What are accessibility standards?
Making Ontario accessible starts with breaking down barriers that prevent people with disabilities from doing the things many of us take for granted— things such as going shopping, taking public transit, eating out or getting a job.
Standards are often a required way of doing something, as they are with Ontario’s accessibility standards, Standards help to control the quality, safety and reliability of products or services. By developing accessibility standards, we can identify, remove and prevent barriers to accessibility.
Ontario’s accessibility standards will be the rules that businesses and organizations in the province will have to follow to make Ontario more accessible to people of all abilities.
In what areas are accessibility standards being developed?
Ontario is developing accessibility standards in five important areas:
- customer service (which has already been developed and is in force)
- transportation
- built environment
- information and communications
- employment.
Who is developing the accessibility standards?
Standards development committees are currently developing proposed standards for consideration by the government:
- transportation
- built environment
- information and communications
- employment
Each committee is composed of:
- 50% of representatives from the disability community, and
- 50% of representatives from private, broader public and non-profit sectors and Ontario government ministries.
How far along are the committees in developing the standards?
The committee that developed the proposed customer service standard has completed its work. The proposed customer service standard was used by the government to create a regulation, which is now law.
The regulation came into effect on January 1, 2008. Designated public sector organizations will need to comply by January 1, 2010. All other businesses and organizations covered by the standard will need to comply by January 1, 2012.
Learn more about standards development and where we are now:
Why are the standards being implemented one at a time, instead of all at once?
If Ontario waits until all the standards are developed before implementing them, progress will be slowed down. This phased approach allows businesses and other organizations time to meet each standard as it comes into force, rather than having to comply with all standards at the same time.
Phasing in the standards gives businesses and other organizations time to plan to make accessibility part of their regular business planning.
Won’t these standards put a burden on small businesses and other organizations?
The government is not taking a “one-size-fits-all” approach to developing standards. Ontario’s goal is to develop realistic and practical accessibility standards that businesses and organizations can build into their regular business and capital planning cycles.
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 gives standards development committees the flexibility to propose different requirements and compliance timelines for different types and sizes of businesses.
For example, the customer service standard, which came into effect on January 1, 2008, has two compliance timelines:
- January 1, 2010 for designated public sector organizations, and
- January 1, 2012 for all other businesses and organizations who are covered by the standard.
The government is helping in other ways, too. As standards are developed and made into law, the Ministry of Community and Social Services plans to provide online resources and tools to help businesses and organizations comply.
What kinds of compliance assistance materials will be available for businesses and organizations?
The Ministry of Community and Social Services will be developing a range of materials to help businesses and organizations understand and comply with the requirements of the standards. Here are some examples:
- guides to explain the meaning of the standards
- handbooks to provide more examples and explanations of how to comply with the standards
- checklists, templates and sample policies
- educational resources and tips to help with compliance
- examples of good accessibility practices, and
- examples of low-cost/no-cost accessible solutions.
Materials will be available online and in alternate formats.
The ministry has already started to post materials to help businesses and organizations comply with the customer service standard. Find out more by visiting www.accesson.ca/compliance.
How is the government working with partners to achieve accessibility?
The Ministry of Community and Social Services is working with partners in key umbrella organizations. Current partners include:
- the Retail Council of Canada, which supports the retail sector, and
- the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario, which supports the municipal sector.
The ministry and its partners are working together to:
- develop tools and resources tailored to specified sectors,
- provide the information these sectors will need to comply with the customer service standard.