Caledon Community Services

2005 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, or clients. All eight CCS programs must make every effort 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.

Caledon Community Services 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
find jobs
improve their education,
attend medical appointments and run errands,
obtain in-home respite or supportive housing assistance
and shop at the CCS re-use stores

they, and our community, will directly benefit.

Caledon Community Services is committed to:

The continual improvement of access to CCS premises, facilities and services for clients, volunteers, 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 Karen Markham, Director of Support Services, as the Plan's Coordinator.

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

· All Program Coordinators

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

· A Board member

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

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

· In 1989, the CCS store Chez Thrift was moved to a location accessible to people with physical challenges.

· 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 developmental challenges.

· Accommodations have been made for staff with various chronic illnesses and impairments. These include: large computer screens, arm rests, assessments by an occupational therapist, Obus forms, microwave for therapy heat packs.

· 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.

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:

This location is wheelchair accessible and well used by clients and volunteers who travel by wheelchair. All work stations are wheelchair accessible. Barriers include:

No automatic door opener to door or vestibule outside elevator on the main floor. The doors are heavy and difficult to open.
No automatic door opener at upper level entrance.
The ramp on the upper level from the parking lot to the sidewalk is too steep for wheelchairs to access easily.
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.
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.
Fire alarm has sound only, needs a flashing light
Reception counter is too high for people in wheelchairs.
CCS staff washrooms are not wheelchair accessible.
No obvious place for a client using a wheelchair to wait in reception area.
No TTY/TDD system to communicate with hearing-impaired persons

Supportive Housing Sites Pinnacle View, Riverview, and Stationview: These buildings have excellent entrances, front door automatic door openers, good wheelchair access in the public washroom and appropriate elevators to upper levels. In 2005, CCS applied for Federal funding so that automatic door openers were installed in common areas such as the public washrooms, laundry and lounge.

Barriers include:

The CCS offices at Riverview and Pinnacle View would be difficult for staff in a wheelchair to use.

Caledon East and Caledon Village are less accessible. In 2005, CCS applied for Federal funding so that automatic door openers were installed at the entrance, public washrooms, laundry and lounge. Barriers identified here include:

Lack of elevator to the second level of these buildings.
The CCS office in Caledon East is very small.
No railings in the hallways
The washrooms are reasonably large, but might be difficult for a person with a larger wheelchair to use.

A new Peel Living seniors’ building will be built in Caledon East and attached to the current apartment building. CCS has made suggestions to Peel Living about making all common areas and apartment doors “wheelchair friendly” so that people in a wheelchair 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 client input on accessibility in the new building.

Chez Thrift:

This location has wheelchair access at the main entrance, and the cash-out counter is low enough for wheelchair users to place items on the counter. The doorbell at the back door for donors is accessible from a wheelchair. Signage is, for the most part, quite large. Barriers include:

no automatic door opener at main entrance.
public washroom does not provide enough room for a transfer from a wheelchair
some narrow aisles that would be difficult to negotiate with a large wheelchair
upper racks cannot be reached by persons in a wheelchair
the office is not accessible from the customer portion of the store because of a step up.

CCS ReUstore:

This location is completely wheelchair accessible for customers and donors, and has a large public washroom with room to transfer from a wheelchair. The check-out counter is low for easy access. Barriers include:

Building has no elevator to the second level; however CCS staff and volunteers routinely use the main floor washroom and lunchroom which are accessible.

CCS Buses:

CCS buses have adequate aisles, excellent locations for 3 wheelchairs which do not block the access of ambulatory passengers, and well-placed stanchions and hand grabs. Ramps are available for mobile passengers who have difficulty embarking and disembarking. Fares are paid by cash, or may be paid monthly by cheque, particularly for passengers who are sight-impaired or cognitively impaired. Barriers include:

Smaller seats in the school buses used for shopping should be limited to 10 passengers.

CCS purchased a new bus in 2004. CCS consulted with clients to get their input when making design decisions. Wheelchair riders find riding in the back of the bus less comfortable. Suggestions from the CNIB were to have consistent lighting and a contrast colour on the edge of steps and seats. These suggestions were considered when purchasing the new bus.

Other Transportation Barriers:

CCS volunteer drivers vehicles are not always well marked with large signage so that clients coming out of medical buildings can readily identify them. Barriers sometimes encountered in the community when loading or unloading passengers include:

Snow and ice on sidewalks at stores and medical buildings
No designated unloading area, particularly at hospitals
All buildings are not wheelchair accessible
Curbs or steps at entrance to buildings
Private homes often present a difficult loading area.

Customer Information & Communication:

CCS communicates with customers and clients largely by telephone, although email communication is also available with all departments. Barriers include:

Not routinely using email to communicate with transportation passengers who have computers and Internet access.
Some material is not printed in large type.
Not all front-line staff have received training in dealing with clients with special needs
No CCS print material is available in Braille
No staff member or volunteer available with sign language capability.

HUMAN RESOURCE AND POLICY BARRIERS

CCS adheres to employment equity, which requires it to make accommodations for the specific needs of employees with disabilities.

Attitudinal barriers to other staff and to customers must also be identified, removed and prevented. CCS will work, year by year to expand programs to aid staff in this regard.

Some CCS Policies or procedures which might decrease Barriers for Customers

· Customer service training procedures for all staff (this includes telephone information staff, checkout staff at the stores, personal support workers, and drivers) could be expanded.

· Customer service training procedures for all volunteers need to be expanded.

· There is no CCS policy re accessibility of fundraising events

In 2005, the CCS Board passed an Accessibility Policy which follows:

ACCESSIBILITY POLICY

CCS is committed to eliminating physical, policy, and psychological barriers for people with disabilities. This ensures that CCS premises, facilities and services are accessible to clients, volunteers, and employees with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations will be made for the specific needs of employees, volunteers and clients with disabilities. In accordance with our statutory duty to accommodate, CCS endeavours, in good faith, to take appropriate measures to accommodate all persons (above) with special needs due to disability. However, it is recognized that situations resulting in undue hardship may necessarily restrict our ability to do so.

CCS endeavours to ensure that every location and every event operated by the agency is accessible to the whole community.

PURPOSE

To establish clear, inclusive principles for all CCS activities.

SCOPE

This policy is applicable to all policies, activities and events conducted by CCS.

RESOURCE BARRIERS

CCS is committed to eliminating physical, policy, and attitudinal barriers, for people with disabilities, as quickly as possible. However, CCS has its own barrier:

Lack of funding

CCS receives funds from all levels of government, and from private sources. It is always earmarked for specific purposes, and it is difficult to get any level of government to pay for elimination of barriers.

5. Identify, prioritize and develop a plan to remove and prevent barriers to people with disabilities in the coming year

Caledon Community Services intends to identify, remove and prevent the following barriers in the coming year:

Transportation –

2003-Large type signage for volunteer vehicles will be created by Transportation staff. Deadline December 31, 2003. This was accomplished.

2004- Purchase of the new wheelchair accessible bus will accommodate the needs of visually impaired clients with yellow markings on the handrails and at the edge of the steps. Large sized wheelchairs and scooters will find the new bus more accessible by having flip-up seats at the rear of the bus. Purchase of a better shock system will provide a more comfortable ride.

2005- A new wheelchair accessible bus has been ordered for delivery in December 2005. The same features which promote accessibility have been ordered in the new bus.

CCS Stores –

2003- Aisles at Chez Thrift will be made wheelchair accessible by staff and volunteers. A volunteer or staff person will personally assist customers who are unable to shop on their own because of accessibility difficulties. Deadline October 31, 2003. This was accomplished.

2004- New signs are being made which will be more visible for people with poor vision.

2005- CCS will continue to be aware of barriers in the aisles and make the space as accessible as possible.

CCS Office –

2003- Services for hearing impaired people will be investigated and initiated such as Bell Relay or a TTY telephone. Administration staff are to have this in place by December 31, 2003. Services for the hearing impaired were investigated, and Bell Relay was determined to be the most appropriate service.

2004- CCS will initiate testing of TTY interface software for the hearing impaired.

2005-CCS will continue to plan for the integration of TTY interface software for the hearing impaired in any new telephone/computer system planned for the agency. Presently, CCS makes use of the Bell Relay System and email to communicate with hearing impaired clients.

Supportive Housing –

2003- CCS will write to Peel Living to suggest that handrails be put in the halls in seniors’ buildings currently without them. This will be done by December 31, 2003. CCS will continue to take part in planning meetings for the new seniors’ apartment building in Caledon East and be available with suggestions for optimum accessibility. A letter was written to Peel Living but the handrails have not been installed. CCS attended planning meetings for the Caledon East building.

2004- CCS will write a second letter to Peel Living about the handrails. CCS will work with a bed-ridden client and the Community Care Access Centre occupational therapist to provide safe and comfortable transfers. The staff will help the client and her family set up her apartment for maximum accessibility.

2005-CCS will use capital funding to add an electric door opener to the stairwell in 20 Walker Road, Caledon East.

Employment-

2004- CCS employment will set up a computer for a visually impaired staff member to properly deliver employment workshops.

2005- The outreach centre in west Caledon has clients telephone ahead to alert staff to watch for their arrival to lay down two mobile ramps made available by the church (in three places inside and outside of the church). This however, does not assist clients who do not telephone ahead as there is no automatic door opener. Staff will continue to inform clients about the availability of the ramps.

General CCS –

2003- A policy on accessibility of CCS fundraising and volunteer events will be put in place by the Board of Directors by April 30, 2004.

2004- The Board of Directors is currently working on this policy and it will be approved in 2004.

2005- The Board of Directors passed the CCS accessibility policy

CCS Building –

2003- A letter will be written to the building owners to outline the problems with accessibility and encourage them to make modifications. Deadline December 31, 2003. A letter was written but not all requests were fulfilled.

2004- A letter will be written to the building owners with a second request for accessibility changes.

2005- The building modified the washrooms by placing grab-bars and lowering the soap dispensers. CCS received Federal funding to have one outer door fitted with an automatic opener and the building owners have plans to have an opener added to the second door.

6. Consult with people with disabilities on the content of the plan.

Caledon Community Services consulted with people with disabilities through:

A focus group session with the CCS Advisory Committee. Also invited were representatives from key agencies and organizations representing people with a disability including the CNIB, the Canadian Hearing Society, Caledon Community Living, the Adult Day Program at the Vera Davis Centre, and other community service agencies.
All volunteers and clients were notified of this meeting, through flyers, and regular communication channels, and invited to participate in this session.

7. Communicate the plan to the public.

Caledon Community Services will:

Post the Plan at the CCS main office reception area.
Send a press release to local newspapers and seniors’ newsletters to indicate that the plan is available for viewing at the CCS office. (Done in 2003)
Post a copy of the Plan on our Web Site
Have a copy of the Plan at each CCS location

8. Review and monitor the plan.

Caledon Community Services Accessibility Plan Working Group will review the plan periodically throughout the year, and revise it by September 30, 2006.