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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCSD-18-018 - Accessibility Plan (2018-2022)REPORT TO: Finance and Corporate Services Committee DATE OF MEETING: February 5, 2018 SUBMITTED BY: Mark Hildebrand, Director Community Programs and Services, 519-741-2200 ext.7687 PREPARED BY: Lolita Paroski, Inclusion Coordinator, 519-741-2200ext. 7226 WARD(S) INVOLVED: All DATE OF REPORT: January 4, 2018 REPORT NO.: CSD-18-018 SUBJECT: ACCESSIBILITY PLAN (2018-2022) ____________________________________________________________________________ RECOMMENDATION: That the 2018-2022 Accessibility Plan, as attached to CSD-18-018, be approved EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation 191/11 (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005)requires public sector organizations to establish, implement, maintain and document a multi-year accessibility plan. The Province has indicated that the goal of the multi-year accessibility plan is to outline an prevent and remove barriers and to meet its requirements under the Regulation. On January 28, 2013 Council approved the Accessibility Plan (2013-2017), staff report CSD-13-011, in response to the Regulation. The Province of Ontario has since not introduced any new compliance deadlines and therefore the draft Accessibility Plan (2018-2022) is a continuation of the previous plan. This approach is similar to other municipalities and models how the Province is proceeding. Once approved, the Accessibility Plan (2018-2022) will continue to guide and provide direction to staff in meeting legislative requirements. BACKGROUND: The Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation 191/11 requires municipalities to: Prepare a multi-year Accessibility Plan Consult with an Accessibility Advisory Committee Post the Accessibility Plan on their website 1 - 1 Provide the Accessibility Plan in an alternate format upon request Review and update the Accessibility Plan every five years Prepare an Annual Status Update on the Accessibility Plan Post the Annual Status Update on their website Provide the Annual Status Update in an alternate format upon request The Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation 191/11 (IASR) has five standards: information and communications, employment, transportation, design of public spaces and customer service. It should be noted that the requirements in the transportation standard fall within the jurisdiction of the Region of Waterloo. The IASR became law in 2011 and the requirements of the IASR are being phased in between 2011 and 2025. The Grand River Accessibility Advisory Committee (GRAAC) serves as the Corporary committee and provides input, advice and recommendations as it relates to a broad range of municipal construction/design projects, policies, procedures and services. REPORT: cessible Ontario on or before January st 1 2025, the City of Kitchener coordinates accessibility planning to ensure compliance with the legislative requirements. The requirements of the IASR are ongoing; therefore, the draft Accessibility Plan has been prepared as a continuation of the previous Accessibility Plan. To ensure the corporation is meeting the accessibility requirements staff will prepare annual status updates to the plan. The Province of Ontario has periodic reviews of the standards within the IASR and revisions to current standards or the introduction of new standards and compliance deadlines can result. Should this occur any associated actions will be included in the appropriate status update. Significant changes with the potential to impact staff resources or existing budgets will be brought to Council for further consideration. ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN: The draft Accessibility Plan supports the following directions noted in the City of Safe and Thriving Neighbourhoods The Grand River Accessibility Advisory Committee provides persons with disabilities the opportunity to discuss, define and address their shared vision in regards to the identification, removal and prevention of barriers in City facilities, programs, goods and services. Consulting with persons with disabilities in an advisory role increases the capacity of the City to ensure a greater degree of access, equity and inclusion in the life of the Corporation. 1 - 2 FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: In September 2005, Council approved the establishment of a capital budget (Corporate Accessibility Fund) for the purpose of funding the costs associated with implementing the legislation as well as to fund corporate projects that remove barriers and improve access. This fund will assist in mitigating any financial impacts related to compliance with the legislation or its associated standards. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: The Accessibility Plan was developed in consultation with the Grand River Accessibility Advisory Committee and with input from staff. In order to assist with the successful implementation of the Accessibility Plan, staff will continue to engage with community agencies that provide services for persons with disabilities. ACKNOWLEDGED BY:Jon Rehill,Acting Deputy CAO, Community Services 1 - 3 2018-2022 The Corporation of the City of Kitchener Accessibility Plan The City of KitchenerAccessibility Plan for 2018-2022 outlines how the Corporation will continue to prevent and remove accessibility barriers. This plan builds on the previous accessibility plan which was approved by Council in 2013. Our Accessibility Commitment The Corporation of the City of Kitchener values the contributions and participation of all citizens in the life of the City. To facilitate this involvement, the City is committed to providing goods, services and facilities that are accessible to all. Introduction Under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) organizations are required to develop multi-year accessibility plans. The Accessibility Plan addresses how the City of Kitchener will continue to meet the AODA requirements. The AODA legislative requirements serve as the framework of the Accessibility Plan. Legislative Background The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) focuses on improving accessibility in areas such as buildings, outdoor spaces, employment, procurement, training, customer service, information and communications and transportation. The AODA applies to all private, government and broader public sectors. The AODA intends to achieve a more accessible Ontario on or before January 1, 2025. To do so, mandatory and enforceable standards have been created. The five standards are: Information and Communications Standards Employment Standards Design of Public Spaces Standards Customer Service Standards Transportation Standards (Region of Waterloo responsibility) The general requirements for all five standards include the development and implementation of an accessibility policy, an accessibility plan, procurement processes and policies and a training program. More information on the Standards can be found on the Province of Ontario website at www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/110191 Inclusion Services Coordinated Approach The City of Kitchener, Community Services Department, Inclusion Services is responsible for coordinating all aspects of the Accessibility Plan including staff support to the Grand River Accessibility Advisory Committee (GRAAC) and its subcommittees on behalf of the City of Waterloo, in order to 1 1 - 4 ensure AODA compliance. It is important to note that while Inclusion Services staff serve in a facilitative role in this process, this work could not be accomplished without the involvement, dedication and leadership of City of Waterloo staff across the Corporation. Grand River Accessibility Advisory Committee (GRAAC) Under the requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA), municipalities with a population of 10,000 or greater are required to establish an Accessibility Advisory Committee to advise Council on the prevention, identification and removal of barriers for persons with disabilities. The Grand River Accessibility Advisory Committee (GRAAC) is a joint committee of the Cities of Waterloo and Kitchener, Region of Waterloo and the Townships of North Dumfries, Wellesley, Woolwich and Wilmot and is appointed the task of advising the participating municipalities on the preparation, implementation and effectiveness of their respective Accessibility Plans. Councils also seek advice from GRAAC on the accessibility of buildings, structures or premises that the municipalities purchase, build, renovate or lease. GRAAC reviews site plans and drawings for new municipal buildings or developments. The Built Environment Sub Committee of GRAAC was formed in order to manage the volume of municipal projects requiring the attention of GRAAC. More information on GRAAC can be found on the City of Kitchener website. www.kitchener.ca/en/employment-and-volunteering/grand-river-accessibility-advisory-committee.aspx The Accessibility Plan 2018-2022 Commitments: The new Accessibility Plan includes how the City of Kitchener will continue to meet its commitments in providing goods, services and facilities that are accessible to all. General Requirements Commitments: Accessibility Policy Continue to review and update the Accessibility Policy as required. Continue to make the Accessibility Policy available to the public on the city website. Update all staff on any revisions made to the Accessibility Policy. Accessibility Plan Continue to make the Accessibility Plan available to the public on the city website. Continue to provide the annual status updates to GRAAC. Continue to make the annual status update available to the public on the city website. Procurement Incorporate accessibility design, criteria and features when procuring or acquiring goods, services or facilities, except where it is not practicable to do so. Provide, upon request, an explanation if it is not practicable to incorporate accessibility. Continue to include accessible procurement practices in training materials as a resource for staff. Continue to incorporate accessibility features when designing, procuring or acquiring self- service kiosks. 2 1 - 5 Training Continue to provide mandatory accessibility training to all new staff. Continue to update and provide accessibility training to staff as required. Continue to review and update the corporate training brochures for staff and volunteers. Continue to update and provide new resources for staff on the intranet. Continue to provide the staff leads of city affiliates and volunteers with updated training brochures. Standards Commitments: Information and Communications Standards Continue to provide emergency procedures, plans or public safety information in an accessible format or with appropriate communication support to the public, upon request, as soon as practicable. Continue to notify the public about the availability of accessible formats and communication supports. Continue to provide, upon request, accessible formats and communication supports. Continue to achieve compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure that websites and web content are accessible to people with disabilities. Continue to train new staff on the creation of accessible documents. Continue to provide staff with resources on the staff intranet. Employment Standards Review policies and practices with respect to recruitment, hiring and interviewing as per the requirements under the employment standards as required. Continue to notify employees and the public about the availability of accommodations for applicants with disabilities in its recruitment processes. Continue to notify successful applicants of policies for accommodating employees with disabilities. Continue to inform all current and new employees through the IASR training brochure and through the mandatory accessibility online training of procedures used to support employees with disabilities. Continue to provide or arrange for the provision of accessible formats and communication supports for employees. Continue to provide individualized workplace emergency response information to employees who have a disability. Continue to have in place a written process for the development of documented individual accommodation plans for employees with disabilities. Continue to have in place a return to work process and plan for employees who have been absent from work due to a disability. 3 1 - 6 Design of Public Spaces Standards Continue to consult with GRAAC, the public and persons with disabilities before constructing new or redeveloping existing municipal recreational trails, outdoor play spaces, exterior paths of travel, rest areas and on-street parking spaces. Continue to meet technical requirements when constructing new or redeveloping existing municipal recreational trails, outdoor public use eating areas, outdoor play spaces, exterior paths of travel, accessible parking both on and off street, service counters, fixed queuing guides and waiting areas. Continue to review and update the City of Kitchener procedures for preventative and emergency maintenance of the accessible elements in public spaces and procedures for dealing with temporary disruptions when accessible elements are not in working order. Customer Service Standards Continue to include the customer service standards in the Accessibility Policy. Continue to include the customer service standards in the corporate training brochures for staff and volunteers. Continue to include the customer service standards in mandatory accessibility training for staff. Continue to review and update staff resources related to customer service standards on the staff intranet. All Standards are reviewed by the Province of Ontario, therefore requiring updates to existing policies, training, manuals, bylaws etc. As a result of the reviews, revisions to current standards or new standards may be introduced by the Province of Ontario which will include new requirements and compliance deadlines. Those revisions and any actions related to them will be captured in the City of Kitchener annual status update. As municipal projects arise, city site plans will continue to be reviewed by the Grand River Accessibility Advisory Committee for suggestions on how to best improve and achieve accessibility. Consultation Commitment: The City of Kitchener recognizes that broader public engagement along with GRAAC, agencies that provide services to persons with disabilities and citizens with disabilities is beneficial to the successful implementation of the Accessibility Plan. Staff will continue to work with GRAAC, local service providers and citizens throughout the duration of the Accessibility Plan in order to further identify, prevent and remove barriers for people with disabilities. Looking Forward: As required by legislation, once approved, the Accessibility Plan will be posted on the City of Kitchener website so that it is available to the public. The Accessibility Plan will be reviewed and updated every five years or as determined by further changes to the legislation. An annual status update will be posted on the City of Kitchener website. Staff Contact Lolita Paroski Inclusion Services Coordinator 519-741-2200 ext 7226 Email: lolita.paroski@kitchener.ca 4 1 - 7