All posts by Lisa Kovac

In the Third Review of the AODA, the Honourable David Onley recommends needed improvements to the Act. One of these improvements is a renewal of government leadership to implement the AODA. Therefore, in response to the review, the Ontario government has implemented a framework to make the province more accessible. Through this framework, called Advancing Accessibility in Ontario, the government commits to making changes that will improve opportunities for citizens with disabilities. These changes will take place in four areas of the economy. In this article, we will focus on the area of government leadership on accessibility in Ontario.

Advancing Government Leadership on Accessibility in Ontario. Read full article.

In our last article, we discussed how organizational leaders can learn about discrimination on the basis of disability. Leaders can consult with people who have lived experience of disability to better understand the forms of discrimination, barriers, and stigma they face. This knowledge can help managers, supervisors, and other decision-makers develop policies and plans to reduce discrimination. In this article, we explore educating workers about discrimination and accessibility.

Educating Workers about Discrimination and Accessibility. Read full article.

In our last article, we discussed how the leaders of an organization may be held responsible for any discrimination or poisoned environments within the organization. In this article, we explore how organizational leaders can educate themselves about avoiding discrimination on the basis of disability.

Avoiding Discrimination on the Basis of Disability. Read full article.

The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) writes policies to help people understand what types of discrimination are. In addition, these policies outline how to prevent and respond to different forms of discrimination. According to the OHRC’s Policy on Ableism and Discrimination based on disability, organizations have a duty to prevent discrimination. Employers, landlords, and service providers must create environments that discourage discrimination and harassment.

Duty to Prevent Discrimination. Read full article.

Under the Ontario Human Rights Code (the Code), employers, landlords, and service providers must accommodate people with disabilities. In other words, organizations have a duty to make changes in order to meet the needs of workers, tenants, customers, or clients with disabilities. However, the accommodations that people need may sometimes conflict with each other. Accommodation providers must find ways to meet the needs of people with competing rights to accommodation.

Competing Rights to Accommodation. Read full article.