Training for volunteers and new staff will be among the next steps in the Town of Minto’s multi-year accessibility planning, council here learned, Oct. 9.
Minto treasurer Gordon Duff and Wellington County accessibility clerk Kristen Weber updated council on the municipality’s progress toward compliance with provincial legislation aimed at improving access to public services for disabled residents.
Since 2009, the town has been providing staff training on accessibility standards for customer service, communications and employment accommodations.
“This training is on-going and needs to be provided to volunteers and new staff,” explained Duff in his report.
“We have a very large volunteer base and, technically, they are all supposed to be trained,” he continued.
Councillor Ron Elliott noted that, like staff training, “volunteer training will have to be a continuous process,” due to turnover.
“We’re hoping to do some train-the-trainer sessions,” said Duff, suggesting that, once trained, volunteers will be able to pass on the information to others in their organizations.
Duff noted that changes have been made to preferred fonts to accommodate those with visual impairments and software has been purchased to assist with meeting web content accessibility guidelines that impact the municipality.
Weber explained that the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act became law in 2005 and full implementation is required by 2025.
Councillor Rick Hembly asked if the legislation would require all businesses in the community to provide accessible entrances.
Weber explained that the legislation at this point, only applies to new construction and “major renovations.”
Duff reported the county’s accessibility and human resources staff have been a big help in supplying templates and specialized training to Minto.
“It’s difficult for smaller municipalities who lack the specialized staff and have limited financial resources to implement all of the measures contained in the legislation,” he commented.
Duff said the cost of actually implementing the legislation will depend on the number of requests for accessible service and the needs for changes to existing and future infrastructure.
