Accessibility Standards (AODA)
On June 13, 2005, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) sometimes referred to as Bill 118, received Royal Assent. The Act requires businesses and organizations that provide goods and services to people in Ontario to meet accessibility standards in five areas:
- Customer Service
- Transportation
- Information and Communications
- Built Environment
- Employment
The AODA was passed by the Ontario Legislature with the goal of creating accessibility standards to improve accessibility across the province by 2025.
What is an Accessibility Standard?
An accessibility standard is a rule that persons and organizations are required to follow, in order to identify, remove and prevent barriers. By definition, a standard is an agreed way of doing something. It may be voluntary or regulated by law, and it can be local or broader in scope.
Current Status of Accessibility Standards (July 28/10)
The first standard to be implemented under the Act - Accessible Customer Service - is already in place for the broader public sector. By January 1, 2012, Ontario businesses will also have to meet the standard. The Accessible Customer Service Standard is also known as Ontario Regulation 429/07.
The province is currently developing four more accessibility standards: for information and communications, employment, transportation, and the built environment. The first three of these standards will be integrated into a single regulation, making them more flexible for businesses. The built environment standard is expected to be combined or closely aligned with the Ontario Building Code.
The government action to integrate three standards is in response to the key recommendations that were submitted by Mr. Charles Beer, who was appointed by the Government of Ontario, as an independent reviewer to review the progress of the AODA.
After extensive public consultations, Charles Beer prepared and presented his report titled Charting a Path Forward: Report of the Independent Review of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 to the Minister. This report highlighted a number of critical areas of concern and recommended the following:
- The government must take immediate steps to harmonize the accessibility standards prior to releasing the remaining proposed standards as regulations
- To raise the profile of accessibility and support the transformational change that is needed both inside and outside government, therefore,
- The Minister of Community and Social Services should be formally designated as Minister Responsible for Accessibility.
- The role of the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario (ADO) should be strengthened by elevating the role of the assistant deputy minister to deputy minister to provide stronger leadership and accountability for the implementation of the AODA, and by focusing the ADO on renewed priorities including a public awareness and education campaign to support the AODA.
- The AODA be amended to establish an arm’s-length advisory body — the Ontario Accessibility Standards Board — to review and develop accessibility standards — replacing the standards development committee process.
The Beer report recommended the following strategy for the government to repeal the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001:
- Repeal the ODA once all of the accessibility standards are in regulation; repeal the ODA as a whole and not in stages;
- Undertake an assessment to determine which, if any, provisions of the ODA are not covered by the AODA legislative and regulatory framework and therefore may need to be incorporated, including the requirements on the provincial government;
- After consultations, incorporate the planning framework under the ODA into the AODA, with necessary modifications;
- Implement a transitional guideline to integrate and streamline the planning requirements under the ODA and the reporting requirements under the AODA, and;
- Preserve the consequential amendments made by the ODA to other legislation, if necessary.
Mr. Beer’s report commended the Municipal Accessibility Advisory Committees (AAC) for advising accessibility planning for municipalities across Ontario, since the inception of the ODA (2001) and recommended the following:
- Municipalities continue to have Municipal AACs as advisory bodies to municipalities;
- Municipalities ensure that their Accessibility Advisory Committees are appropriately utilized and seen as important resources in making communities more accessible;
- In cooperation with stakeholders, the ADO continue to develop timely, regional forums to support Municipal AACs and municipalities in carrying out their responsibilities under the AODA;
- The ADO develops mechanisms for the sharing of best practices, in cooperation with stakeholders and;
- Municipal AACs play a role in bringing together other advisory and informal organizations in their communities that are assisting the obligated sectors to comply with the AODA.
At the time of writing this report, these recommendations were under consideration by the Government of Ontario.
Did you know?
- AODA standards could help Ontario become a destination of choice for tourists with disabilities, which would generate $1.5 billion in new spending and grow the tourism sector between two and seven per cent.
- AODA standards could generate an increase in total retail sales of between $3.8 and $9.6 billion.
- Canadians with disabilities spend $25 billion every year and influence the spending decisions of 12 to 15 million other consumers.
- More than 1.85 million Ontarians have a disability and this number is quickly rising as the population ages.
- By 2017, for the first time, Ontarians aged 65 and over will account for a larger share of the population than children aged 0-14.
** Above information was obtained from the Ministry of Community and Social Services website.
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