When it comes to improving accessibility for those with disabilities, Guelph-Eramosa met all of its goals for 2012 and 2013.
That was the message clerk Meaghen Reid brought to council last week as she presented an update on the municipality’s multi-year accessibility plan.
“We have been fairly proactive,” Reid said on Jan. 20.
She specifically noted the work done in the last few years to ensure parks and recreation facilities are fully accessible.
“We’re actually a little bit ahead of the game, but again, we’ll try to make improvements wherever possible,” Reid told council.
Accessibility plans are part of the provincial requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act of 2005.
The legislation, which aims to have the province accessible by all those with disabilities by 2025, includes a number of regulations municipalities must adhere to over time.
Reid’s report highlighted the work completed to date by Guelph-Eramosa to help meet those regulations, including:
– adding accessibility features where possible to the procurement of goods, services and facilities;
– training staff on the accessibility regulations;
– launching an accessible website last year;
– providing accessible documents (for example, in braille for the blind); and
– accessibility upgrades at various township facilities, including parks in Rockwood, Marden, Everton and Eden Mills; the Royal Distributing Athletic Performance Centre; the Rockwood cenotaph, Rockmosa Community Centre; and the municipal building in Brucedale.
Council unanimously accepted for information the 2013 report – a copy of which is available by visiting www.get.on.ca.
