By: John Rae
July 15, 2020
Editor’s Note: This article is based on John Rae’s Presentation to the City of Toronto Infrastructure and Environment Committee, July 9, 2020
Chair Pasternak and members of the committee, I appear in opposition to any introduction of e-scooters in Toronto.
I am blind. I live in downtown Toronto. I’m age 71. Toronto has always been my home city, and I love our city.
As the COVID-19 pandemic progresses, we cheer ourselves by thinking of future socializing in-person. We also think about returning to work or activities we love. These hopes help us through the challenges of physical distancing. Moreover, these challenges show us that we can be more flexible or more creative than we thought we could. For instance, work during the pandemic has taken new forms and new strategies for success. Many of these strategies are also practices that help employers accommodate workers with disabilities. Employers and colleagues are working in new ways and supporting workers in diverse circumstances. In the post-COVID-19 future, more employers may learn how job performance improves when workers’ diverse needs are met. Consequently, more employers may continue to use diverse work strategies for accommodating workers with disabilities after the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the COVID-19 pandemic progresses, we cheer ourselves by thinking of future socializing in-person. We also think about returning to work or activities we love. These hopes help us through the challenges of physical distancing. Moreover, these challenges show us that we can be more flexible or more creative than we thought we could. For instance, work during the pandemic has taken new forms and new strategies for success. Many of these strategies are also practices that help employers accommodate workers with disabilities. For instance, employers have needed to plan closures and reopenings, or how to do business during the pandemic. In the same way, employers can make plans to support people who return to work with disabilities. Returning to work after the COVID-19 pandemic may help employers learn how to accommodate workers who have disabilities.
Toronto City Council Infrastructure Committee Is Warned that to Allow Electric Scooters Would Pose Dangers to Public Safety and to Accessibility for People with Disabilities While the City’s Officers Have No Real Capacity to Enforce New E-Scooter Regulations if Adopted
ACCESSIBILITY FOR ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT ALLIANCE
NEWS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
As the COVID-19 pandemic progresses, we cheer ourselves by thinking of future socializing in-person. We also think about returning to work or activities we love. These hopes help us through the challenges of physical distancing. Moreover, these challenges show us that we can be more flexible or more creative than we thought we could. For instance, retail stores and other organizations have adapted to physical distancing requirements during the pandemic. Many of these adaptations are also practices that make customer service more accessible for customers with disabilities. In the post-COVID-19 future, more people may recognize the value of adapting service to meet customers’ diverse needs. For example, more service providers may notify customers about temporary service disruptions after the COVID-19 pandemic.
