One thing you can see when you look around Ontario’s public buildings and shopping malls is the blue wheelchair symbol. Despite enormous efforts by untold legions of people to implement this law and deliver on its promise – from standards development committees and the consultations they involved, to those who have laboured to improve accessibility in obligated institutions – the results are highly selective and barely detectable. The AODA promised to prevent and remove these barriers. For most disabled persons, Ontario is not a place of opportunity but one of countless, dispiriting, soul-crushing barriers. Every day, in every community in Ontario, people with disabilities encounter formidable barriers to participation in the vast opportunities this province affords its residents – its able-bodied residents – as will be fulsomely described later in this report. The vision in the AODA has, by and large, turned out to be a mirage. Surely, we thought, we’ll easily get accessibility done in 20 years – and hopefully a lot sooner.Īlas, here we are almost 14 years later, and the promised accessible Ontario is nowhere in sight. To me and many others in the disability community, that date seemed a long way off. One of the main points in the exciting new law was that it set a deadline for achieving accessibility for people with disabilities – January 1, 2025. I remember well the days when the AODA was enacted in the spring of 2005. From the outset, my intent has been to produce a report that not only reflects my views on accessibility but also speaks for the 2.6 million Ontarians with disabilities and their families and loved ones. IntroductionĪ year ago, I was honoured to be appointed to lead the Third Review of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. His report was tabled in the Legislature on May 31, 2010. In June 2009, Charles Beer was appointed to complete the first review of the act.
Her report was tabled in the Legislature on February 12, 2015. In September 2013, Mayo Moran was appointed to complete the second review of the act.
meetings with chairs of the Standards Development Committees, Accessibility Standards Advisory Council, government officials and post-secondary institutions.receiving feedback through numerous online submissions.interviews with public and private organizations.seven roundtables with key organizations.Over the course of 2018, Onley held public consultations across the province, including: Onley was appointed to complete the third review of the act. In December 2017, the Honourable David C. The government is required to table the resulting report in the Legislative Assembly. The reviewer is also required to consult with the public - specifically people with disabilities. This review is required by Ontario’s accessibility laws. Every three years, a reviewer is appointed by the government to assess the effectiveness of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and its standards.
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