Accessibility

The Municipality of South Huron is a member of the Huron County Accessibility Advisory Committee and the Huron County Accessibility Advisory Committee Working Group. In collaboration with the following municipalities Huron County's Accessibility Plan has been developed and adopted:

• Municipality of South Huron
• County of Huron
• Township of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh
• Municipality of Bluewater
• Municipality of Central Huron
• Town of Goderich
• Township of Howick
• Municipality of Huron East
• Municipality of Morris-Turnberry
• Township of North Huron

Strategies within the plan include:

• Measures taken to identify, remove and prevent barriers to persons with disabilities;
• Measures to ensure proposals for bylaws, programs, practices and services are considered for their effect on accessibility;
• Creating a list of by-laws, policies, programs, practices and services that will be reviewed in the next year to identify, prevent and remove barriers.

• Accessibility Standards for Customer Service Policy - As an employer, and a provider of services, the Municipality of South Huron is committed to ensuring its services are provided in an accessible manner. The Municipality of South Huron will promote accessibility through the development of policies, procedures and practices and by ensuring they consider people with disabilities. South Huron's Accessibility Standards for Customer Service
  
• Corporate Accessibility Policy - The Municipality of South Huron is committed to ensuring equal access and participation for people with disabilities. We are committed to treating people with disabilities in a way that allows them to maintain their dignity and independence. We believe in integration and we are committed to meeting the needs of people with disabilities in a timely manner. We will do so by removing and preventing barriers to accessibility and meeting our accessibility requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and Ontario’s accessibility laws. At the May 3, 2021 Regular Council meeting, Municipal Council approved the South Huron Corporate Accessibility Policy.
• Communication Policy - The Municipality of South Huron's Communication policy states that we will;
  • Use a variety of communication means to accommodate diverse communication needs;
  • Ensure Municipal information, both online and in print, is accessible, identifiable and responsive to the needs of our community; citizens are able to attend and participate in public meetings; the communication needs of all employees will be considered including any employees who may not have access to electronic information.
• Election Accessibility Plan - The Municipal Elections Act places responsibility on the Clerk to have regard to the needs of the electors and candidates with disabilities. Accessible customer service standards must be followed when conducting municipal elections. South Huron's election accessibility plan ensures that candidates and electors with disabilities have full and equal access to all election information and services, including the voting kiosk at the municipal office.
• Engagement Policy - It is the policy of the Municipality of South Huron to:
  • Value inclusiveness — ensuring public notice and engagement is based on building trust and relationships that seek to involve all members of the community.

  • Provide clear and accessible information —using plain language in a wide
    variety of formats and channels of communication.

• Procurement of Goods and Services Policy - Contracts for the acquisition of goods and services shall include the following elements:
  • that the Vendor shall comply with the accessibility standards under the Accessibility for Ontarians With Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA);
  • that the Vendor shall ensure that its employees are trained on providing accessible customer services. Any training or training resources must conform to the legislated requirements under the Act; and
  • that the Vendor shall maintain records of the training, including dates when training was provided, the number of employees who received training and individual training records. Where requested by the Municipality, the person, business or organization shall provide written proof, as well as any documentation regarding training policies, practices and procedures, to the Municipality.

• WCGA 2.0 Level AA: The Municipality of South Huron is required to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA for content on websites. If you are providing services that will result in the creation of documents for the Municipality of South Huron, then you will be required to create those documents in an accessible format in order to meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA.
• Accessible Document Tutorials: If you need help learning about the creation of accessible documents, you can access many resources on creating accessible documents through Algonquin College.

The inclusion of everyone in all aspects of the community is important. Accessibility Ontario has created an Accessible Event Planning Guide that provides information on no-cost and low-cost actions that can help reduce barriers for people with disabilities and make all types of events more inclusive. If you are planning an event be sure to check out this guide!

Here are some helpful web applications or ‘apps’ that show accessible businesses, hotels and restaurants in Ontario, Canada and the world. 

• ASXMap
• AccessNow 
• GoHere Washroom Access Program 

Accessible Parking Permits are issued by Service Ontario to either a driver or a passenger with a disability or health condition. When people use mobility devices such as wheelchairs or walker, their disability is obvious. However, some health conditions are invisible, for example people with heart or lung conditions. Permits are issued to people, not vehicles, so that people living with a disability can use the permit in any vehicle. That person must be in the car for the permit to be valid.

The province began issuing new accessible parking permits with enhanced security features in 2016. The features, which include machine-readable barcodes, raised markings and serial numbers, help to confirm that a permit is authentic. An Identification Number contains key information that describes the permit holder including first and last initials, gender and decade of birth. Permit abusers are easily identified.

It is important to leave accessible parking spaces open for those who are legally entitled to use them. Please respect these spaces!

There is a directory of services for Huron and Perth Counties which support people living with intellectual or physical disabilities; for families and caregivers as well as individuals. This information is available on the Southwest Healthline website, under "Huron-Perth - People with Disabilities".