Ontarians
with Disabilities Act (ODA) Annual Access Plan
Table of Contents
Introduction
ODA Access
Planning Committee
Barrier Identification
Method
Committee Recommendations
Recent
Barrier Removal Initiatives
Process for Annual
Review of ODA Accessibility Plan
Complaints Process
Summary
Appendices
Appendix
I - Terminology
Appendix II - Mandate
of Trent's ODA Cttee.
Appendix III - Complaints Process Brochure
Trent University Ontarians
with Disabilities Act (ODA) Annual Access Plan
Introduction
In December
2001, the Ontario legislature passed the Ontarians with Disabilities
Act (ODA). This piece of legislation was designed
to improve full participation
of persons with disabilities in all facets of life in Ontario through
the identification, removal and prevention of barriers to access.
According to Statistics Canada, some 1.9 million persons in Ontario
or 16% of the
population have disabilities.
Trent University is
committed to a learning and working environment which provides for the
fullest development
of the potential of
its community
members. In keeping with this mission, Trent embraces the environmental
model of disability as operationalized in the World Health Organization's
definition of disability. In this model, disability is viewed
as a consequence of barriers created by design flaws in the built
and human environment.
It is these design flaws, all human-made, which prevent people
with disabilities from full participation in a community. Trent
University is committed
to breaking down the barriers which prevent the full inclusion
of all of its community members in its living and learning environment.
In
an attempt to fulfill this commitment, Trent has reviewed
its policies, practices, facilities and services and has put
together
an ODA Accessibility
Plan. This five-year plan will serve as a template for Trent
to review and redress barriers which may currently appear in
its daily
operations
and will ensure that new policies, procedures, facilities and
services will take into account the needs and rights of persons
with disabilities
in the development stages. By doing this, full inclusion for
members of Trent's community with disabilities will be
ensured from the outset and not require redress at some point
in the future.
ODA Access Planning
Committee
In the Fall of 2002,
Trent's Vice President Administration,
Sally Young, struck a representative committee to draft a plan for
review of
Trent's policies, procedures, facilities and services
from the perspective of their impact on persons with disabilities. The
committee met throughout the 2002/03 academic year and
developed a five-year plan for addressing accessibility
at
Trent. The mandate
of the committee can be found in Appendix II of this
document.
Members of the committee:
Eunice
Lund-Lucas - Coordinator Disability Services (Special Needs) - (Chair)
Julie Bigl - Senior Trent student with a disability
Richard Hurley - Professor and Chair Computer Studies
Joann Warren - College Don - Traill College
Anne Parsons - Budget Manager
Doug Brown - Plant facilities (representing staff)
Robert Ballarin - Coordinator, Plant facilities
Bill Gibson - Human Resources
Dwayne Collins - Trent Central Student Association
(TCSA)
David Poole - Associate Dean – Teaching and Learning
Barrier
Identification Method
In fulfilling its
mandate, Trent's ODA Access
Plan Committee used the following methodology:
- Letters and questions
were sent to all academic, administrative and student government heads
to solicit input into the review process.
- The Barrier-Free Audit
which had been conducted at Trent in the mid-90's
was reviewed for progress to date.
- Brainstorming sessions
were held to attempt to identify barriers to full accessibility at Trent.
Brainstorming
sessions were also held
to seek
ideas for re-dress of these barriers.
- Barriers were divided
into general and specific and then were placed on a five-year timeline
with prioritization
of the first-year's
projects from a preliminary perspective. This five-year process
becomes the centre of Trent's initial five-year ODA Accessibility
Plan.
- The final draft plan
was sent to various groups/committees on campus to solicit their input.
- The
final ODA Accessibility Plan for Trent University was approved
by the President on September 23, 2003.
Barriers Identified
By Committee:
Throughout its work,
the committee identified some 80 barriers which could be organized into
eight different categories.
The committee is recommending
that these barriers be addressed within the next five years as funding
is set aside
to allow
Trent to meet
its obligations under the Ontarians with Disabilities
Act and the Ontario Human Rights Code. In addition, during
its review
of existing
services,
facilities and programs, the committee identified several
areas in which
Trent was currently being pro-active in meeting its legal
obligations in this area.
Committee Recommendations:
On
a global basis, the ODA Access Plan Committee recommends the following:
- There
is the need for a statement of institutional commitment to full inclusion
of persons with disabilities into the Trent learning environment
in keeping with Trent's mission statement.
- There is a need
to formally express an institutional commitment to providing
accessibility to service, facilities and supports
which
respects both
the dignity and rights of the person with a disability.
- There
is a need for an institutional commitment to training around disability
issues and awareness for the various subsets of the
Trent community on
an on-going basis.
- Trent should make
a concerted effort to ensure access to all through its "Front Doors",
both figurative and virtual. by communicating widely its existing policies,
procedures and
practices in regards to
access to information in accessible formats.
The barriers
the current committee recommends for re-dress during the first year
of the Plan in each of the eight identified
areas
are:
| Category |
Barrier |
Strategy for
removal/prevention |
| Publications |
Accessibility
of website |
Conduct a review
of web policies to inform the Trent community of the requirement
for website accessibility. |
| |
Access to alternate
format |
Place a statement
re: mechanism to request alternate format on all publications. |
| Information Resources |
Access to library
resources in an integrated manner |
Implement training
in disability awareness for library staff in 03/04.
Consolidate access
technology to a central adapted workstation in computer commons of
library. |
| Access to Instruction |
Awareness of
instructional staff / faculty which sometimes affects attitude. |
Approach TUFA
to partner with DSO (SNO) and Dean's office to introduce an
information booklet for all faculty re: roles and responsibilities
with input from ODA Committee in 03/04. |
| |
|
Dean's
office to work with ODA Cttee to provide opportunity for disability
awareness training emphasizing rights, roles and responsibilities
for faculty during 2003/04. |
| |
Web CT |
Trent to invest
in accessible courseware during 2003/04. |
| Adaptive Technologies |
Need for adapted
workstations in all teaching labs. |
Provide adapted
workstations in library and all teaching labs over the timeline of
the Access Plan. |
| |
Training for
Lab Monitors in use of adaptive technologies |
Provide training
to lab monitors to assist in use of adaptive technology. |
| |
|
(DSO (SNO) to
take lead in adaptive technology training in consultation with CTS.) |
| Academic Services/Policies |
Disability Services
(Special Needs) Policy non-specific |
Revise Disability Services (Special Needs) Policy
in 2003/04.
New policy to include rights, roles and responsibilities of all parties ( students,
staff, faculty, etc.). |
| |
Resources for Disability Services (Special Needs)
Office (especially relating to supports for students who are deaf
or hard-of-hearing) |
Extra resources to be provided to DSO (SNO) in 2003/04. |
| |
non-permanence of DSO (SNO) staff
( 65% contract) |
DSO (SNO)
staffing to be reviewed for appropriate rating and permanency. |
| |
Scholarship decisions based on full-time status |
Review
scholarship process for students studying part-time as an accommodation
for their disability. |
| Human Resources |
Attitude |
Training
plan for staff to provide disability awareness training to be drafted. |
| |
Training from top |
Disability awareness training
to be included in new manager's training program for 2003/04. |
| |
|
HR should have the responsibility for developing
awareness training with departmental responsibility to ensure staffs
are trained. |
| Physical
Facilities * |
Numerous physical barriers |
Conduct a Barrier-Free
audit of Trent's facilities in 03/04 |
| |
Need for an Access Map |
Develop an electronic Barrier-Free map of campus. |
| |
Automatic door openers |
Add automatic door openers at major access points into buildings. |
| |
Signage for areas of refuge. |
Signage for Areas of Refuge in multi-story buildings. |
| |
Snow Removal |
Snow removal plan to be reviewed by ODA Committee |
| |
Problems
with where to report difficulties |
Develop a clear communications mode for reporting access problems. |
| Non-Academic Services |
Residence space
Allocation. |
Involvement of DSO (SNO) in residence decisions for students with
disabilities. |
| |
Access to non-academic events/activities |
Disability-awareness training for student groups and associations. |
| |
Counselling support for students with psychological disabilities |
Review of current counselling policies/priorities and development
of an action plan for support/referral for students with psychological
disabilities. Review to involve Coordinator Special Needs. |
Note: The ODA Access Plan Committee realizes that Trent should put forward
an
access plan with goals for year one which are achievable . In light of
this, and of the timing for adoption of the plan, the committee has deferred
recommending the Chemical Sciences Wing elevator as a year one objective.
The Committee would, however, recommend the installation of this item as
number one priority for Year Two of the Access Plan.
Recent Barrier
Removal Initiatives:
- Access to Academic
Information: As an acknowledgement of the need for access for all students
to on-line information, Trent's
course calendar for 2003/04 has been made available in HTML format
thereby making it accessible
for those users who have print-disabilities and rely on adaptive technologies
to access web-based information.
- Access to Grades
: In selecting a web-based, grades-retrieval program for use by students
to access their term grades
and perform degree-audits
of
their course of study, Trent has selected a software package which
supports accessibility features so that all students, including those
with disabilities,
can access their personal information in a similar manner and along
a similar timeline.
- Recently Leased
Facilities: In leasing facilities formerly known as the Masters Bible
College and Seminary, Trent has
undertaken an
architectural
consult on making retrofits to that facility so as to make the
programs which are housed in that facility ( i.e. Concurrent and Consecutive
Education
and Nursing) accessible to all users and potential users of these
programs.
- Academic Services:
Trent has increased its support for the Disability Services (Special
Needs) Office operating budget for
the 2003/04
year to ensure
that academic support services are adequate to meet the needs
of a growing number of students with disabilities, especially those
with
high needs
such as students who are deaf, deafened or hard-of-hearing.
Process
for Annual Review of ODA Accessibility Plan
The members
of Trent's
ODA Access Plan Committee are recommending the following process for
annual review of Trent's progress with its five-year
plan for redressing accessibility barriers identified through
the work of the committee
during the 2002/03 academic year.
1. Prioritize
barrier redress over a five-year period.
2. Commit a
designated funding amount on an annual basis for barrier re-dress.
3. Set up a
new ODA Accessibility Plan Review committee for annual review of Trent's
progress to date on the five-year plan. This committee
should include as a minimum:
- Disability Services
(Special Needs) Coordinator
- One Trent student
with a physical disability and one Trent student with a cognitive disability
- Representative
from Trent's physical resources department
- Representative
from Trent's faculty
- Representative
from Trent's Teaching
and Learning Support committee
- Representative
from Human Resources
- Representative
from Finance Office
- Representative
from Senior Academic Management
- Communications
to designate a contact person for ongoing updates
Mandate of the
committee:
- Identify situations
which may be contrary to the Ontarians with Disabilities
Act provisions.
- Make recommendations
to the University for the improvement of access to
university services,
programs and facilities
on a regular
basis.
- Recommend to
the university the establishment, maintenance and
monitoring of programs,
measures and procedures
respecting access
for persons
with disabilities to services,
facilities and/or programs.
- Obtain
information from the University or be consulted about any new
facilities, renovations,
services
or programs.
- Review any major
policy changes being considered which might
impact the
access component
of facilities, services
or programs
(e.g.
Changes to
transportation policies,
changes to academic policies, major
renovations projects
under the Department of Physical
Resources,
etc.)
- Maintain and
keep minutes of its proceedings.
- Meet regularly.
The
ODA Access Plan Committee recommends that this
committee be established
as a Presidential Advisory
Committee.
4. Establish
annual prioritization of barrier redress
with an annual reporting
of the
committee's
review to the President's
Executive Group.
Complaints
Process:
It was
recognized by the committee
that
it would
take some time
for all of the
identified
barriers
to be
addressed especially
in this time
of fiscal restraint.
In order to provide
a
mechanism for
involvement of the individual
to whom the
barrier is significant
in the prioritization
of barrier re-dress
and
of additional
barrier identification,
the committee
recommends the
following complaints
process.
It is
the hope of the
committee that
such a process
will provide
Trent and
its
community members
with a mechanism
for raising issues
of access and
for dealing with differing
views of
barrier definition
and
timelines
for
re-dress.
As a
complaints
process, the
committee recommends
the following
which
incorporates
existing
practices in
both the academic
and non-academic
arena. This
complaints process also
flows naturally
into
the established
university
policy on Harassment
and Discrimination.
Complaints
Process
Anyone
wishing to raise
a concern
under
Trent's
ODA Accessibility
Plan should
contact
the Office
of Student
Affairs
(OSA).
OSA will
then forward
the
concern
to
the relevant
department
on campus
with responsibility
for addressing
that concern.
DSSO
(SNO)
staff will
be available
to Departments/Programs
for
assistance
and/or
expert advice
in dealing
with
concerns.
The Department
will report
back to
OSA within 10
working
days as to
their response
to the
concern
and, if need be,
provide
a timeline
in
which
the
concern can
be
addressed.
OSA
will
then
contact
the
complainant
and
report
on
the
manner
and
timeline
in
which
Trent
will
address
their
concern.
Should
the complainant
not be
satisfied with
Trent's
response and
wish to
lodge a
formal complaint,
OSA with
direct the
complainant to
Trent's
Human Rights
Advisor under
Trent's
policy on
Harassment and
Discrimination.
OSA
will keep
record of
all complaints/concerns
reported to
them under
this process
and will
provide an
annual reporting
of these
concerns to
the ODA
Access Plan
Committee.
A
draft brochure
outlining this
process can
be found
in Appendix
III
Summary
In
formulating this
ODA Accessibility
Plan, Trent
has reviewed
its policies,
procedures and
practices as
they relate
to persons
with disabilities.
We have
identified a
number of
barriers which
impact on
full inclusion
for persons
with disabilities
to our
services and
programs. Trent
recognizes that
the identification
and removal
of barriers
to full
access is
a fluid
process requiring
on-going adaptation
and review.
Over the
next five
years, Trent
will work
towards re-dressing
those barriers
listed in
the current
plan and
others identified
as we
move forward
to providing
equal access
to all
of our
facilities, programs
and services
to all
members of
the Trent
community.
Trent
is committed
to improving
access for
all and
will work
diligently to
ensure that
each member
of the
Trent community
can access
all aspects
of Trent's
operations in a manner which respects their dignity and
their right to do so.
Appendix
I: Specific
Terminology Used
in this
Plan.
| ODA |
Ontarians
with Disabilities Act |
| OHRC |
Ontario
Human Rights Code |
| DSO (SNO) |
Disability Services (Special Needs) Office |
| ASC |
Academic
Skills Centre |
| TUFA |
Trent University
Faculty Association |
| CTS |
Computing
and Telecommunication Services |
| TDD |
Telecommunication
Device for the Deaf |
| BSWD |
Bursary
for Students with Disabilities |
| TCSA |
Trent Central
Student's Association |
| UDI |
Universal
Design of Instruction |
| OSA |
Office
of Student Affairs |
| ESB |
Environmental
Sciences Building |
| EC |
Lady Eaton
College |
| OC |
Otonabee
College |
| BH |
Blackburn
Hall |
| CC |
Champlain
College |
Appendix II: Mandate of Trent's Ontarians
with Disabilities (ODA) Access Plan Committee
Establish list of all university policies, academic program
information and Service practices available. This should include:
- Publications
and information resources
- Equipment and adaptive technology
- Physical facilities
- Human resources issues
- Awareness programs for faculty and staff
- Academic services and policies for
students with disabilities
- Non-academic student support services
Establish criteria for assessment of
the various policies and practices that can be applied to current and future
policies and practices.
Consult
with university departments on application of the assessment. This
process should serve two purposes of education departments
on the development of the Accessibility Plan and receiving input on additional
criteria to consider.
Update the audit of university facilities
for access and provide prioritized list of recommendations for adaptations.
Identify
and consult with individuals and groups of students, staff and faculty
for on implications of current policy and practices
Establish format
for annual consultation with various community members
Develop and
make recommendations for procedures for persons wanting to file a
complaint or identify a concern regarding accessibility on campus.
File
a report to the Coordinators (E. Lund-Lucas,
J. Wordley, MK Oliver) on:
- the measures
Trent has taken to remove barriers to persons with disabilities
- the
measures that need to be taken
- recommendations for ongoing assessment
of policies and procedures noting
specific ones evaluated by the committee and 5 year plan for evaluation
of remaining policies, procedures, programs, practices and services
to be reviewed.
- financial implications of the recommendations
Appendix III
Brochure Outlining Process to Deal with Concerns Under the Ontarians
with Disabilities Act
Trent University Ontarians with Disabilities
Act Process To Deal with Concerns and Complaints Regarding Accessibility
Our Commitment to You
When you raise a concern or make a complaint, you
can expect:
- a opportunity
to fully explain the problem
- prompt action and follow-up
- reporting back to you as to the status of your
concern/complaint
- information
about what we are doing to respond to your concern or complaint
- confidentiality
whenever possible ( see Policy on Harassment and Discrimination)
- respect
You have a right to express a concern or file a formal complaint
and a right to our respect when we respond to your concern/complaint.
Do
you Have Concerns?
We
are listening …
Trent
University is committed to ensuring full access to its programs, services
and facilities to all members of the Trent community.
All members of the
Trent community have a responsibility to become aware of and respond to
issues of accessibility.
Any person having a concern
regarding access to services, programs or facilities at Trent for persons
with disabilities should feel
comfortable enough
to bring those concerns forward. Trent has established a process to deal
with
concerns
regarding issues of access arising under the legal obligations of the
Ontarians with Disabilities Act (ODA) and the Ontario Human Rights Code
(OHRC). All
concerns and formal complaints will be responded to under the terms
of these pieces
of legislation.
The ODA Complaint Process:
You
have the right to raise a concern.
You can discuss your concerns
in regards to accessibility at Trent by contacting Trent's Office of
Student Affairs (OSA) at 748-1011 X or by email to studentaffairs@trentu.ca. OSA
will talk with you over the phone or in person about your concerns and what
outcome you would like to see arise from your complaint.
OSA will then
forward your concerns/complaint to the Department responsible
for that area.
All information which
you provide during this initial discussion will be held confidential until
you have decided to go forward with the complaint.
OSA will
follow up on your concerns promptly and will try to resolve those concerns
to your satisfaction. OSA will get back to you promptly (within 10
working days) to report on the findings and any possible resolution to your
concerns. If you are not satisfied at this stage in the process, you may
take your concern forward as a formal complaint to Trent's Human Rights Advisor
Issues
Regarding Academic Accommodation:
For concerns related specifically
to academic supports for students with disabilities, the Disability Services
(Special
Needs) Office has a complaint resolution process
which provides an opportunity for the complainant to either pursue toward
resolution immediately or wait until the end of their study period to proceed
with a complaint.
For more information on
this complaint resolution mechanism, please contact the Manager Disability
Services (Special Needs).
The Formal Complaint Process:
Should you decide to go
forward in a formal manner with a complaint in regards to accessibility at
Trent, you will be referred to
Trent's Human Rights
Advisor who will meet with you and explain to you the procedures involved in
laying a formal complaint under Trent's Policy on Harassment and Discrimination.
For
more information on Trent's Policy on Harassment and Discrimination,
visit our website at http://www.trentu.ca/humanresources/humanrights.html.
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