The City is working to create a more inclusive, Age-Friendly and Accessible Community through proactively identifying, preventing and or removing barriers to accessibility. The community is growing and the City’s Multi-year Accessibility Plan aims to be responsive to this growth by supporting community development and intensification. Our City’s diversity will become one of our greatest strengths and the Multi-year Accessibility Plan (PDF) will help us break down barriers to participation for all community members.
Priorities
Based on the feedback received through the consultation process, there are five priorities for the 2019–2024 Multi-year Accessibility Plan.
Create an Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR) Policy to ensure efficient compliance of accessibility regulations, and to provide corporate consistency in the provision of and communication of all of the City’s accessibility requirements.
Update to the City’s Accessible Customer Service Policy.
Update Accessible Customer Service Training program and facilitate Accessible Customer Service refresher training to staff and volunteers.
Audit the City’s feedback processes for accessibility.
Work with our external stakeholder organizations like the SCI Ontario, CNIB, Deaf Access Simcoe Muskoka, Simcoe Community Service, the Brain Injury Society of Simcoe Muskoka and area, as well as the Canadian Hearing Society and others, to ensure that our customer service options are meeting the needs of stakeholder groups.
Create more frequent public engagement opportunities through BuildingBarrie.ca
Increasing self-serve options for City services, including online options for residents to perform tasks themselves through use of various technologies.
Audit the City’s communication mechanisms to ensure our process and methods are accessible.
Work towards accessible Website and Web Content compliance. The City will continue to work to ensure that all its websites, web platforms and website content meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Level AA by January 2021.
Work with the City’s Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC), and community stakeholders to ensure that the City’s Transit vision and strategic plan, continues to address and reflect the needs of community members with disabilities.
Grow the City’s Express Transit service to better meet the unique needs of seniors and persons with disabilities within our community.
Work with stakeholders to create a community bus program in Barrie.
Create innovative in person and virtual travel training programs for seniors, highschool students, and persons with disabilities.
Improve Specialized Transit Scheduling and technology.
Improved Specialized Transit on-demand.
Audit the City’s playground/play spaces, and public parks with Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC).
Create an accessible playground/play spaces policy.
Make information about the City’s accessible playground/play spaces, and other accessible amenities such as, accessible park washrooms, available online through GIS mapping.
Enhance wayfinding signage strategy for accessibility; including improved signage throughout City of Barrie facilities, parks and play spaces.
Work with community stakeholders to create better access to local businesses through initiatives such as StopGap.
Work with Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) to ensure accessibility considerations are included in the update to the City’s Urban Design Guidelines and the City’s Official Plan.
