Through the Accessibilities for Ontarians with Disability Act, 2005 (AODA) Ontario is working towards making the province accessible for people with disabilities by 2025. This will be accomplished through education and understanding, as there are many facts and fictions out there.
Under this act, Ontario is developing accessibility standards. These are the rules that businesses and organizations in Ontario will need to follow to break down the barriers in important areas of everyday life: customer service, transportation, employment, information and communications, and the built enviroment, which includes buildings and other structures.
In an effort to work inside AODA, Community Living Timmins has created a policy titled Accessible Customer Service. Inside this policy, each member of our team is retrained once a year on the importance of the Act, and it is used as a training ground to make sure that everything possible is being done to make sure people with Disabilities are accomadated for.
Fact: Approximately 1.85 million people in Ontario have disabilites, representing 15.5% of Ontario’s population.
Fact: Projections show that by 2021 seniors with Disabilities will outnumber 25-64 year olds with disabilities. In 2025, the majority of persons with disabilities will be 65 years of age or older – some 1.25 million seniors with disabilities.
Fiction: someone who uses a power wheelchair cannot drive a vehicle. The truth is there are many devices on the market that will allow someone with a disability such as being in a wheelchair operate a vehicle. For example there are modifications where the gas and brakes are added to the steering wheel area, or a University in Tokyo is currently working on a car with a joystick system for driving. It can be seen here :
joystick driving
Fiction: When guiding a person who has vision loss, you should always take them by the arm to guide them around. The truth is that there are many levels of vision loss. As you are driving on a bus look around. There is a possibility that someone on the bus is legally blind but can carry on everyday life with no assistance. You can read more information here:
When are you legally blind?
Below is links to information regarding the Act and a copy of Community Living Timmins policy.
B-30 – Accessible Customer Service Policy
Accessibility Feedback Form
Customer Service Standard government page
