Making Ontario accessible for people with disabilities is good for all of us, because:
- it’s good for your business, and
- our population is getting older.
Accessibility is good for your business.
Do your customers include people with disabilities? If not, why not?
Did you know?
- About 1.85 million people in Ontario have a disability. [Statistics Canada, PALS (2006)]
- According to a Royal Bank estimate, Canadians with disabilities account for an estimated $25 billion a year in consumer spending. In turn, every person with a disability influences the spending decision of another 12 to 15 Canadians. About one in seven Ontarians has a disability. Over the next 20 years, that number will increase to one in five as people grow older.
- In Canada, Europe and the United States, 75% of people with disabilities are physically and financially able to travel. [Kéroul, Best Practices in Tourism Accessibility for Travellers with Restricted Physical Ability, October 2003]
By making your business open to people with disabilities, you can tap into this huge market — a market that has significant spending power.
Is this something you can afford to ignore?
We’re getting older.
Let’s face it. We’re all getting older. Especially the baby boomers — those of us who were born between 1946 and 1964. Statistics Canada estimates that population aging will accelerate in 2011 when the first of the baby boomers reaches the age of 65.
As we age, we will all likely face some limitations. Making Ontario accessible will benefit all of us.