Untitled - Waterfront BIA

ACCESSIBILITY FOR ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT
In June, 2005 the new Accessibility For Ontarians With Disabilities Act, 2005 was passed into law.
The purpose of the Act is to improve opportunities for people with disabilities and to enable them to
become involved in the identification, removal and prevention of barriers to their full participation in the
life of the province.
Meaningful, realistic standards are being 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.
Common standards are being 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.
The standards will be phased in allowing businesses 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.
Standards could include:
• Accessible pedestrian routes and entrances into buildings.
• Lower counter heights at cash registers to accommodate wheelchairs.
• Large print menus in restaurants for the visually-impaired.
• Staff training in serving customers with learning disabilities.
This new law will have implications for BIA members and TABIA has taken a proactive stance in 2
key areas:
• A representative of TABIA sits on the customer service standards committee
• In 2006 TABIA partnered with the Ministry of Community and Social Services in a project to increase
awareness of accessibility in small business by promoting accessibility best practices within the
business community through:
- Production of a “How-To Become Accessible” multimedia resource;
- Launching a new province-wide competition to promote accessibility best practices within the
business community; and,
- Sharing concise, targeted information with BIA members and small businesses across the
province on the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) 2005, and on how to
become accessible.
Accessibility resources are available on the TABIA website - look for Accessible Mainstreet
www.toronto-bia.com/resources/accessibility.php
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