The Town of Collingwood is encouraging residents and visitors to report any accessibility barriers they encounter while accessing town services.
The town, together with the accessibility advisory committee, is currently undertaking an Accessible Collingwood campaign, meant to raise awareness about the work being done to increase accessibility and also to identify areas of town services that still need work.
Those who encounter barriers can submit an online feedback form or call customer service at 705-445-1030 to report the barrier.
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) was introduced in 2005 with the goal of an accessible Ontario by January 1, 2025. For the, approximately 2.6 million people in Ontario living with a disability, this would mean removing barriers and accessibility challenges people encounter in their everyday life.
Under the AODA, accessibility standards direct government, businesses, non-profits, and the public sector on what they must do to become more accessible. There are five accessibility standards: employment, information and communications, customer service, transportation, and the design of public spaces.
The AODA also directs municipalities to have an accessibility advisory committee to support the implementation of the accessibility standards and provide advice or direction to council. Collingwood's committee meets monthly.
The committee has recently developed an "Accessible Collingwood" icon that will be used to draw attention to the importance of a "whole community response to accessibility."
"When broken into its parts the letter C, an element of the circle, represents Collingwood and A for accessibility, access, action, and aspiration," states a news release from the town.
The Accessible Collingwood icon will be incorporated into Town of Collingwood service points and other initiatives.
To learn more about accessibility in the Town of Collingwood visit www.collingwood.ca/
