Access Orangeville has shown leadership and commitment when it comes to
accessibility and disability issues. Committee members have proven to be
accessibility champions as they turn accessibility challenges into accessibility
achievements year after year. It’s this kind of determination and
accomplishment that is leading to a more inclusive society for everyone
in Orangeville. Blending this committee’s work and goals with a new
age-friendly initiative in the community can only lead to even greater
success stories in future.
The efforts and initiatives of Access Orangeville are serving as
a model for others to follow. Committee chair Gail Campbell has
taken Orangeville’s story on the road, inspiring other communities
in Ontario to tackle everyday accessibility issues. The accessibility
improvements in Orangeville have been significant and meaningful.
Those actions have to be part of the culture and values of the
community. It’s important that the very first value listed by the
Corporation of the Town of Orangeville is “a barrier-free community”. The
list of values – and the top priority of accessibility – is posted on plaques in
every municipal building in Orangeville. Leadership starts at the top.
Access Orangeville, formerly known as the Accessibility Committee, was formed in
2000 – prior to any legislation requiring municipalities to have accessibility committees.
Funds are allocated to Access Orangeville each year to carry out projects the committee
deems appropriate to advance accessibility. For those with accessibility or disability
issues, it’s all about quality of life. The blue and white disability decal does
not mean that services offered are truly accessible. Access Orangeville
is committed to tackling the “steps” that get in the way of a business or
service or attraction being fully accessible. The idea is to eliminate
as many barriers as possible so all of us can participate fully in our
communities.
The Town of Orangeville is a small urban community of about
28,000 people in Dufferin County, in south-central Ontario. The
downtown core is beautiful but like many small towns
in Ontario the buildings date back to the 1800s –
with steps at sidewalk entrances, making them
inaccessible to anyone in a wheelchair. There is
no space for permanent access ramps. Access
Orangeville set out to change that with a
simple minimal-cost plan.
Access Orangeville offers a subsidy program
to enable businesses to purchase a portable
suitcase ramp. The ramps are easy to open,
close and store. They come in varying lengths
(three to 12 feet), allowing a wheelchair to pass over a small stairway creating access to a building.
The cost ranges from $400 to $1,000 with Access Orangeville providing a $250 rebate to any Town
resident or business that purchases one. In addition, Access Orangeville provides signage so
customers are advised that a ramp is available, along with a bell that businesses can place outside
to be made aware if a customer would like to use the ramp. The program is continually promoted by
Access Orangeville.
Showing leadership with respect to accessing businesses creates
goodwill and inspires developers and builders to exceed building
code requirements to make properties more accessible to all citizens.
It’s good business; it’s good service;
and it’s promoting awareness and action.
Access Orangeville is ready and willing to partner with anyone working to remove barriers. This
not only makes everyone’s dollars go further, but also creates more goodwill in the community. The
local Amaranth Lions’ club contacted the committee about a desire to install APS signals (audible
signals that tweet and chirp to let pedestrians with poor vision know which light is green at
intersections). Access Orangeville shared in the cost of the project that included countdown signals,
making the main downtown intersections fully accessible.
Orangeville now has countdown signals being installed with every new traffic signal, and Access
Orangeville is retrofitting some older intersections each year to make all of the intersections safer.
On a monthly basis the committee also highlights any intersections that appear to have too short a
pedestrian crossing time so that changes can be made.
Access Orangeville has partnered with Theatre Orangeville to install hearing devices so that everyone
can enjoy theatrical productions. The committee paid for the devices and theatre technicians installed
them. In 2011, during the Rick Hansen Relay for Life 25th anniversary, Access Orangeville installed
a portable wheelchair lift which members refer to as the “Hansen lift” to make the theatre stage
fully accessible for everyone. The Opera House itself has also become more accessible. Through
a renovation last year, the aisles are now ramped and 16 wheelchairs can be accommodated by
removing some seats. New technology is currently being investigated to better accommodate those
with visual impairments.
Access Orangeville has done many things
that are visible, but not expensive.
Orangeville Council agendas are available in large font on coloured paper for every meeting, and
there are hearing devices in Council Chambers to assist those who, in spite of microphones, still have
difficulty hearing proceedings.
Access Orangeville has provided free bus passes for all students with special needs. The committee
partnered with First Student Canada bus lines to provide accessible transportation for events at the
local fairgrounds – a short distance out of town. The Town purchased low-rise buses for the entire
transit fleet believing they would all be accessible. However, Access Orangeville noted that people
in electric wheelchairs couldn’t board the bus, so Access Orangeville partnered with First Student
and held driver/committee workshops. Each bus can now accommodate two electric wheelchairs
at one time without delaying
the schedule. When Access
Orangeville received a complaint
that a transit rider, using a walker,
was not able to access the transit
bus, the committee worked to resolve
the issue by purchasing a standard
wheelchair which is secured in each
Town bus. When a patron has a walker,
he or she sits in the wheelchair, is “ramped” into
the bus and secured there until his or her stop. The driver
lifts the walker into the bus, and at the appropriate stop, the
wheelchair is lowered for the passenger to disembark, and
the driver brings the walker to the patron.
Along the transit routes, bus schedules are posted in large
fonts at each stop, and benches and shelters have been installed for many of the stops. As well,
Orangeville Transit offers reduced fees for persons with special needs providing some form of proof
(handicapped parking sticker). In addition, all bus stops are announced by the drivers, unless there
are only a few people on the bus – then individuals are asked where they would like to get off, and the
driver advises them when they are at their stop.
Access Orangeville has insisted on
having downtown curb cuts painted
bright yellow so that those with
visual impairments know where
the curb ends – and there’s been
lots of feedback about how this
helps people with bikes, strollers
and wheelchairs. The committee
ensures there are funds in its budget
to repaint these yellow curb cuts annually.
In addition, every stairway in all of the Town’s
buildings has a yellow strip at the edge of each
step so people know where the step ends.
In partnership with the Orangeville Fire Department, the
committee has a program whereby anyone with a disability can
provide this information to the department as an alert in case of an emergency. Access Orangeville
advertises to make residents aware of the program and to remind participants to keep information
up to date. The disabled person or family notifies the Fire Department of the address and the type
of disability the person has and if there are situations that emergency services should be aware of –
such as the person is usually on the second floor, or there is a guard dog, etc. The Fire Department
sends out a form to complete to ensure the information is accurate. Then when 911 is called, this
information is relayed to police, fire or ambulance to enable them to give the right help faster.
Access Orangeville has paid for accessible benches and picnic tables
which have been installed on trails and in parks, and has paid for materials
to create paths to baseball diamonds.
There are many other ways Access Orangeville has improved accessibility
since the committee’s inception. Here are some examples:
• All town buildings have strobe lights along with audible fire alarms, as
well as a touch tone phone system (TTY) for the hearing impaired.
• The elevator in town hall has a voice enunciator and tactile panels for
both the hearing and visually impaired.
• All service counters are accessible and all of the staff, including police,
fire and volunteers, have received sensitivity training to treat those with
disabilities with dignity.
• There are power assist doors in Town Hall main floor washrooms and
change rooms in the arenas so everyone has access to a bathroom
• All working service people with disabled clients are admitted free of
charge to all town services – arenas, buses, theatre, etc. The client pays,
but not the assistant
• Handicapped parking is free anywhere in town
• All of the municipal sidewalks are plowed in winter
• All major intersections have enlarged street signs for better visibility
• The committee offers free swims and skates on special holidays because not having money for
these things is a barrier too
• The committee purchased a mobi mat which can be placed over ice or mud
so that those in wheelchairs can enjoy outdoor or arena events with the
rest of the community
• Purchased benches for trails and two benches for the entrance
to one of the arenas because it’s a bit of a walk to the main
doors
• Accessible swings have been installed in playgrounds
and Access Orangeville is working with Parks and
Recreation to make all of the playgrounds accessible
The police building is fully accessible and has TTY service for the hearing impaired
Both libraries are fully accessible with special services for those with disabilities
Waterproof wheelchairs have been purchased for use in municipal swimming pools
Universal flotation devices in all sizes have been purchased for both pools so that anyone, even
with no swimming experience, can enjoy the Town’s pools
• One arena is fully accessible and Access Orangeville is working to remove barriers in the older
recreation centre
• Access Orangeville donated a piece of inclusive playground equipment which was installed in
October of 2014 in Fendley Park.
• Each month, members develop a tip of the month relating to accessibility concerns and promote the
tip on their web page and in the local newspapers.
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Access Orangeville meets annually with area caregiver groups and agencies to discuss mutual
concerns and share information. This familiarizes members with each other’s mandate, and provides
opportunities to access each other for assistance when necessary. Recently, Access Orangeville
received a suggestion from the CNIB representative to paint crosswalks with “zebra stripes” to give
them more visibility. Access Orangeville will be investigating that in the near future.
In addition to having representation on the town’s technical advisory committee to ensure that all
new building projects in Orangeville consider accessibility, Access Orangeville has developed a
handout which is distributed with all building permits from the municipal building department. This
handout introduces Access Orangeville, and contains suggestions for going beyond building code
requirements, as well as offers of assistance to enhance access to
buildings for people with disabilities.
As the town’s accessibility improvements become more
apparent, other organizations in the community have
reached out, seeking advice on accessibility
improvements. For example, representatives of a local
church asked committee members to tour and suggest
improvements for their renovation plans. Access
Orangeville also sends letters of support for groups
applying for grants to enable them to improve
accessibility to their buildings.
A few years ago, Access Orangeville purchased
an embosser and software for Braille
translations. Town staff has been trained and
makes this service available at cost to other
organizations needing Braille documents.
Access Orangeville investigated and
purchased a service called “Browsealoud”
– an accessibility enhancement for the Town
of Orangeville website. This program improves
access to information on the website for everyone.
It reads web pages aloud for people who find
it difficult to read online. As users highlight website
content, the content is spoken aloud. As content is spoken,
viewers can view the progress of the speech on the page. Users can
pick the voice, language, and method of highlighting. Browsealoud
also features text highlighting and text magnification. As well, there is a
dictionary function – when a word is highlighted, a definition will appear. You
can switch to a different language, and there is a masking tool, so one line at a
time can be featured, making reading easier. There is an MP3 function allowing you to save the audio
file. All of the municipal websites, including police and library, now have this feature which will have
automatic updates. It’s a significant tool to remove barriers.
Earlier this year, Orangeville’s communications department completed an
upgrade to the entire Town of Orangeville website – framework
and content -- to be compliant with accessibility legislation –
and in fact, exceed the current requirements.
Access Orangeville partnered with the Orangeville Sustainability
Action Team to purchase two accessible planters for use in a
proposed community garden. A wheelchair can fit under one of
the planters and the other one is low, accessible for a child or
someone not too tall.
Access Orangeville
presents a Barrier-Free
Community Award at
the Town of Orangeville’s
annual recognition night.
This award honours a
business in town that has gone
above and beyond any codes
or requirements and has taken
extraordinary measures to make their
premises accessible. There are several
nominations annually. The diverse honourees
have included a church, a bank, a grocery store, a dentist, a
funeral home, and a photography shop. These businesses are
recognized publicly – a concrete way of letting the private sector
know how much Access Orangeville appreciates the effort they
are making to improve the community for everyone.
Access Orangeville published a newspaper insert as well
as a brochure, both distributed through Orangeville’s local
newspapers, outlining some of the steps that have been
taken to improve accessibility in Orangeville.
“Businesses Make Access A Priority” is a
program that Access Orangeville initiated in 2014 with local
businesses. Access Orangeville will partner with a participating
business, and post their accessible features on the Access
Orangeville web page on the Town’s website. The business
places a poster in their window advising their customers of the
partnership, and Access Orangeville publicizes the partnership. This
is a new program, but already a few businesses are participating.
Access Orangeville acts as
an accessibility champion.
Members observed that, unlike
children’s car seats, electric
wheelchairs do not have a
common opening enabling them
to be tied down securely in a
vehicle. While chairs are customized
for each client, committee members feel there should be a universal opening to enable tie-downs
for any wheelchair in any vehicle. The committee wrote to the appropriate provincial and federal
ministries, explaining the concern and offering to help in any way, such as serving on special
committees or being a pilot project. The response has not been positive, to date, so now Access
Orangeville is collecting data to present to wheelchair manufacturers, requesting that they create a
universal opening to attach vehicle tie-downs.
Access Orangeville also wrote to Canada Post advising that the Orangeville Post Office had a ramp
up to the front door, but no automatic door openers, so a person in a wheelchair could not get into
the building. It took three months for a response but one came from Ottawa. Automatic doors were
installed shortly thereafter at the Post Office in Orangeville.
Members of Access Orangeville promote accessibility for everyone, working on four principles:
goodwill as they lead by example,
respect as they address concerns,
partnership as they work together to remove barriers, and
recognition of the measures taken by members of the community to make accessibility a priority.
Access Orangeville has
raised the bar when it comes
to improving accessibility for
people with disabilities and for
raising awareness of accessibility
and disability issues in
the community.