Ontario is supposed to be fully accessible by Jan. 1, but advocates say it's 'nowhere close'
CBC
In the new year, Ontario is supposed to be fully accessible for disabled people, but advocates say the province is "nowhere near" meeting standards it created 20 years ago.
In 2005, the Ontario Legislature enacted the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). It set a 20-year goal to meet standards in five areas that affect everyday life: information and communication, employment, transportation, customer service and the design of public spaces.
"We are nowhere close to being accessible by 2025 and we've been warning the government about this for years," said David Lepofsky, chair of the AODA Alliance.
Lepofsky was part of the group of disability advocates that lobbied Dalton McGuinty's government to enact the AODA in 2005.
Since then, he's continued the fight to have standards fully implemented by Jan. 1, 2025.
Those standards cover everything from accessible transportation, including having wheelchair-accessible buses and taxis, to accessible buildings with sufficient elevators, automatic doors and wheelchair ramps.
The legislation applies to all organizations and businesses with 20 employees or more.
Failure to meet standards can result in a fine of up to $100,000 per day for a business or organization, and up to $50,000 a day for a director at that organization.
Outside of physical accommodations for disabled people, the legislation also outlines equitable hiring practices and implementing accessible technology within an organization.
That technology extends to websites, where things like alternative text, which describes photos, and compatibility with screen readers are part of the standard.
The customer service standard means organizations need to train their staff to properly accommodate people with disabilities.
"You want to treat them like equals. Don't talk down to them," said Nadine Law, a disability advocate from Sudbury.
Lepofsky argues that in addition to falling short on meeting the five existing standards under the legislation, there should be others.
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