By Suzanne Share
June 10, 2010
Now that the Built Environment Standard Committee for the Province of Ontario has completed their work, my first instinct was to talk about the experience and the outcome. Before putting fingers to the keyboard, another topic came to the forefront. The obvious and first thing to state is I owe a debt of thanks to the participants of a Yahoo Group the Coalition of Ontario Accessibility Advisory Committees (COAAC www.coaac.ca).
When this group first started, I recently graduated with my Master in Critical Disabilities and a goal of working in the field of accessibility. By attending a party to celebrate the then new Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, I was fortunate to be seated with a COAAC volunteer. I was provided with information leading to my joining this yahoo Group.
Throughout the years, I have had the pleasure to learn how various communities share information with a common goal, to make Ontario accessible for people with disabilities. The conversations demonstrated these volunteers are sincerely knowledgeable and committed. There is an agreement to share past experiences so that errors are avoided and positive information is forwarded.
From the beginning, the Accessibility Advisory Committees’ volunteers provided great insight on a variety of topics. When I directly asked a question, the literature, pictures and research came in abundance. When there were difficult decisions to be made on the topic of inclusion, I wrote an article that brought me sage advice.
For all of these reasons and the terrific support this ListServe provides, everyone deserves a sincere thanks. Volunteers don’t get thanked enough for their efforts; I hope your communities appreciate your intelligence and commitment of time. These thanks are to all of you who are truly making a difference.
All the best,
Suzanne Share, M.A., C.E.O.
Access (SCS) Consulting Services
www.access-scs-consulting.com