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    Accessibility Plan – September 2004

    2004 ACCESSIBILITY PLAN

    INTRODUCTION

    This document represents the update to the Region of Peel’s first Accessibility Plan - September 2003 which was endorsed by the Peel Regional Council on September 18, 2003.

    This second Accessibility Plan for the Region has been prepared based on information gathered from: strategic level consultations with the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC); corporate initiatives currently underway; information submitted by Regional departments and the key recommendations listed as “Next Steps” in the 2003 Accessibility Plan.

    During this past year, the newly developed Accessibility Planning Program focused on developing a strategic approach to preparation of the Plan, to become more effective in achieving the broad policy goals within the ODA, while still maintaining efficiency with respect to the use of resources available.

    The overall goal of the AAC, in conjunction with Peel’s Accessibility Plan Work Group is to incorporate an accessibility component into the service strategy and business planning process of each department, and by extension, the Regional Corporation as a whole. To assist the AAC in meeting its goals, and to implement last year’s key recommendations, the Region of Peel began a series of strategic level consultations with the members of AAC.

    During the most recent Peel Strategic Plan renewal process, the members of AAC created a Strategic Action statement specific to accessibility. This statement was incorporated into the Region’s fourth Strategic Plan, Fast Forward Peel: Building a Strong Community Together. This Strategic Action will prompt departments to include accessibility while reviewing and allocating resources for their programs and services during the departmental Service Strategy Business Planning and Budget processes. The practice will allow the Region to systematically integrate Accessibility Planning into existing departmental operations.

    In developing the 2004 Plan, the Accessibility Planning Program has also used a format similar to the departmental SSBP to enable staff to identify tasks from the Accessibility Plan and link them with the accessibility tasks listed in their departmental SSBP. This will also enable the Accessibility Planning Coordinator to monitor and report on the progress of departmental accessibility initiatives in a systematic manner. At the same time, this document continues to address the reporting requirements within the ODA.

    This second Accessibility Plan represents a key step in the overall process of ensuring the programs and services of Region of Peel become fully accessible for individuals with disabilities. As an organization strongly committed to integrated processes, the Region of Peel will continue its efforts to identify and remove existing barriers while laying the foundation for prevention of future barriers.

    A work plan was developed using the wide range of comments and input received from the AAC members during several consultations. This input was further organized into common themes and strategic issues and later into a series of objectives with a list of proposed actions and tasks to meet these objectives. These objectives provide the reader with a high level overview of future activities the Region will be undertaking to improve accessibility for individuals with disabilities.

    his second Accessibility Plan document reflects the continued dedication of the Region of Peel to meeting the commitments made within its Strategic Action 5.4, “Contributing to creating a receptive, accessible community that ensures full participation of individuals with disabilities”.