Reflecting the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
This site will be of interest to anyone working on implementing and monitoring the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and disability issues unfolding throughout Ontario.
Below you will find updates from the Provinces' Accessibility Advisory Committees. To have posts emailed to you as they become available please go to theMailing Lists Page.
If you wish to become a contributing member please see the Site Membership Page for details.
Essex County 8th Annual Accessibility Workshop Agenda OPENING DOORS AND MINDS
Posted under: Events by Essex County AAC
This year’s workshop will once again provide attendees with information on ways in which we can open up our community to people with disabilities. Topics such as planning for accessible communities and making our heritage accessible to everyone will be the focus of some of the concurrent workshops. Improve your understanding of some of the invisible disabilities such as dementia, mental health illnesses and non-verbal learning disabilities. Learn how technology can assist young adults as they transition into post-secondary education. Take the opportunity to visit the many booths at the Information Fair, all providing valuable information on resources and tools available to improve accessibility. Network and share best practices of accessibility initiatives within your community.
New Accessibility Committee Member Has Definite Ideas
Posted under: Built Environment,Community News by admin
Posted By CECILIA NASMITH Northumberland Today.com
July 9, 2010
TED AMSDEN Northumberland Today.comPoorly structured curb cuts are one concern Marty Cunningham, the newest member of CobourgÕs accessibility advisory committee.
COBOURG – The newest member of Cobourg’s accessibility advisory committee, 24-year-old Marty Cunningham, already has a couple of ideas about changes that might be needed on the accessibility front.
Plants Hanging Too Low for Unsighted Residents
Posted under: Built Environment,Community News by admin
Posted By TED AMSDEN NORTHUMBERLAND TODAY
June 25, 2010
-Denise Chamberlain is not tall. In fact, she is only 5 feet two inches tall. But the blind woman is certainly tall enough to walk regularly into the hanging
plants that Cobourg parks department employees have hung from banner support poles.
The Strength and Potential of Municipal Accessibility Advisory Committees (MAACs)
Posted under: Community News by admin
By Geof Collis
June 1, 2010
After reading the above named section from the Report of the Independent Review of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/mcss/publications/accessibility/charles_beer/tableOfContents.aspx it has become even more apparent that a venue like www.coaac.ca along with its ListServe is exactly what Charles Beer is referring to.
It is also something that David Lepofsky of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance said in a recent article:
Pair Receive BMAAC Awards
Posted under: Built Environment,Community News by admin
Posted By NICK GARDINER , STAFF WRITER
Posted May 26, 2010
NICK GARDINER The Recorder and TimesBrockville Public Library head librarian Margaret Williams, left, and Brockville Concert Band conductor Lance Besharah, right, show the plaques they received at a city council meeting on Tuesday from Brockville Municipal Advisory Committee (BMAAC) member Janet Jones, centre. Williams and Besharah were honoured for their roles in raising accessibility standards at the library and Brockville Arts Centre respectively.
Two elevators installed at the Brockville Arts Centre have provided a lift for the Brockville Municipal Accessibility Advisory Committee (BMAAC).
The elevators, which provide access to the stage and orchestra pit, were the brainchild of Brockville Concert Band conductor Lance Besharah, who was one of two city residents recognized by the committee on Tuesday.
Software Speaks Volumes to Hearing Impaired
Posted under: Information & Communications by admin
Posted By JOHN VESSOYAN/Tribune Staff
May 5, 2010
JOHN VESSOYAN Staff Photo — Enza Iovio, left, a general support service counsellor with the Canadian Hearing Society, and Russ Findlay, chairman of Welland’s accessibility advisory committee, test the new TextNet software that has been installed at Welland Civic Square.
WELLAND — Accessing information just got easier for Wellanders who have hearing impairments.
The installation of new software called TextNet at Welland Civic Square allows deaf or hard of hearing citizens to communicate with municipal government employees by using their computers instead of struggling to get their message across over the telephone or in person.
City Lets Deaf Community Know It Isn’t Forgotten
Posted under: Community News,Information & Communications by admin
Posted By W. BRICE MCVICAR THE INTELLIGENCER
April 27, 2010
Belleville’s hard-of-hearing and deaf community is getting better insight into how the municipality works.
New equipment which allows hard-of-hearing residents to listen in during council meetings and the inclusion of a sign language interpreter at some meetings will break down barriers for a large number of residents in Belleville.
Opening Doors in Pickering
Posted under: Community News by admin
Accessibility advisory committee planning for barrier-free city
Apr 26, 2010 – 11:16 AM
By Kristen Calis
PICKERING — Doors must be open to all Ontarians by 2025, and a group of Pickering volunteers hopes to whip Pickering into shape for the Province’s goal
of full accessibility.
“They all have the right to the same quality of life that we enjoy today,” said Keith Falconer, chairman of the Pickering accessibility advisory committee.
Disabled Cry Foul Over Cuts
Posted under: Transportation by admin
Posted By RONALD ZAJAC , STAFFWRITER
April 24, 2010
Like many people who depend on Brockville’s para transit system, Mary Ann Greenwood worries it will soon be harder to get a ride.
Greenwood, whose son, Paul Murrell, 31, has tuberous sclerosis and requires a wheelchair to get around, has already had to reduce the number of times she uses para transit. She worries those opportunities will decrease even more when the city’s new para transit contract takes effect May 1, effectively reducing the number of available buses from a maximum of four to two.
There Should Be No Barriers to Voting in Ontario
Posted under: Community News,Information & Communications by admin
April 16, 2010
Bill 231, a series of amendments to the Election Act, is now before the legislature, but it is not enough to take into account the full needs of voters
with disabilities.