ACCESSIBILITY FOR ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT ALLIANCE
NEWS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 28, 2021 Toronto: Today starting at 9:30 am, the City of Toronto’s Infrastructure and Environment Committee will consider if the City should allow electric scooters (e-scooters) in Toronto. The AODA Alliance and other disability advocates are scheduled to make deputations to the Committee. The Committee meeting will be live-streamed at: http://www.youtube.com/torontocitycouncillive
Under the Ontario Human Rights Code (the Code), employers, landlords, and service providers must accommodate people with disabilities. In other words, organizations have a duty to make changes in order to meet the needs of workers, tenants, customers, or clients with disabilities. The right to accommodation ensures that people can work productively, live independently, and access services open to non-disabled people. Employers, landlords, and other service providers must implement accommodations for essential duties and requirements. Accommodating essential requirements means distinguishing the most vital parts of a job, a service, or being a tenant. Then, employers, landlords, or service providers must ensure that people receive accommodations to perform those essential duties or requirements.
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update United for a Barrier-Free Society for All People with Disabilities
Web: https://www.aodaalliance.org Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com Twitter: @aodaalliance Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aodaalliance/
April 27, 2021
SUMMARY
Under the Ontario Human Rights Code (the Code), employers, landlords, and service providers must accommodate people with disabilities. In other words, organizations have a duty to make changes in order to meet the needs of workers, tenants, customers, or clients with disabilities. The right to accommodation ensures that people can work productively, live independently, and access services open to non-disabled people. This right has two elements, procedural and substantive accommodation. Under the Code, organizations must accommodate people in both ways.
The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) writes policies to help people understand what types of discrimination are. In addition, these policies outline how to prevent and respond to different forms of discrimination. According to the OHRC’s Policy on Ableism and Discrimination based on disability, people can protest when they experience discrimination. For instance, people can protest directly to a discriminating organization, or to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO). When people protest, organizations sometimes threaten reprisals against them. In other words, the organization will threaten to take more actions to harm them if they protest against the discrimination they are already experiencing. However, the Ontario Human Rights Code (the Code) forbids organizations from making reprisals. Instead, people have the right to object to discrimination and to seek remedies from organizations that discriminate against them.
