Executive summary

Under the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001 (ODA), ministries are required to provide annual plans that identify how ministries will identify and remove barriers to accessibility.

Like all ministries, the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) complies with the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service (ASCS) and the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR). These regulations establish phased-in requirements in the following accessibility standards:

  • customer service
  • information and communications
  • employment
  • transportation
  • design of public spaces

In 2012, the Ontario Public Service (OPS) released its first Multi-Year Accessibility Plan (MYAP) entitled Accessibility in the Ontario Public Service: Leading the Way Forward.

The Ministry of Transportation’s 2015 ODA Plan celebrates the tenth anniversary of the AODA and demonstrates how the measures taken in 2015, and proposed for 2016, support the key outcomes and deliverables of the OPS MYAP as we continue on our path to an accessible Ontario in 2025.

Section one: report on measures taken by the ministry in 2015

Customer service

OPS MYAP key outcome

People with disabilities who are OPS customers receive quality goods and services in a timely manner.

Measures taken by MTO in 2015

MTO continues to be committed to providing accessible customer services to its staff and the public we serve.

Training tracking
  • Mandatory accessibility training is managed through a well-established process using the Mandatory Accessibility Training Tracking (MATT) system which allows for automated and manual tracking.
  • Quarterly reports are shared with division representatives.
  • Division representatives track training completion and report back to a central office where the organization’s records are kept.
Feedback

MTO continues to improve the quality of services and products provided to customers with disabilities by obtaining feedback from both our internal and external customers.

  • A new internal automated inquiry system, Ask access•MTO, was successfully launched this year. Since its launch in June, 2015, over 70 inquiries were recorded.

Ask access•MTO benefits are:

  • managing requests efficiently by having all ministry requests organized through the system
  • developing capacity as impacted program areas are automatically involved in the process
  • providing consistent guidance to employees by using existing answers to questions already entered in the database
  • producing query reports that help program areas understand staff’s interest and needs
  • determining knowledge gaps and enacting improvements
Policies, procedures and practices

MTO continues to review policies and practices that govern how we deliver internal and external customer services. For example:

  • this year, further improvements have been added to support accessible customer service in the administration of transportation surveys. For instance, part of the training to survey administrators will now include an overview piece on accessible customer service and a tip sheet for interacting with drivers who are deaf
  • the Ontario photo identification card benefits many citizens who do not drive including nearly 380,000 people who are blind or partially sighted. As of the end of October 2015, more than 299,230 Ontario photo identification cards have been issued
  • MTO's 2014 standard construction specification and standard drawings for accessible sidewalk ramps were adopted and published in the fall of 2015 for use by road authorities in Ontario. These included tactile walking surface indicators for signalized and un-signalized public road intersections
  • the traffic control signals with Accessible Pedestrian Signal features are being inspected every six months to ensure signal operation is in compliance with MTO standards and IASR regulation, section 80.28, Exterior paths of travel, accessible pedestrian signals
  • following the review of high impact Acts to assess potential accessibility barriers, the parties (Legal Counsel, business owners and the Accessibility Unit) agreed to review the administrative framework stemming from these Acts. Divisional teams have been established and trained and work is ongoing

Information and communications

MYAP key outcome

Information and communications are available in accessible formats or with necessary supports to all OPS staff and customers.

Measures taken by MTO in 2015

MTO continues to be committed to providing accessible information and communication products to staff and the public we serve. This year, emphasis was on strengthening our governance framework for this specific field. This led to: successful collaborative efforts between impacted parties, enhanced quality assurance processes, increased technical expertise, and an engaged senior management team.

Web related

In preparation for the 2016 web-related requirements, building on progress made in previous years, numerous activities were successfully implemented during this reporting period:

  • a comprehensive remediation plan to address inaccessible PDFs on MTO's Internet was completed. The benefits of this plan were substantial and provided accessible content for the ministry’s site. In addition, content owners gained a better understanding of their roles, responsibilities and contributions when preparing content for web posting. It also created a strong foundation going forward that supports a shared accountability approach
  • an accessibility web page that includes authoritative resources to support staff in preparing accessible content was created
  • MTO's web team is very vigilant about ensuring that new content posted on the internet site (www.mto.gov.on.ca) is compliant. Accessibility is assessed using various internationally-approved validation tools and methods, and MTO's Web Editor and Web Coordinator submits quarterly reports to the centre on the status of the web accessibility compliance
  • the Communications Branch Web Editor chairs the Intranet Divisional Leads meetings to guide the MTO web community to follow OPS accessibility standards
  • MTO is supporting an OPS initiative to develop a new OPS intranet, the InSite project, which is a modern and responsive employee portal for the OPS employees. MTO accessibility experts volunteered to be part of the InSite accessibility tester team
Raising awareness, building knowledge and developing capacity

In addition to ensuring that staff completed the mandatory Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) training requirements, MTO carried out a number of initiatives this year leading to a more informed and knowledgeable workforce. Staff confidence and competence level is steadily increasing, resulting in better and more accessible practices, services and products.

Tools/resources
  • The access•MTO intranet site, which hosts information and resources that support MTO staff with integrating accessibility into business practices is refreshed regularly. A link to the site is located in the footer of every MTO intranet page, making it easy for staff to locate the access•MTO website.
  • A•Pal is a standalone, self-guided, intuitive and user friendly tool that assists employees in creating accessible Word documents. The tool was launched last year and has been remarkably successful with 4,700 users to date.
  • An A•Pal for PowerPoint module is under development and will be released in 2016. Initial marketing of this new tool was done through an accessibility awareness campaign in December 2015.
  • MTO successfully launched a new tool this year called Ask access•MTO, which is an online portal for submitting accessibility related questions.
Training

MTO continues to offer training on creating accessible information products, and had significant success in this field during the past year.

  • Promoted various OPS and external training opportunities for creating accessible documents to all MTO staff.
  • Delivered accessibility training across the province, with a primary focus on creating accessible Word documents.
  • In collaboration with the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services, a training session on creating accessible Word documents was delivered in St. Catharines. Thirty-four MTO staff attended, and received a number of additional resources following the session.
  • As part of Communication Branch’s remediation plan to address inaccessible PDFs on the MTO Internet, their staff delivered a number of training sessions to content owners. A resource portal hosting authoritative tools was created on the MTO intranet.
  • A Labour and Transportation Cluster (LTC) team of website accessibility compliance testers was trained to properly assess websites by following the IT Accessibility Centre of Excellence (ACOE) testing methodology. This team also took training from a series of videos developed by the ACOE to develop skills and competencies in order to test internet websites against WCAG 2.0 Level A/AA.
  • Delivered training on creating accessible e-Learning modules to MTO's learning and development community of practice. MTO staff attended the OPS Distance Learning Community of Practice conference, at which there was a session on accessible e-Learning.
  • MTO accessibility staff in leadership functions attended two training sessions available through the OPS web community on making PDFs accessible and furthered their knowledge by attending conferences dedicated to accessible information and communication products.
  • The LTC Chief Information Officer’s office continues to support the OPS and ministry accessibility agenda through training of new employees at the Cluster’s Orientation session – inviting the MTO Accessibility Unit as a guest speaker to cover topics such as the availability of tools, resources, processes and training materials in regards to accessibility.
  • An LTC team of website accessibility compliance testers took training from a series of videos developed by the ACOE to develop skills and competencies in order to test internet websites against WCAG 2.0 Level A/AA.
  • The majority of inquiries received by MTO's Accessibility Unit this year were related to accessible information. As a result, numerous one-on-one and group consultations were held, which increased staff knowledge in this field.
  • MTO Accessibility staff continued to build and share accessibility-related knowledge by subscribing to authoritative newsletters and online forum such as WebAIM.
Business practices, processes and integration
  • Divisional web sites host a number of accessibility-related policies and standards as well as program-specific information on a dedicated accessibility resource webpage to enable staff to easily access information and resources on accessibility.
  • LTC continues to refine and update LTC architecture governance templates and guidance materials to assist MTO projects to include accessibility considerations and requirements throughout the IT project lifecycle. This will ensure projects meet accessibility compliance requirements as part of project gating and enterprise architecture checkpoint review processes.
  • Improved AODA and IASR IT Accessibility related guidance and information was provided to OPS projects through continued collaboration with the OPS IT ACOE and other groups. For example: 
    • capture, maintain and share Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 compliance assessment results for all OPS Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) products listed on OPS Vendors of Record (VOR)
    • collaborate with LTC's  Solution Branches to further "embed and bake in" accessibility considerations, requirements and design features into "standardized usability requirements" and standard application solution (usability) design specifications and features
    • incorporated a report-back feature in the architecture governance to check if projects have performed appropriate accessibility testing
    • LTC continues to develop approval documents for Vendor of Record (VOR) and non-VOR procurements. A memo confirming compliance to accessibility requirements is signed off by approvers
    • the Cluster continues to bring accessibility to the forefront by including articles about accessibility in Cluster newsletters, using the Communications Toolkit to outline accessibility requirements when planning and preparing communication products, and highlighting accessibility features embedded in the Next Generation Desktop
  • MTO worked diligently with a number of service providers that deliver services on our behalf to ensure that information and communication products meet the Government of Ontario’s accessibility requirements and timelines.
  • Partnerships among various areas of responsibility were either renewed or established leading to more collaborative efforts with finding and implementing suitable solutions.
  • An IASR Web Compliance Committee was established with membership representing Communications Branch, Accessibility Unit, Labour and Transportation Cluster as well as business areas.
  • An Accessibility Task Force was established to address compliance requirements of web-based business applications including testing and remediation plans in collaboration with business areas and with support from the ACOE.
  • During the Pan/Parapan Am Games, the ministry provided the public with the 2015 Games Trip Planner that provided multi model trip planning capabilities to Games Venues. The 2015 Games Trip Planner was extensively tested for accessibility and also included the ability for the public to locate and reserve accessible parking.
  • LTC, Supply Chain Management and the ACOE are working together to identify and assess opportunities to improve IT procurement processes to better support LTC and the OPS to meet IT accessibility compliance requirements. Assessments may include reviewing possible updates to procurement documentation and templates used for soliciting proposals from software product vendors in response to RFPs issued by Supply Chain Management, to establish OPS IT enterprise Vendor of Record agreements and VLAs (Volume License Agreements).

Employment

MYAP key outcome

OPS employees with disabilities participate fully and meaningfully in their employment.

Measures taken by MTO in 2015

The Ministry of Transportation is committed to fair and accessible employment practices and has various employment-related achievements with a vision to create a diverse, accessible and inclusive organization that delivers excellent services and supports employees to achieve their full potential.

Accessibility is an integral part of the organization’s strategic plans including:

  • MTO Human Resources Capital Plan
  • MTO Inclusion Plan
  • MTO Engagement Strategy
  • MTO 100 Project
Inclusion training
  • A one-day training module on inclusion for management and staff is currently under development. A needs assessment to assist with the development of the training curriculum and evaluation measures has been completed. This assessment included a review of the organization’s current business initiatives to ensure alignment, a staff survey, and focus group activities to gain employee feedback. Training modules for management and employees are finalized and pilot sessions are scheduled for February, 2016.
Employment-related policies, procedures, practices and programs
  • Communicated enterprise policies, procedures and practices supporting accessible employment practices including: the new Disability Accommodation Policy and the revised Health Information Program that sets out the process for the collection and management of relevant health information to support employment accommodation and return to work. MTO promoted and facilitated a number of training sessions on these new and revised policies.
  • A mental health initiative that will move the ministry toward having a healthy work environment that fosters employee well-being is well under development.
  • Continued with the MTO's Diversity Mentoring Partnership Program (DMPP), which is designed to provide an environment of two-way learning about diversity, accessibility and inclusion between executive and employee partners. This year, seven partnerships have been established within the program.

Built environment

MYAP key outcome

There is greater accessibility into, out of and around OPS facilities and public spaces.

Measures taken by MTO in 2015

Corporate Business Services Branch and Provincial Highways Management Division continued to work diligently with service providers, Infrastructure Ontario and building management to remove and prevent built environment barriers.

Across the Province
Highway Service Centres
  • The Innisfil ONRoute Highway Service Centre was constructed and fully opened to the public in June 2015. The project was part of a large-scale redevelopment of provincial highway service centres along Highways 400 and 401 over the past few years. In total, twenty new service centres were redeveloped. The newly modernized service centres provide travellers with modernized, safe and accessible facilities at which to rest, eat and refuel, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Ontario’s Highway Service Centres were redeveloped to include consistent design and accessibility features that go above and beyond the Ontario Building Code requirements. Innisfil is the final ONRoute centre to be built as part of this project.
Accessible pedestrian signals

Highway Standards Branch, Traffic Office approved eighteen legal drawings for the installation of traffic control signals with accessible pedestrian signals.

  • Traffic control signals with accessible pedestrian signals were constructed at nine locations:
    • Highway 12 at Memorial Avenue
    • Highway 401 E-N/S ramp at James Snow Parkway
    • Highway 17 at Deep River Road
    • Highway 62 at Frankford Road
    • Highway 401 WB ramp at Brookdale Avenue
    • Highway 124 at John Street
    • Highway 124 at Paget Street
    • Highway 124 at Ontario Street
    • Highway 24 at Bethel Road
Pavement markings
  • Pavement markings are critical in safely navigating on roadways. The visibility of the markings at night is expressed as retro-reflectivity. Retro-reflectivity is the light reflected back to the driver from the vehicle’s headlights. Reflective elements (such as glass beads) are embedded into the marking material to impart retro-reflectivity. Research has shown that as a person ages, twice as much light is required for every seven years. With the aging population in Ontario, maintaining the nighttime visibility (retro-reflectivity) of the markings throughout the year is vital and may require to be increased in the future. Proper material selection and application is essential in maintaining adequate performance throughout the year. MTO is evaluating a number of different pavement marking products and technologies available to ensure good performance. MTO conducts field testing of new pavement marking products and/or technologies to evaluate their performance and screen out unacceptable products or technologies. MTO conducts random audit retro-reflectivity testing throughout the province to identify areas that need to be improved.
Cross walks
  • Changes were made in MTO drawings for cross walks, signalized and un-signalized intersections, to address AODA requirements.
Pavement design

MTO participated and contributed expertise on the Ontario Provincial Standards (OPS) Pavements Committee which is working to address accessibility in Ontario standards for roadways.

At the local level, the following built environment projects were completed

Eastern region
  • The entrance accessibility ramp from the front parking lot to the sidewalk at the Regional Office in Kingston was reconstructed in the fall of 2015 to better accommodate access.
  • The public window in the front vestibule at the Regional Office in Kingston was replaced in December 2015 to improve accessibility.
  • Painting of accessible parking spots at the reconstructed lot for ferry users at Dawson Point on Wolfe Island was completed in November 2015.
  • The construction of a sidewalk on the existing Eagleson Bridge over Highway 417 in Ottawa was constructed to meet built environment requirements. Work was completed on the bridge in November 2015.
Northeastern region
  • Facility renovations including accessibility improvement measures were completed at 447 McKeown Drive in North Bay. The improvement measures included construction of a Quiet Room, a First Aid Room and a general mailroom.
West region
  • Number of accessible visitor parking spots was increased for Road User Safety clientele.
  • Two accessible parking spaces were moved closer to the main entrance.
  • Uneven surfaces were grounded out and smoothed to circumvent potential tripping hazards on sidewalks surrounding the building.
Northwestern region
  • Facility renovations on the third floor of 615 James Street South in Thunder Bay were aligned with accessible built environment standards.
Toronto – 777 Bay Street, 30th Floor
  • The office was retrofitted with accessible door openers, to allow people with various disabilities easy access to the boardrooms, the Quiet/sick room and kitchen area.
Training
  • Implemented requirements of the IASR's Design of Public Spaces Standards that came into effect on January 1, 2015. Training on the new requirements was provided to appropriate staff and was also monitored and tracked.
Transportation

The Ministry of Transportation continues to help make transportation and related services more accessible, affordable, convenient, and safe.

Public transit
  • The Community Transportation Pilot Grant Program (CT Program), a $2 million two-year grant program, was launched in November 2014. CT Program provides funds to municipalities and their local partners to improve transportation services for seniors, persons living with disabilities, youth, and other residents who need transportation. CT Program funding to the 22 recipients will continue up to March 31, 2017.
  • Since 2003, the Province has invested more than $21.8 billion in public transit, including more than $10.8 billion in GO Transit.
  • All provincial transit funding programs require that any transit vehicles purchased with provincial funding must be fully accessible.
  • Since 2003, provincial-municipal transit vehicle funding, including one-time funding, helped improve the accessibility of municipal conventional transit services. The percentage of the municipal conventional bus fleet in Ontario that is accessible to persons with disabilities has increased from 38.62% in 2003 to 98.71% in 2014.
  • Ministry staff are assisting the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario with the five-year review of the Accessible Transportation Standard.
Public ferries

Construction of new accessible washrooms on the Wolfe Islander III ferry was completed in the fall of 2015.

Pan/Parapan AM Games

As part of the Games planning process the Pan/Parapan Am Games Branch established an Accessibility Working Group, which was chaired by MTO and included accessibility experts from the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario, Toronto 2015 Organizing Committee, Toronto Transit Commission, GO Transit and the City of Toronto. The group was responsible for reviewing and providing feedback on accessible transportation plans for spectators, workforces, volunteers and games clients travelling to and from games venues.

  • The Pan/Parapan Am Games Branch released the Transportation Delivery Plan in June 2015 which prioritized accessible transportation during the Games. The Transportation Delivery Plan reflected the objectives set out in the Strategic Framework for Transportation, the foundation for Games transportation planning, released in March 2014.
  • Providing accessible transportation was a key pillar of the Transportation Delivery Plan to ensure that all spectators could travel across the region to cheer and celebrate together. The accessible transportation strategy for the Games was comprised of a number of components:
    • an accessible Games Transit Network utilizing conventional transit services
    • cross-boundary specialized transit trip planning tools and coordination through a 'Call One' service
    • pre-booked accessible parking at all ticketed venues through an Accessible Booking System
    • barrier-free walking routes to venues
    • accessible formats for transportation information, trip planners and signage
    • game-time adjustments responsive to need

Measures that were applied at specific venues, where warranted, included:

  • an accessible Games Transit Network using conventional transit service including enhancements and/or direct service between the Region’s rapid transit network and competition venues
  • Games Transit Hubs that provided accessible travel including barrier-free routes within the stations, were located throughout the Region primarily at major transit stations (TTC subway, GO Transit rail)
  • cross-boundary specialized transit trip planning tools and coordination for spectators unable to use conventional transit to travel to Pan/Parapan Am Games events
  • pre-booked accessible parking was available for all ticketed competition and ceremony venues
  • accessibility was incorporated into training resources and content was included within Games guides
  • minor infrastructure improvements, such as drop curbs and sidewalk upgrades were undertaken at select venues
  • accessible shuttle bus services were provided at all appropriate venues and stations to provide connectivity for spectators
  • pick up and drop off facilities for specialized transit and accessible shuttle buses were established at all venues and
  • rest areas were put in place along routes to venues with long walking distances from parking areas or transportation drop off areas

General outcomes

MYAP key outcome

OPS staff are able to identify barriers to accessibility, in OPS policies, programs, services and facilities, and actively seek solutions to prevent or remove them on a continuing basis throughout the organization.

Measures taken by MTO in 2015

The MTO Accessibility Unit continued to build a strong relationship with program areas that have responsibilities for managing procurement, web site development and content, communications, emergency management and employment. These program areas continue to be responsive and are taking a lead role in providing accessibility advice and guidance to their clients.

Training/information sessions

MTO continued to increase awareness, knowledge and skills of MTO staff using various forums:

  • participated in Take-our- Kids-to-Work day which was attended by 32 students. The event was a great success and generated positive interest from participants. It started with an introductory presentation on accessibility and its impacts. It provided students with a high-level overview of what types of disabilities there are, and how accessibility standards impact and shape MTO and the benefits to public services. This was followed by an engaging and fun activity where students learned about various disabilities and barriers in the workplace. Overall, the presentation and interactive games provided students with knowledge of the AODA, a better understanding of disabilities and how accessibility is an important part of our ministry. Feedback received from participants was very positive and ranked this portion of the program as being a favourite
  • delivered several accessibility-related presentations and information sessions and promoted accessibility through various communication forums (e.g. Manager’s Newsletter, learn-mail, awareness campaigns, etc.)
Procurement
  • The Ministry of Transportation continued to incorporate accessibility criteria and features into its procurement practices and documentation. In those instances where it is not practicable to incorporate accessibility, an explanation is prepared and kept on file.
  • MTO's Procurement and Costing Office and the Accessibility Unit continued to provide support and assistance to staff involved with procurement activities. The Procurement Office and Accessibility Unit worked proactively with program areas to ensure that accessibility considerations are made in the forefront of all new procurements to ensure compliance with the IASR legislation, where applicable. This is an ongoing effort by all impacted parties.

MTO accessibility governance structure

MTO continued to revitalize its accessibility governance structure to reflect current and future accessibility realities. Again this year, significant progress has been made on this commitment which positively impacted areas of responsibility and accountability.

  • The Senior Management Team’s commitment to having an inclusive organization is evident. Not only is it reflected in their performance contracts but it is becoming part of doing regular business. The Chief Administrative Officer’s keen interest on progress of the accessibility agenda is reflected in her commitment to provide leadership on various accessibility-related initiatives (e.g. Executive Lead for web accessibility, active member on the OPS Ministry Mental Health Champions Steering Committee, Co-sponsor on the Transportation Standard Review Committee, active participation on the Diversity Mentoring Partnership Program, etc.).
  • The MTO Accessibility Unit (AU) of the Strategic Human Resources Branch was established in 2008 and consists of two dedicated employees. The unit coordinates accessibility requirements for the ministry. Temporary resources are regularly assigned to the unit to assist with current initiatives thus enhancing its ability to better serve MTO staff. AU staff are invited to join various committees, thus bringing forward accessibility considerations and requirements in the early stages of new activities and providing a forum to educate members of these committees about accessibility.
  • The Accessibility Leadership Team was established in 2003 and is composed of divisional representatives who are knowledgeable and committed to advancing the accessibility agenda and responsive to issues brought forward. They provide support to their respective program areas in meeting accessibility-related legislative requirements. Their leadership and commitment to the accessibility agenda continued to be fundamental part of the team.
  • Web-related Teams and Working Groups:
    • the LTC worked with the MTO Accessibility Unit and the ACOE, to plan, deliver and report on LTC's WCAG 2.0 compliance testing and remediation of cluster-managed Internet websites subject to the IASR, section 14
    • collaboration between LTC Internet Web Accessibility Task Force, MTO Accessibility Unit and MTO Communications Branch, on joint efforts and coordinated communications, helped ensure MTO Internet websites, including digital documents (e.g. PDF, HTML format, etc.) attached to Internet websites will be compliant with the IASR (section 14) by January 1, 2016
    • collaboration between LTC, the ACOE and other OPS groups to improve IT accessibility related  advisory services to IT projects and to strengthen IT accessibility compliance awareness, capability and governance within LTC and MTO

Section two: report on measures proposed by the ministry for 2016

Customer service

MYAP Key Outcome

People with disabilities who are OPS customers receive quality goods and services in a timely manner.

Measures proposed by the Ministry of Transportation for 2016

The Ministry of Transportation is committed to ensuring that people with disabilities receive accessible goods and services. Actions planned:

  • new hires complete mandatory training; completion is monitored using the Mandatory Accessibility Training Tracking system
  • seek staff and customer feedback and implement improvement measures as appropriate
  • as required, review policies and practices that govern how we deliver internal and external customer services

Information and communications

MYAP key outcome

Information and Communications are available in accessible formats or with necessary supports to all OPS staff and customers.

Measures proposed by the Ministry of Transportation for 2016

The Ministry of Transportation is committed to making information and communications accessible to people with disabilities. Action planned:

Develop knowledge and capacity

MTO will continue to:

  • provide accessible information and communications training to its employees
  • increase knowledge of the web community and content owners in preparing accessible information and communication products
  • Develop new and/or refine existing tools to assist employees with producing accessible information and communication products

Employment

MYAP key outcome

OPS employees with disabilities participate fully and meaningfully in their employment.

Measures proposed by the Ministry of Transportation for 2016

The Ministry of Transportation is committed to fair and accessible employment practices that attract and retain talented employees with disabilities.

Inclusion training
  • A one-day training module on inclusion for management and staff is currently under development.
  • Complete pilot sessions for both employee and management modules.
  • Deliver 14 workshop sessions in seven locations across the province.
Mental health strategy

MTO will finalize its mental health strategy and seek endorsement from the senior management team. Once approved, various activities supporting mental health in the workplace will be implemented.

Business practices / integration

MTO will continue to embed accessibility in its corporate plans including:

  • MTO Human Resources Capital Plan
  • MTO Inclusion Plan
  • MTO Employee Engagement Plan
  • MTO 100 Project initiative

MTO will continue to promote and communicate best practices such as:

  • communicate enterprise policies, procedures and practices supporting accessible employment practices
  • create accessible formats and to provide communication supports for employees as appropriate

Built environment

MYAP key outcome

There is greater accessibility into, out of and around OPS facilities and public spaces.

Measures proposed by the Ministry of Transportation for 2016

Corporate Business Services Branch and Provincial Highways Management Division will continue to work diligently with service providers, Infrastructure Ontario and building management to remove and prevent built environment barriers.

Across the province
Accessible Pedestrian Signals
  • The following traffic control signals with APS features are under construction:
    • Hwy 12 and Jones Road
    • Hwy 401 E-NS off ramp at Brock Street
    • Hwy 401 W-NW off ramp at Brock Street
    • Highway 401 at County Road 45
    • Hwy 400 S-EW off ramp at Hwy 9
    • Hwy 400 N-EW off ramp at Hwy 9
    • Highway 6 at Parkview Road
    • Highway 3 at Division Road
    • Hwy 410  N - EW off ramp at Steeles
    • Hwy 410  S - EW off ramp at Steeles
  • Traffic control signals with APS features are inspected every six months to ensure compliance with MTO standards and IASR regulation, section 80.28, Exterior paths of travel, accessible pedestrian signals.
Construction
  • Continue construction of concrete sidewalk ramps with tactile walking surface indicators in accordance with IASR, Design of Public Spaces Standards at signalized and un-signalized intersections within provincial highway right-of-ways where new or replacement sidewalks and/or curbs adjacent to pedestrian crossings.
  • At newly constructed and redeveloped carpool lots, provide appropriate number of Type A and Type B accessible parking spaces and access aisles in accordance with IASR, Design of Public Spaces Standards.
  • Proposed improvements to 659 Exeter Road Complex, London include installation of Braille indicators on all washroom doors and enhancement to visibility of potential tripping hazards though the marking and painting of uneven surfaces.
  • Facility renovations planned for the first and second floor at 615 James Street South, Thunder Bay will meet the built environment compliance requirements

Transportation

Measures Proposed by the Ministry of Transportation for 2016:

Public transit
  • The Ministry of Transportation will continue to work to help make transportation and related services more accessible, affordable, convenient, and a safer mode of travel by moving forward with the commitments outlined in the 2015 measures.
  • Ministry staff will continue assisting the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario with the five-year review of the Accessible Transportation Standard.

General outcomes

MYAP key outcome

OPS staff are able to identify barriers to accessibility in OPS policies, programs, services and facilities, and actively seek solutions to prevent or remove them on a continuing basis throughout the organization.

Measures proposed by the Ministry of Transportation for 2016

Continue to increase awareness, knowledge and skills of MTO staff:

  • MTO will continue to provide accessibility information and communications training to staff and various functional groups including but not limited to: procurement community of practice, web-related functions, and administrative groups
  • MTO will launch an additional A•Pal module for PowerPoint
  • The Ministry of Transportation will continue to incorporate accessibility criteria and features into its procurement processes and documentation. If not practicable, an explanation will be prepared and kept on file
  • LTC in collaboration with various parties will develop and implement a process to better assess Vendor’s capabilities to meet IASR requirements of their Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) products
  • attend accessibility-related conferences and share experiences and new knowledge with staff
  • continue enhancing MTO's accessibility governance framework

Section three: addressing the identification of barriers in legislation

Introduction

In 2005, the government introduced the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, with the goal of making Ontario accessible by 2025. In support of this goal, the government subsequently committed to review Ontario legislation to identify and address accessibility barriers, and undertook a coordinated review of 51 statutes considered to have a high impact on persons with disabilities. This review has now been completed.

Our ministry remains committed to the goal of ensuring that Ontario’s legislation does not create barriers to persons with disabilities. We will continue to report through our accessibility plan, the actions taken to identify and remove barriers in ministry acts, regulations, policies, programs and services and those to be reviewed in the coming year. The findings of the coordinated review of high impact statutes will inform our ministry’s approach to carry out this work.

Measures currently in place

The following measures are currently in place to assess our ministry’s proposals for new acts, regulations, policies and programs and services to determine their effect on persons with disabilities:

  • MTO's Accessibility Legislative Review Team has representatives from a number of program areas, legal services and the Accessibility Unit. The members of this team have been trained and are well equipped to include accessibility considerations in new policy and program proposals, as well as those that are being reviewed
  • legal counsels involved with the development of new legislation consult with MTO's legal counsel assigned to the accessibility file

Actions taken in the past year

In 2015, the Ministry of Transportation took the following actions to address barriers in its Acts, regulations, policies, programs, practices and services in response to identified barriers:

  • the MTO Accessibility Legislative Review team continued the review of the regulations under Part IV of the Highway Traffic Act
  • Regulation 615, the signage regulation under the HTA, was revised to ensure that graphics are available in accessible format

As a result of feedback received from customers with disabilities, several policies and practices were reviewed to confirm they did not present barriers.

Upcoming plans for review

In the coming year, the Ministry of Transportation will review the Acts, regulations, policies, programs, practices and/or services listed below, for barriers to persons with disabilities.

  • Following the accessibility legislative review of high impact statutes for persons with disabilities in Ontario, proposed amendments to two pieces of Legislation - Highway Traffic Act Part IV Licences and the Public Vehicles Act - will be addressed in the spring of 2016.
  • Ministry staff will continue with assisting the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario with the five-year review of the Accessible Transportation Standard.
  • The Accessibility Legislation Review Team will continue to review the regulations under Part IV of the Highway Traffic Act, and the implementation framework associated with those regulations. 
    • If potential barriers are identified in the implementation framework, the relevant policies and practices will be reviewed to determine if revisions are necessary to improve accessibility for people with disabilities.
  • MTO will continue to provide education and awareness to staff to ensure that accessibility is included in a systematic way during development or review of existing legislation, policies or programs.