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| Office of the Chief Administrative Officer |
Environmental Scan
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The priorities identified by the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer are as follows:
- To analyze and help research the best possible strategy or software for making York Region's website more accessible using the www consortium (W3C) criteria (e.g., Content Management Software with accessibility features built into it, strategy or policy that dictates levels of accessibility that must be achieved with the current software).
- Empower people who are blind or have low vision to identify what types of information are important to them and use technology to access it. Technology can automatically bring that information to their computer so that they can use screen reading software to access the information.
- To review the writing styles of the departments that post to the website and determine guidelines around literacy levels and how put these guidelines into practice to help persons with cognitive disabilities access our website.
- To lead The Regional Municipality of York in implementing of the AODA Customer Service Regulation's core principles, requirements and training strategy and to lead the implementation of the Accessible Information and Communications Standard.
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Our Customers
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| The Office of the Chief Administrative Officer is responsible for corporate administration, strategic planning, internal and external communications, the Corporate Customer Service Strategy and emergency management. The Corporate Communications branch is also responsible for the layout and dissemination of information over the Internet and Intranet in a way that supports screen reading software for persons who are blind or have low vision. Any documents produced by Corporate Communications will be made available in a format or font size that would be most accessible for a person with a disability. |
Accessibility Statement
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| The Office of the Chief Administrative Officer is committed to training members of their department to be aware of the needs of people who have disabilities, through training offered by The Regional Municipality of York. This training will educate our staff on how to properly manage requests from people with disabilities in a respectful and accommodating manner. |
Office of the Chief Administrative Officer
Progress Report on Accessibility Achievements - 2008
Barrier Identified
(Gives a description of the barrier and indicates where the barrier was found. For example, was the barrier in a program, service, by-law, policy, practice or facility?) |
Barrier Type
(Indicates the type(s) of barrier (physical, architectural, informational, communicational, attitudinal, technological, policy/practice) |
Disability Type
(Indicates the type(s) of disability affected by the barrier (physical, sensory, cognitive, mental illness or other) |
How the barrier was addressed
(Describes the action taken to identify, remove or prevent the barrier) |
| Making Regional Services More Accessible |
Research to determine if technology used to provide information directly to user's computer works with screen reading software.
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Technological, Informational |
Sensory |
Testing completed determined that Real Simple Syndication (RSS) can be provided in an accessible format. |
Web review Content Management System (CMS):
- Option of having an automatic font size icon/link placed on the site. How will it work with CMS?
- Contrast control of text on York Region's website.
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Technological, Informational |
Sensory |
Testing is complete.
Review of CMS will allow automatic font size icon link and contrast control of text to be placed on York Region's website. |
Research the possibility of making York Region's website accessible without having to create a duplicate site accessible to people with visual disabilities.
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Technological, Informational |
Sensory |
Testing is complete.
Research concluded that the website is accessible without having to create a duplicate site for people with visual disablities. |
| Navigation of York Region's website. |
Informational, Communicational, Technological |
Cognitive, Sensory |
Persons with cognitive and sensory disabilities are able to search the site using keywords rather than depend on intuitive forms of navigation. |
| Changing Attitudes and Raising Awareness |
Increase awareness of staff to the needs of people with disabilities through staff participation in inclusivity training.
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Attitudinal |
All |
Two staff from Corporate Communications have completed the 'Just Ask' Inclusivity Training. |
Office of the Chief Administrative Officer
Barrier Identification for 2009
| By-laws, policies and practices to be reviewed |
Methods to be used to identify the barrier |
Timing
(When will this be completed?
The timing for addressing a barrier does not necessarily have to be set within 2009. The nature of the action may be phased in over a number of months or years depending on the resources and priorities of the Department) |
| Making Regional Services More Accessible |
| Research to determine what York Region content should be accessible through Real Simple Syndication (RSS) technology (information pushed directly to user's computer that works with screen reading software). |
Conduct survey and/or focus group to gauge effectiveness. |
Spring 2009 |
| Changing Attitudes and Raising Awareness |
| Review department's internal policies, practices and procedures to ensure incorporation of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) Customer Service Regulation's core principles of independence, integration and equal opportunity. |
A comprehensive review of all internal departmental policies, practices and procedures to identify gaps in the core principles of independence, integration, and equal opportunity. |
2009 |
Office of the Chief Administrative Officer
Barriers That Will Be Addressed for 2009
Barrier Identified
(Indicate where the barrier was found) |
Barrier Type
(Indicate the type of barrier - physical, architectural, informational, communicational, attitudinal, technological, policy/practice) |
Disability Type
(Indicate the type of disability affected by the barrier - physical, sensory, cognitive, mental illness or other) |
What will be gained by removing or preventing the barrier
(Indicate how accessibility will be enhanced by removing or preventing this barrier) |
Means to prevent/remove the barrier
(Describe what action will be taken to remove and/or prevent the barrier) |
Indicators of success
(Indicate how customer service will be improved by removing or preventing this barrier. Also indicate any other measure(s) that will be used to determine whether or not the Department was successful in removing and/or preventing this barrier) |
Timing
(The timing for addressing a barrier does not necessarily have to be set in 2009; the nature of the action may be phased in over a number of months or years depending on the resources and priorities of the Department) |
| Making Regional Services More Accessible |
| To meet the requirements of the Customer Service Regulation (AODA), a corporate document will be developed that sets out the steps to be taken in connection with a temporary disruption. |
Informational |
All |
Customers who use or benefit from the goods or services will be aware of the reason for the disruption, its anticipated duration and a description of alternative facilities or services, if any are available. |
A process to notify the public of the temporary disruption will be developed and implemented and will be available both onsite and on the corporate website. |
Decreased customer complaints and increase positive customer feedback. Customer service, including access to York Region's goods and services for people with disabilities, will be enhanced. |
January 1, 2010 |
| Web: Content Management System (CMS). |
Technological |
Sensory |
Access to the Region of York website will be increased for people with sensory disabilities. |
A test will be conducted to determine the effectiveness of the automatic font size icon/link in the new web design.
Testing to be conducted on the contrast changing feature for website text. |
Increased access to the York Region website by people with sensory disabilities. |
Summer 2009 |
| Changing Attitudes and Raising Awareness |
To meet the requirements of the Customer Service Regulation (AODA) a corporate training strategy will be created and implemented for the provision of York Region goods and services to people with disabilities, incorporating the AODA Customer Service Regulation's core principles of independence, integration and equal opportunity.
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All |
All |
All York Region staff will receive Customer Service Training about the provision of goods and services to people with disabilities. |
Mandatory training modules will be developed and implemented using feedback from focus groups with stakeholders, York Region staff and York Region technical working group.
Training levels will be determined and staff will be assigned to the appropriate level of training. |
All York Region staff will be trained about providing goods and services to people with disabilities, meeting the requirements of the Customer Service Regulation (AODA.) |
Completed by
January 1, 2010 |
To meet the requirements of the Customer Service Regulation (AODA), a process will be developed for responding to customer feedback about the way York Region provides goods and services to people with disabilities.
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All |
All |
An accessible customer feedback process with defined processes and accessible timelines will make it easier for people with disabilities to let us know how we are doing. |
A corporate accessible customer feedback process will be developed and implemented.
Notices will be posted on the website and at Regional locations, advising of the feedback process and timelines. |
Customer service, including access to an accessible customer feedback process, will be enhanced for people with disabilities. |
Completed by
January 1, 2010 | |
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