Ontario may fail to meet its goal of making the province disability-friendly by 2025 unless the government takes urgent action. This has emerged in a new report.
The report examines the implementation of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. Lack of basic leadership, accountability and data could make achieving the 2025 targets difficult, it said. Achieving the target may not be possible.
Rich Donovan, the author of the report, wrote that people with disabilities still face many obstacles in their daily lives. Be it in moving on the streets of cities, applying for jobs or traveling in public transport or availing government services. Organizations serving Ontarians with disabilities need to change.
The province hired Donovan in early 2022 to lead a parliamentary review of the legislation. He said little progress has been made since the law was passed in 2005. This is due to systematic errors in services, products, technology, buildings, infrastructure, jobs, processes and human concepts.
The report was prepared based on extensive consultation with the disability community. In the Denovan report, Premier Doug Ford posed the question, have you thought about it?
Ontario’s accessibility legislation is the first in Canada. The Act has set a target of ensuring universal access in the province by January 1, 2025.
According to Donovan’s report, the government has failed to fulfill its responsibilities to the 2.9 million people with disabilities. These people with disabilities make up one-fifth of Ontario’s total population.
The previous review was done by former Lt. Gov. David Onley in 2019. In every case, residents with disabilities face barriers to inclusion, the review said. Onley’s words are echoed in Donovan’s report. It said that no demographic group should have to go through such negative experiences, barriers and discrimination.
In response to the report, Ontario’s Ministry of Seniors and Accessibility said the province has taken steps to implement the recommendations made in Onley’s review.
