Multi-Year Accessibility Plan 2020-2024

Background Information

The Town of Cobourg is committed to meeting the needs of Persons with Disabilities that work, live, and play in our community. Departments within the Town of Cobourg continue to examine their own services to assess, plan, and remove barriers to ensure accessibility to all Persons with Disabilities. By working with Legislative Services and the Accessibility Coordinator, the Town of Cobourg creates a holistic approach to accessibility. We are required by law to follow the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA).

The AODA requires the Government of Ontario to work with the disability community and the private and public sectors to jointly develop standards to be achieved within stages of five (5) years or less, leading to an accessible Ontario in twenty (20) years, or by 2025. The aims of this act were realized through accessibility standards setting items to be addressed.

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 was enacted to serve as a framework for the establishment of accessibility in five (5) different areas:

1. Customer Service, to help remove barriers for People with Disabilities so they can access goods, services, or facilities.
2. Information and Communications, to help organizations make their information accessible to People with Disabilities.
3. Transportation, to make it easier for everyone to travel in the province.
4. Employment, to help making hiring and employee support practices more accessible.
5. Design of Public Spaces, to help organizations make new and redevelopment outdoor public areas accessible.

The standards support the principles of the AODA to ensure dignity, integration, independence, and equal opportunity and each standard has specific timelines for implementation. The AODA is in place for the purpose of ensuring that People with Disabilities are not discriminated against.

Part of the requirements for the Town of Cobourg to be compliant with the AODA is to have a Multi-Year Accessibility Plan. Under Section 4 of the Integrated Accessibility Standards, the Town of Cobourg must:

• Establish, implement, maintain and document a multi-year accessibility plan, which outlines the organization’s strategy to prevent and remove barriers and meet its requirements under this Regulation.
• Post the accessibility plan on their website, if any, and provide the plan in an accessible format upon request.
• Review and update the accessibility plan at least once every five years. O. Reg. 191/11, s. 4 (1).

In addition, the Town of Cobourg must:

• Establish, review and update their accessibility plans in consultation with persons with disabilities and if they have established an accessibility advisory committee, they shall consult with the committee. O. Reg. 191/11, s. 4 (2).
• Prepare an annual status report on the progress of measures taken to implement the strategy referenced in clause (1) (a), including steps taken to comply with this Regulation.
• Post the status report on their website, if any, and provide the report in an accessible format upon request. O. Reg. 191/11, s. 4 (3); O. Reg. 413/12, s. 3 (1).

The draft Multi-Year Accessibility Plan 2020 to 2024 begins the process of meeting those legislative requirements. The current draft was created by the newly hired Accessibility Coordinator and takes into consideration:

• Legislative requirements
• Accessibility Advisory Committee priorities
• Feedback gathered from residents of the Town of Cobourg

This plan extends the commitments outlined in the 2016 to 2019 Multi-Year Accessibility Plan and renews efforts to continue focusing on:

1. People
2. Policies, procedures, and best practices
3. Communications and technology
4. Transit and transportation
5. Infrastructure and the built environment
6. Training, education, and awareness

We look forward to working towards creating a more accessible Cobourg in the coming years.

Goal
The primary goal of this engagement project is to receive feedback from the public on draft version the Town of Cobourg’s Multi-Year Accessibility Plan 2020 to 2024. Comments will be taken into consideration for the final version and/or priority projects for 2021 and beyond.

The public engagement objective for the Town of Cobourg's Multi-Year Accessibility Plan 2020-2024 is to:

• Collect input and insight into the public’s perspective on the Multi-Year Accessibility Plan 2020 to 2024.
• Determine priorities for accessibility in Cobourg for 2021.
• Inform the public on the accessibility projects that will be happening over the next 5 years.

We're looking for your feedback:
To share your comments and opinions on the Town of Cobourg’s Multi-Year Accessibility Plan, please contribute to the following public engagement opportunities below:

1. Review the Plan: Review the Multi-Year Accessibility Plan and the actions that the Town of Cobourg will be taking.
2. Join the Forum: Share your feedback on the proposed actions, including additional or priority actions for the Town of Cobourg.
3. Complete the Poll: Let us know which Accessibility Standard should be our top priority in 2021.

Other Ways to Inform

• If you would like to make an accessibility barrier report, please report the problem on our website.
• Alternatively, please contact the Accessibility Coordinator at accessibility@cobourg.ca.

Note: If you are looking for how to comment and/or participate in creating the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee of Council Terms of Reference, you can do so through EngageCobourg.

Public engagement has concluded for this project. The final report and outcomes will be published soon.