Summer 2005 - volume one issue two editorial committee: Tracey Roetman, Trav Coleman, Linda Crabtree In this issue: AODA, Bill 118, receives royal assent; the COAAC is launched; David Lepofsky is honored; AACs are the front line, the grass roots activists; a consensus on standards evolves; local consortiums lead the way; universal design and visitability are focused; the urgent need to reform the Ontario Building Code, and incorporation leads to needed supplementary funding. The Lieutenant Governor, on behalf of Her Majesty, gave royal assent to Bill 118, the "Accessibility For Ontarians With Disabilities Act", 2004 on Monday, June 13, 2005 shortly after the Hon. Dr. Marie Bountrogianni, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, addressed the Access Ontario II conference in Burlington. Since revocation was not included in the Act now in force, the previous legislation, Bill 125, the "Ontarians With Disabilities Act", 2001 remains active until repealed. www.gov.ca/citizenship " We are firmly on the path towards an accessible Ontario, where our quality of life is enriched by the inclusion of all, and our economy benefits from the contribution of all" Minister Bountrogianni said. peter.kakaletris@mci.gov.on.ca David Lepofsky, regarded widely as the founder of the accelerating movement to make Ontario totally accessible to all persons, was honored recently at an evening gathering at the new headquarters of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind in Torontoa most fitting venue since it incorporates state-of-the-art advancements in universal design throughout the building. lepofsky@eol.ca The Burlington Accessibility conference was the launching pad for the Coalition of Ontario Accessibility Advisory Committees. The initiative has been undertaken by Trav Coleman, Chair, Guelph AAC; Tracey Roetman, senior staff person for disability services, Sault Ste Marie, and Linda Crabtree, Vice Chair, Niagara Region AAC. The objective is to electronically unite the AACs throughout the province in order to share experiences, achievements and problem solving and to form a concentrated effort to achieve the AODA objectives and to ensure the needed improvements in the Ontario Building Code. At this writing, more than 90 persons involved in the cause for persons with disabilities have signed on to the coalition. The Accessibility Advisory Committees throughout Ontario are the government's most valuable resource in realizing the intentions and promises of the OADA. Working together we can strengthen each other and have a powerful influence on how we reach a fully accessible Ontario. At the grass roots level, we are constantly in touch with the local governments, the persons with disabilities who are our constituents and the communities in general. Many AACs have initiated their own set of guidelines or standards for achieving accessibility in their municipalities. The London AAC was the first to develop and then refine its own standards for achieving real accessibility in their community. Endorsed by their city council and adopted by other AACs, the London Accessibility Standards are generally regarded as the document which should be reflected in a new Ontario Building Code. www.accessibility.london.ca Under Betty Richard's leadership, the Guelph AAC has collaborated with the County of Wellington, the Upper Grand District School Board, and the Homewood Health Centre in the formation of the Wellington Accessibility Partnership to produce their 2005 Facility Accessibility Design Manual. The 100+ page document is based upon the London standards and predicated on the premise of Universal Design. The primary consultant was Bob Topping of Designable Environments [also responsible for the original London document] who is widely regarded as the Canadian guru of Universal Design. The Manual is now available in PDF form from: guelph.ca/accessibility and go to www.design.ncsu.edu/cud for more on universal design. The Canadian Standards Association [CSA} has been selected for involvement in the Ontario Government's EnAbling Change Partnership Program to develop new resources for organizations and businesses to improve customer service for persons with disabilities. "developing standards for people with disabilities is an important achievement" said Pat Keindel, CSA CEO. of www.csa.ca Delegates to the Burlington congress came in contact with the proposition of Visitability associated with the construction of new housing to ensure the provision of accessibility.The concept is gaining momentum in the United States and is now law in several states. www.universal/smarthome.com and www.concretechange.org A new organization has been introduced in the array of efforts to serve persons with disabilities. This one is identified as Citizens With Disabilities - Ontario [CWD-O] a consumer-driven, cross-disability group dedicated to the full participation of persons in the social, economic and political life of their communities. It actively supports and promotes the rights, freedoms and responsibilities of individuals to determine their own destinies. www.cwd-o.ca For communities contemplating the retro-fitting or new design of accessible playgrounds for younger disabled persons, there is a new on-line service, Playability, which offers a toolkit to assist in the establishment of accessible play spaces and play scapes. Available in both official languages in print, in Braille or audio formats contact: www.opassoc.on.ca/toolkit.php There are other issues of common concern: the absence of TTY connections in hotel rooms, the limitations of closed captioning of television programming, and the virtual non existence of supplementary audio service to television programming. If hotel operators can provide in-room connections for the internet they can certainly make provision for TTY service in rooms designated as accessible. www.crtc.gc.ca Broadcasters are not obliged to provide closed captioning in their programming but Global [which pioneered the service in Canada] has just announced that 100% of its programming will soon be captioned. Most other broadcasters do provide closed captioning, except cable companies whose own "local" programs should obviously be captioned. Most captioned services are supported by private advertisers. www.canada.com/vancouver/globaltv Some broadcasters are providing a supplementary audio channel [associated to the picture] which describes action not easily seen [if at all] by persons with low or no vision. Sometimes referred to as a "visual ear" service, this feature needs to be expanded and its benefits more readily available. Many theatres now make this assisting feature available to patrons. www.crtc.gc.ca The successful passage of the AODA is over-shadowed by the seeming impasse to the long promised and still pending overhaul of the Ontario Building Code which would be the most effective means of enforcing full accessibility in both the public and private sectors. There is a growing belief that the premise of Universal Design should become the foundation of the Code. www.obc.mah.gov.on.ca As a means of securing funding from private sources in exchange for tax receipts, the Guelph Barrier Free Committees were incorporated on October 12, 2004 [Ontario Corporation Number 1624127] as a not-for-profit charitable organization and it is now developing opportunities with private financial support for its activities. travc@rogers.com Sault Ste. Marie also has a not-for-profit approach in its service for persons with disabilities. roetman@shaw.ca As it develops and matures, the AODA opens up some intriguing opportunities for those among us who have the credentials and the inclinations to provide consultancy to the private sector to enable it to adopt and adapt to the expectations and requirements for full accessibility for all persons. As Rick Sinclair suggests, there is the clear opportunity to form the ACAO the Accessibility Consultants Association of Ontario. If interested, contact him: rick@snaconsulting.ca Footnote: The Accessibility Directorate, drawing from the 2001 national census, states that 1.5 million Ontarians have a disability representing 13.5% of the population and that number will increase as the aging factor kicks in and the baby boomers take their place in the ranks of our senior population. The Directorate also reports that 82% of all Ontario municipalities filed Accessibility Plans in Year One [2003] but only 75% of all municipalities filed them in Year 2 [2004]. This data is as current as 06/05. michael.sullivan@mci.gov.on.ca Contacts: List of 1 items o linda@lindacrabtree.com list end We'd like to hear from you.