Introduction

In December 2001, the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001 (ODA) was passed into law. Its purpose is to improve opportunities for people with disabilities and to provide for their involvement in the identification, removal and prevention of barriers to their full participation in the life of the province.

One of the requirements under the ODA is that Ontario government ministries, municipalities, hospitals, school boards, colleges, universities and public transportation organizations develop annual accessibility plans to make policies, practices, programs, services and buildings more accessible to people with disabilities. The plans must be made available to the public.

This document is the second annual accessibility plan developed by Cabinet Office. It highlights achievements of the 2003-04 plan and outlines commitments for 2004-05 so that no new barriers are created and existing ones are removed over time.

Ministries across government are increasing awareness of accessibility and integrating accessibility into daily business practices in a number of areas, including staff training, public information, facilities, and program and service delivery processes.

Cabinet Office intends to build on its achievements by implementing initiatives that support the government’s efforts and commitment to continue to make Ontario an inclusive and accessible province, where people of all abilities have a chance to fully participate and achieve their potential.

Report on Achievements of 2003-2004 Planning Commitments

Cabinet Office supports the Premier, Cabinet, and its committees in the management and implementation of the government’s priorities. The primary role of Cabinet Office is to facilitate government decision-making and to ensure that other ministries and central agencies work within the government ’s priorities and timelines.

Unlike other ministries, Cabinet Office does not directly administer legislation or regulations or provide the kinds of programs and services that would generally be considered for review under the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001. As a result, Cabinet Office accessibility planning focuses on two main areas: the needs of employees or potential employees of Cabinet Office and other individuals who require access to Cabinet Office facilities, and the provision of communications advice and services which result in the production of documents for public dissemination.

This section provides a status report on achievement of 2003-04 planning commitments.

Commitment: The Cabinet Office accessibility planning group will identify barriers through the accessibility plan’s implementation process, will monitor implementation of this plan throughout the coming year, and will provide quarterly reports to the chief administrative officer and to senior management and updates to staff.

Status: Complete and Ongoing

The group met in each of the first three quarters of the 2003-04 fiscal year to (a) finalize the accessibility plan for 2003-04 and (b) review the status of implementation of the 2003-04 commitments, taking action as appropriate to facilitate achievement of commitments. Also, following fiscal year-end, the group met to finalize the report on 2003-04 achievements. Status reports were provided to the chief administrative officer.

Commitment: We will continue to consult with the Accessibility Directorate on implementation of Cabinet Office’s accessibility plan, and on the preparation of the 2004-2005 plan, as required under section 10 of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001 (ODA).

Status: Complete and Ongoing

Cabinet Office continues to consult with the directorate, seeking guidance and advice on accessibility planning. Cabinet Office also utilizes the directorate’s website as a source of information on policy, guidelines and best practices.

Commitment: Cabinet Office will continue to work with Publications Ontario to meet the requirements of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001 (ODA) in the dissemination of its publications. Staff involved in responding to requests for publications in accessible formats will be provided with guidance on the procedures for doing so.

Status: Complete and Ongoing

The Throne Speech is one of the government’s most important policy documents. It outlines the government’s overall agenda for the session it inaugurates. A copy of the document is provided to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) on the day the speech is delivered, so that it can be made accessible to individuals with visual impairment.

The Throne Speech is also made available as a video and audio file with transcript on the Premier’s website, well suited for people with low vision and for people using assistive technology. Cabinet Office works with Publications Ontario to meet the requirements of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001 (ODA) in disseminating Throne Speeches.

Other than the Throne Speech, in 2003-04, Cabinet Office did not produce any other publications aimed at the public. In the future, if Cabinet Office produces publications aimed at the public, we are committed to working with Publications Ontario to ensure all the requirements of the ODA are met.

All requests for Cabinet Office publications in alternate formats go to Publications Ontario.

Commitment: Cabinet Office will ensure that the staff responsible for operating TTY equipment are adequately trained.

Status: Completed for 2003-04 and ongoing as and when new staff are hired.

Cabinet Office has two TTY machines – one in central reception and one in public enquiries. The reception and enquiries staff and backup staff (six) were trained to use the TTY in July 2003.

Commitment: Cabinet Office will commit to a review of its recruitment process to ensure that accessibility is an integral part at all points in that process.

Status: Review completed

The review concluded that Cabinet Office recruitment activities incorporate the mandatory accessibility requirements at each stage of the process, and reflect the Ontario Public Service standards of fairness, objectivity, reasonableness, and transparency.

Research on accessibility requirements/guidelines showed that information on accessibility in the recruitment process is spread over a number of documents that typically deal with all aspects of accessibility. The review pointed to the need for an information package that would capture the accessibility material relevant to the recruitment process in one document, as a quick reference for Cabinet Office managers. One of the 2004-05 commitments will address this identified need.

Commitment: Cabinet Office, in collaboration with other tenants in the Whitney Block users’ committee, will develop a process to jointly review and prioritize the removal of barriers with the Ontario Realty Corporation (ORC), the building ’s owner.

Status: In progress

Action and Timeframe: Following the release of the guidelines in 2004-05, the Whitney Block users’ committee will work with ORC in implementing the new guidelines/standards on new alterations projects, where applicable.

Rationale: ORC is currently in the process of developing enhanced barrier-free guidelines to replace existing guidelines.

Commitment: Cabinet Office will develop plans to assist with the evacuation of staff and visitors with disabilities, and to ensure that the plans are reflected in the emergency procedures handbook distributed to all staff.

Status: Emergency and Evacuation Procedures Handbook for staff of the Whitney Block (which includes Cabinet Office) completed. The handbook includes procedures for assisting people with disabilities in emergency and evacuation situations.

Commitment: As the Premier’s website continues to grow and develop, Cabinet Office will ensure that accessibility for people with disabilities continues to be addressed during development and through ongoing testing. Cabinet Office will continue to research new and innovative ways to create accessible print, audio and visual content for distribution on Internet websites.

Status: Complete and Ongoing

With a change in government in the fall of 2003, a new Premier’s website was created and development is ongoing. The website currently meets accessibility requirements and accessibility will continue to be built into further development.

Among its features, the Premier's website includes:

• Video, audio and a complete transcript of the 2003 Throne Speech, well suited for people with low vision, for people using assistive technology as well as those using screen-reading technologies
• Design and functionality that meets many of the checkpoints of the W3C web content accessibility guidelines
• Easy-to-read double-spaced lines and simple fonts and pictures for easy and intuitive understanding of all pages
• Printer-friendly pages to assist in the saving and copying of online documents
• Descriptive coding tags for more detailed information for users who are blind or who have visual impairments or low vision
• Small and fast-loading pages for those using older or rural Internet connections
• Coding to allow the new site to work correctly with old web browsers and outdated technology.

The Premier's kid zone website was similarly maintained to meet many of the above checkpoints and includes the same features where applicable.

Cabinet Office continues to undertake research on web accessibility, participating on intergovernmental working groups and committees that meet regularly to discuss issues, best practices and new ideas.

Commitment: The centre for leadership OPS intranet websites will be redeveloped and positioned to support continuous improvement in accessibility.

Status: Management Board Secretariat will report on status.

Action and Timeframe: Reporting of 2003-04 achievements will be included in the Management Board Secretariat 2004-05 accessibility plan.

Rationale: Due to organizational changes, accessibility planning for the centre for leadership and human resource management (formerly centre for leadership) will be included in Management Board Secretariat’s accessibility planning.

Commitment: Cabinet Office will comply with Management Board Secretariat’s procurement directives and monitor implementation.

Status: Complete and ongoing

Cabinet Office procurement in 2003-04 was in compliance with Management Board Secretariat directives.

One of the actions Cabinet Office took in 2003-04 in support of accessibility was to contact organizations representing people who are deaf, deafened, or hard-of-hearing and people who are blind or have a visual impairment to find vendors who carry software and possibly other products for people with these types of disabilities. The Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) provided a package, which has been incorporated into Cabinet Office's vendor catalogue library.

Commitments and Strategies for 2004-2005

Cabinet Office is committed to three important areas for action in 2004-05:

• Promoting awareness among Cabinet Office employees regarding accessibility for people with disabilities
• Further identification of barriers to accessibility
• Initiatives to improve accessibility.

Legislative Requirements

Cabinet Office will undertake the following initiatives in support of the legislative requirements under the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001 (ODA):

Commitment: Cabinet Office will implement the new ORC barrier-free guidelines, as applicable.

Action: Following the release of the ORC-enhanced barrier-free guidelines, the Whitney Block users’ committee will work with ORC in implementing the new guidelines/standards on new projects, as applicable.

Timeframe: 2004-05 and ongoing

Commitment: To provide accessibility for staff with disabilities, Cabinet Office will implement the Guidelines for Procurement of Accessible Goods and Services under the ODA.

Action: As a first step, Cabinet Office will assess what support staff with responsibility for procurement need, for example, training or information session(s) on the implementation of the guidelines, and respond to the identified needs, as appropriate.

Timeframe: 2004-05

Commitment: Cabinet Office will continue to comply with the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001 (ODA) requirements regarding the availability of Cabinet Office publications in alternate format versions.

Action: Cabinet Office will continue to work with Publications Ontario in responding to requests for publications in accessible formats.

Timeframe: Fiscal Year 2004-05

Commitment: All new managers and supervisors will complete online training on accessibility needs of employees with disabilities.

Action: Cabinet Office will monitor compliance on a quarterly basis and follow up with the appropriate managers to ensure that training is completed.

Timeframe: Fiscal year 2004-05 and ongoing

Services

Commitment: Continue to build accessibility into the further development of the Premier’s website.

Action: Cabinet Office will continue to undertake research on web accessibility, participating on intergovernmental working groups and committees that meet regularly to discuss issues, best practices and new ideas.

Timeframe: Ongoing

Practices

Commitment: Ensure accessibility at all stages of the recruitment process.

Action: As follow-up to the 2003-04 Cabinet Office review of accessibility at all stages of the recruitment process, complete the development of an information package about accessibility at all stages of the recruitment process and distribute to managers.

Timeframe: Fiscal year 2004-05

Commitment: Promote awareness among Cabinet Office staff regarding accessibility for people with disabilities.

Action: In consultation with the accessibility directorate office, arrange information session(s) on accessibility for Cabinet Office staff.

Timeframe: Fiscal year 2004-05

Commitment: Inform new employees of Cabinet Office about employment-related accessibility for people with disabilities under the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001 (ODA).

Action: Include information on accessibility under the ODA as part of Cabinet Office’s staff orientation material.

Timeframe: Ongoing, beginning in 2004-05 fiscal year

Commitment: The Cabinet Office accessibility planning group, working with Whitney Block users’ committee, will continue to identify barriers through the accessibility plan’s implementation process. The planning group will monitor and report to senior management in-year on implementation of this plan.

Action: The accessibility planning group will meet regularly to monitor the implementation of the plan and to plan further improvements.

Timeframe: Ongoing

For more information

Questions or comments about this plan are always welcome.

Please contact:

Office of the Chief Administrative Officer
Room 3540, Whitney Block
99 Wellesley Street West
Toronto, Ontario M7A 1A1

Telephone: (416) 325-1941

TTY number: 416-325-7702

E-mail: odapublicinquiries@cab.gov.on.ca

Visit the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration’s Accessibility Ontario web portal at: http://www.gov.on.ca/citizenship/accessibility/indexf.html. The site promotes accessibility and provides information and resources on how to make Ontario a barrier-free province.

To order a free copy of this plan in an alternate format, please contact:

Publications Ontario
880 Bay Street, Toronto, ON M7A 1N8. Tel: 416-326-5300
Out of town customers, except Ottawa call: 1-800-668-9938
In Ottawa, call (613) 238-3630 or toll-free: 1-800-268-8758
TTY Service: 1-800-268-7095

Queen’s Printer for Ontario

ISSN 1708-4911 online version

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