Recognizing the commitment to accessibility
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Nominations are open for the Vaughan Accessibility Champion Awards
The City of Vaughan is now accepting nominations for the Vaughan Accessibility Champion Awards. This annual award recognizes businesses and individuals that demonstrate exemplary commitment towards advancing accessibility. The nomination period is open until Friday, Oct. 16, 2020.
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, including:
- an individual
- a small business with fewer than 20 employees
- a medium or large business with 20 or more employees
- an individual with a disability
To submit a nomination or learn more about the criteria for each award category, visit vaughan.ca/accessibility.
To be eligible for the award, the business or individual must provide goods or services to people with disabilities within the Vaughan community. Examples of this include a business that has implemented significant accessibility upgrades or an individual who has secured and/or invented a product or service for people with disabilities.
The successful candidates will be notified by the end of October. Recipients will be honoured at a virtual award ceremony hosted by the City of Vaughan on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020 – which is also the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. This event will be streamed online live at vaughan.ca/live. Additional event details will be announced closer to the event date.
As the City continues to implement new response efforts to support the community during COVID-19, now more than ever before, it is important to also recognize accessibility achievements that will be enjoyed by residents long after the pandemic has passed. Acknowledging community leaders through the Vaughan Accessibility Champion Awards reflects this. The awards also align with 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. Learn more about how the City is championing accessibility in Vaughan’s Accessibility Plan (PDF), Accessibility Policy (PDF) and at vaughan.ca/accessibility.
To help protect the community from further transmission of the virus, many services have transitioned online – including this virtual accessibility celebration. For more information about City matters during the global pandemic, visit vaughan.ca/COVID19 or contact Access Vaughan at 905-832-2281 or accessvaughan@vaughan.ca. To ensure the City’s contact centre is accessible for everyone, a specialized Textnet software program has been implemented enabling deaf, deafened, hard of hearing or speech-impaired residents to easily access and converse with representatives. Individuals can use the services by calling 1-866-543-0545. Access Vaughan also has an over-the-phone interpretation system – Language Line – that provides verbal translation in more than 150 languages. Residents can request this service with a Citizen Service Representative, free of charge.
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