Vaughan encourages residents to make trick-or-treating accessible for everyone
In 2021, Vaughan became
the first municipality in Canada to endorse Treat Accessibly, an initiative
aimed at making Halloween trick-or-treating an activity every child can
participate in - regardless of their ability. Treat Accessibly aligns with the
City’s goal to foster an inclusive community where people of all ages,
abilities and backgrounds can thrive.
Approximately 400,000 children in Canada identify with having a disability that may prevent them from trick-or-treating because of something such as stairs. Treat Accessibly outlines the following ways households in Vaughan can distribute Halloween treats safely and accessibly:
- Visit TreatAccessibly.com to get a free Treat Accessibly Lawn Sign
- Create a trick-or-treating station at the end of your driveway
- Make sure the path to your trick-or-treating area is well lit and clear of any hazards
- Refrain from using strobe lights and high-pitched, sudden loud noises
- Keep pets safely away from the front of your house
This initiative is consistent with the City’s mission to foster a barrier-free community and the goal to create a completely accessible city by 2025.
In addition, the following City-led accessibility and diversity initiatives are currently in place:
2019-2022 Multi-year
Accessibility Plan
In February 2021,
Vaughan Council approved the City’s 2019-2022
Multi-year Accessibility Plan (PDF), which identifies how it will create a
barrier-free community with universal access to its programs, services and
facilities. It will help ensure people of any age and ability are treated in a
way that allows them to maintain their dignity and independence. The plan calls
for implementing new programs and services, creating accessible play spaces,
using accessible technology, implementing accessible employment practices, and
achieving additional Rick Hansen Gold Accessibility Certifications.
Rick Hansen Foundation
Gold Certification
In recognition of the
City’s accessibility efforts, the Rick Hansen Foundation has awarded 17 City
facilities with a certification for accessibility – of this total, nine have
achieved Gold Certification, the foundation’s highest honour. They include Vaughan
City Hall, Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service fire halls 7-4 and 7-10, Vaughan
Civic Centre Resource Library, and the North Thornhill Community Centre and Pleasant
Ridge Library as a combined facility. In addition, various accessibility enhancements,
such as automatic door openers, tactile walking surface indicators at stair
areas and accessible seating, have been installed in City facilities, which
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.
Accessibility Advisory
Committee
The Vaughan
Accessibility Advisory Committee was established to help guide the City’s
efforts to remove and prevent barriers in policies, practices, programs and
services to meet the requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with
Disabilities Act. In addition, the committee assisted in creating Vaughan’s
Accessibility Plan and continues to help identify accessibility opportunities
and challenges within the community. All committee meetings are posted on the City’s meeting calendar
on the City’s website.
Accessibility Champions
Awards
Established in 2019 by
the City’s Accessibility Advisory Committee, the Accessibility Champions Awards
recognize individuals and businesses that foster inclusivity and advance
accessibility throughout the city. Vaughan Accessibility Champions can be
nominated in four categories: 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. The City is currently accepting nominations for
the 2022 Accessibility
Champions Award.
The deadline to submit a nomination is Friday, Oct. 28.
Inclusive Design Standards
Created in consultation
with the City’s Accessibility and Diversity Co-ordinator and Facilities
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 highlight the City’s commitment to market leadership from an
inclusive design perspective. The City’s standards go above and beyond the
legislative requirements included in the Accessibility for Ontarians with
Disabilities Act and Ontario Building Code. The City’s Inclusive Design
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.
QUICK FACTS
- During the Sept. 28, 2021, meeting of the Accessibility Advisory Committee, Treat Accessibly was introduced, and a Member’s Resolution was also drafted for the City of Vaughan to adopt.
- Treat Accessibly is a grassroots movement started in 2017 by the Padulo family to make Halloween trick-or-treating accessible and inclusive for all families.
- Treat Accessibly recommends several ways households can distribute items in a safe and accessible way, including downloading a free accessible trick-or-treating sign to place in your window or creating a trick-or-treating station at the end of your driveway.
- The City’s goal is to create an accessible community by 2025.
LEARN MORE
- City of Vaughan’s Accessibility and Diversity webpage
- Treat Accessibly webpage
- Get a free Treat Accessibly lawn sign or download a poster to print at home: request a sign
- City of Vaughan 2019-2022 Multi-year Accessibility Plan Update (PDF)
- City of Vaughan 2012 Accessibility Policy (PDF)
- Vaughan Accessibility Advisory Committee Terms of Reference (PDF)
- Nominate a 2022 Accessibility Champion nomination information webpage
- Honouring Vaughan’s 2021 Accessibility Champions news release
- Vaughan gets gold certification for accessibility news release
- City of Vaughan’s 2018-2022 Term of Council Service Excellence Strategic Plan