Source Feed: City of Ottawa News Releases
Author: City of Ottawa - Media Relations / Ville d'Ottawa - Relations avec les médias
Publication Date: May 8, 2024 - 11:32
Working to make our city accessible for everyone
May 8, 2024
Check out what the City’s Accessibility Office is working on.
This feature story is part of the City of Ottawa Service Reviews: an initiative aimed at ensuring our services are meeting your needs. Visit ottawa.ca/YourIdeas today.
Feature story
Building a city where everyone can navigate, participate in, and enjoy their community is essential to our quality of life. That is why we are committed to ensuring accessibility for those living with disabilities and to fostering an environment where all residents can thrive.
Did you know that the City of Ottawa has an Accessibility Office? Accessibility is an important commitment for the City, and this group is dedicated to ensuring that projects, services, programs and facilities not only meet the requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), but also meet the needs of people with disabilities and older adults.
Keep reading to learn about the important work they do, including new projects and ongoing initiatives that you can get involved with.
The new City of Ottawa Municipal Accessibility Plan
This year, the Accessibility Office is updating the City’s Municipal Accessibility Plan. The new City of Ottawa Municipal Accessibility Plan (COMAP) will determine the accessibility status and identify any existing barriers within the City’s programs, services, goods, and facilities for people with disabilities. It also helps us consider ways to increase accessibility.
The Accessibility Office will be looking for your engagement and participation as we update the COMAP, with in-person consultations beginning during the 2024 AccessAbility Day event on Thursday, May 30.
Further opportunities to engage, including more in-person consultations, virtual consultations, an online survey, and a community toolkit, will take place in the coming months so residents can help inform the development of the 2025-2029 COMAP.
Ongoing work
Built environment projects
The Accessibility Office collaborates with project teams working on various City projects to ensure they meet AODA standards. Teams will consult with the Accessibility Office when feedback is needed, or for clarification on the requirements under the AODA. Some projects the Accessibility Office ensures are accessible include:
- exterior paths of travel, such as sidewalks and multi-use pathways
- accessible pedestrian signals and pole placement
- pedestrian crossings and the required accessibility features, such as Tactile Walking Surface Indicators and depressed curbs
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