t claw back their own supports to recipients of the CDB after discussions with Disabilities Minister Kamal Khera, while another has increased its own supports.

 

Poilievre’s Conservatives have not outlined their position on the federal benefit, but all opposition parties have pressed the Liberal government over the historic program that has been slammed as a disappointment by disability advocates. That benefit, which is expected to reach 600,000 Canadians at its peak, will be clawed back from its $200 monthly maximum at $23,000 in annual income, but allows for up to $10,000 in working income exemptions for eligible individuals.

 

The Liberals and other opposition parties have accused Poilievre’s Conservatives of wanting to cut social programs, focusing their criticism on the federal dental and pharmacare programs.

 

“If Poilievre truly cared about supporting Canadians with disabilities, instead of putting out slogans, he would support this benefit and our affordable dental care plan which also supports persons with disabilities,” a spokesperson for Khera said in a statement to the Star.

 

Figure:

 

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, right, introduced a private member’s bill as the Conservative finance critic in 2018 that, if passed, would have made changes to the provinces disability assistance programs a condition for receiving the Canada Social Transfer. Spencer Colby The Canadian Press File Photo

 

 

 Mississauga News October 31, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.mississauga.com/news/mississauga-residents-living-with-disabilities-hit-hard-by-higher-cost-of-living-report-finds/article_b28a923e-dad2-5d54-a58a-66bea231368e.html

 

Mississauga residents living with disabilities hit hard by higher cost of living, report finds

People with disabilities face costs up to 39 per cent higher than the average resident — from groceries to housing.

 

By Mzwandile Poncana, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Mississauga News

 

Thriving with disability

 

A report released by the Wellesley Institute this month revealed the cost of thriving for Mississaugans living with a disability is 39 per cent higher than the cost of thriving for those living without one.

 

Richard Lautens Toronto Star file photo

 

Lauren Pires, who lives with Central Core disease — a muscle disorder that means she has 33 per cent of the average person’s strength — spends more on groceries than most people.

 

“Because I tire more easily, I have to buy things that are already sliced or prepared, or cheese that is already grated,” the Mississauga resident said. “I also have to buy items that are smaller, because it’s harder for me to lift, for example, a large bottle of laundry detergent as opposed to a smaller one. And, value-wise, the bigger items are more cost-effective.”

 

Pires often spends more on groceries than she’s able to use, as fatigue sometimes leaves her unable to cook, wasting some of her groceries. She then relies on takeout, which costs even more. Grocery delivery fees also add to her expenses whenever she’s too tired to go to the store.

 

Pires is one of many Mississauga residents, living with disabilities, who face higher costs of thriving.

 

According to a Wellesley Institute report released this month, the cost of thriving in Mississauga for people living with disabilities is up to 39 per cent higher than for those without disabilities. While a single adult without a disability needs $83,680 per year to thrive, it costs the same adult with a disability between $105,197 and $116,108.

 

Lauren Pires disability thriving

 

Lauren Pires — Mississauga resident who lives with Central Core disease — said she spends more on groceries than most people.

 

Steve Cornwell Metroland

The report looked at costs across nine components of health, including food and nutrition, housing, transportation, physical activity, social participation, personal care, health care, professional development, and saving for the future.

 

“In our work, we looked at what it takes for people to thrive, and that means living a meaningful, healthy, engaged life,” said Dr. Christine Sheppard, a social work researcher who led the report.

 

The study drew from consultations with members of the disability community, published literature, and other research studies, exploring barriers to a healthy life and estimating the cost to overcome those challenges using tools like online price estimators and expenditure surveys.

 

“We found that people with disabilities experience higher costs in all of (the nine components),” said Sheppard. “So this means that people with a disability will need a lot more resources in order to achieve thriving health.”

 

The research also looked at Toronto, showing that the cost of thriving for people with disabilities is slightly lower, between $74,309 and $85,220 per year. Sheppard attributed this to methodological differences in assessing costs between Toronto and Mississauga.

 

“In Mississauga, our estimate assumes someone owns a one-bedroom condo and a personal vehicle. In Toronto, it assumes someone rents a one-bedroom apartment and uses public transit,” she said. “Housing and transportation costs are two major drivers of the higher costs in Mississauga.”

 

She said this distinction in the research was made because data from Statistics Canada showed that while most single, working-aged adults in Toronto are renters, the majority of people over 30 in Peel are homeowners. When it came to transportation, ​​stakeholders from regions outside of downtown Toronto discussed with researchers the need for a car for day-to-day necessities, and so car ownership was included to reflect that need.

 

Sheppard said people with disabilities typically pay more for special diets, taxis, personal care, and housekeeping. Saving for the future also comes at a higher cost for them due to a higher uncertainty they experience about employment and retirement.

 

Gift Tshuma, an advocacy specialist at March of Dimes Canada who uses a wheelchair, said he was “shocked but not surprised” by the report’s findings.

 

“Even though I didn’t know the numbers really well, I had a pretty good idea it was quite a struggle for most Ontarians with disabilities to thrive,” he said. “Seeing the statistic validated some of the concerns I’d had for the disability community.”

 

Tshuma, who lives in Mississauga, incurs comparatively extra out-of-pocket expenses for vehicle maintenance, personal care, and housekeeping services.

 

He mentioned that many people living with disabilities have to use adaptive transportation — transportation designed for people with reduced mobility — which costs more. A brand new Dodge caravan, for example, costs $30,000 for the average person without a disability, but would cost up to $70,000 if adaptation changes were made to it, he said.

 

The report noted that people with disabilities in Mississauga spend an average of up to $13,470 on transportation annually, compared to $11,193 for those without a disability.

 

To keep up with the higher cost of living, Tshuma works three jobs — this is a major inconvenience in his life, he said.

 

“The reason I have three jobs is because I want to thrive. I don’t want to just survive,” he said.

 

Rabia Khedr, national director with Disability Without Poverty (DWP) and the CEO of D.E.E. N support services, lives with blindness in Mississauga. She was also not surprised by the statistic, mentioning the high poverty levels of people living with disabilities.

 

According to a 2023 DWP report 16.5 per cent of disabled people in Canada live in poverty.

 

“As someone who is blind, I work. I thrive. However, I have the luxury of being able to afford the supports I need,“ she said. “But those supports cost me. They’re the added costs of living with a disability.”

 

Due to her blindness, she takes taxis instead of driving. She can’t afford to go around to different grocery stores to examine different deals — she buys where it is physically convenient, meaning she misses out on discounts.

 

She also sometimes pays people to assist with her household tasks. The report showed that Mississauga residents living with a disability pay on average $2,627 more on personal care than those living without a disability.

 

The report also noted Mississauga residents living with a disability pay more for housing.

 

David Lepofsky, chair of the Accessibility For Ontarians with Disabilities Act, mentioned that the type of disability affects the extent of the housing costs, mentioning that people with mobility issues have far less accessible housing in the market.

 

“And they may not be able to locate the neighbourhood they want to be in so their travel costs might be higher,” he added.

 

Tshuma added that even if a housing facility is wheelchair accessible, there may still be things that need to be adapted or altered for the specific resident with a disability, which would cost more.

 

The report’s findings have also highlighted the mental health impacts that accompany the financial strain of living with a disability, advocates say.

 

Pires mentioned that her parents pay for housekeeping services to help her with cleaning once a month.

 

“And though I’m grateful for my parent’s support — on a personal level, I wish I didn’t have to partly rely on them at 34 years old,” said Pires. “ It’s always been hard to compare myself to friends and family who don’t have disabilities, and feel like I’m behind in my financial independence.”

 

Tshuma mentioned the mental health impacts of the higher cost of thriving compounds the mental health impacts of living with a disability in an exclusionary society.

 

“Society is designed in a way where people with disabilities do not belong. For example, physical infrastructure in Ontario is not up to par for people with physical disabilities to access everything they need,” he said. “ And then you add the financial strain, that makes it even more difficult.”

 

Sheppard said a multi-sectoral approach is needed to help people with disabilities thrive, including investments in accessible public infrastructure, housing, and transit. She added there are opportunities for employers to be better supported to hire people with disabilities, implement workplace accommodations, and offer robust health care benefits.

 

Anthony Frisina, accessibility advocate for people with disabilities, said the amount of the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) needs to be increased. For those who are not able to work, the ODSP provides up to approximately $1,300 a month.

 

“That (is) nothing, just in terms of finding a place to live,” said Frisina. “Plus, we also have to think about all the extra amenities that people generally need to survive plus also the added expenses for living with a disability.”

 

When asked about concerns that ODSP was too low, the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services said that since September 2022, the government has increased Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) rates and the maximum monthly amount for Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities (ACSD) by nearly 17 per cent.

 

They added they have tied these rates to inflation, with increases happening each July, and increased the earnings exemption by 400 per cent.

 

Frisina acknowledges there have been raises to ODSP, but that they have been far too incremental. Tshuma echoed that ODSP is far below the needed level.

 

“We have service users within March of Dimes who sometimes have told us that they have to choose between getting medication and paying for groceries,” he said. “Those are choices people have to make that they shouldn’t be making,” he said.

 

The Canada Disability Benefit (CDB), set to begin next summer, also aims to lift Canadians with disabilities to at least the poverty line, though DWP said the proposed $200 monthly benefit will fall short of meeting people’s needs.

 

In a press release, they noted it would only lift 1.7 per cent of those living in poverty over the poverty line.

 

When asked about concerns that the CDB amount is too low, Waleed Saleem, press secretary to the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion, and Persons with Disabilities, said consultations with stakeholders continue as the benefit takes shape.

 

However, when asked whether or not the ministry would increase the amount of the CDB, Saleem did not directly answer.

 

“This is an initial investment, and we’re going to look to see how this investment goes … and then we’ll go from there wherever that may be,” he said.

 

Pires, who does not qualify for disability benefits due to her employment, said if costs don’t improve, she may continue to rely on her parents, which she says causes her some shame.

 

“I think people without disabilities and the government need to listen directly to the needs of people with disabilities and try to understand them,” she said. “Hopefully, that will lead to needed action that will close the gap.”

 

 Toronto Star October 19, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/torontos-high-cost-of-living-is-leaving-disabled-people-with-no-hope/article_f60146f6-8b1c-11ef-ae2d-c7d1819dbf4c.html#:~:text=Toronto’s%20high%20cost%20of%20living,of%20all%20people%20experiencing%20poverty.

 

Toronto’s high cost of living is leaving disabled people with ‘no hope’

The report also showed that nearly one million disabled Canadians live below the official poverty line, representing almost 40 per cent of all people experiencing poverty.

 

Disabled people incur higher costs due to out-of-pocket expenses including essential equipment, accessible housing, transportation and service animals.

 

By Reagan McSwain, Staff Reporter

The cost of living in the GTA is rising, fuelled by a lack of affordable housing and the soaring price of groceries. And for disabled people, it can cost up to 39 per cent more to thrive than for those without disabilities

 

This is according to a recent report by the Wellesley Institute, a non-profit focussed on research to improve health equity in the GTA. The Thriving in the City with a Disability report uses the term “thrive” to describe the opportunity for people to do more than just survive.

 

Disabled people face higher costs to thrive because of out-of-pocket expenses for necessary equipment, housing, taxi use or the need for an accessible car, service animal costs, nutrition, grocery delivery for access needs, and a higher savings rate in the case of early retirement.

 

“People talked a lot about the gap between what they need and what they have,” said Dr. Christine Sheppard, lead researcher of the report. “We heard stories about ways people had to make tough choices or had to compromise on aspects of their health because they didn’t have all of the resources they needed.”

 

The report also showed that nearly one million disabled Canadians live below the official poverty line, representing almost 40 per cent of all people experiencing poverty.

 

To collect the data, 39 disabled people were consulted in online discussions alongside health and social service professionals, legal clinics, at home and community care agencies, social service programs and advocacy organizations.

 

Wendy Porch, who lives with a disability and is the executive director of the Centre for Independent Living Toronto, welcomed the report’s findings, adding that people with disabilities are often left out of these kinds of reports.

 

“I hope (the report) provides people who are not connected to people with disabilities… with a clear understanding of the reality of living as a disabled person in Toronto, that it’s really bad, across all kinds of metrics,” she said.

 

Lawyer Ilinca Stefan of ARCH Disability Law Centre said she is not surprised by the report or the types of living costs that disabled people incur. ”These are the same costly issues people with disabilities are reaching out to ARCH with, for legal support,” Stefan said. “We receive countless calls every day about these issues.”

 

In the discussion groups for the report, disabled participants agreed that accessibility within rental buildings is a significant issue. Even when they are able to modify their units, common areas like garbage rooms, laundry rooms and gyms lack necessary ramps, automatic doors and are too small for wheelchair users, Sheppard said.

 

As one of the agencies involved in the focus groups, the Centre for Independent Living Toronto said housing is the number one issue they are contacted about. “People not being able to find accessible and affordable housing is at a crisis level,” said Porch. “Disabled people are living in all kinds of inappropriate housing situations. They can’t find something accessible.” The centre said it is not uncommon to see people with disabilities going directly to shelters when discharged from hospital.

 

“Right now disabled people feel they have no hope of actually experiencing what it’s like to thrive,” said David Meyers member senior manager at the Centre for Independent Living Toronto, who is also disabled.

 

Saving for the future, being able to put money away for major expenses or saving for retirement, is a struggle for people with disabilities, said Sheppard. “We saw in our research that people with disabilities need to save more because of uncertainty that they have in employment, retirement, and the fact it cost more to thrive during their lifetime to begin with.”

 

“We need action to ensure that people with a disability have access to the resources they need to thrive, not just survive.”

 

Reagan McSwain

Reagan McSwain is a Toronto-based general assignment reporter for the Star. Reach him via email: rmcswain@thestar.ca

 

 CBC News October 14, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/thriving-with-a-disability-in-the-gta-1.7349181

 

It can cost up to 39% more to thrive in the GTA if you have a disability: research

Wellesley Institute’s research included interviews with advocates and people with lived experience

Talia Ricci CBC News

 

Research shows it’s expensive to thrive in the GTA if you have a disability

 

New research from the Wellesley Institute shows the cost of thriving in the GTA is 39 per cent higher if you live with a disability, than it is for those who don’t have a disability. CBC’s Talia Ricci breaks down the numbers.

When Franklyn McFadden needs to repair his $15,000 wheelchair, that expense is on him.

 

It’s just one of many extra costs that he says comes with living with a disability.

 

“I didn’t choose to be a person in a wheelchair, and I don’t profess to enjoy the fact that I have to use one,” he said.

 

It’s widely recognized that living with a disability comes with a distinct set of needs. And now, new research from the non-profit Wellesley Institute shows the cost of thriving in the GTA — which it defines as living a healthy, engaged life — is 39 per cent higher if you live with a disability, than it is for those who don’t have a disability.

 

“I thought the information was quite bang on,” said McFadden, a disability advocate, after looking at their findings.

 

“In fact,” McFadden said, “I don’t think that all of the costs associated with having a disability have been appropriately addressed.”

 

The research found that in Toronto, living a healthy, engaged life as a single, working-age adult with a mild to moderate physical or mental health disability can cost as much as $81,000 per year, compared to $62,000 per year without a disability.

 

In Mississauga, those costs are even higher — as much as $116,000 more per year for people with a disability.

 

“We learned that people with disabilities have extra needs in all aspects of their health, but there were particularly extra costs in food and nutrition, transportation, housing, social participation and saving for the future,” said Christine Sheppard, a researcher at Wellesley Institute.

 

According to the Wellesley Institute, the cost of thriving with a disability in Mississauga is 39% more expensive than thriving without a disability. In Toronto, that number is 30%. (Submitted by Wellesley Institute)

 

Wellesley Institute says estimates were drawn from consultations with 39 people living with disabilities and supplemented with price information from major stores and suppliers and national expenditure surveys.

 

Researchers asked participants what items, resources and services they would need to thrive, and then the researchers costed it out. Adding up, for example: average rent for a one bedroom apartment in Toronto, insurance rates, taxi rides, basic accessibility aids in a bathroom/kitchen, laundry service, grocery and delivery service.

 

The institute notes that cost figures in its report are a guide, not precise personal spending — each individual will have varying needs.

 

Researchers found that because people with a disability often retire at an earlier age, they have higher retirement savings needs. And there are around eight million Canadians living with disability, Sheppard said.

 

“When people don’t have access to the resources that they need to live a good life, they have to make choices that compromise their health,” she said.

 

“Individuals, communities, employers and governments all have a role to play.”

 

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act aims to make the province fully accessible by 2025. Ahead of the deadline, CBC’s Vanessa Balintec speaks to Tracy Odell, former president of the advocacy group Citizens With Disabilities Ontario, on her experiences as a wheelchair user and life-long advocate for accessibility for all.

 

McFadden knows first hand what making those compromises feels like. He recalls times when he struggled financially and opted for fast food, because it was more accessible and less expensive.

 

“If we want to start anywhere, we need to give people adequate resources to at least lift them out of poverty,” he said.

 

“We don’t choose the lives that we live. We just want to make the best choices and the best attempts at living the good life.”

 

Amid a countrywide housing shortage, what will it take to build more accessible homes?

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

Talia Ricci

Talia Ricci is a TV, radio and web reporter at CBC Toronto. She enjoys covering offbeat human interest stories and exposing social justice issues. Talia is also an avid traveller and photographer. Her photography has appeared in various publications and exhibits. She lives in Toronto’s west end where she enjoys reading and going on long walks to discover the beauty in the city.

Sign Up for the 30th Anniversary of Ontario’s Movement for Strong Accessibility Legislation on November 25, 2024 2 to 4 p.m. ET

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

Sign Up for the 30th Anniversary of Ontario’s Movement for Strong Accessibility Legislation on November 25, 2024 2 to 4 p.m. ET

 

November 2, 2024

 

SUMMARY

 

We’re going back to where it all began! Join us on Monday November 25, 2024 from 2 to 4 p.m., in person or online, for a non-partisan 30th birthday party with a keen eye focused on the future!

 

Thirty years ago this month was the spontaneous birth of the organized grassroots non-partisan movement to win strong legislation to make Ontario accessible to people with disabilities. It all started in a meeting room at Queen’s Park following some legislative public hearings.

 

On November 25, 2024, we’ll draw on our deeply embedded grassroots spirit of community voice, non-partisanship, and creative constructive advocacy. We’re holding our own Disability Community Public Hearings at Queen’s Park in Toronto. We’ve invited the leaders of each of Ontario’s four major political parties, the Tories, NDP, Greens, and Liberals, to attend or send an MPP on their behalf. The parties’ representatives will be seated on the panel at this event. Our letter inviting the parties is set out below.

 

The panel will be moderated by ARCH Disability Law Centre’s executive director, Rob Lattanzio.

 

Now here is where you come in. We’re inviting you to sign up to speak to that panel for 3 minutes each, either in person at Queen’s Park or online. Tell the panel about disability barriers you face. Make constructive suggestions of what should be done to remove and prevent those disability barriers.

 

You can also sign up to attend and watch in person, even if you don’t want to speak. For those who can’t come to Queen’s Park but would like to watch the festivities, the event will be live streamed on the internet.

 

Sign up fast, using our online form. Space will be limited both for speakers and for people coming to watch. We’ll accept requests on a first-come, first-served basis. Please keep your presentation to the topic of our event.

 

We expect to close sign-ups when we’re full to capacity and in any event, by November 20, 2024. You will have to sign up in order to get into the building and attend the event. We need to provide our list of attendees to building security in advance. Closer to the date of this event, we will make public the link to watch the event on a live stream, and we will send listed speakers a Zoom link if they will be attending virtually.

 

We will have ASL and live captioning. If you need any other disability accommodation, let us know by November 14, 2024 by emailing us at aodafeedback@gmail.com

 

It is incredibly hard to book meeting space at the Legislature. The event will be held at the Ontario Legislature in Room 351. We appreciate the Ontario NDP making available its caucus room for our event. We emphasize that this event is entirely non-partisan and is organized by the AODA Alliance.

 

Now wait a minute, our most loyal readers will say. Didn’t we just announce November 26, 2024, in a “save the date” announcement? We certainly did, but we had to move the event to November 25 in order to get a room with enough space. So unsave November 26 and sign up to join us on November 25!

 

We’ve accomplished much over these 30 years. We’re also far from the goal of a barrier-free Ontario, which the Ontario Legislature unanimously promised in 2005 when it unanimously passed the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. That’s Canada’s first comprehensive disability accessibility law.

 

Stay tuned for more news about this event as it gets closer. Direct any questions to us at aodafeedback@gmail.com

 

MORE DETAILS

 

Text of the AODA Alliance’s November 2, 2024, Letter to Ontario’s Four Party Leaders

 

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance

United for a Barrier-Free Society for All People with Disabilities

Web: www.aodaalliance.org Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com Twitter: @aodaalliance Facebook: www.facebook.com/aodaalliance/

 

November 2, 2024

 

Via Email

Hon. Premier Doug Ford, Premier

Via email: premier@ontario.ca doug.ford@ontariopc.com

Room 281, Legislative Building

Queen’s Park

Toronto, Ontario M7A 1A1

 

Marit Stiles, Leader of the Official Opposition

Via email: MStiles-QP@ndp.on.ca

Room 113, Legislative Building

Queen’s Park

Toronto, Ontario M7A 1A5

 

Mike Schreiner, Leader of the Green Party of Ontario:

Via email: leader@gpo.ca

Room 451 Legislative Building

Queen’s Park

Toronto, ON M7A 1A2

 

Bonnie Crombie, Leader of the Liberal Party of Ontario

Via email: Care of darci.mcfadden@gmail.com

 

Dear Leaders,

 

Re: Invitation to the Queen’s Park Celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the Birth of Ontario’s Movement for Disability Accessibility Legislation — November 25, 2024, 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

 

November marks the 30th anniversary of the birth of the non-partisan grassroots movement that led to the enactment in 2005 of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. It was at Queen’s Park that this movement was born. We’re coming back on November 25, 2024, to hold an event and are eager for each of you or an MPP from your respective caucuses to be part of the proceedings. The rest of your caucus members are also welcome to come for all or part of the event.

 

Here’s what we are planning. From 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., we will convene community public hearings for members of the disability community to give their feedback to each of your parties. We will provide a non-partisan chair or co-chairs for the event. We would love it if a leader or MPP from each of your parties would also be on the panel to listen and learn.

 

We are inviting people with disabilities and their supporters to attend in person or to present virtually over the internet for 3 minutes each. They’ll be invited to talk about disability barriers they face and to make constructive suggestions of what should be done to remove and prevent those barriers in the future. We want to give your parties an opportunity to hear and learn from them.

 

Time will be limited. To enable as many people as possible to speak, we will ask speakers not to ask MPPs to answer any questions, and we will similarly ask panel members not to ask speakers questions during the formal proceedings. Of course, MPPs and party officials are more than welcome to speak side bar with anyone in attendance if they wish.

 

We have experience with this. In August 1998, our predecessor coalition, the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee, held such an event at Queen’s Park. All parties in the Legislature sent at least one MPP as a panel member. It was very successful. We aim to repeat that success.

 

At the outset of the panel, we will invite each panel member from the political parties to offer words of welcome for no more than one minute. This event will be live streamed for the public.

 

The event will be held in Room 368. We appreciate the NDP’s making that room available for our event, given the shortage of available space in the building. This is a strictly non-partisan event. As always, the AODA Alliance does not endorse or oppose any political party or candidate.

 

Please have one of your staff reach out to me to indicate whether your party will send a panel member and, if so, who it will be. Please also let us know which of your staff we should contact to work out logistics and field any questions.

 

We hope you or an MPP from your party will take part. It was a major accomplishment that the AODA was enacted in 2005 after a unanimous vote in support of it in the Legislature. We aim to carry forward that spirit.

 

Sincerely,

 

David Lepofsky CM, O Ont

Chair, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance

Twitter: @davidlepofsky

 

Ford Government is Still Dithering Over What to Do to Protect People with Disabilities in an Emergency

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

Ford Government is Still Dithering Over What to Do to Protect People with Disabilities in an Emergency

 

October 30, 2021

 

SUMMARY

 

The Ford Government has not effectively responded to the final report of Rich Donovan’s Independent Review of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act concerning the pressing need for new and effective protocols for safeguarding people with disabilities during an emergency. CBC News covered this on TV, on radio and on the web on October 28, 2024. The online report is set out below.

 

The Ford Government has already had 512 days to take effective action on this, but a CBC Freedom of Information application reveals internal government documents showing that the Government is still thinking about what to do. In the meantime, people with disabilities are left to remain unfairly vulnerable.

 

The October 28, 2024 CBC news report summarizes the Ford Government’s response to CBC inquiries on this issue. CBC reported that the Government sent a written response to its inquiries. Among other things, CBC reported:

 

“The statement also said the ministry is creating a new volunteer group of people with disabilities to provide their direct experience and feedback on accessibility issues.”

 

The Government has made the same claim in response to any number of media inquiries about different accessibility issues where Ontario has fallen far behind. The Ford Government does not need 512 days to create some new consultation body of people with disabilities.

 

The Ontario Government also does not need to organize and consult yet another group of people with disabilities. Time and again, it does not implement the advice it has already received. The AODA Alliance, a nonpartisan grassroots community coalition, and the Government-appointed Accessibility Standards Advisory Council have given the Government ample advice. It has received but not implemented detailed reports from the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee, the Post-Secondary Education Standards Development Committee, the Health Care Standards Development Committee, the Transportation Standards Development Committee, the Employment Standards Development Committee, and the Information and Communication Standards Development Committee.

 

In the December 18, 2023, AODA Alliance news release, we responded to the final report of the 4th AODA Independent Review conducted by Rich Donovan who was appointed by the Ford Government. We agreed with some of his recommendations. We did not agree with his recommendation that the Government should seek advice on accessibility issues from a new group of people with disabilities. It is sad that one of the few things the Ford Government says it is working on regarding accessibility is the implementation of that unhelpful recommendation.

 

We commend the CBC and any news organizations that use the Freedom of Information Act to try to unearth information about what the Government is or is not doing to make Ontario accessible to people with disabilities.

 

How You Can Help

 

  • Contact CBC and news outlets in your own community. Tell them about the need for proper safety procedures for people with disabilities in the case of an emergency like a high-rise fire.

 

 

MORE DETAILS

CBC News October 28, 2024

 

Originally posted at https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/emergency-evacuation-plan-disabilites-crisis-ontario-1.7360781

No plan for immediate evacuation of Ontarians with disabilities in emergency a year after flagged as ‘crisis’ |

 

No plan for immediate evacuation of Ontarians with disabilities in emergency a year after flagged as ‘crisis’

 

Records show province considering evacuation chairs, designated elevators

 

Nicole Brockbank, Angelina King · CBC News

 

Oda Al-anizi wants the government to develop clear emergency protocols for people with disabilities that are communicated to the public so that there isn’t any ambiguity in an emergency. (Nicole Brockbank/CBC)

 

The first time the fire alarm went off in Oda Al-anizi’s high-rise apartment in Toronto, he called security but found that no one knew what to do to help him leave the building in his wheelchair.

 

“I just waited for the alarm to stop,” Al-anizi said.

 

“I felt like my life had less value. Does it mean that my life is expendable? Does it mean that an evacuation for me is less important than everybody else?”

 

Al-anizi has used a wheelchair since he sustained a complete spinal cord injury in a car accident involving a drunk driver when he was 11.

 

The next time the alarm sounded, Al-anizi said he waited 40 minutes trying to reach building security before firefighters helped him evacuate with an evacuation chair — which can smoothly descend a stairway. The experiences inspired one of Al-anizi’s disability-related comics that he shares on his Instagram.

 

“Many people messaged me,” he said. “I realized how universal that experience is, as well as the lack of emergency evacuation for people with disabilities.”

 

Al-anizi was inspired to make this comic highlighting a lack of emergency evacuation plans for people with disabilities after he had issues evacuating his apartment building when the fire alarm went off.

 

The most recent review of the Ontario government’s progress on implementing the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) considered the current state of emergency procedures for people with disabilities an immediate safety threat.

 

Rich Donovan, a government-appointed reviewer, issued a “crisis recommendation” to the province in June 2023 to implement clear protocols for all government buildings that include “the immediate, safe evacuation of all individuals within the building” regardless of disability when there is a need to evacuate.

 

To do that, he urged the province to establish a crisis committee chaired by the premier within a month of tabling his report and to publish the updated government evacuation plans publicly within six months of creating the committee.

 

Still no new evacuation protocols

But almost a year and a half after receiving Donovan’s recommendations, and 10 months after the province tabled his report, no new emergency plan has been published.

 

Instead, internal government records CBC Toronto obtained through a freedom of information request show that as recently as this May, the province was still exploring the feasibility of implementing two options to reduce the wait time for evacuating people with disabilities in provincial buildings.

 

CBC T