TOPIC B: Accessiblity Standards and Canadian Regulations

As interior designers we must consider the needs of everyone, not only the residents of the space, but the people who visit it.  We got our information off of the website from the government of Ontario:  

http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/mcss/programs/accessibility/index.aspx 

According to the website the governemnt passed a law, called the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act on June 13, 200. The act was made to ensure accessibility standards were met in ontario and is to applied to both the public and private sector.

"About 1.85 million people in Ontario have a disability. That's one in seven people. Over the next 20 years as the population ages, the number will rise to one in five Ontarians. Ontario needs to be more accessible to people with disabilities. It makes good sense — economically and socially. Through the act and the accessibility standards, our goal is to make Ontario accessible by 2025." (Queen's printer)

 We learned from the website that the following are the different impairments people can have:

• vision
• hearing
• physical
• intellectual
• developmental
• learning
• mental health
• speech or language
• deaf-blind

In order to comply with the accessibility standards it is important to look at the document that explains what criteria must be met. Click here to view the pdf.

The document talks about what kind of consideration to take when dealing with the public. For example, we must be aware that some people use their own assistive devices, guide dog accompaniment, or support person. Staff and volunteers must be trained on how to deal with situations that involvement people with certain impairments. Depending on the number of workers you have, you also have to meet specific documentation.

Reading this act opened my eyes to the fact that people struggle with design barriers everyday. This law proves that there are too many places that don't take all types of people with different conditions into their design. It is important because everyone should have the right to be mobile without any barriers. It wouldn't be fair to assume that all people walk on two legs and don't need assistance. We need to take everyone into consideration including people with baby strollers, crutches, wheelchairs, dog guides, etc. As interior designers we need to do our research and create a comfortable environment for everyone, not just one specific group or user.