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
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
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
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.”