The University of Ottawa has just published its 2004-2005 Accessibility Plan, as required by the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001 (ODA).
The purpose of this plan is to identify, remove and prevent barriers that present difficulties to University of Ottawa students and staff living with one or several disabilities. Some 600 students approached the Access Service last year requesting accommodation of their disabilities. Moreover, these numbers could be on the rise, as an estimated 20 per cent of the Ontario population is expected to have a disability by 2020, according to a 2001 Statistics Canada study.
The accessibility committee is made up of several sectional teams, which have been working for two years to prepare and implement the annual Accessibility Plan. “The plan allows us to co-ordinate our efforts to make the campus more accessible and thus register this new know-how within the university culture,” says Yolaine Ruel, manager of Access Service and co-ordinator of the campus accessibility program.
The 2004-2005 Accessibility Plan itemizes and makes notes on barriers, explains measures implemented in 2003-2004 and recommends future action. The plan contains over 75 recommendations. How they become reality will depend on the University's capacity to make them part of its annual planning, explains Ruel.
The Accessibility Plan seeks to bring about short- and long-term changes, which apply not only to practices and policies but also to attitudes.
Ruel notes the campus has already made several changes. “In two years, we have raised awareness within the services and faculties.”
“There's an enthusiasm on campus: people want to do the right thing, but don't always know how to set about doing it,” she says. “That's why the accessibility committee exists – to meet legitimate needs and to allow people to take action.”
“Once we have a campus that is accessible to people with a disability – in other words, a secure, open and equitable environment – then it becomes accessible for everyone,” Ruel says. “The University has much to gain by offering accessible services to everyone, and it's the entire university community that benefits!”
