York Region's 2008 Accessibility Plan Summary
3. Making Regional Services More Accessible |
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| Accessibility Achievements - 2007 |
Every improvement York Region makes to the way it provides services to people with disabilities opens doors to equal opportunities to health care, education, jobs, and community involvement.
Throughout 2007, Regional departments worked to enhance and find ways to improve the delivery of Regional services. |
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Community and Health Services
- Consulted with the Canadian Hearing Society to determine how to better meet the needs of people who are deaf, deafened, or hard of hearing
- Trained on-site housing staff on ways to provide appropriate services for people with hearing disabilities
- Designed and planned renovations to enhance accessibility at the reception area at York Region's office at 62 Bayview Parkway. Implemented automatic door paddles at both north and south entrance doors for improved accessibility
- Created a Resource List to support the Corporation's Accessible Meeting Guidelines and to help plan meetings or events to increase participation of people with disabilities
- Developed a checklist to help staff identify accessibility issues faced by people living in or using the Region's public health offices or long-term care facilities
- Completed a review of informational barriers in public information brochures, beginning with materials related to the Safe Water Program, and converted all Safe Water Fact Sheets to accessible formats
- Completed renovations at the Newmarket Health Centre to improve accessibility to essential services for seniors and adults with disabilities
- Consulted with the Canadian National Institute of the Blind and the Canadian Hearing Society on emergency planning processes in the event of a pandemic influenza outbreak
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Corporate Communications
- Made improvements to the York Region website to make it more accessible for people using screen reading software
- While improvements were being made to the website, piloted a centralized telephone service to give people with disabilities an alternate way to get information that is located on the website
- Trained Web Coordinators to broaden their knowledge about accessibility features and software
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| Corporate Services |
- Completed a total redesign and reconstruction of the north parking lot of the Administrative Centre at 17250 Yonge Street, improving the number, size, and proximity of accessible parking spaces. The reconstruction included making a safer crosswalk and entrance way into the building which now features heated sub-surface coils to prevent ice build up.
- Installed common area signage at the Administrative Centre to help people find their way around the building
- Installed power door operators and other upgrades to washrooms at the Region's leased space in the Gates of York Plaza
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| Finance |
- Consulted with the Canadian Hearing Society and TextNet – a Centrex-like TTY telephone service designed to provide interactive communications with people who use TTY – to determine the most effective way for Regional staff to serve customers who are deaf, deafened, or hard of hearing
- Provided technology and financial support to Corporate Communications in its search for new technologies to make the York Region website more accessible
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Transportation Services
- YRT continued to allocate accessible buses to routes with the greatest demand
- Launched a redeveloped, accessible YRT website in 2007. The site enables customers with low vision who have web-reading software to read information and plan transit trips. Other YRT marketing and information print materials were modified for greater accessibility.
- Completed customer service improvements to the Transportation Services reception desk in the Administrative Centre. For example, introduced a wireless mouse and keyboard that can download maps and charts to print for clients.
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York Regional Police
- Began a feasibility study for an email 911 service for people who are deaf, deafened, or hard of hearing and will continue this study in 2008
- Embarked on, and will continue in 2008, a comprehensive technology review in 2008 of all of its communications devices, including TTY phones, pocket talkers, FM systems, and amplification phones to ensure they effectively meet the needs of people with disabilities
- Began production of a training DVD and provided training to officers and support staff to make them more aware of how to interact with citizens who are deaf, deafened, or hard of hearing
- Constructed an accessible parking spot closer to the entrance of the Community Safety Village
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| Barrier Identification for 2008 |
| Community and Health Services will actively seek feedback by surveying people with disabilities who use Ontario Works Employment Resource Centres to identify barriers and ways to make the information materials and the website more accessible. |
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| Corporate Communications will evaluate the effectiveness of the various accessibility features of the Region's website to ensure that all citizens of York Region have equal access to information about our communities' many programs and services. |
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| Corporate Services will review and redesign the ramp at the Administrative Centre's ceremonial entrance and the salad bar area in the cafeteria to address barriers to accessibility. |
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| Environmental Services will review font and colour contrast of promotional and education materials in their Waste Management and Water for Tomorrow Divisions. Web pages for both these Divisions will be reviewed to identify any barriers to accessibility, and an emergency plan at all facilities in the Department will be reviewed to ensure they address the needs of persons with disabilities. |
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| Finance will conduct a survey of other Ontario municipalities to determine how they are using various technology solutions to overcome different accessibility barriers and how York Region could benefit from these technologies. |
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| York Region Transit will continue to review its printed marketing materials to ensure they are accessible to people with low vision. |
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| In the past, York Regional Police has worked in partnership with various groups representing people with disabilities to identify and remove barriers to accessibility. This activity will continue throughout 2008, including a continued partnership with the Canadian Hearing Society to review all its internal communication devices such as TTY phones and other equipment to determine their effectiveness. The Department will also research the feasibility of developing an email version of the 911 emergency call system to make it easier for citizens who are deaf, deafened, or hard of hearing to get help when they need it. |
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| Barrier to be Addressed - 2008 |
| Community and Health Services will introduce new technology on web pages to help people with disabilities navigate the site. Standards will be established for all printed material to ensure they are easy-to-read and available in alternate formats. Health Services will use the corporate Accessible Meeting Guidelines to conduct accessibility audits of its meeting locations, including its Breast Feeding Clinics, to encourage greater participation for people with disabilities. |
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| Corporate Communications will continue to build enhancements to the Region's website to make it easier for people with cognitive and sensory disabilities find information. |
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| Corporate Services plans to make improvements at the Administrative Centre including brighter lighting in washrooms and elevators, improved signage, insulation of water pipes underneath sinks to prevent burning, and providing a wheelchair near the main entrance for visitors requiring assistance. |
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| Environmental Services will review and incorporate accessibility designs in the architectural plans for the proposed Community Environmental Centre in Vaughan. |
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| Finance will make improvements to the Region's Business Call Centres by moving the existing TTY system to a solution called TEXTNET. This will allow TTY calls to be handled and routed more easily to ensure the right staff addresses a customer-specific question. |
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| York Regional Police will relocate accessible parking spaces at 2 District, making policing services easier to access for people with physical disabilities. |
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