Durham Regional Council passes 2017 Accessibility Report
Whitby, Ontario – Durham Regional Council has approved The Regional Municipality of Durham’s 2017 Accessibility Report. This document outlines the actions taken to improve accessibility and further eliminate barriers across Regional operations.
“The Region of Durham strives to be an accessible and inclusive community where every person has the opportunity to participate fully,” said Gerri Lynn O’Connor, Regional Chair and Chief Executive Officer. “We are committed to continuous improvement and we are always challenging ourselves to look for new ways to innovate.”
Since the Region’s first Accessibility Plan was implemented in 2003, the Region of Durham has been reporting on accessibility and the identification, removal and prevention of barriers throughout its departments and services.
Employees continue to work towards creating a more accessible environment, by examining facilities, programs, services, policies and by-laws through the lens of accessibility. This includes: identifying, removing and preventing barriers related to attitudes; information and communication; policies and procedures; customer service; employment; programs and services; transportation; and the design of public spaces. In 2017, several projects were completed, meeting the needs of our growing population and diverse community:
- The new mobile friendly durham.ca website was launched after extensive community consultation and development, and features accessibility improvements such as clear print, clear writing and accessible design standards.
- The development and launch of the Age-Friendly Durham Strategy and Action Plan, which will better support residents as they grow older.
- The new Income Support Office location, at 200 John Street, was designed and built with accessibility in mind.
- Eighteen (18) traffic control signal locations were retrofitted to include Accessible Pedestrian Signals, sidewalk improvements, better crosswalk alignment and the installation of tactile plates.
- Continued accessibility improvements in renovations to the Durham Region Local Housing Corporation portfolio.
Under provincial legislation, the Region is required to prepare an annual status report, detailing the progress of measures taken to implement an accessibility strategy. The organization must also have a multi-year accessibility plan outlining what the Region will do to improve accessibility and meet AODA requirements.
For more information, or to review the Region’s Accessibility plans, visit durham.ca/accessibility.
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