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Students With Disabilities Face More Obstacles Returning to Class: Advocates

Osobe Waberi, The Canadian Press
Published Saturday, August 22, 2020

TORONTO — Advocacy groups in Ontario say students with disabilities will face additional obstacles returning to class following the pandemic, leaving parents unsure if their children will be fully and safely included in school reopening plans.

The Ontario Autism Coalition and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance held an online town hall meeting Friday to discuss what they say is the provincial government’s “failure” to put parents at ease with the school year looming.

Students With Disabilities Face More Obstacles Returning to Class: Advocates. Read full article.

11am Eastern Today, Grassroots Virtual Town Hall Will Give Anxious Parents of One Third of a Million Ontario Students with Disabilities Practical Tips to Prepare for School Re-Openings

ACCESSIBILITY FOR ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT ALLIANCE
ONTARIO AUTISM COALITION

News Release For Immediate Release

August 21, 2020 Toronto: Today at 11am Eastern, a grassroots Virtual Town Hall will be held online to give deeply worried parents of one third of a million students with disabilities practical tips on what to do to prepare for and cope with the impending re-opening of Ontario schools, in the absence of a much-needed comprehensive provincial plan to ensure that students with disabilities are fully and safely included in re-opened schools. This event will have simultaneous captioning and American Sign Language interpretation.

11am Eastern Today, Grassroots Virtual Town Hall Will Give Anxious Parents of One Third of a Million Ontario Students with Disabilities Practical Tips to Prepare for School Re-Openings. Read full article.

A Website about Accessibility

In the third review of the AODA, the Honourable David Onley recommends needed improvements to the Act. One of these improvements is the need for a government website offering accessibility resources. During the public meetings Onley held while preparing his review, attendees stated that many organizations would like to become more AODA compliant. However, many workers do not know how to apply the guidelines in AODA standards to their specific services or locations. As a result, workers may search for advice, such as by contacting a consulting firm. However, the website of the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario (ADO) warns visitors that some consultants may provide inaccurate advice. Therefore, Onley’s review recommends that the government should develop a website about accessibility to support AODA compliance.

A Website about Accessibility. Read full article.

The Ford Government’s Announced Measures for Students with Disabilities Largely Leaves it to Each of 72 School Boards to Figure Out What to Do to Fully and Safely Include Them in School Re-opening

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update United for a Barrier-Free Society for All People with Disabilities
Web: http://www.aodaalliance.org Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com Twitter: @aodaalliance Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aodaalliance/

August 20, 2020

SUMMARY

Earlier this week, we asked this important question: What is the Ford Government’s plan to ensure that over 340,000 students with disabilities are fully and safely included in Ontario’s schools when they open next month? It is now clear that the Ford Government has no comprehensive plan.

The Ford Government’s Announced Measures for Students with Disabilities Largely Leaves it to Each of 72 School Boards to Figure Out What to Do to Fully and Safely Include Them in School Re-opening. Read full article.

Toronto Restaurant Discriminated Against Woman Who Uses Mobility Aids, Tribunal Rules

By Paola Loriggio
The Canadian Press
Posted August 13, 2020

TORONTO – A Toronto restaurant discriminated against a woman who uses mobility devices and publicly humiliated her by refusing to let her use its bathroom four years ago, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario has ruled.

In a decision issued this week, the tribunal says Haily ButlerHenderson “experienced adverse treatment” when she was repeatedly refused access to a downstairs washroom at the Pentagram Bar and Grill on Aug. 19, 2016.

Toronto Restaurant Discriminated Against Woman Who Uses Mobility Aids, Tribunal Rules. Read full article.