In this Issue
1) Message Board
2)Articles
*The McGuinty Watch
*Legislation Will Enforce Disability-Friendly Service
*Youth Mental Health Campaign Targets Provincial Government
*Agency Issues Decision on City of Ottawa Request for the Agency to Modify its Order That OC Transpo Bus Operators Call Out Stops
*At AODA Alliance’s Request, Elections Ontario Extends Deadline to June 3, 2011 to Give Feedback on Accessibility of Proposed October 2011 Election’s Polling Station Locations
*WordQ: Powerful Software Giving Those Who Struggle With Literacy a Passport to the Digital World
*IE9 and Firefox 4: let the standards showdown begin!
*City Unveils New Accessible Gym Equipment
*Is Your Polling Station at Today’s Federal Election Accessible – If Not, Make Sure Elections Ontario Doesn’t Use the Same Site for Voting in the October
2011 Ontario Election
*Speaker’s Corner: A Mental-Health Lawyer’s Wake-Up Call to the Profession
*Will Disabilities Law See Light of Day?
*Break the Circle in 2011
3) Classifieds, Events, Surveys
4)Thanks for Your Support
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MESSAGE BOARD:
Inclusive Media and Design Inc.
(“Inclusive”) is an innovation company focused on advancing accessibility of digital media for people with disabilities.?
Inclusive offers technical services of Web video captioning, description and other media transformation. They consult on information and communication issues, policy and practices for organizations. Inclusive also offers training sessions covering a wide range of accessibility topics, many of which are relevant to the AODA.
In Ontario, the Integrated Accessibility Regulation (IAR) will require business, government and education sectors to provide media accessibility on their
websites – including captions on video.
Our goal is to make media on the web fully accessible. It’s our mission – and our passion. For more info visit www.inclusivemedia.ca.
ARTICLES:
The McGuinty Watch
To make it easier for you to see how the McGuinty Government has treated the Disabled Community over it’s Terms we’ve compiled some relevant articles for you to view
As they become available we’ll post more so check back once in a while before Election time.
Read more at
http://www.aoda.ca/?page_id=928
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Legislation Will Enforce Disability-Friendly Service
By January 2012, losing patrons won’t be the only drawback for shops and restaurants that fail to improve customer service for people with disabilities.
Businesses could face fines of up to $100,000 per day under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) if they don’t meet standards for
accessible customer service by the new year.
Read more at
http://www.aoda.ca/?p=1141
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Youth Mental Health Campaign Targets Provincial Government
Yellow school buses are a common sight on city streets. The only time most people give then any mind is when they stop, lights flashing, to load or unload children.
Thursday evening, though, three such buses were deployed at St. Paul University to draw the attention of Ottawans to the reality of suicide among young
people -enough every year to fill three buses -and to launch a new movement, entitled Taking a Stand, to push the Ontario government to deliver better
mental health services to children and youth.
Read more at
http://www.accessibilitynews.ca/?p=1183
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Agency Issues Decision on City of Ottawa Request for the Agency to Modify its Order That OC Transpo Bus Operators Call Out Stops
The Canadian Transportation Agency today issued its decision ( Decision No. 157-AT-MV-2011)
on the City of Ottawa’s request for the Agency to modify its order that OC Transpo bus operators call out stops.
In earlier decisions, the Agency found that OC Transpo’s failure to call out stops was an undue obstacle to the complainant and other persons who require that a stop be called because of their disability. The Agency therefore ordered OC Transpo to ensure that bus operators call out major and requested stops on all of its routes.
Read more at
http://www.accessibilitynews.ca/?p=1181
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At AODA Alliance’s Request, Elections Ontario Extends Deadline to June 3, 2011 to Give Feedback on Accessibility of Proposed October 2011 Election’s Polling Station Locations
At the request of the AODA Alliance, Elections Ontario has extended the deadline to June 3, 2011 for giving your feedback on the accessibility of the locations that Elections Ontario proposes to use for polling stations in the October 2011 general election.
Read more at
http://www.aoda.ca/?p=1136
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WordQ: Powerful Software Giving Those Who Struggle With Literacy a Passport to the Digital World
The need to improve literacy levels worldwide is becoming urgent. ‘A one percent increase in adult literacy produces a permanent 1.5 per cent increase in the gross domestic product,’ according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Read more at
http://www.accessibilitynewsinternational.com/?p=2104
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IE9 and Firefox 4: let the standards showdown begin!
Six months ago, the implementation of accessibility-friendly W3C standards, especially in relation to media players and screen readers, seemed pretty clear, with all web browsers having some level of implementation of HTML5 except
for Internet Explorer 8. The HTML5 standard has since evolved rapidly, particularly in January and with updates in April. We’ve also seen two major browser releases in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) and Mozilla’s Firefox
4.
Read more at
http://www.badeyes.com/?p=332
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City Unveils New Accessible Gym Equipment
Greg Bamber slips his feet into the small machine that partly resembles a bicycle.
With some help, he straps them in so they are secure.
Sitting back in his wheelchair, he turns the Motomed Viva 2 exercise machine on.
Slowly his legs begin to move up and down as if he is riding a bike.
Bamber was elated to demonstrate how the Motomed Viva 2 works as he spearheaded the cause to get the piece of accessible equipment to the Legends Centre.
Read more at
http://www.accessibilitynews.ca/?p=1172
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Is Your Polling Station at Today’s Federal Election Accessible – If Not, Make Sure Elections Ontario Doesn’t Use the Same Site for Voting in the October
2011 Ontario Election
Today’s federal election is an important time to think about the accessibility of this October’s upcoming Ontario general election. When you go to vote
in the federal election today, check if your polling station has any barriers to accessibility for voters with disabilities. If it does, then make sure
Elections Ontario doesn’t use the same location for this fall’s Ontario general election.
Read more at
http://www.aoda.ca/?p=1132
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Speaker’s Corner: A Mental-Health Lawyer’s Wake-Up Call to the Profession
In September, the federal prison ombudsman wrote that Corrections Canada was warehousing people with mental-health disabilities and that “Canadian penitentiaries are becoming the largest psychiatric facilities in the country.”
Then in October, the Toronto Star discussed how an accused person’s mental health had deteriorated to the point where he pushed children in front of a
subway car. At the same time, our society puts people with mental-health disabilities and addictions in municipal shelters. On average, my clients have
been homeless for seven years before I meet them.
Read more at
http://www.accessibilitynewsinternational.com/?p=2100
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Will Disabilities Law See Light of Day?
Last year I introduced disabilities legislation to provide incentives for people on support to allow them to earn and then keep more of their own money.
Bill 23 passed second reading and was referred to the Finance Committee – but a year later we continue to wait.
Read more at
http://www.accessibilitynews.ca/?p=1166
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Break the Circle in 2011
A recent issue of the Accessibility News Weekly Newsletter (it could have been any issue) featured more articles pointing in the same direction:
nowhere. Why?
The problem is not the Newsletter but the news. The news’ direction, as usual, is a circle. 2011 must be the year this circle is broken.
Read more at
http://www.accessibilitynewsinternational.com/?p=2098
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CLASSIFIEDS
No New Listings for this Week
Check for older ones or add your own by going to www.accessibilityclassifieds.com
EVENTS
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Check for older Events or add your own at www.accessibilityclassifieds.com/?page_id=98
SURVEYS
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www.accessibilityclassifieds.com
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