The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 calls on us to work together to develop and implement accessibility standards that will apply to public, private and non-profit sectors. Standards are being developed in five important areas of our lives, one of which is employment.

The Employment Accessibility Standards Development Committee began meeting in the fall of 2007 to develop and draft a proposed standard to help employers create equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

The initial proposed standard was released for its mandatory public review period from February 18 to May 22, 2009.   

The committee has now:

• revised the initial proposed standard to reflect the public’s input, and
• submitted the final proposed standard to the Minister of Community and Social Services for consideration as law.

Ontario is the first jurisdiction in Canada to develop province-wide, enforceable accessibility standards. The Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, Ontario Regulation 429/07 is the first standard to become law. It came into force on January 1, 2008.

About the Final Proposed Employment Accessibility Standard

• Letter of transmittal from the Chair of the Employment Accessibility Standards Development Committee
  
  
• Final Proposed Employment Accessibility Standard
  
  
• Final Proposed Employment Accessibility Standard – Plain Language Version
  
  
• What’s the difference? A comparison of the initial proposed standard and the final proposed standard
  
  
• Clause by clause review:  Summary of “no” votes
  
  
• Frequently Asked Questions about the Final Proposed Employment Accessibility Standard

About the development of the other accessibility standards

Built environment

Customer service

Information and communications

Transportation

• Print this article
• Email this article