Accessibility Planning – Strategy Document Study Results December 2007 City of Saskatoon – Planning Stage, Accessibility Plan for Persons in need of Accessibility Services Table of Contents Executive Summary .................................................................................. 5 1.0 Purpose of the Research.................................................................17 2.0 Significance of the Research ..........................................................18 2.1. Demographics - Canada.......................................................................................18 2.1.1. Aboriginals with Disabilities .............................................................................21 2.2. Demographics - Saskatchewan..............................................................................21 2.3. Demographics - Saskatoon...................................................................................22 2.4. Business Case.....................................................................................................23 2.4.1. Purchasing Power ...........................................................................................23 2.4.2. Labour Supply ................................................................................................23 2.4.3. Toursim.........................................................................................................24 3.0 Accessibility Planning ................................................................... 26 3.1. Definition of Disability........................................................................................26 3.2. Legislation .........................................................................................................27 3.2.1. Equal Rights...................................................................................................27 3.2.2. Building Codes ...............................................................................................28 3.2.3. Provincial Disability Acts .................................................................................28 3.2.4. Summary of the ODA 2001 and AODA 2005.....................................................34 3.3. Policy and Practice ..............................................................................................35 3.4. Municipal Accessibility Planning ...........................................................................37 3.4.1. Vancouver .....................................................................................................37 3.4.2. Toronto.........................................................................................................38 3.4.3. Mid-Size Cities ...............................................................................................38 3.4.4. City of London...............................................................................................39 3.5. Accessibility Committee Overview ........................................................................41 3.5.1. Stakeholders (Persons with Disabilities and Municipal Staff) .................................41 3.5.2. Roles and Responsibilities ................................................................................42 3.6. Accessibility Plan Overview..................................................................................44 3.7. Accessibility Awards............................................................................................45 4.0 Internal Review ............................................................................. 50 4.1. Leisure Services Department ................................................................................50 4.2. Communications Department...............................................................................51 4.3. Transit...............................................................................................................52 4.4. Urban Design.....................................................................................................53 4.5. Municipal Engineering.........................................................................................54 4.6. Clerk’s Office .....................................................................................................55 4.7. Public Works......................................................................................................56 4.8. Development Services Branch ..............................................................................57 4.9. Community Development....................................................................................57 4.10. Building Standards ..............................................................................................58 4.11. Human Resources...............................................................................................58 4.12. City Planning......................................................................................................60 4.13. Facilities Branch .................................................................................................61 4.14. Infrastructure Services Department .......................................................................61 4.15. Playground Accessibility ......................................................................................64 2 City of Saskatoon – Planning Stage, Accessibility Plan for Persons in need of Accessibility Services 4.16. A Few Notable Cities for their Efforts in Accessibility Planning ................................66 5.0 In-depth Interviews....................................................................... 73 5.1. The City of Guelph .............................................................................................73 5.2. The City of Brampton .........................................................................................76 5.3. The City of Kitchener..........................................................................................78 5.4. The City of London ............................................................................................79 5.5. The City of Regina ..............................................................................................80 5.6. The City of Calgary .............................................................................................81 5.7. The City of Winnipeg ..........................................................................................85 5.8. The City of Toronto............................................................................................92 5.9. The City of Chicago ............................................................................................95 5.10. The City of Berkeley..........................................................................................103 5.11. The City of Kelowa...........................................................................................106 5.12. The City of Kingston.........................................................................................109 6.0 Additional In-depth Interviews .................................................... 110 6.1. The Accessible / Inclusive Cities and Communities Project ....................................110 6.2. Saskatchewan Abilities Council ...........................................................................112 7.0 Focus Group Results.................................................................... 114 7.1. Summary of Focus Groups ................................................................................122 8.0 Appendix A – Additional City Summaries ...................................125 9.0 Appendix B – City of Edmonton Accessibility Checklist ............ 131 10.0 Appendix C – City Accessibility Checklist...................................135 References ..............................................................................................140 3 City of Saskatoon – Planning Stage, Accessibility Plan for Persons in need of Accessibility Services List of Figures Figure 1 - Disability rates for Canada, 2001, 2006, and 2006 age standardized ............18 Figure 2 - Disability Rates by Age and Sex (Canada).....................................................19 Figure 3 - Prevalence of disability in adults 15 years of age or older, by type of disability and age group, Canada, .................................................................................................20 Figure 4 - Disability rate, by age and province,...............................................................22 List of Tables Table 1 - Type of Disability (PALS 2006)........................................................................19 Table 2 - Number of disabilities reported in adults 15 years of age or older with disabilities, Canada, 2006...............................................................................................20 Table 3- Disability rates for Canada, 2001, 2006 and 2006 age standardized ...............21 Table 4 - Saskatchewan Population by Age Group ........................................................22 4 City of Saskatoon – Planning Stage, Accessibility Plan for Persons in need of Accessibility Services Executive Summary Purpose The purpose of this research is to create a strategy document that will guide action towards achieving the mandate of the Accessibility Advisory Committee. This report includes information on existing initiatives that have been undertaken by the City and compares them