By January 1^st 2025, under the Ontario government’s Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 the province of Ontario will be accessible to all residents. The purpose of this Act is to benefit all Ontarians by developing, implementing and enforcing accessibility standards in order to achieve accessibility for Ontarians with disabilities with respect to goods, services, facilities, accommodation, employment, buildings, structures and premises.

Under the Act, “disability” means

(a)  Any degree of physical disability, infirmity, malformation or disfigurement that is caused by bodily injury, birth defect or illness and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, includes diabetes,mellitus, epilepsy, a brain injury,any degree of paralysis, amputation, lack of physical co-ordination, blindness or visual impediment, deafness or hearing impediment, muteness or speech impediment, or physical reliance on a guide dog or other animal or on a wheelchair or other remedial appliance or device,

(b)  A condition of mental impairment or a developmental disability,

(c)  A learning disability, or a dysfunction in one or more of the processes involved in understanding or using symbols or spoken language,                     

(d)  A mental disorder, or                 

(e)  An injury or disability for which benefits were claimed or received under the insurance plan established under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997

 Customer service organizations in the public sector were required to comply on January 12^th, 2010. Private sectors must comply by January 12^th, 2012. All organizations with more than one employee must comply with its requirements and all organizations with more than 20 employees must submit a report annually on compliance activities by completing an accessibility form by the government. For more information, please visit http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/mcss/index.aspx and www.accesson.ca