New Video Series Retells the History of Ontario’s Grass Roots Campaign for Strong Disability Accessibility Legislation Since 1995

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

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

www.aodaalliance.org aodafeedback@gmail.com Twitter: @aodaalliance YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

 

 

          Updated Video Series Retells the History of Ontario’s Grass Roots Campaign for Strong Disability Accessibility Legislation Since 1995

 

SUMMARY

 

Here is a great new way to learn all about the history of Ontario’s non-partisan grass roots campaign to win the enactment and effective implementation and enforcement of provincial disability accessibility legislation. This campaign began in 1994. It continues tenaciously almost three decades later. From 1994 to 2005, the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee led the non-partisan campaign to win the enactment of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act 2005. Since 2005, its successor, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, has led the effort to get the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act effectively implemented and enforced.

 

You can learn about this history through three categories of videos included in this series:

  1. A number of recorded lectures by David Lepofsky, the Chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, and previously the Co-Chair and then Chair from 1994 to 2005 of its predecessor coalition, the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee.
  2. Videos of deputations to the Ontario Legislature by the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee between 1995 and 2005 and the AODA Alliance after 1995.
  3. Videos of news conferences and related events held by the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee.

 

These videos are all public. They can be used by the media, by school and post-secondary course instructors and teachers, and by anyone else interested in these issues. We hope that this video series will interest anyone concerned with disability rights, human rights, social justice and activism, community organizing, public law, constitutional law, anti-discrimination law and policy, history, or political science. We welcome your feedback on these videos. Send your feedback to aodafeedback@gmail.com

 

This update first gives a short listing of the videos in this series. After that, each video is described, with helpful links to additional information and background relative to each video.

 

Check out the many other videos that the AODA Alliance has posted by visiting the AODA Alliance website videos page. Flip through the equal education video series that the AODA Alliance earlier posted which addresses the grass roots campaign to make Ontario’s education system become barrier-free for students with disabilities. Sign up to follow the AODA Alliance YouTube channel.

 

 

 Quick Guide

 

Lectures

  1. History of the 1994-2005 Grassroots Campaign to Win the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act

 

  1. Practical Strategies for Community Organizing and Community Advocacy- Lessons from Ontario’s Grassroots Disability Accessibility Campaign

 

  1. AODA 101 – Introduction to the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act

 

  1. The Next Steps in Early 2014 in the Grassroots Campaign to Make Ontario DisabilityAccessible – What Goals? What Strategies?

 

  1. How to Negotiate for a Community Not an Individual – tips from Experience in Ontario Disability Accessibility Advocacy

 

  1. Community Organizing and Social Justice Advocacy – An Integral part of Ethical Lawyering

 

  1. Designing the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act from 2003 to 2005 – What Regulatory Powers Should a Strong Disability Accessibility Law Include?

 

  1. From 2005 to 2014, What Progress in Ontario Towards Full Accessibility for People with Disabilities?

 

  1. What Progress in Ontario on Disability Accessibility by Spring 2018?

 

Parliamentary Deputations

  1. Dec 5 2001 ODA Committee Addresses Standing Committee re Bill 125 Ontarians with Disabilities Act

 

  1. Feb 1 2005 ODA Committee at Legislature: Bill 118 Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act

 

  1. Feb. 9 2009 AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky Addresses Select Committee on Government Agencies regarding the Implementation of Bill 107, which Privatized Enforcement of the Ontario Human Rights Code

 

  1. March 31, 2010: AODA Alliance Presentation to Ontario Legislature Standing Committee on Bill 231 Amending Ontario’s Elections Act

 

  1. June 2 1995 – CityTV News – David Onley interviews David Lepofsky and PC leader Mike Harris

 

  1. May 16, 1996 Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee Queen’s Park News Conference

 

  1. May 15, 1997 Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee Queen’s Park News Conference

 

  1. April 22, 1998 Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee Queen’s Park News Conference

 

  1. August 4, 1998 Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee Queen’s Park News Conference

 

  1. October 29, 1998 Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee Queen’s Park News Conference

 

  1. November 24, 1998 Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee Queen’s Park News Conference

 

  1. April 14, 1999: Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee Queen’s Park News Conference

 

  1. June 8, 1999: Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee Queen’s Park News Conference

 

  1. March 27, 2000: Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee Queen’s Park News Conference

 

  1. August 3, 2000: Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee Queen’s Park News Conference

 

  1. Nov. 15, 2000 Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee Queen’s Park News Conference

 

  1. November 23, 2000: Queen’s Park News Conference by Ontario Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty

 

  1. May 10, 2005: Passing Bill 118 Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act & News Conference

 

  1. June 21, 2005: Celebrating Enactment of Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act

 

  1. September 2, 2011: AODA Alliance Queen’s Park News Conference

 

  1. AODA Alliance Celebration at Queen’s Park of the 20th Anniversary of Ontario’s Grassroots Campaign for Strong Disability Accessibility Legislation November 28, 2014

 

  1. November 28, 2014 AODA Alliance Queen’s Park News Conference to Mark the 20th Anniversary of Ontario’s Grassroots Campaign for Accessibility Legislation

 

  1. AODA Alliance December 3, 2019 Queen’s Park News Conference to Mark the 25th Anniversary of the Birth of Ontario’s Non-Partisan Grassroots Movement Campaigning for Disability Accessibility Legislation

 

  1. January 30, 2019 Queen’s Park Toronto News Conference by the AODA Alliance and Ontario Autism Coalition on Power of School Principals to exclude Students from School

 

  1. June 4, 2024 Queen’s Park News Conference on the Tragic Death of Trenton High School Student Landyn Ferris

 

  1. AODA Alliance December 3, 2019 Queen’s Park News Conference to Mark the 25th Anniversary of the Birth of Ontario’s Non-Partisan Grassroots Movement Campaigning for Disability Accessibility Legislation

 

  1. November 25, 2024 Queen’s Park AODA Alliance News Conference Marking the 30th Anniversary of the Grassroots Campaign for Ontario Accessibility Legislation

 

  1. November 25, 2024 AODA Alliance Queen’s Park Community Public Hearings on Disability Accessibility Barriers in Ontario 30 Years After the Birth of Ontario’s Grassroots Campaign for Accessibility Legislation

 

  1. January 6, 2025 AODA Alliance Queen’s Park News Conference Unveiling the Accessible Ontario Pledge

 

  1. January 23, 2025 Queen’s Park News Conference Convened by the Ontario Autism Coalition to Reveal Hardships Facing Students with Disabilities in Ontario-Funded Schools

 

  1. November 10, 2025 Queen’s Park News Conference by the AODA Alliance, Ontario Autism Coalition and AODA Alliance Unveiling Their “Better Call Paul” Campaign

 

  1. January 28, 2026 Queen’s Park News Conference with the AODA Alliance, Ontario Autism Coalition and Ontario Parents for Education Support to Mark 4 years Since the Ford Government Received the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee Final Report

 

Detailed Guide

 

Lectures

 

Video 1) Title: History of the 1994-2005 Grassroots Campaign to Win the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act

Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA1VSPgbzMg&list=PLDGgB77j2ZYrl_rtpe32nSjOXfrDAGvnn&index=3

Description: In this captioned January 14, 2014 lecture to York University’s Introduction to the Critical Disabilities Studies course (taught by Prof. Geoffrey Reaume), David Lepofsky describes a 10-year Ontario grassroots community advocacy campaign from 1994 to 2005 that led to the Ontarians with Disabilities Act and Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, to address accessibility for people with disabilities. He describes the non-partisan Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee’s goals, strategies, and many uphill challenges.

Related resources

  • For an exhaustive resource on the advocacy efforts of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee from 1994 to 2005, that led to the enactment of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act 2001 and later the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act 2005, visit the ODA Committee’s website. Even though the ODA Committee has wound up, and been succeeded by the AODA Alliance, we have preserved the ODA Committee’s website online as a legacy, and as a public record of the long and arduous fight to win those new laws.

 

Video 2) Title: Practical Strategies for Community Organizing and Community Advocacy- Lessons from Ontario’s Grassroots Disability Accessibility Campaign

Link to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR6qKBC_j58&list=PLDGgB77j2ZYrl_rtpe32nSjOXfrDAGvnn&feature=share&index=8

Description: In this captioned January 31, 2014 lecture in Osgoode Hall Law Schools Law and Discrimination Intensive course taught by Prof. Bruce Ryder, David Lepofsky describes practical tips for effective community organizing and advocacy, drawn from the experience of Ontario’s grassroots campaign from 1994 to the present to make Ontario accessible for persons with disabilities.

 

Video 3) Title: AODA 101 – Introduction to the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act

Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrPLb3N1DBQ

Description: Osgoode Hall Law Visiting Professor David Lepofsky’s introductory overview of what the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act is, why it was enacted, and how it works. Useful for those who know little or nothing about it and need to learn fast.

Related resources:

 

Video 4) Title: The Next Steps in Early 2014 in the Grassroots Campaign to Make Ontario Disability-Accessible – What Goals? What Strategies?

Link to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6ckGAOu1Ho&list=PLDGgB77j2ZYrl_rtpe32nSjOXfrDAGvnn&feature=share&index=11

Description: In this captioned February 4, 2014 York University public forum on disability accessibility, David Lepofsky describes the immediate Ontario Government action needed to get Ontario back on schedule for full accessibility by 2025. He details strategies for grassroots action.

Related resources

  • To read the AODA Alliance’s January 26, 2014 Action Kit for raising disability accessibility issues in the two Ontario February 13, 2014 by-elections, visit this link.
  • To read the 9 priorities for immediate accessibility action that the AODA Alliance made public on December 3, 2013, visit this link.

 

Video 5) Title: How to Negotiate for a Community Not an Individual – tips from Experience in Ontario Disability Accessibility Advocacy

Link to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01A0ZgvhI8M&list=PLDGgB77j2ZYrl_rtpe32nSjOXfrDAGvnn&feature=share&index=9

Description: In this captioned January 21, 2014 lecture to Osgoode Hall Law School’s Negotiations seminar taught by Prof. Martha Simmons, David Lepofsky reviews some of the unique challenges and strategies facing a grassroots community organization when it is negotiating with a government over new laws to protect the rights of persons with disabilities. How does it differ from efforts at negotiating on behalf of an individual?

 

Video 6) Title: Community Organizing and Social Justice Advocacy – An Integral part of Ethical Lawyering

Link to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUqdaqgbu0s&feature=share&list=PLDGgB77j2ZYrl_rtpe32nSjOXfrDAGvnn&index=12

Description: David Lepofsky delivers this captioned opening lecture on August 29, 2013 to Osgoode Hall Law School’s first year students, its Class of 2016. On their very first day at law school, he highlights the important ways they can include community organizing and social justice advocacy in their careers, using the example of disability accessibility advocacy in Ontario.

 

Video 7) Title: Designing the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act from 2003 to 2005 – What Regulatory Powers Should a Strong Disability Accessibility Law Include?

Link to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_83CX9ffWvw&feature=share&list=PLDGgB77j2ZYrl_rtpe32nSjOXfrDAGvnn&index=3

Description: In this January 15, 2014 lecture to Osgoode Hall Law School’s Advanced Regulatory Policy seminar (taught by Dean Lorne Sossin), David Lepofsky describes what Ontarians with disabilities wanted the Ontario Government to include in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act 2005, policy analysis that led to this platform, what they won in 2005, and reforms they sought since 2005. This captioned video focuses on the challenge of deciding what specific ingredients to include in a new disability accessibility law to make it strong and effective.

Related resources:

  • To read the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee’s June 28, 2004 Discussion Paper, referred to in this lecture, entitled “Putting Teeth Into The Ontarians With Disabilities Act: A Discussion Paper On Options For Creating An Effective Compliance / Enforcement Process For The ODA”, visit this link.

 

Video 8) Title: From 2005 to 2014, What Progress in Ontario Towards Full Accessibility for People with Disabilities?

Link to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNCCCIfaXCA&list=PLDGgB77j2ZYrl_rtpe32nSjOXfrDAGvnn&feature=share&index=4

Description: In this captioned February 3, 2014 open lecture to students at the Osgoode Hall Law School, David Lepofsky critically examines Ontario’s progress towards becoming fully accessible to persons with disabilities, since the enactment of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act 2005. How much progress have we made? Has Ontario’s disability accessibility law lived up to its expectations? Where has it fallen short?

 

Video 9) Title: What Progress in Ontario on Disability Accessibility by Spring 2018?

Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HfInCGsN0Y&feature=youtu.be

Description: Lecture by AODA Alliance chair and Osgoode Hall Law School visiting professor David Lepofsky: By spring 2018, what progress has been made towards making Ontario fully accessible to people with disabilities? This lecture especially focuses on progress from 2014 to 2018. This lecture can be viewed on its own, or as a sequel to the following lecture on progress towards accessibility from 2005 to 2014, at this link.

Related resources:

 

Parliamentary Hearings

 

 

Video 10) Title: Dec 5 2001 ODA Committee Addresses Standing Committee re Bill 125 Ontarians with Disabilities Act

Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7KtygCsS7E

Description: On December 5, 2001, David Lepofsky, Chair of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee made a presentation to the Ontario Legislature Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs urging amendments to Bill 125, the Mike Harris Conservative Government’s proposed Ontarians with Disabilities Act 2001.

Related resources:

  • The ODA Committee’s November 29, 2001 brief on Bill 125 to the Ontario Legislature’s Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs
  • The Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee website.
  • “The Long Arduous Road to a Barrier-free Ontario for People with Disabilities: The History of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act

 

Video 11) Title: Feb 1 2005 ODA Committee Deputation to Standing Committee Hearings on what the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Should Include: Bill 118

Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iA4pHAJK9U

Description: On February 1, 2005, Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee Chair David Lepofsky addressed the Ontario Legislature’s Standing Committee on Social Policy to propose amendments to Bill 118, the McGuinty Liberal Government’s proposed Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act 2005.

Related resources:

  • The ODA Committee’s January 26, 2005 brief to the Ontario Legislature’s Standing Committee on Social Policy on Bill 118, the proposed Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005
  • The Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee website
  • “The Long Arduous Road to a Barrier-free Ontario for People with Disabilities: The History of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act – The First Chapter”, National Journal of Constitutional Law Volume 15, Number 2, Carswell, Toronto, April 2004, 15 NJCL 125-333

 

Video 12) Title: Feb. 9 2009 AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky Addresses Select Committee on Government Agencies regarding the Implementation of Bill 107, which Privatized Enforcement of the Ontario Human Rights Code

Link to video: https://youtu.be/G3pr9eXdx3w

Description: On February 9, 2009, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Chair David Lepofsky addressed the Ontario Legislature’s Select Committee on Government Agencies. He identified serious problems with the enforcement of Ontario’s anti-discrimination legislation, the Ontario Human Rights Code since its enforcement was privatized under Bill 107.

Related resources:

  • The history of the unfolding debate over Bill 107 in 2006, and its aftermath, recounted in detail on a special part of the AODA Alliance’s website, available at this link.
  • The November 27, 2006 AODA Alliance brief, calling for substantial amendments to Bill 107 before the Legislature passed it, available at this link.
  • The March 1, 2012 AODA Alliance brief to the Andrew Pinto Review which the Ontario Government appointed to review the effectiveness of Bill 107, available at this link.
  • The April 12, 2012 supplemental AODA Alliance brief to the Pinto Review (link here), which the Pinto Review refused to read (link here).
  • The November 2012 final report of the Andrew Pinto Review of Bill 107, available at this link.
  • The November 16, 2012 AODA Alliance analysis of the Andrew Pinto Bill 107 Review final report, available at this link.

 

Video 13) Title: March 31, 2010: AODA Alliance Presentation to Ontario Legislature Standing Committee on Bill 231 Amending Ontario’s Elections Act

Link to video: https://youtu.be/wZjVjlgKI5M

Description: On March 31, 2010, the AODA Alliance address the Ontario Legislature’s Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly. Speaking was AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky. With him were AODA Alliance members Courtney Keystone and Orville Endicott. They called for Bill 231 to be strengthened so that voters with disabilities could vote privately and independently.

Related resources:

  • The AODA Alliance’s multi-year campaign to remove the voting barriers impeding voters with disabilities in Ontario, available at this link.
  • The March 17, 2010 AODA Alliance brief to the Ontario Legislature which recommended amendments to strengthen Bill 231, a 2010 law aimed at modernizing Ontario elections., available at this link.
  • The June 26, 2013 AODA Alliance analysis and critique of Elections Ontario’s report on telephone and internet voting, for which the AODA Alliance continues to advocate, available at this link.

 

 

News Conferences and Public Events

 

Video 14) Title: June 2 1995 – CityTV News – David Onley interviews David Lepofsky and PC leader Mike Harris

Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lqmN-V10uM

Description: In this June 2, 1995 City TV news report, reporter and future Ontario Lieutenant Governor David Onley interviewed David Lepofsky and future Ontario Premier Mike Harris about disability accessibility. The brand-new Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee staged their first public event to get media coverage of the need for Ontario to pass a disability accessibility law. This City TV news report covers their converging on an all-candidates debate in the 1995 Ontario provincial election held at an inaccessible school.

Related resources:

 

Video 15) Title: May 16, 1996 Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee Queen’s Park News Conference

Link to video: https://youtu.be/cwmMCpAq4Zo

Description: In this captioned video, the ODA Committee held this May 16, 1996 news conference at the Ontario Legislature, Queen’s Park, moderated by its co-chair David Lepofsky, to press the Mike Harris Government to enact the promised Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

Related resources:

  • Text of the May 16, 1996 resolution passed by the Ontario Legislature on the Ontarians with Disabilities Act.
  • The Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee website.
  • “The Long Arduous Road to a Barrier-free Ontario for People with Disabilities: The History of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act – The First Chapter”, National Journal of Constitutional Law Volume 15, Number 2, Carswell, Toronto, April 2004, 15 NJCL 125-333

 

Video 16) Title: May 15, 1997 Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee Queen’s Park News Conference

Link to video: https://youtu.be/hbnWMxYUm7s

Description: In this captioned video, the ODA Committee held this May 15, 1997 news conference at the Ontario Legislature, Queen’s Park, moderated by its co-chair David Lepofsky, to press the Mike Harris Government to enact the promised Ontarians with Disabilities Act. @aodaalliance

Related resources:

  • The Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee website.
  • “The Long Arduous Road to a Barrier-free Ontario for People with Disabilities: The History of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act – The First Chapter”, National Journal of Constitutional Law Volume 15, Number 2, Carswell, Toronto, April 2004, 15 NJCL 125-333

 

Video 17) Title: April 22, 1998 Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee Queen’s Park News Conference

Link to video: https://youtu.be/CigfwuexyGQ

Description: In this captioned video, the ODA Committee held this April 22, 1998 news conference at the Ontario Legislature, Queen’s Park, moderated by its co-chair David Lepofsky, to present to all Ontario political parties its comprehensive blueprint for the promised Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

Related resources:

  • The Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee website.
  • “The Long Arduous Road to a Barrier-free Ontario for People with Disabilities: The History of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act – The First Chapter”, National Journal of Constitutional Law Volume 15, Number 2, Carswell, Toronto, April 2004, 15 NJCL 125-333

 

Video 18) Title: August 4, 1998 Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee Queen’s Park News Conference

Link to video: https://youtu.be/qMDpVif66xk

Description: In this captioned video, the August 4, 1998 Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee news conference was held at Queen’s Park, the Ontario Legislature. It was moderated by co-chair David Lepofsky. The ODA Committee unveiled its plans for the Ontario Government’s public consultations on the promised Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

Related resources:

  • The Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee website.
  • “The Long Arduous Road to a Barrier-free Ontario for People with Disabilities: The History of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act – The First Chapter”, National Journal of Constitutional Law Volume 15, Number 2, Carswell, Toronto, April 2004, 15 NJCL 125-333.

 

Video 19) Title: October 29, 1998 Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee Queen’s Park News

Link to video: https://youtu.be/_n0ALyNdp1g

Description: In this captioned video, the October 29, 1998 Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee news conference was held at Queen’s Park, the Ontario Legislature. It was moderated by co-chair David Lepofsky. The ODA Committee addressed the fact that it had just gotten the Legislature to unanimously pass a resolution calling for the promised Ontarians with Disabilities Act to incorporate eleven principles to make it strong and effective.

Related resources:

  • The Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee website.
  • “The Long Arduous Road to a Barrier-free Ontario for People with Disabilities: The History of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act – The First Chapter”, National Journal of Constitutional Law Volume 15, Number 2, Carswell, Toronto, April 2004, 15 NJCL 125-333.

 

Video 20) Title: November 24, 1998 Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee Queen’s Park News Conference

Link to video: https://youtu.be/hyUN4qWt9Cw

Description: In this captioned video, the ODA Committee held this November 24, 1998 news conference at the Ontario Legislature, Queen’s Park, moderated by its co-chair David Lepofsky. It addressed the 3-page Ontarians with Disabilities Act which the Mike Harris Conservative Government had introduced into the Legislature the previous day. That widely condemned bill died on the order paper days later.

Related resources:

  • The Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee website.
  • “The Long Arduous Road to a Barrier-free Ontario for People with Disabilities: The History of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act – The First Chapter”, National Journal of Constitutional Law Volume 15, Number 2, Carswell, Toronto, April 2004, 15 NJCL 125-333

 

Video 21) Title: April 14, 1999 Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee Queen’s Park News Conference

Link to video: https://youtu.be/V_0oo5fWXLU

Description: The ODA Committee held this April 14, 1999 news conference at the Ontario Legislature, Queen’s Park, moderated by its Chair David Lepofsky, to press the Mike Harris Government to enact the promised Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

Related resources:

  • The Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee website.
  • “The Long Arduous Road to a Barrier-free Ontario for People with Disabilities: The History of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act – The First Chapter”, National Journal of Constitutional Law Volume 15, Number 2, Carswell, Toronto, April 2004, 15 NJCL 125-333

 

Video 22) Title: June 8, 1999: Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee Queen’s Park News Conference

Link to video: https://youtu.be/3VD_xsMCqRA

Description: Right after the 1999 Ontario election, the ODA Committee held this June 8, 1999, news conference at the Ontario Legislature, Queen’s Park, moderated by its Chair David Lepofsky, to press the Mike Harris Government to enact the promised Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

Related resources:

  • The Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee website.
  • The Long Arduous Road to a Barrier-free Ontario for People with Disabilities: The History of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act – The First Chapter”, National Journal of Constitutional Law Volume 15, Number 2, Carswell, Toronto, April 2004, 15 NJCL 125-333

 

Video 23) Title: March 27, 2000: Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee Queen’s Park News Conference

Link to video: https://youtu.be/idXi5s2vz94

Description: The ODA Committee held this March 27, 2000, news conference at the Ontario Legislature, Queen’s Park, moderated by its Chair David Lepofsky, to press the Mike Harris Government to enact the promised Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

Related resources:

  • The Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee website.
  • “The Long Arduous Road to a Barrier-free Ontario for People with Disabilities: The History of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act – The First Chapter”, National Journal of Constitutional Law Volume 15, Number 2, Carswell, Toronto, April 2004, 15 NJCL 125-333

 

Video 24) Title: August 3, 2000: Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee Queen’s Park News Conference

Link to video: https://youtu.be/PDnKihwbGxQ

Description: The ODA Committee held this August 3, 2000, news conference at the Ontario Legislature, Queen’s Park, moderated by its Chair David Lepofsky, to press the Mike Harris Government to enact the promised Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

Related resources:

  • The Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee website.
  • “The Long Arduous Road to a Barrier-free Ontario for People with Disabilities: The History of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act – The First Chapter”, National Journal of Constitutional Law Volume 15, Number 2, Carswell, Toronto, April 2004, 15 NJCL 125-333.

 

Video 25) Title: Nov. 15, 2000 Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee Queen’s Park News Conference

Link to video: https://youtu.be/4v-Im7H0sC4

Description: The ODA Committee held this November 15, 2000, news conference at the Ontario Legislature, Queen’s Park, moderated by its Chair David Lepofsky, five years after disability accessibility legislation was promised.

Related resources:

  • The Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee website.
  • “The Long Arduous Road to a Barrier-free Ontario for People with Disabilities: The History of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act – The First Chapter”, National Journal of Constitutional Law Volume 15, Number 2, Carswell, Toronto, April 2004, 15 NJCL 125-333

 

Video 26) Title: November 23, 2000: Queen’s Park News Conference by Ontario Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty

Link to video: https://youtu.be/68G6PSLAVAQ

Description: Ontario Opposition Leader and future Premier Dalton McGuinty held a news conference on November 23, 2000 at the Ontario Legislature’s Queen’s Park media studio. He announced the findings of the Ontario Liberal Party’s shadow consultations around Ontario on what the promised Ontario disability accessibility law should include.

Related resources:

  • The Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee website.
  • “The Long Arduous Road to a Barrier-free Ontario for People with Disabilities: The History of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act – The First Chapter”, National Journal of Constitutional Law Volume 15, Number 2, Carswell, Toronto, April 2004, 15 NJCL 125-333

 

Video 27) Title: May 10, 2005: Passing Bill 118 Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act & News Conference

Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlXQhgumpH4

Description: On May 10, 2005, the Ontario Legislature passed Bill 118, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. This is the final Third Reading vote passing the bill, and then the Ontario Government’s news conference held at Queen’s Park Toronto, including Citizenship Minister Marie Bountrogianni for the Ontario Government, David Lepofsky for the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee and Doug DeRabbie for the Retail Council of Canada.

Related resources:

 

Video 28) Title: June 21, 2005: Celebrating Enactment of Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act

Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sp3kEF0j7LU

Description: On June 21, 2005, the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee held a celebration of the passage of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, at CNIB Toronto. Speakers include ODA Committee Chair David Lepofsky, Ontario Citizenship Minister Marie Bountrogianni, Ontario Conservative Party leader John Tory and MC Patti Bregman.

Related resources:

  • The Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee website.
  • “The Long Arduous Road to a Barrier-free Ontario for People with Disabilities: The History of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act – The First Chapter”, National Journal of Constitutional Law Volume 15, Number 2, Carswell, Toronto, April 2004, 15 NJCL 125-333

 

Video 29) Title: September 2, 2011: AODA Alliance Queen’s Park News Conference on 2011 Election Commitments from Ontario Political Parties

Link to video: https://youtu.be/-PeZf9ER8fw

Description: On September 2, 2011, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance held a news conference at the Ontario Legislature’s Queen’s Park Media Studio in Toronto. AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky revealed commitments that the AODA Alliance had received from the political parties on making Ontario accessible to people with disabilities. This event was held during the 2011 Ontario general election.

Related resources:

 

Video 30) Title: AODA Alliance Celebration at Queen’s Park of the 20th Anniversary of Ontario’s Grassroots Campaign for Strong Disability Accessibility Legislation November 28, 2014

Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZh67zerp0E

Description: On November 28, 2014, the AODA Alliance convened an exciting event at the Ontario Legislature at Queen’s Park, Toronto to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the launch of Ontario’s non-partisan grassroots campaign for strong Ontario disability accessibility legislation. That campaign started on November 29, 1994, at the very same building, the Ontario Legislature. At this event, AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky reviewed the two decades of this campaign. This included remarks from key public figures in politics and in the media who made a difference during this campaign. This captioned video gives a good overview of the first 20 years of this effort.

Related resources

  • The November 28, 2014 AODA Alliance Update summing up the 20th anniversary of Ontario’s accessibility campaign, available at this link.
  • The November 28, 2014 AODA Alliance news conference, held right after this event, included later in this video series, available at this link.
  • The November 27, 2014 AODA Alliance news release, announcing the 20th anniversary of the Ontario accessibility movement, available at this link.
  • The Toronto Star’s November 27, 2014 column, reflecting on the Ontario grassroots accessibility campaign, available at this link.
  • The story of the events that took place on November 29, 1994, that led to the birth of Ontario’s accessibility campaign, available at this link.

 

Video 31) Title: November 28, 2014 AODA Alliance Queen’s Park News Conference to Mark the 20th Anniversary of Ontario’s Grassroots Campaign for Accessibility Legislation

Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sWEcywUkmY

Description: On November 28, 2014, the AODA Alliance held a 30 minute news conference at the Ontario Legislature’s Media Studio, Queen’s Park, Toronto. This was held right after the AODA Alliance concluded its event at Queen’s Park to celebrate this anniversary. This captioned video gives a good overview of the key achievements and goals of this campaign.

Related resources

  • The video of the November 28, 2014 AODA Alliance celebration at Queen’s Park of the birth of Ontario’s grassroots campaign for accessibility legislation (link here), described earlier in this video series, and the following background documents.
  • The November 28, 2014 AODA Alliance Update summing up the 20th anniversary of Ontario’s accessibility campaign, available at this link.
  • The November 28, 2014 AODA Alliance news conference, held right after this event, included later in this video series, available at this link.
  • The November 27, 2014 AODA Alliance news release, announcing the 20th anniversary of the Ontario accessibility movement, available at this link.
  • The Toronto Star’s November 27, 2014 column, reflecting on the Ontario grassroots accessibility campaign, available at this link.
  • The story of the events that took place on November 29, 1994, that led to the birth of Ontario’s accessibility campaign, available at this link.

 

Video 32) Title: AODA Alliance December 3, 2019 Queen’s Park News Conference to Mark the 25th Anniversary of the Birth of Ontario’s Non-Partisan Grassroots Movement Campaigning for Disability Accessibility Legislation

Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkBuFvBq7mw

Description: Ontario’s grassroots non-partisan movement that campaigns for accessibility legislation for people with disabilities was born on November 29, 1994, in a committee room at the Ontario Legislature Building, Queen’s Park Toronto. To mark the 25th birthday of this movement, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance held a news conference close to that date, on December 3,2019, the International Day for Persons with Disabilities. This video is a recording of that news conference. At this news conference, AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky is interviewed by ally and disability rights advocate Laura Kirby-McIntosh, president of the Ontario Autism Coalition. This news conference was held just hours before a 25th birthday party was also held at Queen’s Park.

Related resources:

  • The public record of the grassroots campaign from 1994 to 2005 that won the enactment in 2005 of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, check out the website of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee (predecessor to the AODA Alliance) available at www.odacommittee.net
  • To see the efforts by the AODA Alliance since 2005 to get the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act effectively implemented visit the AODA Alliance website

 

Video 33) Title: January 30, 2019 Queen’s Park Toronto News Conference by the AODA Alliance and Ontario Autism Coalition on Power of School Principals to exclude Students from School

Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uJFOVHySyQ (Audio only)

Description: On January 30, 2019, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance and the Ontario Autism Coalition teamed up to hold a news conference (captioned) at the Media Studio of the Ontario Legislature building, queen’s Park, Toronto. They addressed the need for the Ontario Government to rein in the arbitrary power of school principals in Ontario to refuse to admit a student to school, also called exclusion from school. This power has been disproportionately used to exclude some students with disabilities. Speaking at this news conference was AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky, Ontario Autism Coalition president Laura Kirby-McIntosh and legal counsel at the ARCH Disability Law Centre, Luke Reid.

Related resources:

  • AODA Alliance website’s education web page, at this link.
  • Joint OAC AODA Alliance January 30, 2019 news release on AODA Alliance website, at this link.
  • July 23, 2020 AODA Alliance report on the power of school principals to refuse to admit students to school (on AODA Alliance website, at this link).
  • July 24, 2020 report of the COVID-19 subcommittee of the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee on school-reopening during the COVID-19pandemic, on the AODA Alliance website, at this link.
  • MS Word format the AODA Alliance’s June 18, 2020 finalized brief to the Ontario Government on what needs to be done to meet the needs of students with disabilities during the transition to school re-opening, at this link.
  • May 4, 2020: Virtual Townhall on Students with Disabilities During COVID, at this link.

 

Video 34) Title: June 4, 2024 Queen’s Park News Conference on the Tragic Death of Trenton High School Student Landyn Ferris

Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXECLyhlv3w

Description: On June 4, 2024, a news conference was held at the Ontario Legislature, Queen’s park Toronto to call for strong provincial action to protect vulnerable students with disabilities in Ontario schools, after the tragic death of 16 year old Landyn Ferris  in a Trenton Ontario high school. Speaking at the news conference were Ontario New Democratic Party MPPs Chandra Pasma and Monique Taylor, Ontario Autism Coalition board member Kate Dudley-Logue, and Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Chair David Lepofsky. This news conference focused on the danger posed to students with disabilities by the lack of provincial regulations governing the use of isolation rooms, seclusion rooms or sensory rooms in Ontario schools.

 

Related resources:

 

Video 35) Title: AODA Alliance December 3, 2019 Queen’s Park News Conference to Mark the 25th Anniversary of the Birth of Ontario’s Non-Partisan Grassroots Movement Campaigning for Disability Accessibility Legislation

Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkBuFvBq7mw

Description: Ontario’s grassroots non-partisan movement that campaigns for accessibility legislation for people with disabilities was born on November 29, 1994, in a committee room at the Ontario Legislature Building, Queen’s Park Toronto. To mark the 25th birthday of this movement, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance held a news conference close to that date, on December 3,2019, the International Day for Persons with Disabilities. This video is a recording of that news conference. At this news conference, AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky is interviewed by ally and disability rights advocate Laura Kirby-McIntosh, president of the Ontario Autism Coalition. This news conference was held just hours before a 25th birthday party was also held at Queen’s Park.

Related resources:

 

Video 36) Title: November 25, 2024 Queen’s Park AODA Alliance News Conference Marking the 30th Anniversary of the Grassroots Campaign for Ontario Accessibility Legislation

Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZg3uj2ynh8

Description: On November 25, 2024, the AODA Alliance held a news conference at Queen’s Park, the Ontario Legislature, to mark the 30th anniversary of the birth of the grassroots movement campaigning for accessibility legislation. Speakers at this news conference included AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky, built environment accessibility expert Thea Kurdi and retired special education teacher Nora Green.

Related Resources:

 

Video 37) Title: November 25, 2024 AODA Alliance Queen’s Park Community Public Hearings on Disability Accessibility Barriers in Ontario 30 Years After the Birth of Ontario’s Grassroots Campaign for Accessibility Legislation

Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OlerBnSaks

Description: On November 25, 2024, the AODA Alliance staged community public hearings at the Ontario Legislature at Queen’s Park Toronto. People with disabilities told a panel of MPPs about disability barriers they face. This event marked the 30th anniversary of the birth of Ontario’s grassroots non-partisan campaign for strong Ontario accessibility legislation. The first speaker to appear on the video is AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky.

Related Resources:

Video 38) Title: January 6, 2025 AODA Alliance Queen’s Park News Conference Unveiling the Accessible Ontario Pledge

Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKDXeR0lUbA

Description: On January 6, 2025, the AODA Alliance held a news conference at the Ontario Legislature’s Media Studio, Queen’s Park, Toronto. Speaking days after January 1, 2025, the AODA Alliance addressed the failure by successive Ontario Governments to lead Ontario to become accessible to people with disabilities by 2025, as the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act had required. AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky unveiled the January 6, 2025 letter to Ontario’s party leaders. That letter called on all parties to commit to the Accessible Ontario Pledge, which would get Ontario to the goal of an accessible province as soon as possible after January 1, 2025. Also speaking were Julia Evangelisto and Kate Chung.

Related resources:

 

Video 39) Title: January 23, 2025 Queen’s Park News Conference Convened by the Ontario Autism Coalition to Reveal Hardships Facing Students with Disabilities in Ontario-Funded Schools

Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0fN8mn5uzA

Description: On January 23, 2025, the Ontario Autism Coalition held a news conference at the Ontario Legislature at Queen’s Park, Toronto. OAC released a report documenting problems facing students with disabilities/special education in Ontario K-12 schools. Speaking at the news conference were OAC board member Kate Dudley-Logue, AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky, Ontario Federation of Labour President Laura Walton and Ontario NDP Education critic Chandra Pasma. The Ontario Autism Coalition released its annual survey of parents of students with disabilities. It revealed a pattern of insufficient support for their students’ needs at school.

Related resources:

 

 

Video 40) Title: November 10, 2025 Queen’s Park News Conference by the AODA Alliance, Ontario Autism Coalition and AODA Alliance Unveiling Their “Better Call Paul” Campaign

Link to video: https://youtu.be/_iIy-glEEIg

Description: On November 10, 2025, the Ontario Autism Coalition, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, and Ontario Parents for Educational Support held a joint news conference at the Media Studio at Queen’s Park, the Ontario Legislature’s building. They addressed the problems facing students with disabilities/special education needs in Ontario schools, and especially at the five school boards which the Ontario Government seized, ousting their elected school board trustees. They unveiled a new “Better Call Paul” campaign. They invite parents of students with disabilities and indeed all parents of students in Ontario schools to call or email Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandtra to ask him to fix problems their children are facing getting their school to meet their learning needs.

Related resources:

 

Video 41) Title: January 28, 2026 Queen’s Park News Conference with the AODA Alliance, Ontario Autism Coalition and Ontario Parents for Education Support to Mark 4 years Since the Ford Government Received the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee Final Report

Link to video: https://youtu.be/mwcDtHMDVIE

Description: On January 28, 2026, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, Ontario Autism Coalition and Ontario Parents for Education Support held a joint news conference at the Ontario Legislature, Queen’s Park. They called out major and worsening problems facing students with disabilities in Ontario-funded K-12 Schools and pressed for reforms. They held this on the 4th anniversary of the date when the Ontario Government received the final report of the Government-appointed K-12 Education Standards Development Committee. It recommended what should be included in a much-needed Education Accessibility Standard promised under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. They focused especially on the worsening situation for students with disabilities in school boards that the Ontario Government had seized control over, ousting their elected school trustees.

Related resources: