Yesterday, I attended Accessibility Day event at City Hall. Although we have many great strides in making our facilities, infrastructure, and transit more accessible, there is still a long way to go to have equity for all those accessing city services.
It was my privilege to do a ride along with Sally Thomas on Para Transpo this week to have a first-hand experience the service. We rode from City Hall to Carlingwood Mall and had lunch, and then headed back. For the most part our ride went smoothly, but I know this is not always the case. Some of the issues that ParaTranspo advocates are asking for are the ability to book rides on the same day and having an app to give riders up to date information. ParaTranspo riders need to wait 30 minutes ahead of a scheduled pick up and it could arrive late. These timeframes make it makes it difficult to do anything that is not scheduled ahead of time.
The Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) provides advice to Council and consults on projects required under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (2005) and many more, where the City benefits from an accessibility lens.
The Committee meets at least eight times per year, with additional special meetings as required. In addition to their meetings, the group provides feedback by email, and many members participate in working groups or other sub-committees.
Next Meeting
Date: June 18, 2024.
Members of the public are encouraged to attend AAC meetings online via Zoom.
Accessibility Advisory Committee | City of Ottawa
If you have any questions or are interested in speaking or providing comments to the AAC about an item they are considering at a meeting, please contact Committee Coordinator, Rosa Ramos
