City Scope
By IAN MCCALLUM
November 27, 2010

Prior to the Oct. 25 municipal vote, City Scope teamed up with accessibility advocate Ed McLachlan to expose members of council and aldermanic candidates to the frustrations encountered by city residents dealing with accessibility issues in their daily routine.

Bill Sandison, Wayne Northcott, Linda Stevenson, Rose Gibson, Joan Rymal, Ald. Dave Warden and Ald. Lori Baldwin-Sands accepted our invitation to visit municipal facilities, including city hall, the police station, Emslie Field, Pinafore Park, the Timken Centre and St. Thomas-Elgin Ontario Works to discover firsthand the obstacles faced by residents wishing to enjoy events at those venues or undertake business with staff.

November 27, 2010

SUMMARY

Please add your voice to our call for the McGuinty government to enact strong and effective new accessibility standards, to be enacted under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

The McGuinty Government is now working on finalizing an accessibility standard it will enact in 2011. This standard is supposed to remove and prevent barriers that impede Ontarians with disabilities from equal access to public transportation, to employment, and to information and communication.

By Geof Collis
November 26, 2010

Why is it so much trouble to get people to understand that making documents accessible, especially the Portable Document Format (PDF) doesn’t just benefit people like myself, but everyone who has to read hundreds of 6, 30 or 300 page documents as part of their job description or just trying to educate themselves.

23 November 2010
RyeACCESS
By Mariana Ionova, News Editor

For Ryerson students using a wheelchair, getting to a class in Kerr Hall could be dangerous and nearly impossible. The ramps leading to the entrances are too steep, the doorways are too narrow and the pavement is cracked and heaved.

Kerr Hall is among a number of older buildings on campus that were not built with accessibility in mind and have become a hassle for students with disabilities. But the university has prioritized improving accessibility in existing buildings as much as possible, according to Ryerson president Sheldon Levy.

November 24, 2010

SUMMARY

On November 12, 2010 we wrote to Community and Social Services Minister Madeleine Meilleur, the McGuinty Government’s cabinet minister with lead responsibility for implementing the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. We asked what the Government has done up to now, and what it plans to do in the final year of this term in office, on three important 2007 election promises to Ontarians with disabilities, namely:

1. The Government’s commitment to address barriers in provincial laws;

November 22, 2010

SUMMARY

On November 18, 2010, the AODA Alliance wrote Chief Electoral Officer Greg Essensa, who has lead responsibility for administering provincial elections in Ontario. For the October 2011 Ontario election, we ask him to exercise his authority under new amendments to the Election Act, to provide more than one accessible voting machine per riding, and to provide internet and telephone voting. We request this to overcome barriers facing voters with disabilities who cannot mark their own paper ballot and verify their choice. See this letter, below, and an earlier letter from the Chief Electoral Officer to the AODA Alliance on elections accessibility.

Will New Accessibility Standards Prevent This From Happening Again?

November 18, 2010

SUMMARY

Under pressure from the AODA Alliance, the McGuinty Government has agreed to take a second look at barriers impeding persons with disabilities when using the Presto Smart Card for paying public transit fares in Ontario. Recent correspondence from the Ontario Government to the AODA Alliance confirms this.

Sameen Amjad
Staff Writer

Ontario has joined other provinces in the move toward making its facilities and businesses more accessible for persons with disabilities. In June 2005,
the Ac- cessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) became law.

Elections Canada promoted this wheelchair-friendly mentality at the recent elections by installing accessible facilities at polling stations. The change
is occurring at all levels throughout the province. The government of Ontario has created a web page to promote awareness of this program to businesses, along with other initiatives that explain the effects and the changes the law requires these business owners to make in their facilities.

Posted November 17, 2010
To the editor:

A few months ago the course of my life changed direction and I’ve found myself dependant on crutches and a wheelchair while wearing a cast. Mine was a complex injury that was not going to heal quickly. Due to the prolonged length of time, I’ve had first hand experience on trying to function in a community not always accessible to the disabled.

TORONTO, Nov. 16 /CNW/ – The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) launched a survey today to learn more about the human rights issues and barriers people with mental health and addiction disabilities face. The survey kicks off a broader consultation process on human rights and mental health related issues.

The questions are aimed at learning how discrimination because of a person’s mental health issue or addiction may affect their ability to find and keep
a job, get an apartment or connect with education and health-related services.

Written by mybeckersstory
on Nov-12-10 10:57am
From: my-beckers-story.blogspot.com

First let’s start with the facts, when it come to those of us living with disabilities, most of us want to work and find suitable jobs so that we can provide
for ourselves and our families. And yes not everyone who has a disability is able to work, but for those of who can or want to we still face many barriers.

By Geof Collis
November 12, 2010

It’s bad enough that the McGuinty Government is dragging its feet and watering down the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) but in the interim, shouldn’t they be leading by example?

Many Screen Reader users are probably aware but the Government has a bad habit of putting up inaccessible Portable Document Formats (PDF) on their website even to the point of putting out notices on the AODA in this inaccessible documentation.

October 26, 2010

RGD is pleased to welcom Accessibil-IT Inc.
as its official Accessibility Partner. Committed to ensuring messages reach the intended target audience regardless of their ability, Accessibil-IT complements RGD’s initiative to ensure all graphic design is made more accessible.

The partnership will not only help RGD to learn and promote accessible design practices, but will help the membership and industry as a whole to do the same.

By Geof Collis
Badeyes Design & Consulting
November 6, 2010

This is another article in my line of previous “Beware” articles, Beware The Validation Sticker” and Beware The Charlatans“.

In these articles I’ve pointed out things to be aware of when claims are made of web Accessibility, the most recent are “Talking” websites and “Accessibility Tools”.

While these might be of use to some people, they will not make your website compliant with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) guidelines, regardless it Level A or Level AA is adopted.

Attention: Education Editor, Health/Medical Editor, News Editor, Government/Political Affairs Editor

TORONTO, ONTARIO, MEDIA ADVISORY–(Marketwire – Nov. 2, 2010) – On October 27, 2010 the Centre for ADHD Advocacy, Canada (CADDAC) released its report card on access to special education for students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) across Canada. Ontario was one of only three provinces that received a failing grade.