The University of Western Ontario’s
Accessibility
Plan
September
2006 to August 2007
Prepared in
accordance with the Ontarians With Disabilities Act, 2001
30
September 2006
Table of
Contents
Introduction....................................................................................................................... 3
Objectives.......................................................................................................................... 3
Western’s Commitment to
Accessibility Planning..................................................... 3
Barrier-Removal Initiatives
in 2005/2006..................................................................... 4
Plan for Removal of Barriers
2006/2007…….………………………………………..9
Review and
Monitoring Process................................................................................. 12
Appendices .................................................................................................................... 13
Appendix A Members of WODAC
Appendix B King’s University College
Accessibility Plan
The
University of Western Ontario’s Annual Accessibility Plan
September
30, 2006
Introduction
In December 2001, Ontario passed the Ontarians with Disabilities Act,
2001 (the “Act”). The purpose of the
Act is to improve opportunities for persons with disabilities and to provide
for their involvement in the identification, removal and prevention of barriers
to their full participation in the life of the province. To this end, the Act
mandates that every university, including The University of Western Ontario
(“Western”), prepare an annual accessibility plan.
This is the fourth such plan to be
prepared on behalf of Western.
Objectives
The purpose of an accessibility plan is to document barriers to
accessibility that have been removed to date and identify those barriers that
will be removed in the coming year. A
plan must also identify how the barriers will be removed and present a plan for
identifying and removing barriers in the future, and preventing the development
of new barriers. Plans must be made
public and accessible to allow for input from the broader community.
The purpose of this plan is to update the last report, prepared in
September 2005 (available at http://www.uwo.ca/equity/WODAC/WODAC_index.html).
Western’s
Commitment to Accessibility Planning
As is stated in Engaging the Future, the
University’s draft Strategic Plan (final report anticipated in November 2006):
Diversity: as
part of our commitment to excellence, we seek to recognize and remove the
obstacles faced by traditionally under-represented groups in order to
facilitate their access to and advancement at Western. We respect and celebrate
the diversity of people who make up our community.
The University of Western Ontario has been committed
to accessibility planning for some time now and has recommitted itself to such
planning under the Act. With the
formation of Western’s Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee (“WODAC”), Western
has committed itself to meeting its obligations under the Act, as well as to
achieving the following goals:
·
The continual improvement of access to University
premises, facilities and services for all persons with disabilities;
·
The participation of persons with disabilities in the
development and review of its annual access plans; and
·
The provision of quality services to persons with
disabilities.
Barrier-Removal
Initiatives in 2005-2006
1. Physical and Architectural Barriers
At Western, a
number of departments and/or groups are committed to the removal of physical
and architectural barriers:
·
The student-funded Campus Accessibility Review and
Enhancement Committee (“CARE”) continued
efforts to address barriers on campus that have been identified by students. While the accessibility enhancements are
focused on improving student experience, there is a beneficial impact for all
members of the university community and for visitors to campus.
·
The Department of Physical Plant plays a large role in
addressing physical barriers identified on campus and has also displayed a
strong commitment to addressing physical barriers that are brought to its
attention and to maintaining accessibility-related improvements such as door
openers. In addition to addressing
issues as they arise, Physical Plant continues to make available the amount of
$50,000.00 per year in its budget to direct toward projects to increase
accessibility on campus. It should be
noted as well that additional sums are committed by other departments on campus.
·
All plans for new buildings and major renovations to
existing buildings on campus are reviewed to ensure that barriers are addressed
at the planning and design stage, and that no new barriers are created. Accessibility standards set by the University
often go beyond the standards found in the Ontario Building Code (which
are acknowledged as a base only) and it is an expectation that contractors
bidding on and completing work at the University will meet these higher
standards. It should also be noted that Physical Plant regularly engages the
services of Designable Environments (Consultants in Accessibility and
Future Care Planning) to review these projects. The Barrier-Free Access and
Safety Committee (the “BFASC”) was established at Western in order to ensure
the accessibility of new and renovated buildings.
·
Training on the principles of Crime Prevention Through
Environmental Design (CPTED) continued for university members. Although the focus of the training is
preventing crime on campus, participants are also trained in accessibility
considerations. When participants
conduct CPTED audits of various campus buildings, they will also make
accessibility recommendations, as appropriate.
Initiatives to remove physical and architectural barriers across campus
in the past year include:
- A dedicated Access Van service
has been in place since November 2005.
This van has created accessible transportation for students on our
large campus (including the affiliate campuses);
- In consultation with Services
for Students with Disabilities, Housing provided assistive equipment (bed,
lift, commode, hands-free phone) in a Perth Hall residence room.
- Installation of a barrier-free
washroom on the second floor of The D.B. Weldon Library.
- Alterations to several
classrooms in the Social Sciences Centre to allow for accessibility,
including fixed tables removed and replaced with moveable tables for
students who use wheelchairs.
- At the request of Services for
Students with Disabilities, the classroom management team (Institutional
Planning and Budgeting), reassigned classrooms to allow students with
disabilities to attend classes in accessible classrooms.
- The department of Human
Resources underwent renovations and ensured accessibility was considered
in renovation plans. As a result, a
barrier-free access door, accessible door openers and lever handles were
installed. The Human Resources
staff kitchen was also outfitted with an automatic, accessible door.
- Rehabilitation Services
continued to offer its assistance to individuals for attaining parking
permits for persons with disabilities, creating ergonomically correct
workstations and accessing buildings on a case-by-case basis.
- The CARE committee approved
funds to support the following projects:
- Installation of an elevator at
Brescia University College
- Installation/improvements to
an adaptive computer station at Huron University College
- Improvements to Western’s
Adaptive Computing Technology Centre
- Improvements to the Student
Development Centre’s Exam Room computer work stations as well as the
purchase of exam room scanners
- Purchase of accessible
furniture and equipment for King’s University College
- Purchase and installation of accessibility
signage to external entrance points for campus buildings (to be completed
in 2006)
- Improvements to the
accessibility of the Medical Sciences entryway
- Improvements to the Learning
Opportunities Lab Room doors
- Purchase of a laptop computer
for the Student Development Centre to be used in the Law Building
2. Information and Communications Barriers
Initiatives to remove information and communication barriers across
campus in the past year include:
·
Services for Students with Disabilities coordinated convocation
assistance for graduating students who have disabilities.
·
Services for Students with Disabilities provided the first
annual Summer Transitions in Education
for Students (STEPS) program at Western for students with learning
disabilities who are making the transition from high school to university.
·
Services for Students with Disabilities launched a
new website to provide information to incoming and current students with
disabilities: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca/ssd/
·
The Office of the Ombudsperson achieved a website re-design. Included in the design process was a
consultation to ensure accessibility for persons with visual impairment and
information processing difficulties.
·
Western Libraries continued its commitment to web
accessibility as outlined in the report found at: http://www.lib.uwo.ca/accessibility/.
·
A “Workstation Ergonomics” website developed for use by
staff and faculty. It includes a
step-by-step guide on how to review one’s own workstation. Website may be found at: http://www.uwo.ca/humanresources/facultystaff/h_and_s/rehab/ergonomics/index.htm.
·
Western’s Rehabilitation Services revised their Functional
Accommodation Form to include cognitive components and added cognitive demands
to the Job Demands Description. This has
facilitated the accommodation process for individuals with mental health
issues.
3. Attitudinal Barriers
This type of barrier is the most difficult of the barriers to identify
and address. Western is fortunate to have a large number of interested and
concerned individuals in its community who regularly take on the task of
educating others about the challenges faced by persons with disabilities in our
community, both formally in the work that they do and informally.
Some initiatives completed in the past year to move forward in
addressing these barriers include:
- Members
of WODAC attended at the “Building Momentum” forum presented by the Ontario
Community Support Association in partnership with the Government of
Ontario.
- The
University Students’ Council presented its first annual Disability
Advancement Awards. A faculty member
and a student were honoured.
- Rehabilitation
Services completed extensive research in the area of mental health in
preparation for the development of a mental health training program for
Western’s leaders and managers.
- Occupational
Therapy students interviewed students with disabilities. Information gained for these interviews
is intended to help educate students to improve self-advocacy.
- Western
Libraries appointed a Student Services Liaison Librarian who, as part of
her mandate, works directly with Services for Students with Disabilities
to ensure appropriate library support is available for students with
disabilities.
4.
Technological
Barriers
Efforts to remove technological barriers on campus are on-going and the
removal of such barriers are priorities for various departments. Initiatives from the past year include:
Services for Students with Disabilities:
- Updated software and
equipment in the Access Lab, Learning Opportunities Lab and the Services
for Students with Disabilities’ exam rooms (with funding from CARE),
including:
- exam
room computers
- Adaptive
Computing Technology Centre computers purchased
- Student
Development Centre Exam Room Scanners purchased.
Western Libraries:
- Adherence to the W3C’s 3
Priority Levels. These are 3 levels
of specifications that are required, desired, or optional in order to
adhere to web accessibility. For a
site to be considered accessible, it is required to meet the 1st
priority of items. The 2nd
is desired. The 3rd
(which is hard to achieve) is optional.
Western Libraries adheres to all 3 levels!
- Use of Web Standards. Western Libraries’ website is now driven
by Cascading Style Sheets (CSS).
This allows the ability to comply with web standards by separating
content from the design. It allows
the Western Libraries site to be more accessible from a variety of
platforms – e.g. screen readers, mobile devices, etc. It also helps ensure the site appears
properly in different browsers.
- Improved Drop Down Menus. The drop-down menus on the navigation
bar are now driven by CSS instead of Javascript. As a result, all the pages load
significantly faster than before – which is particularly noticeable on
dial up connections. It also allows
menus to be more accessible from screen reading software and other
devices.
- Portal pages have a section
labeled “Services for Users with Disabilities”. This is designed to better serve the
needs of this user group.
- Improved Mobile
Accessibility. Because the Western
Libraries site is now driven by CSS, Western Libraries can provide
accessibility to mobile devices.
Further enhancements are being investigated.
Human Resources:
- E-recruitment initiative
begun. Hoped that it will reduce
barriers to applying to Western.
- Updates to Rehabiliation
Services website to provide
more succinct information.
- Rehabilitation
Services has provided assistance for persons with visual impairment, text
and voice-activation.
Other:
- Hearing
Accessibility Audit completed for 15 classrooms (effecting 2000 students
and 27 professors). Plans to assess
8 more buildings.
- Evaluation of
physical accessibility of University buildings continues, with a report
regarding either additional buildings due in fall of 2006.
Information Technology Services (“ITS”), specifically through the Senate
Subcommittee on Information Technology (“SUIT”), continues its efforts to
ensure all Western’s official departmental websites meet barrier-free web
accessibility standards, as set out by the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web
Access Initiative (WAI).
5.
Barriers
Created by Policies or Practices
With an
organization the size of Western, there are a great number of policies and
practices, both formal and informal, which require review. By promoting Western’s obligations pursuant
to the Act, it is anticipated that many of these will be reviewed by the
appropriate departments, and barriers will be identified and brought forward,
either by those departments or by individuals impacted. Resources such as Staff Relations,
Rehabilitation Services, Services for Students with Disabilities and Equity &
Human Rights Services are available to receive concerns and provide advice. These resources also continue to review
policies and practices as part of their work on campus.
Some specific
initiatives in the past year undertaken to address policy or practice barriers
include:
For Students:
- Services for Students with
Disabilities in coordination with the USC developed a process by which
part-time undergraduate students can opt-in to the Bus Pass and Health
Plan.
- Services for Students with
Disabilities along with Student Financial Services developed improved
funding for assessments.
- Services for
Students with Disabilities provided services to approximately 1000
students in 2005-2006, which included arrangements for 6000 exams.
- Housing agreed to
waive the meal plan requirements for attendants in two residence rooms.
For
Staff and Faculty and the larger community:
- E-recruitment: Development of an on-line recruitment
process. As part of this process, Human
Resources is looking to improve access of the designated groups (including
Persons with Disabilities) to
Western’s positions and postings and to ensure that the hiring process and
requirements are fair and equitable to all persons and do not create
unnecessary barriers to applicants.
Human Resources is looking at ways to eliminate bias in the process
and to strengthen the applicant pool to ensure a fair representation of
the entire community. Some ways in
which HR is attempting to achieve this are
o
Always including an Employment Equity statement
o
Ensuring the language is appropriate and unbiased
o
Advertising with contract groups serving designated groups
o
Ensuring selection committee members are trained regarding
equity considerations
o
Ensuring all questions are based on the bona fide
requirements of the position.
o
In conjunction with Equity & Human Rights Services,
providing training for those involved in recruitment efforts.
·
Outreach: Human
Resources has been partnering with contact groups in the community which serve
persons with disabilities. Some of the
agencies that Western has connected with are Leads Employment Services Inc., ATN
and Goodwill.
·
Rehabilitation Services continues to be a
resource/consultant for Faculty/Staff to provide help with illness/injury.
Plan for Removal of Barriers in 2004-2005
What
follows is a list of recommended actions to be undertaken in the upcoming year
to identify, remove and prevent barriers at Western.
1. Physical and
Architectural Barriers
- Continue
the work done by the BFASC to review all new projects and major renovations
to ensure accessibility.
- Post signage
in the form of the International Symbol of Accessibility to mark all
accessible entrances, elevators, washrooms and routes through buildings
(CARE funded).
- Improvements
to the Accessibility for Learning Opportunities Lab at The D.B. Weldon
Library. Three accessible rooms and
three accessibility study carrels are planned.
- A new
service desk is to be constructed in The D.B. Weldon Library. The desk will feature a lowered counter
area to accommodate persons in wheelchairs.
- Installation
of accessible door openers in the Archives and Research Collections
Centre.
- Continue
to incorporate accessibility considerations through the training and
subsequent audits undertaken by the Crime Prevention Through Environmental
Design (CPTED) team.
- Continue
to address physical barriers as they are identified by members of the
community. The community currently
has a number of different committees and departments that may be
approached with concerns.
Discussions are currently underway to improve communication and/or
amalgamate the work done by these various committees and departments in
order to better serve our community and respond more effectively to
concerns regarding physical barriers.
- Continue
to support the completion of the Campus Accessibility Evaluation and
address barriers as they are identified.
Careful review and attention will be given to the barriers
identified and recommendations proposed for the four priority buildings identified
in the July 2005 Accessibility Assessment.
- Housing
will be transferring the hospital bed and Dynamic Tilt commode to London
Hall (Western’s newest residence).
A Waverly Sling lift will be installed in London Hall as well.
2. Information and
Communications Barriers
- A
restructuring of the Barrier-Free Access Committee is planned.
- A
“welcome kit” for students with disabilities is being developed. A new website for WODAC is being
considered to support the new welcome kit.
- Finalization
of WODAC’s terms of reference.
Further changes to the committee are anticipated as we await the
new standards being developed under the AODA, 2005.
- Western
is a partner in the 2006 Abilities First Conference, presented by TD Bank
Financial Group and the London Chamber of Commerce.
- Formalizing
and publicizing enhanced library services available for students with
disabilities through Western Libraries.
- Creation
of mp3 versions of library help guides currently accessible through the
library website.
- Western
Libraries will coordinate with Services for Students with Disabilities in
their work to improve access to research materials for students, including
examining the Access Code for potential barriers and supporting Services
for Students with Disabilities initiatives regarding alternative text
formats.
3. Attitudinal Barriers
·
Continue
to improve understanding and awareness of mental health and mental illness
across campus, especially among managers and supervisors, through further
education and training initiatives. A
workshop on Mental Health Issues is planned for Leaders and Managers.
·
Bring
learning opportunities to campus which bring together persons with disabilities
from across the Western community, their supporters and administrators to
discuss accessibility issues, highlight existing barriers and brainstorm ways
to remove and prevent further barriers.
·
Completion
of the employment equity guide for use by those responsible for staff hiring
and promotion, which would include considerations for hiring and promoting
persons with disabilities.
·
Continue
to develop and present various educational programs across campus (for example,
a duty to accommodate workshop for staff, faculty and students).
4. Technological Barriers
·
Continue
to respond on an as-needed basis to requests for adaptive technology to assist
members of the community.
·
Continue
to monitor and ensure all official Western websites are accessible according to
standards approved by ITS.
·
Creation
of mp3 versions of library help guides currently accessible through the library
website.
·
Services
for Students with Disabilities will be investigating the use of remote
real-time captioning and its ability to pick-up classroom discussions.
·
The
Hearing Accessibility Audit report is due in the fall. Report will suggest strategies to reduce
noise and improve the ability to hear lectures.
·
Human
Resources to purchase computing equipment for the HR Communications Centre to
provide access to persons with vision impairments.
5. Barriers Created by Policies or Practices
·
Consider
a review of the existing policy on Academic Accommodations for Students with
Disabilities.
·
Consider
collaboration with the City of London’s Accessibility Committee.
·
Communicate
about the new Ontario legislation when it is passed and Western becomes aware
of its roles and responsibilities arising under that legislation.
·
Human
Resources will continue its e-recruitment and outreach efforts to recruit
persons with disabilities to Western’s workforce.
- Formalizing and publicizing
enhanced library services available for students with disabilities through
Western Libraries
Review and Monitoring Process
Over the past
year, WODAC has taken a more active role in identifying and addressing
barriers. This is the first year that
WODAC has existed in its new committee structure. Although still evolving, WODAC hopes to
develop a clearer and more integrated process for those who identify
accessibility issues and forge relationships between departments, groups and
individuals that will assist in finding a reasonable and timely resolution to
accessibility concerns. This
identification of short term and long term goals will be reflective of the
obligations that are anticipated under the forthcoming Ontario legislation. We look forward to the upcoming year.
Appendix A
Members of WODAC
The following
members of the University community served as members of WODAC between
September 2005 and August 2006:
Functional/Administrative Group Members (one
representative each):
|
Department |
Committee
Member |
Contact
Information |
|
Equity &
Human Rights Services |
Larissa
Bartlett (Chair) Terri Tomchick |
(519) 661-2111
x83334 (519) 661-2111
x81428 |
|
Housing &
Ancillary Services |
Ruta Lawrence |
(519) 661-2111
x85978 |
|
Human Resources |
Jane O’Brien Veronika Elsie |
(519) 661-2111
x84261 (519) 661-2111
x85580 |
|
Information
& Technology Services |
Merran Neville |
(519) 661-3976
x83976 |
|
Office of the
Ombudsperson |
Adrienne Clarke |
(519) 661-2111
x83573 |
|
Physical Plant
Department |
Flemming
Galberg |
(519) 661-2111
x88880 |
|
Rehabilitation
Services |
Barbara Froats |
(519) 661-2111
x81398 |
|
Services for
Students with Disabilities |
Deborah Stuart |
(519) 661-2111
x82147 |
|
Western
Libraries |
Jennifer
Robinson |
(519) 661-2111
x82229 |
|
Western Faculty |
Lisa Klinger |
(519) 661-2111
x88963 |
|
King’s
University College |
Joan Aldis |
(519) 433-3491
x4316 |
|
Brescia
University College |
Vacant |
|
|
Huron
University College |
Vacant |
|
(The
functional/administrative group member shall represent and take the necessary
action in accordance with his or her university role or position. The functional/administrative member may be,
from time to time, required to research, consult with University leadership or
administration, and take immediate or intermediary action in order to respond
to issues raised at the committee meetings by the stakeholder/expert group
members or other Western members).
Stakeholder/Expert Group Members:
|
Group |
Committee
Member |
Contact
Information |
|
Society for
Graduate Students (SOGS) |
Melissa Fraser |
|
|
University
Students’ Council |
Kelly Wilson |
|
|
Student
Member-at-large |
Lorin MacDonald |
|
|
Student Member-at-large |
Jeff Preston |
|
|
Staff/Faculty
Member-at-large |
Cheryl Jamieson |
|
|
Staff/Faculty
Member-at-large |
Vacant |
|
Appendix B
Annual
Accessibility Plan- King’s University College
September
2005-August 2006
Submitted
to: Western’s
Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee
The
University of Western Ontario
Submitted by: Joan Aldis - Coordinator of
Counselling & Student
Development and Services
for Students with Disabilities
This
report addresses:
1.
measures taken to remove barriers on the campus of King’s
University College
2.
measures to be taken in the current year to identify, remove
and prevent barriers to persons with disabilities including faculty, staff,
students, alumni and members of the public.
Barrier- Removal Initiatives in 2005-2006
- Two labs were
upgraded for accessibility.
- Information
Technology has upgraded King’s website using the principles of universal
design.
- Cafeteria was
upgraded for accessibility
Plan for Removal of Barriers in
2005-2006
·
Bathrooms to be upgraded for
accessibility