Ontario Construction News staff writer
The Rick Hansen Foundation has launched a Municipal Accessibility Policy Toolkit, a free resource that can help Ontario municipalities identify and remove physical barriers in their communities.
Created with funding from the Ontario Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility and in collaboration with accessibility experts at the MaRS Discovery District, the Toolkit is designed specifically for municipal staff and planners in Ontario but is available to any Canadian municipality looking to make progress on accessibility, the foundation said in a new release.
It says the Toolkit provides a step-by-step framework to help local governments develop, implement and update policies that improve physical accessibility in public spaces. “Municipalities play a critical leadership role in ensuring their communities are inclusive and accessible to people of all ages and abilities,” said Amanda Basi, Sr., the foundation’s programs director.
“This Toolkit offers ways to create meaningful change no matter what stage local governments are at in their accessibility journey.”
The Toolkit, with accompanying worksheets, is structured into four practical sessions that define the following goals:
- Uncover local built environment accessibility gaps.
- Prioritize sites and develop or update strategic approaches.
- Cultivate empathy and prioritize interventions.
- Build and prioritize business cases, roadmaps, and funding strategies.
As Canada’s population ages, the number of people with disabilities continues to rise, making accessible spaces even more fundamental to equitable communities, the foundation says. It cites a 2022 StatsCan survey that found one in four people in Canada have one or more disabilities that limit their daily activities, up from 22 per cent in 2017.
The survey also notes that nearly 60 per cent of people with disabilities experience physical environment barriers in daily life or at work.