Air Canada to Face Class Action Suit from Obese

A Quebec judge has authorized a class action lawsuit against Air Canada on behalf of obese travellers who had to pay extra because of their disability during a three-year period ending in December 2008.

Read more at
http://www.accessibilitynewsinternational.com/?p=2386

The Smartphone Revolution: Accessible To All

Rodolfo Cattani, EDF Executive Secretary said, “Accessibility and interoperability of communications devices are vital to making possible the professional and cultural inclusion of people with disabilities. At the same time, when not accessible, the technology can create new obstacles and can lead to new forms of discrimination.”

Read more at
http://www.accessibilitynewsinternational.com/?p=2384

Accessibility News December 10,2011 Update

Inclusive Media and Design Inc

Inclusive is ready to caption and video describe all your video for web, DVD, and computer desktop. They can also assist you in understanding and implementing Ontario’s AODA Integrated Standards’ media requirements.

Visit www.inclusivemedia.ca to find out more.

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In this Issue

*Meeting the Customer Service Standard (CSS): Restaurant Menu
*US Labor Department Seeks to Improve Job Opportunities for Americans With Disabilities by Setting Historic Hiring Goal for Federal Contractors and Subcontractors
*How Easy is it for You to Shop?
*Mental Illness Linked to Higher Mortality Rates
*Business Accessibility Needs Common Sense Approach
*The Demonisation of the Disabled is a Chilling Sign of the Times
*To Mark International Day for People With Disabilities, AODA Alliance Identifies Major Actions Needed by Key Ontario Cabinet Ministers to Advance Ontario Towards Full Accessibility
*International Human Rights Day Candlelight Vigil-Toronto
*Breaking Down Barriers With the Right Attitude
*Disabled community left in the cold
*Better Service for Disabled Key Goal of New Policy

US Labor Department Seeks to Improve Job Opportunities for Americans With Disabilities by Setting Historic Hiring Goal for Federal Contractors and Subcontractors

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor is proposing a new rule that would require federal contractors and subcontractors to set a hiring goal of having 7 percent of their workforces be people with disabilities, among other requirements.

Read more at
http://www.accessibilitynewsinternational.com/?p=2381

How Easy is it for You to Shop?

As we age and some of us find ourselves with physical challenges, an age-friendly shopping experience becomes an important factor that contributes to our continued independence and quality of life. In the Hamilton Council on Aging’s (HCoA) 2010 report, Hamilton: A City for ALL Ages, older adults identified many barriers and obstacles that exist in Hamilton’s outdoor spaces and buildings that present a challenge to their quality of life and need to be addressed.

Read more at
http://www.aoda.ca/?p=1616

Mental Illness Linked to Higher Mortality Rates

Canada NewsWire

New Report: “40 is too young to die: A call for action from Toronto’s Early-Onset Illness and Mortality”

The Ontario Federation of Community Mental Health and Addiction Programs (OFCMHAP) would like to announce the release of “40

is too young to die: A call for action from Toronto’s Early Onset Illness and Mortality Working Group” by a coalition of

Toronto agencies, academics and supportive housing providers. The report refers to extensive research and studies which

indicate that individuals with mental health and addiction issues, have consistently higher mortality rather than the general

population.

Meeting the Customer Service Standard (CSS): Restaurant Menu

Jan 1 Deadline is right around the corner, is your Menu Accessible to All?
By Geof Collis

All businesses with at least one employee will have to comply with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Customer Service Standard (CSS) taking effect Jan. 1, 2012.

With regards to Restaurants you need to have a policy on allowing people to use their own assistive devices to access your Goods and Services and that includes your menu.

Read more at
http://www.aoda.ca/?p=1611

Business Accessibility Needs Common Sense Approach

New regulations in 2012

Businesses need not be anxious about the new accessibility rules that come into effect on Jan. 1, 2012.

Louie DiPalma, who is the director of the small/medium enterprise program at the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, feels that most businesses are already complying with the standards being laid out.

Read more at
http://www.aoda.ca/?p=1608

The Demonisation of the Disabled is a Chilling Sign of the Times

There is a climate of hostility towards people for whom life is already difficult and it is being fostered by politicians and journalists

Polls have found substantial increases in the number of disabled people experiencing aggression and abuse, with evidence that the attitudes of the
rest of society towards them are worsening. Many disabled people were already scared to go out after dark or travel on public transport such is
their justified fear of encountering hostility.

Read more at
http://www.accessibilitynewsinternational.com/?p=2379

To Mark International Day for People With Disabilities, AODA Alliance Identifies Major Actions Needed by Key Ontario Cabinet Ministers to Advance Ontario Towards Full Accessibility

The AODA Alliance has just written seven cabinet ministers in the Ontario Government. For each, we identify the key disability accessibility issues that they need to address. We link our proposals to election commitments that the Government has made. We offer each minister our help in addressing these issues

Read more at
http://www.aoda.ca/?p=1605