Purpose
Haldimand County Accessibility Advisory Committee shall assist Council in facilitating and improving opportunities for persons with disabilities by promoting the implementation of the requirements under the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001 (ODA) and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) in Haldimand County. This aim will be achieved by advising Council each year on its annual Accessibility Plan and through the review of municipal policies, programs and services and the identification, removal and prevention of barriers to people with disabilities.
Definitions
Within this Terms of Reference:
“Annual accessibility plan” means a plan as designated in Section 11 of the Ontarians with Disability Act, RSO 2009 and Section 29 of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, RSO 2009 and shall include:
- A report on the measures the County has taken to identify, remove and prevent barriers to person’s with disabilities
- The measures in place to ensure that the County assesses its proposals for by-laws, policies, programs, practices and services to determine their effect on accessibility for persons with disabilities
- A list of the by-laws, policies, programs, practices and services that the municipality will review in the coming year in order to identify barriers to persons with disabilities
- The measures that the municipality intends to take in the coming year to identify, remove and prevent barriers to persons with disabilities, and
- All other information that the regulations of the ODA/AODA prescribed for the purpose of the plan.
“Barrier” means anything that prevents a person with a disability from fully participating in all aspects of society because of his or her disability, including a physical barrier, an architectural barrier, an information or communication barrier, an attitudinal barrier, a technological barrier, a policy or a practice (“obstacle”).
“Disability” means:
- Any degree of physical disability, infirmity, malformation, or disfigurement that is caused by bodily injury, birth defect or illness and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, includes diabetes, mellitus, epilepsy, a brain injury, any degree of paralysis, amputation, lack of physical co-ordination, blindness or visual impediment, deafness or hearing impediment, muteness or speech impediment, or physical reliance on a guide dog or other animal or on a wheelchair or other remedial appliance or device
- A condition of mental impairment or a developmental disability
- A learning disability, or a dysfunction in one or more of the processes involved in understanding or using symbols or spoken language
- A mental disorder, or
- An injury or disability for which benefits were claimed or received under the insurance plan established under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997
Mandate
The mandate of the Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) is to annually review and advise Council on the implementation and effectiveness of the County’s annual Accessibility Plan as outlined in the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, RSO 2009/AODA. The AAC will report to Haldimand Council through the Committee in Council.