Ontario

Pharmaprix drug stores have agreed to make their debit card readers more accessible to handicapped customers, following an agreement with the Quebec Human
Rights Commission.

Pharmaprix, operated by Ontario-based Shoppers Drug Mart Corp., is to ensure all debit card readers at its franchised stores are connected to the cash register
with a cable, the commission said Wednesday.

In January, Montrealer Linda Gauthier, who uses a wheelchair, filed a complaint to the commission, after she couldn’t access the reader at a Pharmaprix
store in the Plateau Mont Royal. To prevent debit information theft, many retailers are attaching their card readers to an immovable metal base which is
inaccessible to customers in wheelchairs.

A provincial byelection polling station was bounced to a non-accessible site by a volleyball game, disability activists say.

Members of the Accessibility for Ontarians With Disabilities Act Alliance have been trying to find out since February why a Toronto Centre polling station
was moved to a room that could be accessed only by stairs.

With the uneven implementation of the Customer Care Standard in School Boards, Hospitals and a broad range of community services and the absence of any
meaningful enforcement mechanism, it is more important than ever that your voices be heard.

Just recently we had an incident of inaccessible Voting booths, apparently not an isolated incident. It’s become quite evident that the Disability Community is not being served by the McGuinty Government. Something
has to give and quite frankly it should not be us yet again!

Murray Howard and Darda Sales will serve as co-chairperson on the new Accessible Sports Council London and Area. The council, which was launched on Jan.
29, accepted a $2,300 cheque from ParaSport Ontario to help with start-up costs.

Darda Sales knows what it takes to overcome challenges while competing - and succeeding - at the highest level.

A three-time Paralympic swimmer in 2000, 2004 and 2008, and member of both the London Aquatic Club and the London Wheelchair Basketball Association, Darda
has travelled the world while competing in a sport she loves. It is a drive to succeed that Darda brings to her role as co-chairperson of the new Accessible
Sports Council of London and Area.

The fallout continues from Elections Ontario’s operating a polling station in the February 4, 2010 by-election that was inaccessible to voters with disabilities,
and its then denying to the media that the polling station was inaccessible.

The Saturday, February 6, 2010 Toronto Sun included a follow-up story, set out below. It quoted the AODA Alliance as criticizing this incident and calling
for new legislation to prevent this from happening again. That story also quoted from the AODA Alliance’s February 5, 2010 update on that incident. You
can urge others to sign up for our updates, since we not only report the news to you, but they also make the news! A shorter version of the same news article
was included in the Saturday, February 6, 2010 Peterborough Examiner.

For most people accessibility brings to mind images of convenient parking spaces, ramp entrances and elevators.

Awareness about the disabled and their ability or inability to access buildings has grown considerably over the past couple of decades and this is directly
reflected in architectural design.

But there's still something most people don't think about --
online accessibility .

Removing service barriers for people with disabilities means much more than simply making sure buildings are accessible, said a member of the Mayor's disability advisory committee.

"Yes, ramps are important but it really goes way beyond ramps," said Ian Greaves, of Niagara Falls.

For Jan Huebert, the new year will hopefully bring a new appreciation for guide dogs like her beloved Trillium.

Bad experiences, mostly involving store clerks or cab drivers, have been few, said the elementary school teacher. But those instances where her guide dog has been shunned have made it clear that more education and training is needed when it comes to serving people with disabilities.

The Ontario government ushered in new guidelines for customer service Friday under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. The guidelines
affect the public sector. The private sector -- retail outlets, restaurants and such -- have until 2012 to comply.

WATERLOO REGION — New provincial standards to improve customer service for people with disabilities is a good change, but just a start to making Ontario accessible to all residents, says the head of a local disability support group.

“It’s great. It’s the first step,” said Bil Smith, executive director of the Independent Living Centre of Waterloo Region, which helps people with disabilities gain greater independence, opportunities and acceptance.

The City of Belleville is fully prepared for Ontario's first accessibility standard when it comes into force Friday, says the chairman of the accessibility committee.

Coun. Garnet Thompson said municipal employees have been properly trained to accommodate the implementation of the standard -- for customer service -- which all public sector organization's must be in compliance with.