Accessibility Planning in York Region

Under the ODA, the annual accessibility plan must include:

• Steps the Region has taken to identify, remove and prevent barriers.
• How the Region will assess its bylaws, policies, programs, practices and services todetermine their impact on persons with disabilities.
• What bylaws, policies, services, programs and practices the Region will review in the coming year to identify barriers.
• Measures the Region will take in the coming year to identify, remove and prevent barriers in all of its services and programs including transit.

York Region's long-term strategic plan, Vision 2026, provides the foundation for accessibility planning in York Region and many other important corporate initiatives. Meeting the specific requirements of the ODA through the development and implementation of annual accessibility plans further supports the goals set out in Vision 2026.

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The Process for Developing York Region's Plans

The Region's accessibility planning process was set out in the Accessibility Plan Policy Framework that was approved by Regional Council in February 2003. The direction established in the Policy Framework has resulted in the development of four regional accessibility plans that cover every aspect of the Region's businesses and services.

Each department, including York Regional Police, develops its own department accessibility plan to identify, remove and prevent barriers in Regional programs and services on an annual basis. The overall Accessibility Plan for the Region is built from the initiatives included in these department plans.

Understanding what the Region has done to improve and enhance accessibility is also a key part of our Region's policy framework. As such, evaluation is an ongoing process to monitor and track the accessibility planning progress. The Region continues to successfully meet the obligations as outlined in the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001.

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Participation of the 2003 - 2006 York Region Accessibility Advisory Committee

York Regional Council strongly supports the involvement of many different people and groups in the Region's accessibility planning process. Several members of Regional Council have been involved since the beginning of ODA implementation, and networks have been formed to encourage ongoing communication with the area municipalities, stakeholder organizations, and the general public. Many Regional departments incorporate the practice of working with their own customers and clients to identify, prevent and remove different types of barriers that impact people with disabilities from receiving services or accessing various programs and facilities.

The York Region Accessibility Advisory Committee (YRAAC) is a legislatively mandated committee which was appointed by York Regional Council in 2003. It included both members of Regional Council and citizen volunteers and has been an integral part of the accessibility planning process. The members of the YRAAC included people with different types of disabilities, backgrounds and who came from across York Region offering a variety of perspectives. The YRAAC played a critical role in advising Council on the preparation, implementation, and effectiveness of its annual accessibility plans.

In keeping with its legislated mandate, the YRAAC continued to provide direct input into the implementation activities of the 2006 Plan. For example, members of the YRAAC:

• recommended that Regional Council once again recognize National Access Awareness Week, which was subsequently endorsed by Council in May 2006;
• participated in a breakfast workshop for members of all local Accessibility Advisory
  Committees in York Region held in Stouffville;
• participated in the Making Ontario's Heritage Accessible workshop co- hosted by the Region and the Ontario Historical Society;
• participated in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 workshop hosted by the Region;
• represented the committee while being featured on a local cable TV show about accessibility;
• provided advice on the implementation activities included in the 2006 Plan and the development of the 2007 Accessibility Plan.

The 2003-2006 YRAAC completed its three-year term in November 2006.

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Are We Making Progress? A Brief Overview of 2006 Initiatives

In Removing Barriers - York Region's 2006 Accessibility Plan, we made a commitment to act on 71 initiatives that would make our communities more accessible:

• 26 involved identifying barriers which is the first step in removing barriers; and
• 45 involved addressing barriers.

We are pleased to report that 61% (43) of the initiatives are complete and 39% (28) are either planned or underway and that the Region continues to actively pursue initiatives in all five themes.

In the early years of York Region's accessibility planning, we focused primarily on physical barriers. But, as we gained a better understanding of different types of disabilities, we have begun to address a wider range of barriers. In 2006, we took action to remove all types of barriers both visible and invisible and our 71 initiatives addressed the needs of people with a range of disabilities.

A few examples of barriers that have been identified and removed in 2006 are:

• The Transportation and Works Department addressed Technological and Physical barriers by installing audible traffic control signals and by installing new and replacement pads at bus stops.
• The Planning and Development Services Department addressed Physical, Architectural and Communicational barriers by co-hosting a workshop with the Ontario Historical Society to assist heritage sites, museums and historical societies to reduce barriers and increase accessibility.
• Corporate Communications addressed Informational and Technological barriers by using Humanist 970 font to print business cards and stationary making it easier for persons with low vision to be able to identify and access Regional staff communications and information.
• Corporate Services addressed Physical and Architectural barriers by installing new sliding hardware and handles on accessible washroom stall doors.
• The Community Services and Housing Department reviewed recommendations and will take appropriate action to address Policy/Practice barriers in the Ontario Works appeal process making the process easier to understand and more effective for persons with disabilities.
• The Finance Department addressed Technological barriers by implementing eight TTY machines at eight call centres to assist persons who are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing.
• Health Services addressed Communicational barriers in their Alternative Community Living brochures, pamphlets and service agreements by reviewing and revising them to ensure readability and improve communication between service providers, clients and caregivers.
• The York Regional Police continued to address Physical barriers in their Safety Village by making enhancements to accessibility at the site.

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Developing Towards Accessibility: York Region's 2007 Accessibility Plan

The Region's fourth Accessibility Plan continues to follow the direction set out in the Accessibility Plan Policy Framework and is integrated with the Region's annual business planning and budget process.

Again this year, each Regional department and York Regional Police participated by developing a departmental accessibility plan. Each department's accessibility plan is included in this document.

The 2007 Accessibility Plan includes 83 accessibility planning initiatives put forward by departments to identify, remove and prevent barriers in 2007. As in all the Region's accessibility plans, each initiative included in Towards Accessibility has been organized around five themes.

The themes are:

• Helping People Live Independently
• Making It Easier to Move Around the Region
• Making Regional Services More Accessible
• Making it Easier to Participate in Regional Government
• Changing Attitudes and Raising Awareness

The themes bring together the diverse aspects of the Region's programs and services into broader areas of action. These themes reflect the feedback from the YRAAC and previous public consultations on the key areas that impact the lives of people with disabilities.

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Parallel Implementation of the AODA and the ODA

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) came into effect in June 2005 and applies to both the public and private sectors covering every aspect of life available to the public except private homes. The goal of the AODA is to ensure that all Ontarians with disabilities have full access to goods, services, facilities, accommodation, employment, building structures and premises by January 1, 2025. This goal will be achieved through the development, implementation and enforcement of provincially-set accessibility standards in the areas of customer service, the built environment, information and communications, employment and transportation. Both public and private sector organizations will be required to implement these standards in increments that could range from as little as six months to a maximum of five years.

Enforcement of the AODA will be through a process of reporting, inspection, investigation, compliance orders and administrative penalties.

Under the AODA, the role of municipal accessibility advisory committees will change from advising municipal councils on their annual accessibility plans to advising council on their municipalities' compliance with the new accessibility standards.

The AODA will eventually replace the current ODA. However, the province has indicated that the ODA will remain in effect for the foreseeable future while the AODA is phased in. The Region, like other municipalities, must meet the challenge of implementing both Acts simultaneously during this period.