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2007 ACCESSIBILITY PLAN

1. Introduction

It is estimated that up to 20% of the population will have disabilities within the next two decades. As a result, community agencies like Caledon Community Services (CCS) must adapt to accommodate those disabilities, whether they occur in staff, volunteers, customers, or clients. All CCS programs must make efforts to ensure that they are as accessible as possible to people living with many different disabilities. In particular, reliance upon CCS transportation will grow as more and more people stop driving, or drive less, and need other forms of transportation, due to their disabilities.

CCS programs will become ever more important to the health of our community when all people can easily

find community information;
get support in times of crisis;
be employment ready;
improve their education;
attend medical appointments and run errands;
obtain in-home respite or supportive housing assistance;
and shop at the CCS Green stores.

Caledon Community Services is committed to:

The continual improvement of access to CCS premises, facilities and services for clients, volunteers, customers and employees with disabilities
The participation of people with disabilities in the development and review of its annual access plans
The provision of quality services to all clients, employees and members of the community with disabilities

In particular, the provision of accessible transportation, in co-operation with other providers both within and outside Caledon, to all eligible residents of Caledon

2. Establishment of an Internal Accessibility Planning Coordinator and Working Group.

Caledon Community Services has appointed Maureen Tymkow, Employment Facilitator, and Citizen Member of the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee as the Plan's Coordinator.

Caledon Community Services has established an Accessibility Planning Working Group which includes:

· Program Managers and Coordinators

· Members of the Health & Safety Committee

· Program staff who act as alternates if a Coordinator is unable to participate.

3. Measures Caledon Community Services has taken to remove barriers to people with disabilities.

CCS has been working at increasing access to services for all community residents for well over a decade now. Examples of our accessibility efforts include:

· In 2007, the department of Jobs Caledon was completely renovated and made into a barrier free office.

· In 2006, the CCS store Chez Thrift was moved to a location accessible to people with physical challenges.

· Accommodations have been made for staff with various chronic illnesses and impairments.

· Provision of specialized transit services for all qualifying residents of Caledon since 1991.

· Partnership in a Peel-wide community information database which is accessible for people with hearing impairments.

· Establishment of a CCS web-site which is accessible for people with hearing impairments.

· Widening of entrances to CCS main office and addition of signage.

· In 1996, Caledon Community Services moved its administration office from an inaccessible building in Caledon East to accessible quarters in Bolton.

· In 1998, ongoing volunteer opportunities at CCS were developed for volunteers with disabilities.

4. Identification of Barriers to Access to Caledon Community Services for People with Disabilities.

PHYSICAL BARRIERS

CCS has identified the following physical barriers at its locations:

Main Office:

The main office houses roughly 60 Staff and Volunteers at any given time. Approximately 700+ clients and visitors attend our office on a monthly basis whether it be for a couple of minutes or a couple of hours depending on the purpose of the visit. In October 2006 CCS requested an accessibility audit performed by the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee on our main office and rental building that the office is contained in. Their findings were as follows:

Location	Department	Barrier	Action	Time Frame
18 King St. E. Bolton, On	Main Office	Reception counter is too high for people in wheelchairs.	Amalgamating Main office Reception with Jobs Caledon where the Reception desk is lower	2007
		The main hall ways are wide but the welcome sign and brochure rack should be offset for access	Moved sign and brochure rack	Completed
		CCS staff washrooms are not wheelchair accessible.	Grab Bars to be Installed	2007
		No system in place to communicate with hearing-impaired persons	Bell Relay or email used	On Going
		Connector doors by the colour printer are too narrow for Larger Wheelchairs	Will look at revamping	2007-2008


Location	Department	Barrier	Action	Time Frame
	Main Office (Continued)	Lever handles would be better than knobs for those who have trouble with hand movement	All door handles to be changed	2007-2008
		Not all front line staff have received training in dealing with clients with special needs	Sensitivity Training	2007-2008
		Blue sign above door difficult to see with visual impairment	This will be looked at when “New Branding” occurs	2007-2008


18 King St. E. Bolton, On	Jobs Caledon	No access to sink in kitchen for wheelchairs	This Kitchen was removed renovations 2006-2007	completed
		The colour of the walls are often unchanging	Renovations to Jobs Caledon 2006-2007	completed
		Solid doors are preferred to glass doors for visually impaired people	Renovations to Jobs Caledon 2006-2007	completed
Inglewood Outreach	Jobs Caledon	Upon arrival of clients with stair barriers, staff would lay down two mobile ramps to help gain access	Church will build a ramp for access	completed
Caledon East Outreach		Building, although has ramp access, does not have automated doors	Will approach Town of Caledon (Landlords)	2007

18 King St. E. Bolton, On	Rental Space	Only 1 disabled parking space on upper level. The disabled parking spots should be wider to allow space for ramps to extend from an accessible van.	A new Town by-law will be in force in the near future	2008
		The elevator should be better indicated on the map	Will notify Landlord	2007



	Rental Space (continued)	Barrier	Action	Time Frame
		Elevator Door closes too quickly and will not bounce back open if touched	Will notify Landlord	2007
		Slippery tiles in elevator alcove	Will notify Landlord	2007
		No Braille on buttons in elevator	Will notify Landlord	2007
		No automatic door opener to door or vestibule outside elevator on the main floor.	Will notify Landlord	2007
		Elevator too small for larger wheelchair to face straight ahead	Will notify Landlord	2007
		Fire alarm has sound only, needs a flashing light	Will notify Landlord	2007
		A lever handle on the accessible washroom would be helpful to close the door easily	Will notify Landlord	2007
		No automatic door on upper level into building	Install Auto Door	completed
		Public washroom doors must be opened with a key, at waist level. This is difficult for people with limited upper body mobility, and impossible for anyone in a wheelchair. No automatic door openers for public washrooms.	Will notify Landlord	2007

Supportive Housing Sites:

Seniors living in five Peel Living seniors buildings in Caledon receive assistance with personal care, bathing, laundry, meals and emergency “Lifeline” response. Approximately 150 seniors receive the support they need to remain independent in the comfort of their own homes.

Barriers include:

Location	Department	Barrier	Action	Time Frame
Peel Living Buildings	Supportive Housing - All	No staff member or volunteer available with sign language capability.	Investigate cost of courses for ASL or Signed English	2007
	Pinnacle View Stationview Riverview Caledon East Caledon Village	No auto door openers in public areas, such as washrooms, laundry and lounge	Apply for Federal Funding for auto door openers and install 38 openers	Completed
	Riverview Pinnacle View Caledon East	Offices too small for wheelchair access	Caledon East adding on of new units and offices, etc	2008
	Caledon East Caledon Village	No elevator to second floor	Caledon East Caledon Village	2008 completed
	Riverview Caledon East Caledon Village	No handrails in hallways	A third letter will be sent to Peel Living & a meeting will be set up	2007

Location	Department	Barrier	Action	Time Frame
Caledon East	Supportive Housing (continued)	A new Peel Living seniors’ building will be built attaching it to existing building. CCS has made suggestions to Peel Living about making all common areas and apartments “wheelchair friendly” so that people in wheelchairs are not confined only to their accessible apartments. Visual accommodations such as well lit doorways, buttons, and contrasts were suggested for the new building. The fire alarm should include flashing lights in the hall and in apartments designated for residents with disabilities. An advisory committee meeting was held in 2005 to get Clint input on accessibility in the new building	Region of Peel anticipates finishing in August 2008	2008

Chez Thrift:

Chez Thrift is a retail store that provides community residents with gently used clothing, toys, kitchen and household articles at excellent prices. This is an extremely busy store showing an average of 3,000 transactions per month. All net revenue is invested in CCS programs and services.

Barriers include:

Location	Department	Barrier	Action	Time Frame
Queen St.	Chez Thrift	No automatic door opener for easy access
Bolton, On.		One door is not wide enough for wheelchair access	Staff open up adjacent door	Ongoing
		Large public washroom but no grab bars	Investigate Cost and install	2007-2008

Location	Department	Barrier	Action	Time Frame
	Chez Thrift (continued)	Upper shelves and tall racks may not be accessible	Sign to be posted to ask for assistance from helpful Staff	2007
		Develop ability of all staff to effectively and proactively identify and address accessibility barriers	Implement sensitivity training for Staff and Volunteers	2007-2008

ReUstore:

The ReUstore is a retail store that provides community residents with gently used furniture, appliances, and household items. The ReUstore also invests heavily in an environmental mandate, saving thousands of pounds of quality goods annually from becoming landfill. Approximately 150 customers shop at our stores daily.

Barriers Include:

Location	Department	Barrier	Action	Time Frame
Industrial Rd. Bolton, On	ReUstore	Large public washroom but no grab bars	Investigate Cost and install	Completed
		Some Aisles not wide enough for access	Large racking to be removed and replace with narrower shelving	Completed
		Some merchandise that has been handled by customers is left on floor effecting access	Personnel continuously pick up after customers keeping aisles barrier free	Ongoing

Location	Department	Barrier	Action	Time Frame
	ReUstore (Continued)	Develop ability of all staff to effectively and proactively identify and address accessibility barriers	Implement sensitivity training for Staff and Volunteers	2007-2008
		Upper shelves and tall racks may not be accessible	Sign to be posted to ask for assistance from helpful Staff	2007

Transportation:

Seniors, people with disabilities, and a host of other Caledon residents receive rides to medical appointments, day programs, weekly shopping, and other important resources that contribute to their health and well being. Approximately 25,000 rides annually keep clients healthy, active, safe and connected to their community.

CCS consult with clients and other agencies to get their input when making design decisions on the purchase of new Buses.

Barriers include:

Location

Department