THE JOINT PEEL- CALEDON

ACCESSIBILITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE (AAC)

Glenn Barnes, Chair - presided

1. CALL TO ORDER

A quorum of voting members was not present, and in accordance with section III-4(f) of the Region of Peel Procedural By-law 54-1999, as amended, the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee received information from staff.

Committee Chair Barnes noted Maureen Tymkow would be arriving late and that upon her arrival, quorum would be achieved and at that time, the Committee would formally approve the agenda and previous minutes.

Glenn Barnes introduced Emily Tsoa to the members of the AAC. Emily will be temporarily replacing Meenu Sikand, Accessibility Specialist, during her leave.

Items 4 a. through 4 g. inclusive, were dealt with.

4. COMMUNICATION ITEMS

Naz Husain inquired if AAC materials could be sent electronically in Word format instead of in a pdf format. She noted that pdf files cannot always be read by JAWS, a software program that reads information from the screen to the user.

Meenu Sikand undertook to contact the Region of Peel Web Team to investigate options for sending e-mails that would be compatible with older versions of JAWS.

Naz Husain indicated that members of the Web Team could contact her at home to conduct testing of compatible formats.

a. Marie Bountrogianni, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and Minister of Children and Youth Services, Letter dated April 27, 2005, Responding to a Letter from Chair Kolb on Bill 118 and Congratulating the Joint-Peel Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee and the Regional Municipality of Peel for their Continued Contributions to Improving Accessibility in Ontario (Resolution 2005-202)

Received

b. Mississauga News Article, dated May 25, 2005, Titled "Plea is Made for Disabled Children"

Received

c. Brampton Guardian Article, dated May 29, 2005, Titled "National Access Awareness Week May 29 to June 4"

Received

d. GO Transit Customer Bulletin, dated May 30, 2005, Regarding an Increase in Parking Spaces at the Bramalea GO Station and Advising Users Requiring Mobility Aids to Continue Using the North Lot

Received

e. Caledon Enterprise Article, dated June 1, 2005, Titled "Improvements for Residents with Disabilities"

Received

f. Petra Wolfbeiss, Senior Policy Advisor, Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), Letter dated June 2, 2005, Responding to a Letter from Chair Kolb on Bill 118 and Providing a Copy of the AMO Submission to the Standing Committee on Social Policy

Received

g. Wendy Goss, Accessibility Coordinator, City of Brampton, Memo dated June 3, 2005 Regarding the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee Meeting on Accessible Transportation, Held on May 31, 2005

Received

William Goursky stated that, in his opinion, the AAC should now be considering more specific accessibility training, noting that the sessions that have already been conducted would be considered basic training, similar to an "Accessibility 101" course. William Goursky suggested that it is now time to move to "Accessibility 201" which would include recruiting people to help resolve issues identified in the earlier sessions. The training would be aimed at those people who participated in the previous training sessions and now want to know how to address specific issues.

William Goursky suggested that better co-ordination is needed of activities and presentations conducted by the other Peel-area AACs. He noted that there could be a perception of duplication, and increased communication among the various AAC committees would be beneficial. Such measures could include the sharing of agendas and minutes between the Peel-area AACs.

Councillor Saito indicated that in her opinion, there is no duplication of efforts in that the area municipal AACs deal with different issues than those dealt with by the Joint Peel-Caledon AAC. She noted that while the goals of the AACs are similar, they are not identical, and duplication occurs mainly when the same presentations are given to each AAC. She has not identified an overlap of issues on the Mississauga AAC agenda with that of the Joint Peel-Caledon AAC.

Councillor Saito suggested that when one Peel area AAC takes a position on an issue, it should be communicated to the other area AACs so that there are not three different positions on one issue. Councillor Saito indicated that she is agreeable to sharing the agendas and minutes with the other AACs.

Glenn Barnes noted that staff and Council have different perceptions of issues affecting the AAC and what may make sense to Committee members may not always fit with staff policies and the political climate, citing the Joint Use Facility as an example.

Glenn Barnes stated that he is not confident staff is ready for the next level of training in that he is still surprised at the number of staff who do not know what the role of the AAC is and how to report to it.

Charlotte Gravlev, Regional Clerk, inquired as to how the Committee would like to receive the other area AACs material. It was agreed that the area AACs would be requested to add the Joint Peel-Caledon AAC members to their distribution lists for receiving minutes and agendas. The Regional Clerk was further requested to extend an open invitation to the area AAC members to attend future meetings of the Joint Peel-Caledon AAC.

Councillor Saito stated that the AAC message has reached Councillors and management but she is not confident that it has reached individual employees. Councillor Saito suggested the issue should be pursued further by the Working Group.

Meenu Sikand noted that there are approximately 3,500 Regional employees and the training has not been delivered to all staff to date. However, there are a number of initiatives underway to raise awareness, including presentations at departmental meetings and greater involvement with staff in Human Resources.

Glenn Barnes also noted that members of the AAC should serve as ambassadors when working with staff by attending meetings where accessibility issues are discussed and reporting back to the AAC on messages being communicated.

William Goursky suggested a survey be developed to identify what information staff requires and to assist the AAC in determining the next steps.

*Maureen Tymkow arrived at 2:14 p.m.

A quorum of voting members was achieved.

2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

RECOMMENDATION AAC-15-2005:

That the minutes of the May 31, 2005 Joint Region of Peel-Town of Caledon, City of Brampton and City of Mississauga Accessibility Advisory Committees meeting be approved.

3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA

RECOMMENDATION AAC-16-2005:

That the agenda for the July 12, 2005 Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee meeting be amended to include two additional communication items;

And further, that the agenda for the July 12, 2005 Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee be amended to include a presentation by Giancarlo Cristiano, Social Policy Analyst, Social Services Department, regarding the Ontario Human Rights Commission Review of Paratransit as a Special Program;

And further, that the consolidated agenda for the July 12, 2005 Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee be approved, as amended.

4. COMMUNICATION ITEMS

a. Marie Bountrogianni, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and Minister of Children and Youth Services, Letter dated April 27, 2005, Responding to a Letter from Chair Kolb on Bill 118 and Congratulating the Joint-Peel Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee and the Regional Municipality of Peel for their Continued Contributions to Improving Accessibility in Ontario (Resolution 2005-202)

This item was dealt with earlier in the meeting

b. Mississauga News Article, dated May 25, 2005, Titled "Plea is Made for Disabled Children"

This item was dealt with earlier in the meeting

c. Brampton Guardian Article, dated May 29, 2005, Titled "National Access Awareness Week May 29 to June 4"

This item was dealt with earlier in the meeting

d. GO Transit Customer Bulletin, dated May 30, 2005, Regarding an Increase in Parking Spaces at the Bramalea GO Station and Advising Users Requiring Mobility Aids to Continue Using the North Lot

This item was dealt with earlier in the meeting

e. Caledon Enterprise Article, dated June 1, 2005, Titled "Improvements for Residents with Disabilities"

This item was dealt with earlier in the meeting

f. Petra Wolfbeiss, Senior Policy Advisor, Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), Letter dated June 2, 2005, Responding to a Letter from Chair Kolb on Bill 118 and Providing a Copy of the AMO Submission to the Standing Committee on Social Policy

This item was dealt with earlier in the meeting

g. Wendy Goss, Accessibility Coordinator, City of Brampton, Memo dated June 3, 2005 Regarding the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee Meeting on Accessible Transportation, Held on May 31, 2005

This item was dealt with earlier in the meeting

h. Brenda Luckhurst, Committee Coordinator, Clerk's Office, City of Mississauga, Letter dated June 9, 2005 Regarding the Hosting of Biannual Joint Forums on Accessibility Issues

Received

i. Region Press Release, dated June 13, 2005, titled "Great Things Are Happening in TransHelp!"

Received

j. The Coalition of Ontario Accessibility Advisory Committees (COAAC) eNewsletter, Volume One, Issue Two, dated Summer 2005 Regarding the COAAC Mandate and Issues of Interest to Accessibility Advisory Committees in Ontario

Received

Additional Items

k. Press Release: Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, dated June 27, 2005, titled "Minister Announces Recruitment For New Accessibility Standards Advisory Council"

Received

l. Press Release: Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), dated June 30, 2005, titled "Government Announces the Recruitment for the Accessibility Standards Advisory Council"

Received

5. PRESENTATIONS

a. Terri LeRoux, Executive Director, and Carla Warwick, Resource Councillor, Learning Disabilities Association of Mississauga, Presenting an Awareness Session on Learning Disabilities

Received

Terri LeRoux and Carla Warwick provided an overview of the issues dealt with by the Learning Disabilities Association and provided some facts about learning disabilities.

The Committee heard that approximately 10 per cent of the world population has a learning disability with the most common disabilities being difficulty with basic reading (decoding and comprehension) and language skills.

Terri LeRoux and Carla Warwick advised that a learning disability affects the way a person processes information and affects individuals with average to above average intelligence. Learning disabilities are not a sign of low intelligence, mental illness, autism or developmental delay. People with learning disabilities can succeed with specific skill instruction, the development of compensatory strategies, development of self advocacy skills and appropriate accommodations.

The Learning Disability Association provides information, support, guidance and referrals to its clients, offers direct programs for children, youth and adults, and serves as an advocate.

b. Glenn Barnes, Chair, De-briefing of the First Joint Meeting of the Region of Peel-Town of Caledon, City of Brampton and City of Mississauga Accessibility Advisory Committees

Received

Glenn Barnes stated that there was good representation from the transportation sector at the First Joint Meeting of the Region of Peel-Town of Caledon, City of Brampton and City of Mississauga Accessibility Advisory Committees and requested feedback from AAC members.

Councillor Saito stated that, in her opinion, the joint meeting was beneficial and provided good networking opportunities with the area AAC members. She further stated that the information sharing was good and that it was helpful to hear transit plans from other areas.

Councillor Saito suggested that caution be used when planning future joint meetings to ensure that items for consideration are useful to all attendees. She suggested that future meetings deal with specific issues, such as universal design standards.

Glenn Barnes advised that the Chairs and Co-ordinators of the AACs met after the joint meeting to discuss topics for the next joint meeting. It was agreed upon that joint meetings should be relevant to all groups and suggested Design Form/Standards Committee and Site Plan Review as potential topics for future joint meetings.

Naz Husain suggested that a tour of the new CNIB building at Bayview be arranged for members of the AAC, noting that state of the art accessibility features have been incorporated in the building.

c. Lisa Jones, Transportation Accessibility Specialist, Presenting an Overview of the Transportation Coordination Office and the Role and Responsibilities of the Transportation Accessibility Specialist

Received

Lisa Jones, who was hired in 2005 as the Transportation Accessibility Specialist, advised that Paradigm Transportation Solutions Limited was engaged to investigate the travel needs of persons with disabilities, to assess the adequacy of existing services, and consider alternative strategies to respond to future needs.

The study was conducted under the supervision of Regional and Municipal staff. Regional Council approved the resulting report which included a recommendation to hire a staff person to begin the process of building partnerships and preparing proposals for the model.

While the Transportation Accessibility Specialist's position description is being developed along the way, there are two goals associated with the position. The first is to expand the existing network of transportation partnerships and assist in the design and development of a comprehensive "family of services" to ensure mobility for all residents with disabilities in Peel. The second goal is to establish cooperative service delivery arrangements with agencies.

These broad goals will be achieved through the identification of operational initiatives and service improvement initiatives. Her area of focus for 2005-2006 includes network building, research and conceptualization, identification of funding streams and the development of a transportation brokerage model.

Lisa Jones encouraged the AAC to contact her should there be areas in which her input would be beneficial.

Additional Item

d. Giancarlo Cristiano, Social Policy Analyst, Department of Social Services, Presenting on the Ontario Human Rights Commission Review of Paratransit as a Special Program

Received

Giancarlo Cristiano provided an overview of the status of an Ontario Human Rights Commission Review of Paratransit as a Special Program. The review deals with section 14 of the code titled "Special Program".

Should paratransit systems, including TransHelp, lose their status as a "Special Program", there would be increased costs and reduced service to existing users, an impact on fares, hours of service and eligibility requirements. Currently, Peel has not identified an effective remedy for Transhelp should the "Special Program" status be removed.

The Human Rights Commission will be conducting selective stakeholder consultations. The Social Services department is considering making its own submission to the Commission. A further update will be provided to the AAC once a decision is made by the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

6. REPORTS

7. REPORT FROM THE ACCESSIBILITY PLANNING COORDINATORS

a. Colleen Grant, Town Prosecutor and Solicitor, Town of Caledon - April-May 2005

Received

b. Colleen Grant, Town Prosecutor and Solicitor, Town of Caledon - June 2005

Received

Colleen Grant noted that she has been working on departmental charts for review by departments. Discussions are taking place regarding Caledon's Disabled Parking By-law and she expects to bring the by-law to AAC for feedback.

c. Meenu Sikand, Accessibility Planning Specialist, Region of Peel - April-May 2005

Received

d. Meenu Sikand, Accessibility Planning Specialist, Region of Peel - June 2005

Received

Meenu Sikand advised that she has conducted three accessibility workshops at three Regional locations.

She attended a Universal Design Exchange workshop which was very informative. She further stated that she would distribute workshop materials to AAC members upon her return from leave.

Meenu Sikand provided the AAC with a memo from Keith Ward, Commissioner of Housing and Property and General Manager, Peel Living regarding the follow up on recommendations submitted by the AAC. She advised that Regional staff are working diligently on the recommendations as well as working with staff from the area municipalities.

Meenu Sikand informed that she had provided advice to staff preparing the Indell Lane site for lease by Regional staff and has developed a checklist of accessibility issues to be addressed at leased facilities for use with future projects.

The next joint meeting of the Peel area AACs is scheduled for October 18, 2005 and will be hosted by the City of Brampton.

William Goursky noted that he, along with Meenu Sikand and other AAC members, attended a meeting with the architect retained to restructure the front entrance to 10 Peel Centre Dr. with respect to the deficiencies of the existing ramp.

Meenu Sikand noted that she is currently preparing the third accessibility plan. Members are encouraged to provide their comments on the draft accessibility plan.

William Goursky requested that members be provided with explanations for the acronyms once the draft accessibility plan is distributed to them. Meenu Sikand responded that the glossary of terms is included in the draft accessibility plan.

Meenu Sikand also provided a brief update on the Barrier Identification and Tracking Tool (BITT) which has now been developed and presented to Regional Staff. The Regional Accessibility Planning Program is encouraging staff to submit suggestions and ideas to identify barriers, by completing the suggestion form included in the tool, which will compile barrier information in a central database. She noted that to date, 21 suggestion forms have been received from various departments.

Naz Husain commented that this is an excellent tool to solicit information, which could also be presented to the Access Ontario III Conference.

¨Councillor Saito departed at 3:55 p.m.

¨Maureen Tymkow departed at 4:00 p.m.

8. REPORT OF THE ACCESSIBILITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE CHAIR

Received

Glenn Barnes highlighted the following significant topics which were discussed during the Access Ontario II Conference and which he feels could be addressed and accomplished by the AAC in 2006:

• design forum;
• cohesion building between staff and AAC;
• community consultations; and
• external accessibility awards.

During the Access Ontario II Conference, there was a discussion on the possibility of the Region of Peel or Niagara Region being the next venue to hold the Access Ontario III Conference. It was decided that Niagara Region would host the Access Ontario III Conference.

Glenn Barnes noted that one of the significant topics from the Access Ontario II Conference that he wanted to discuss with members of the AAC was the need to completely review the site plans as outlined in the ODA.

Regarding cohesion building between staff and the Accessibility Advisory Committee, Glenn Barnes noted that staff training should be developed and staff should continue to be educated on the different types of existing barriers. In order to deliver services to the public, AAC services should be more accessible to the public.

9. OTHER BUSINESS

10. NEXT MEETING

Tuesday, August 16, 2005 (1:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.)
Region of Peel Headquarters
Council Chamber, 5th floor
10 Peel Centre Dr.
Brampton, Ontario

11. ADJOURNMENT

Meeting adjourned at 4:30 p.m.