Reminder: Accessibility Champion Award nominations are OPEN
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Nominate a deserving individual or business before Friday, Nov. 19
The City of Vaughan is reminding you to nominate an accessibility champion! Do you know someone who advocates for an accessible community? Or what about a business that has created a fully accessible work environment? Nominate them for a 2021 Vaughan Accessibility Champion Award today.
Established in 2019 by the City of Vaughan’s Accessibility Advisory Committee, the annual award recognizes businesses and individuals that foster inclusivity and advance accessibility throughout the city. Vaughan Accessibility Champions can be nominated in four categories:
- individual
- small business with fewer than 20 employees
- medium or large business with 20 or more employees
- individual with a disability
Nominations for the 2021 awards will be accepted until Friday, Nov. 19.
To be eligible for the award, the business or individual must provide goods or services to people with disabilities within the Vaughan community. Examples 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. To learn more about submission criteria or the award categories, visit vaughan.ca/accessibility.
The successful candidates will be notified by the end of November. Recipients will be honoured at a virtual award ceremony hosted by the City of Vaughan on Monday, Dec. 13, 2021, at 1 p.m. This event will be streamed live online at vaughan.ca/live. Additional event details will be announced closer to the event date. Continue to check vaughan.ca/accessibility for updates.
As the global COVID-19 pandemic continues, now more than ever, it is important to recognize accessibility achievements that residents will enjoy 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 champions accessibility in Vaughan’s Accessibility Plan (PDF) and the Accessibility Policy (PDF).
For more information about the Vaughan Accessibility Champion Awards, visit vaughan.ca/accessibility or contact Access Vaughan at 905-832-2281 or accessvaughan@vaughan.ca. To ensure the services provided by the City’s contact centre are accessible to all, a specialized Textnet software program has been implemented, enabling deaf, deafened, hard of hearing or speech-impaired residents to access and converse with representatives easily. 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.