January 3, 2025
Ontario set a goal to be fully accessible by Jan. 1, 2025. It’s nowhere near, experts say
Ontario pledged to become fully accessible by January 1, 2025, under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). As the deadline looms, this Toronto Star article examines the province's progress—or lack thereof—toward meeting its ambitious goal. It highlights the challenges, missed opportunities, and what still needs to be done to create a truly inclusive province for everyone.
In the 2023 review of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), Rich Donovan declared that the province was in an accessibility crisis.
Donovan, a leading advocate on disability rights, highlighted one example of how the province fails to ensure the safety of people with disabilities: a routine fire drill at a government office.
While most employees made their way down the stairs in orderly fashion, “others — those using wheelchairs and managing vision issues — instead made their way to what was, in essence, a closet,” wrote Donovan, who was appointed to review the act.
“This was what they were told to do in a fire. Sit. Wait. Hope someone comes for you.”
The province set a goal to achieve full accessibility by Jan. 1, 2025 — a target advocates say we’re nowhere near meeting.
“We’re way behind and the government needs to revise its approach,” said David Lepofsky, a retired lawyer who spearheaded the campaign for the AODA, which became law in 2005. “All of those reviews spoke in increasingly scathing language.”
In a statement, the Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility said Ontario is “meeting, achieving or exceeding” AODA standards.
But disabled people who spoke to the Star told a different story, citing ongoing challenges and day-to-day barriers with accessibility and enforcement.
To assess where Ontario stands after the 2025 deadline for full accessibility has passed, they also provided a grade for each of the key AODA categories: transportation, customer service, public spaces, communications and employment.
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