The Transportation Standards under the AODA and the Transportation Standard under the Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA) both require organizations to make transportation accessible to people with disabilities. Moreover, both standards require many of the same processes and practices to ensure accessibility. However, there are many important differences between the standards. The third review of the AODA recommends that the Ontario government should coordinate with other provinces and the federal government to ensure that accessibility laws are consistent across Canada. Therefore, requirements in the AODA may one day change to align with mandates under the Accessibility for Manitobans Act. In this article, we will explore required accessibility training for transportation workers in Ontario and Manitoba.
Accessibility Training for Transportation Workers in Ontario and Manitoba
The AODA’s Transportation Standards and the Accessible Transportation Standard of the Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA) both require accessibility training. This training should include how to:
- Use accessibility equipment and features safely
- Change procedures if this equipment is not working or if people encounter barriers
- Keep passengers with disabilities safe during emergencies
Furthermore, transportation providers must keep records of how many workers have been trained and when training took place.
Workers and volunteers must know how to safely operate accessible equipment and features of vehicles. For instance, workers must learn how to deploy ramps and lifts. In addition, workers should know how to safely handle and store assistive devices.
Moreover, workers and volunteers must also have training on how to proceed if equipment stops working. They must know how to accommodate passengers with disabilities when the accessibility features they usually use are unavailable for a time. Likewise, workers and volunteers must know what to do if they discover barriers, such as construction, that prevent passengers with disabilities from boarding, deboarding, or otherwise using the service. For instance, if a passenger can only use one of the available payment methods and this method is temporarily not working, drivers should know how to proceed so that this passenger can still use the service.
Furthermore, workers and volunteers need to know what they should do in an emergency to help passengers with disabilities exit a vehicle safely.
Differences
In Ontario, every worker or volunteer in the transportation industry should receive this training. Conversely, Manitoba’s mandate lists specific types of transportation workers who should receive training, including workers who:
- Directly serve the public, as:
- Employees
- Agents
- Contractors
- Volunteers
- Create or implement their company’s policies or practices about accessible transportation
- Buy or acquire equipment
Moreover, these workers should renew their training every two (2) years. In contrast, Ontario does not require workers to renew their training.