Enabling Change Partnership Program

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) became law on June 13, 2005 with a mandate to make Ontario the most accessible province in Canada by the year 2025. As part of this legislation, the government of Ontario has developed accessibility Standards in five areas: customer service, information and communications, built environment, employment and transportation, which will have significant implications for Ontario universities. In particular, each university will be required to develop a series of policies, practices and guidelines in support of these Standards.

Recognizing the potentially significant resources that would be required at each of our institutions to develop the products and processes needed to ensure compliance, the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) and the University of Toronto have partnered with the Ministry of Community and Social Services (MCSS) through the EnAbling Change Partnership Program to develop a common toolkit that could be used across the university sector. This common toolkit will offer the opportunity to leverage sector-wide resources and expertise to reduce duplication of effort at each of our institutions.

AODA Coordinators and Administrators from across the Ontario university sector are working together through Working Groups on the various products that will be developed through this project. The Accessibility Toolkit project is expected to launch this summer and is scheduled to conclude by October 2011 and will be housed on the COU website.

For more information about the EnAbling Change Partnership Program, please visit MCSS’s website under the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario:

 www.mcss.gov.on.ca/mcss/programs/accessibility/EnablingChange/index.aspx