AODA Alliance
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
New Toronto Courthouse’s Disability Barriers Hit the Toronto Star’s Front Page`
September 17, 2024
SUMMARY
Read all about it! It’s front page news! A detailed article on the front page of the September 17, 2024 Toronto Star by reporter Francine Kopun shows that an independent accessible design expert, retained by the Ford Government, told the Government late last year or early this year that there are serious disability barriers at Toronto’s new Armoury Street courthouse. Last month, the AODA Alliance released an online video that shows that this courthouse has many disability barriers. Now we know that the Government has in hand an expert report that says the same thing about a number of those barriers. The AODA Alliance’s video has now been seen over 4,500 times. You can watch that video, either the 14 minute version or a more detailed 49 minute version.
The report by the Gensler accessible design consulting firm confirmed that there are serious problems with the wayfinding installed at this new mega-courthouse, needed by people with vision loss to find the front door of the building, to get to a WheelTrans pickup and drop off area, and to navigate through large open areas in the courthouse.
In this news article, the Ford Government does not deny the disability barriers that the AODA Alliance revealed, or the Gensler Report’s corroboration of those barriers. This is yet more proof that the Ford Government seriously bungled accessibility at this new courthouse. We worry that the same people who made terrible decisions about this courthouse could well be designing and approving other provincial infrastructure programs, using public money. There needs to be real accountability here.
Last month, the AODA Alliance’s video about this courthouse was covered by CBC, CTV, Global News, City News and the Toronto Star. This new Toronto Star article has triggered even more media coverage today, by News Talk 1010 Radio CFRB and Talk 640 Radio. An interview with AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky was also taped for potential use in a City News TV story tonight.
What You Can Do to Help
Circulate this new Toronto Star articles to your friends and associates. Make sure they learn about this billion dollar accessibility bungle.
Learn more about our efforts to ensure that Ontario courts are accessible to people with disabilities by visiting the AODA Alliance website’s courts accessibility page.
MORE DETAILS
Toronto Star September 17, 2024
Originally posted at https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/956-million-downtown-toronto-courthouse-plagued-by-accessibility-issues-provincial-report-finds/article_a8a463ee-7469-11ef-8a48-c7dddeb7e167.html
Accessibility issues plague courthouse
Provincial report on $956M facility echoes concerns raised by advocates
Francine Kopun Senior Writer
A report commissioned by the Ministry of the Attorney General has found numerous accessibility issues at the $956-million provincial courthouse in downtown Toronto.
The problems, detailed in a 76-page report obtained by the Star, echo those described by disability rights activist David Lepofsky in a YouTube video uploaded in August.
They’re the latest in a string of problems to plague the controversial facility – meant to consolidate provincial court services – since it opened in March 2023, to criticism that it is too small, poses safety concerns, and resulted in a staffing crisis by forcing more people to commute longer distances.
The report by Gensler Architecture and Design focused specifically on tactile walking surface indicators (TWSI) – way-finding systems for visually impaired people.
Two site visits were conducted, one in December 2023 and one in January, including with people who rely on white canes.
Among the key findings:
In some places the TWSI path is incorrectly installed, and one of them does not meet current standards and best practices.
The large and open environment of the outdoor courthouse plaza makes it a difficult space to navigate, and the TWSI path could easily be missed.
The ground-floor layout doesn’t provide an intuitive exit from the building, or path to the Wheel-Trans waiting area.
The path from the elevator lobby does not connect to a clear path to the main hallways.
The seating areas in the courtrooms are not easy to identify and may obstruct white canes.
The ticketing and number system to connect visitors to services is not accessible to those who are blind or who have low vision.
The layout and physical elements of the ground-floor atrium do not provide a natural path to the washroom, services or seating located within the area.
“Of all limitations, providing a path to the washrooms should be a priority, followed by improving overall navigation through simple design strategies to foster equitable experience of amenities,” according to the report.
People with disabilities, who were actively consulted by the provincial ministries involved in the design and construction of the building, say they are baffled by its deficiencies.
“We identified these issues before shovels even went into the ground,” said Debbie Gillespie, who uses a guide dog for navigation and was a member of a committee struck to provide advice to the province on the project.
She remembers stressing the importance of a relief area for guide dogs.
“The guide dog relief area is nowhere near the building. You can’t find it,” said Gillespie.
Lepofsky is chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians With Disabilities Act (AODA) Alliance, a non-partisan coalition that advocates for the full and effective implementation of the AODA – the provincial law requiring that Ontario be fully accessible to people with disabilities by 2025.
He said he is equally flummoxed by the numerous deficiencies in the building, considering that the province was made aware of the issues back when Liberal Kathleen Wynne was premier.
Lepofsky warned the government in 2018 that the proposed new building presented numerous potential barriers, including: insufficient accessible parking; the building’s location within a plaza; and the atrium with multi-floor windows, which produces glare and echoing acoustics – problems for the hearing- or sight-impaired.
“There was no indication of any plans for tactile way-finding, outside across the large open plaza or throughout the building, e.g. through the large open area in the atrium on the main floor. This accessibility feature is essential for people with vision loss, and helpful for people with certain learning and/or cognitive disabilities,” Lepofsky wrote in a letter sent to the office of then premier Wynne, copied to several ministries, in 2018.
“Creating an accessible courthouse was a priority for government. Accessibility features were informed by subject matter experts and supplemented with public consultation,” said Ian McConachie, a spokesperson for Infrastructure Ontario.
“Many of the recommendations put forward by the advisory group were incorporated into the final design. Now that the building is constructed, we are continuing to gather feedback/recommendations on where additional enhancements are required.”
The ministry said in the past that the building achieved a gold rating from the Rick Hansen Foundation, an organization that advocates for accessibility.
The AODA Alliance has been critical of the province funding private building accreditation processes, instead of doing the work of implementing the law requiring accessibility.
Lepofsky said that giving a gold rating to a building that was found to be problematic by consultants highlights deficiencies in the Rick Hansen Foundation certification process.
Laura McBride, a spokesperson for the foundation, said the certification is intended to bridge the gap between feedback from people with disabilities and the design and construction industry.
“It is intended to help identify opportunities and gaps in building environments – to shift culture and encourage informed design by recognizing the many things sites are doing well and providing them with a road map to continue to improve on their access journey,” said McBride.
“Our goal is to continue encouraging organizations to go above and beyond building codes and technical specifications to create environments that are meaningfully accessible to everyone, and that includes listening to feedback from the community when gaps are identified so that solutions can be further improved.”