MINISTRY OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH SERVICES

2011-2012 ODA Accessibility Plan

Introduction
Section One: Report on Measures to Identify, Remove and Prevent Barriers in 2010-11
- Customer Service
- Information and Communications
- Built Environment
- Other
Section Two: Measures Planned for 2011-12 and Beyond
- Customer Service
- Information and Communications
- Employment
- Built Environment
- Other
Section Three: Review of Acts, Regulations and Policies
Glossary of Terms/Acronyms
For More Information

Introduction

Each year, the Government of Ontario sets a course to identify, remove and prevent barriers for persons with disabilities. Every ministry participates through development of its annual accessibility plan, as required under the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001 (ODA).

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) is Ontario’s roadmap to become barrier-free by 2025. It includes developing accessibility standards in:

Customer service;
Information and communications;
Employment;
Transportation; and,
Built environment.

This year accessibility plans will help to inform planning requirements under the new Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR) which was enacted in July 2011 under the AODA. The IASR brings the Accessible Information and Communications, Employment and Transportation Standards together under one regulation and harmonizes requirements common to each standard. The IASR requires the Government of Ontario to develop a multi-year plan to prevent and remove barriers for persons with disabilities.

Building on last year’s commitments, the 2011-12 Ministry of Children and Youth Services accessibility plan will continue moving the ministry toward the goal of an accessible province for all Ontarians.

This year's plan highlights achievements in 2010-11 that break down barriers for people with disabilities. It also outlines commitments in the coming year to make the ministry’s programs and services accessible for all Ontarians.

Selected ministry accomplishments in 2010-11 include:

Providing all new ministry publications in plain language, and online in accessible formats;
Completion of the conversion of PDF documents to alternate accessible formats on the public website;
Developing a multi-year diversity and inclusion plan for the ministry;
Developing tools to increase accessibility awareness as it relates to emergency planning;
Beginning a review of all Youth Justice Services Division (YJSD) facilities throughout the province and developing policies that will include accessibility requirements for all future YJSD renovation and construction projects;
Gathering information on emerging technologies that increase accessibility;
Exploring methods of tracking accessibility expenditures in order to evaluate efficient methods of providing accessible services; and,
Reviewing the Intercountry Adoption Act, 1998 for barriers in accessibility, using the Inclusion Lens developed by the Diversity Office, Ministry of Government Services.

In 2011-12, the ministry will continue to address gaps in its policies and practices that create barriers to people with disabilities, including:

Promoting the use of the Centre for Leadership and Learning's (CFLL) online training on providing accessible customer service, “May I Help You,” and the CFLL’s online diversity and inclusion training;
Continuing to implement the multi-year diversity plan for the ministry in order to champion accessibility across the ministry;
Continuing to promote staff use of the best practice guide for accessibility documents developed by the ministry and the Diversity Office by posting tips on the ministry intranet site;
Ensuring all ministry internet content is accessible before being posted; and,
Using the Inclusion Lens to review other ministry Acts.

Through these and other commitments, the Ministry of Children and Youth Services will continue to make accessibility more of a reality in Ontario.

To view other ministries’ accessibility plans, visit Ontario.ca.

Section One: Report on Measures to Identify, Remove and Prevent Barriers in 2010-11

The Government of Ontario is working to achieve an accessible province by 2025. In 2010-11, the government continued to comply with the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service regulation and implement initiatives to enhance accessibility in other areas including information and communications, employment, transportation and the built environment.

This section includes a summary of the initiatives that the Ministry of Children and Youth Services implemented in 2010-11.

Customer Service

The ministry remained in compliance with the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service (Ontario Regulation 429/07). In doing so, the ministry continued to establish, implement and enforce policies, practices and procedures governing the provision of its goods and services to persons with disabilities that respected their dignity and independence and gave them an equal opportunity to obtain, use and benefit from the good or services as other people.

In 2010-11, the Ministry of Children and Youth Services:

Promoted the two Centre for Leadership and Learning (CFLL) e-learning courses “May I Help You: Welcoming Customers with Disabilities” and the “May I Help You? - Supplementary: Ten Things You Need to Know About Accessible Customer Service.” A mechanism has been established for monitoring completion of e-learning modules on a quarterly basis and ensuring follow up with staff who had yet to complete the training.
Enabled 233 ministry staff to take training for diversity and inclusion, specifically:
- 30 staff for the Inclusion Lens;
- 177 staff for Diversity; and,
- 26 staff for Diversity and Inclusion Leadership.
Published an article promoting a series of e-learning modules entitled “Mission Possible” for the on-line employee newsletter, Stages. These six e-learning modules provided staff with practical tips on several accessibility topics, including how to make Microsoft 2003 Word Documents accessible.
Required all managers to complete the Ontarians with Disabilities Act (ODA) Maximizing the Contributions of Employees and Applicants with Disabilities on-line training.
Championed accessibility and inclusion across the ministry through the development of a multi-year diversity and inclusion plan for the ministry. The plan includes several initiatives designed to enhance accessibility for ministry staff.
Used the Emergency Preparedness Week in May 2011 as an opportunity to develop tools and promote awareness as it relates to emergency planning and accessibility. An e-learning module was launched, in compliance with the AODA customer service standards, that included:
- A specific section on personal preparedness for people with disabilities and special needs; and,
- A quiz and informal recognition of completion.
These resources were promoted by all Regional Emergency Managers in the ministry, posted on the ministry’s intranet site and remained available as an information/awareness and training tool throughout the year.
The ministry also began work with Infrastructure Ontario (IO) in developing a standard template notice to be used and posted at ministry sites where any project work may cause a service disruption. Such signage will comply with all accessibility and visual identity requirements.
The ministry began participating in the Disability Advisory Council. The Council is composed of ministry representatives and was created to provide a consumer perspective to the Ontario Public Service (OPS) on accessibility for people with disabilities. The key focus of the council is on issues impacting employees with disabilities, compliance with the Ontario Human Rights Code, implementation of the IASR of the AODA, and the creation of a broad network on accessibility within MCYS and across the OPS.
An online feedback process and feedback forms were introduced in 2010. While the ministry has received limited feedback from the public to-date, work is underway to promote the feedback mechanisms to encourage and increase feedback from clients and the public in the future.

Information and Communications

The ministry has provided all new publications in accessible formats on the public website.
The ministry has completed the conversion of existing on-line PDF documents to accessible formats on the public website.
In keeping with the commitment to update all ministry intranet content to incorporate accessibility considerations, the MCYS/MCSS Emergency Management Program redesigned and launched a new intranet site. The redesigned site and all new content incorporated I&IT accessibility considerations.
The Information and Information (I&IT) Accessibility Centre of Excellence (ACOE) continued to explore alternatives for enhancing teletypewriter (TTY) services.
In developing expertise of existing and emerging technologies to support people with disabilities (e.g., Assistive Technology Devices), ACOE:
- Administered a survey in February 2011 to staff with disabilities who are members of the Staff Assistive Technology User Group to collect information about their assistive technology software/hardware, technical platform and training requirements;
- Reached out through initiatives such as webinars for OPS staff and presentations to each Chief Information Officer and their respective senior management team;
- Provided support to various OPS I&IT project teams;
- Delivered three education sessions at Showcase Ontario 2011 in September; and,
- Continued to encourage OPS employees to participate in the Assistive Technology User Group that was established in January 2009.

Built Environment

The ministry continued assessing accessibility of ministry sites.
The ministry addressed accessibility issues identified in its buildings and offices and made plans to improve accessibility as offices move or are renovated. Work to ensure accessibility continues:
- Across the existing Toronto sites, 56 Wellesley Street West, 15th floor, and 2 Bloor Street West, 24th floor, and,
- For new sites such as 153 Dundas Street West, Toronto.
The ministry continued assessing accessibility of ministry sites.
The ministry negotiated new leases and lease renewals in keeping with the Ontario Building Code (OBC) and barrier-free guidelines to prevent the creation of barriers to staff, clients or members of the public with disabilities, specifically:
- Corporate offices at 101 Bloor Street West, Toronto are complete, with accessibility for staff and visitors provided throughout;
- The Youth Justice Services Division (YJSD) site at 153 Dundas Street West, Toronto was opened with appropriate accessibility design and configuration; and,
- Elliot Lake and Sioux Lookout Probation Offices are being currently designed to include accessibility requirements.
The ministry’s YJSD:
- Worked closely with the landlord at the Bracebridge probation site to install an accessible ramp; and
- Developed design guidelines for its probation offices that will be reviewed and revised appropriately as AODA accessibility requirements are amended.
Accessibility was considered by the ministry in all planning and design activity both for new leases and existing leases identified for renewal. The work to resolve any accessibility issues was planned and implemented.

Other

The ministry explored methods of tracking accessibility expenditures by analyzing current financial information in the OPS Integrated Financial Information System.
The ministry continued to research emerging technologies that can be used to enhance OPS employees’ ability to perform their jobs, including screen reading, voice recognition technology, and mobile devices. This information was posted on the intranet and also shared with the OPS Assistive Technology User Group.

Section Two: Measures Planned for 2011-12 and Beyond

This year, the Ministry of Children and Youth Services’ accessibility plan focuses on five key areas:

Customer Service
Information and Communications;
Employment;
Built Environment; and,
Other.

Customer Service

The Ministry of Children and Youth Services is committed to ensuring that people with disabilities receive accessible goods and services - with the same high quality and timeliness as others.

A variety of measures are planned for the 2011-12 fiscal year that will support this commitment as follows:

Actions Planned:

Promotion of the use of the CFLL's online training on providing accessible customer service, “May I Help You,” and ODA training for managers with new ministry staff, and monitoring of training completion.
Promotion of the CFLL’s online diversity and inclusion training to encourage staff participation in this e-learning opportunity.
Implementation of the ministry’s multi-year diversity and inclusion plan and championing accessibility across the ministry.
Promotion of the CFLL’s online training on providing accessible customer service to staff. The ministry will explore new learning and training opportunities through lunch-and-learns sessions and guest speakers.
Continue to promote staff use of the best practice guide for accessibility documents developed by the ministry and the Diversity Office by writing articles and posting them on the ministry intranet site.
Promotion of feedback mechanisms to encourage and increase feedback from clients regarding accessibility.

Information and Communications

The Ministry of Children and Youth Services is committed to making government information and communications accessible to people with disabilities. The information we provide and the ways we communicate are key to delivering our programs and services to the public.

The following measures will be implemented to support this objective in 2011-12:

Actions Planned:

Explore ways to enhance TTY services in keeping with OPS Common Service Standards.
Continue to encourage OPS employees to participate in the Assistive Technology User Group that was established in January 2009.
Coordination of quarterly teleconferences with members of the Staff Assistive Technology User Group starting in the third fiscal quarter (October 1 – December 31, 2011-12) to continue to assess future needs and methods to support staff with assistive technology in the workplace.
Provision of information to staff on new technology, including exploring the option of using a read aloud function on computers.
Continue conversions of any new PDF documents to alternate accessible formats for public websites.
Continue ensuring that all internet content is in an accessible format before being posted.

Employment

The Ministry of Children and Youth Services is committed to fair and accessible employment practices that attract and retain talented employees with disabilities including the implementation of the following measures in 2011-12:

Actions Planned:

Conduct training sessions on barrier-free interviewing for managers.
Examine broader use of the Inclusion Lens to eliminate barriers in recruitment practices.
Collaborate with the Youth and New Professionals Secretariat to apply the Inclusion Lens to hiring policies and programs.

Built Environment

The Ministry of Children and Youth Services is committed to greater accessibility in, out of and around the buildings we use. Specific measures for 2011-12 include the following:

Actions Planned:

Continue to identify barriers in the ministry’s buildings and offices and make plans to improve accessibility as offices move or are renovated.
Accessibility will continue to be addressed in all owned and leased spaces.
Improvements to the built environment and technology will continue to be implemented with a view to improving accessibility for staff and clients consistent with any new AODA accessibility design guidelines released by IO. Ministry specific design guidelines will be updated to ensure compliance and consistency (i.e. corporate space, design guidelines, etc.).
Negotiation of new leases and lease renewals will be in accordance with the OBC and the barrier-free guidelines to prevent the creation of barriers to staff, clients or members of the public with disabilities.
The Youth Justice Services Division will review the accessibility requirements of its offices and facilities.

Other:

The Ministry of Children and Youth Services is committed to integrating accessibility considerations into the procurement processes.

Actions Planned:

Continue to explore methods of tracking accessibility expenditures in order to meet the requirement of having information to evaluate efficient methods of providing accessible services.

Section Three: Review of Acts, Regulations and Policies

In support of our commitment to improve accessibility for people with disabilities, the Ministry of Children and Youth Services will continue to review government initiatives, including legislation and policies, to identify, remove and prevent barriers.

Acts, Regulations and Policies Reviewed in 2010-11

The Ministry of Children and Youth Services is committed to ensuring that its Acts and regulations are reviewed for potential accessibility barriers.

In April 2011, selected ministry staff received training in using the Inclusion Lens to review legislation.

In May 2011, the Intercountry Adoption Act, 1998 was reviewed using the Inclusion Lens to determine barriers to accessibility.

Acts, Regulations and Policies to Be Reviewed in 2011-12

Actions Planned:

In 2011-12, the ministry will review the British Home Child Day Act, 2011 and the Poverty Reduction Act, 2009.

Inclusion Lens

In 2011, the Ontario Public Service launched the Inclusion Lens which is an innovative tool to help address diversity and accessibility. Using this tool, ministries can identify and address potential barriers to people with disabilities and others that may be present in existing or proposed legislation, policies, programs, practices or services.

The Ministry of Children and Youth Services will promote both the use of the Inclusion Lens developed by the Diversity Office and the online training course on applying the Inclusion Lens.

In the future the Ministry of Children and Youth services will further work in this area by:

Promoting participation in the CFLL’s Diversity and Inclusion courses;
Establishing expectations regarding use of the Inclusion Lens across the ministry; and,
Using the Inclusion Lens to review all pieces of legislation by 2015 and all regulations by 2020.

Glossary of Terms/Acronyms

ACOE – Information and Information Technology (I&IT) Accessibility Centre of Excellence

AODA – Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005

CFLL – Centre for Leadership and Learning

IASR – Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation

IO - Infrastructure Ontario

MCSS – Ministry of Community and Social Services

MCYS – Ministry of Children and Youth Services

MGS – Ministry of Government Services

OBC - Ontario Building Code

ODA – Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001

OPS – Ontario Public Service

PDF – Portable Document Format

TTY - Teletypewriter (a telecommunications device for the Deaf)

YJSD – Youth Justice Services Division

For More Information

Questions or comments about the Ministry of Children and Youth Services accessibility plan are always welcome.

Please phone: Paul Wigle, Project Analyst, Renewal Strategies Office, 416-326-2714

General inquiry number:
In Toronto, call 416-325-5666
Toll-free from across Ontario: 1-888-789-4199

TTY: 1-800-387-5559

E-mail: mcysinfo@ontario.ca

Ministry website address: www.children.gov.on.ca

Visit the Ministry of Community and Social Services Accessibility Ontario web portal. The site promotes accessibility and provides information and resources on how to make Ontario an accessible province for everyone.

Alternate formats of this document are available free upon request from:

ServiceOntario Publications
Phone: 1-800-668-9938
TTY: 1-800-268-7095

ISSN #1708-3222
Ce document est disponible en français.