Celebrating National AccessAbility Week
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Join the City’s virtual
event on June 2
The City of Vaughan is dedicated to fostering an inclusive, equitable, accessible and accommodating community for all. As a reflection of this commitment to advancing accessibility, the City will be celebrating National AccessAbility Week with a virtual event on Wednesday, June 2, beginning at 1 p.m.
Recognized this year from
Sunday, May 30 to Saturday, June 5, National AccessAbility
Week honours
the valuable contributions of Canadians with disabilities and the efforts of individuals,
communities and workplaces that demonstrate exemplary commitment towards
advancing accessibility.
Participants attending
the City’s virtual event will hear from Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua and Members
of Council, and listen to members of the Vaughan Accessibility Advisory
Committee and past winners of the Vaughan Accessibility Champion Awards share what
an accessible Vaughan means to them. For more information on this virtual event,
visit vaughan.ca/accessibility. A link to the
livestreamed event will be made available on this webpage on Wednesday, June 2.
The City
recognizes the importance and value of inclusion in the community and the role
everyone plays. In addition to recognizing National AccessAbility Week, the following
diversity and inclusion initiatives support several
priorities outlined in the 2018-2022 Term of
Council Service Excellence Strategic Plan,
including enhancing citizen experience, contributing to an active, safe and
diverse community, and city-building that fosters community well-being in
public spaces:
2019-2022
Multi-year Accessibility Plan
Vaughan
Council recently approved the City’s 2019-2022
Multi-year Accessibility Plan, which identifies how the City will create a
barrier-free community with universal access to its programs, services and facilities.
The City’s goal is to create an accessible community by 2025 – and this plan
will help achieve that by ensuring people of any age and ability are treated in
a way that allows them to maintain their dignity and independence. It does this
by outlining the various activities and initiatives the City will undertake to
support accessibility, including implementing new programs and services,
creating accessible play spaces, using accessible technology, implementing
accessible employment practices and achieving additional Rick Hansen Gold
Accessibility Certifications.
Diversity and Inclusion
Task Force
The Diversity and Inclusion
Task Force
serves as a forum of discussion and helps guide the City in developing policies
that promote fairness, mutual respect and an undoubted sense of inclusion among
the diverse individuals, communities and groups that live, work and play in
Vaughan. The goal is to identify ways to further engage all communities in City
programs and services, in addition to providing more opportunities for these
groups to network and co-ordinate efforts with each other and with the City. In
August 2020, the City underwent public recruitment to add 19 citizen members to
this task force. All committee meetings are posted to the City’s meeting
calendar at vaughan.ca.
New Diversity and
Inclusion Officer
Following a successful
public recruitment process, the City hired Zincia Francis as of January 2021 to
fill the new role of Diversity and Inclusion
Officer.
In this senior-level, full-time position, Ms. Francis leads the organization’s
diversity, equity and inclusion strategic development and implementation,
provides strategic guidance and advises on policies, processes and procedures
related to diversity, equity and inclusion. Reporting directly to the Chief
Human Resources Officer and supported by the existing Accessibility and
Diversity Co-ordinator, she also helps facilitate a renewed mandate for the
Human Resources department, attends meetings of the City’s Senior Leadership
Team and supports the Diversity and Inclusion Task Force.
Accessibility Advisory
Committee
The Vaughan Accessibility Advisory
Committee
was established to help guide the City in removing and preventing barriers in
policies, practices, programs and services in a way that meets the requirements
of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. The committee
assisted in creating Vaughan’s Accessibility Plan and helps to identify
accessibility opportunities and challenges within the community. All committee
meetings are posted to the City’s meeting calendar at vaughan.ca.
Accessibility Champions
Awards
Established in 2019 by
the City’s Accessibility Advisory Committee, the award recognizes businesses
and individuals that foster inclusivity and advance accessibility throughout the
city. Vaughan Accessibility
Champions
can be nominated in four categories – as an individual, a small business with
fewer than 20 employees, a medium or large business with 20 or more employees
or an individual with a disability. In 2020, the City presented this award to
four deserving individuals and businesses who advocate for accessibility and
inclusion and provide goods or services to people with disabilities within the
Vaughan community.
Rick Hansen Foundation
Gold Certification
In recognition of the
City’s efforts taken towards accessibility, the Rick Hansen Foundation has
awarded multiple City facilities with Gold Certification for accessibility. They
include Vaughan City Hall, Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service firehalls 7- 4 and
7-10, Vaughan Civic Centre Resource Library, and the North Thornhill Community
Centre and Pleasant Ridge Library as a combined facility. Various accessibility
enhancements, such as automatic door openers, tactile walking surface
indicators at stair areas and accessible seating, have contributed to reaching
this milestone.
Other awards the City
has received for its accessibility efforts include the Ontario Municipal Social
Services Association Accessibility Award and the David C. Onley Award for
Leadership in Accessibility.
Inclusive Design
Standards
Created in consultation
with the City’s Accessibility and Diversity Co-ordinator and Facility
Management department, the Inclusive Design Standards allow the City to advocate
for any new development in the community to be inclusive and accessible for all.
These standards allow the City to demonstrate market leadership from an
inclusive design perspective. In addition to ensuring that Accessibility for
Ontarians with Disabilities Act and Ontario Building Code requirements are met,
these standards go beyond legislative requirements. These standards outline
examples and best practices to make buildings and other areas, like play
spaces, washrooms, trails, service counters, office environments and places of
worship, as inclusive as possible.
Learn more about how
the City is championing accessibility in Vaughan’s Accessibility
Plan (PDF), Accessibility
Policy (PDF) and at vaughan.ca/accessibility.
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