Accessibility News October 20,2018 Update

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The AODA Clock is Ticking

There are 6 years, 10 weeks, 4 days until a fully Accessible Ontario! Will you be compliant?

In this Issue

* Breaking News! The Accessibility Directorate of Ontario Tells the AODA Alliance that One Standards Development Committee is Going Back to Work After a 119-Day Freeze – And News on the Federal Accessibility Front
* General AODA Requirements
* Understanding the AODA Compliance Report
* Surrey to Build World’s First Translation System for British Sign Language
* Accessibility Problems Still Not Fixed at MUHC SuperHospital: Report
* Creating More Inclusive Condo Communities
* Yes We Can: U of T Students Create Prize-Winning IDeA Project for Accessibility
* Deaf Canadians ‘At Risk’ in Times of National Emergency

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ARTICLES:

Breaking News! The Accessibility Directorate of Ontario Tells the AODA Alliance that One Standards Development Committee is Going Back to Work After a 119-Day Freeze – And News on the Federal Accessibility Front

We’re busy on both the provincial and federal fronts of our accessibility campaign!

1. A Small Partial Victory on the Ontario Front

After the June 7, 2018 Ontario election, the work of five Standards Development Committees appointed under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act was suspended by the Ontario Government. We have been campaigning for the past 119 days to get the Ford Government to lift that freeze so that these Standards Development Committees can get back to work. They are appointed to recommend what AODA accessibility standards should include.

Read more at
https://aoda.ca/breaking-news-the-accessibility-directorate-of-ontario-tells-the-aoda-alliance-that-one-standards-development-committee-is-going-back-to-work-after-a-119-day-freeze-%c2%96-and-news-on-the-federal/

General AODA Requirements

Previously, we have written about what the AODA is and AODA requirements for specific organizations, such as AODA requirements for private businesses and non-profits with 20-49 workers. We have also introduced the different standards that your organization has had to comply with over the past few years.
In this article, we will outline the general AODA requirements that all non-profits, as well as private and public sector businesses, must comply with.

Read more at
https://aoda.ca/general-aoda-requirements/

Understanding the AODA Compliance Report

Public organizations, non-profits, and private businesses must complete an AODA compliance report. This report is a way to make sure that organizations are on track with the goal of making a fully accessible province by 2025. This report confirms that businesses have met their AODA needs.

Read more at
https://aoda.ca/understanding-the-aoda-compliance-report/

Surrey to Build World’s First Translation System for British Sign Language

The world’s first machine capable of turning British Sign Language (BSL) into written English is set to be built by the University of Surrey as part of a project funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

BSL is a language in its own right, with its own grammar, and it is very different from English. BSL uses several parts of the body simultaneously to fully express a range phrases, ideas and emotions.

Read more at
http://www.accessibilitynewsinternational.com/surrey-to-build-world%c2%92s-first-translation-system-for-british-sign-language/

Accessibility Problems Still Not Fixed at MUHC SuperHospital: Report

Of more than 50 recommendations to improve access for the disabled at the MUHC superhospital, six have been implemented so far.

More than a year after an independent report found numerous problems with accessibility for the disabled and other patients at the MUHC superhospital,
the McGill University Health Centre has still not fixed most of the deficiencies, the Montreal Gazette has learned.

Read more at
http://www.accessibilitynewsinternational.com/accessibility-problems-still-not-fixed-at-muhc-superhospital-report/

Creating More Inclusive Condo Communities

Refurbishment projects an ideal time to consider accessibility improvements

In condominium corporations, accessibility is too often and wrongly associated with unexpected and significant costs and veiled threats of legal action against unresponsive boards and property managers. It may be more helpful to think of through the lens of inclusivity, which is warmer and more inviting and simply means not excluding anyone.

Read more at
https://aoda.ca/creating-more-inclusive-condo-communities/

Yes We Can: U of T Students Create Prize-Winning IDeA Project for Accessibility

Stairs and narrow doorways are not the sole barriers to accessing sport and physical activity spaces. Once up the steps and through the doors, stereotypes and prejudices still obstruct the way.

Read more at
https://aoda.ca/yes-we-can-u-of-t-students-create-prize-winning-idea-project-for-accessibility/

Deaf Canadians ‘At Risk’ in Times of National Emergency

Other countries have on-screen interpreters during news broadcasts

When the next ice storm, wildfire or terror attack happens, Canadians who are deaf or hard of hearing will be in greater peril than others because most public notification systems are not accessible to them, experts say.

Read more at
http://www.accessibilitynewsinternational.com/deaf-canadians-at-risk-in-times-of-national-emergency/

eSSENTIAL Accessibility: helping organizations reach, serve and empower people with disabilities.

The eSSENTIAL Accessibility assistive technology app? gives those who have trouble typing, moving a mouse, or reading a screen due to a variety of conditions – such as stroke, paralysis or arthritis – the tools they need to navigate the Web. The app is free to the end-user and simple to use.

Organizations that feature the app on their websites are committed to making it easier for people with disabilities to access information online.

For more info, please visit http://www.essentialaccessibility.com Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/essentia11y or connect with us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=59891 .

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Accessibility News, since November 8, 2006