Accessibility Standards: Raising Awareness about the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)

Accessibility Standards: Raising Awareness about the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)

Polnick, Heather

County of Haliburton Joint Accessibility Committee
Host contact: Balle, Angela

Skinner, Mark
Department: Geography

TP-614

2010

U-Links Office and online

Haliburton County

Compliance with accessibility standards

Accessibility background research and informal interviews with key-informants from Haliburton County's Business Community.

In 2005, Ontario introduced new legislation around Accessibility called the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. Over the next few years, this legislation will begin to have an impact at the community level as compliance becomes mandatory. Part of this act is a new accessible customer service standard which the public sector is expected to comply with by Jan 2010 and the private sector by Jan 2012. The purpose of this project was to help spread awareness of the customer service standard to the private sector to ensure they are aware of their responsibilities as business owners. The deliverables of the project are an informational brochure, a pilot survey for Haliburton County to determine the attitudes and level of preparedness of business owners and a report outlining some suggestions for preparing the private sector for compliance. The previously mentioned deliverables were created using background research and informal interviews with key-informants from Haliburton County’s business community. The project concluded that accessibility concerns are of particular importance to the region because of its aging population and large tourism industry.

Trent University