The McGuinty government has proclaimed the landmark Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 that requires the province to develop accessibility standards that will remove barriers for people with disabilities.
Standards are the building blocks of accessibility, helping to ensure real, measurable and effective change takes place in a timely manner. Accessibility standards will set out what must be done to prevent and remove barriers – and when. Each standard is to be implemented within five years or less, leading to an accessible Ontario in 20 years.
Meaningful, realistic standards will be developed by members of the disability community, business and sector representatives, and government. The standards development committees have the flexibility to tailor the implementation of accessibility requirements to economic realities.
Standards will be set in both the public and private sectors to address the full range of disabilities, including physical, sensory, mental health, developmental and learning. Some of the standards may be common to all industries and businesses; others may be specific to a certain sector.
Common standards will be developed in customer service, built environment, employment and information and communications. Transportation is an example of a sector-specific standard. Additional sector-specific standards may also be developed.
Because the standards will be phased in, businesses will be able to spread their accessibility investments over 20 years as part of their normal planning and capital investment cycle. The committees may set different standards and timelines for different types and sizes of operations; they will not take a one-size-fits-all approach.
The application deadline for the customer service and transportation committees is November 10, 2005. Application deadlines for other committees will be announced in the future. Application forms and committee terms of reference are available on the Accessibility Ontario website at: www.mcss.gov.on.ca/accessibility/index.html.
For additional information, or for application packages in alternate formats, please call 1-888-520-5828 or toll-free TTY 1-888-335-6611.