Collective Insight ’s Post

Catch of the day: Another disgusting rotten fish. Gross! 3 days after the 75th Human Rights Day... Headline: After 20 Years, Torontonians Will Have to Wait Even Longer for an Accessible TTC December 13, 2023 by BRENNAN DOHERTY Published by THE LOCAL An independent magazine exploring urban health and social issues in Toronto. Via Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance https://lnkd.in/gew6GNQW Again discrimination slows progress. If 20 years wasn't long enough, just how long do we need to wait for equitable access?! The Ontario AODA legislation was passed in 2005 with a deadline for a fully accessible Ontario by 2025. No interum deadlines and no use of enforcement powers mean more missed deadlines. Mean barriers to jobs, healthcare, education, shopping, recreation, tourism, choices in housing, etc. remain while ableds remaim the deciders of priorities. I know some of the good people who have been working hard with and within the TTC to try to fix accessibility but again their advice and recommendations have largely been ignored. And this is NOT unique to Toronto. How are the other Ontario cities and services doing with providing accessible transit? Who wants to place a bet? #AODAfail #AccessibleCanada #AODA #AODA2025 #AMA #NSAA #ABCA #NLAA #ASA #disability #inclusion #discrimination #HumanRights75 #onpoli #cdnpoli

Recent blog post by Nicole Marlow-Jones: Congratulations to Mackenzie Hughes partner Brad Hunt and former partner Christian P. Jones on their recent success on an appeal of important significance to public transit providers across our nation: Woods v. Centro of Oneida, Inc., et al.,103 F.4th 933 (2d Cir. 2024). Read the decision here: https://lnkd.in/gesKhxPQ The plaintiff, an individual who is paralyzed from the waist down, asserted claims under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (the “Rehabilitation Act”) against a regional transit authority and its subsidiary, alleging the public transit operator discriminated against him in violation of these federal statutes and their implementing regulations by failing to provide wheelchair-accessible bus stops in the City of Utica. The lawsuit ensued after the plaintiff sent an April 2020 letter alleging the bus stops in the City were inaccessible to wheelchair users and demanding the public transit operator “remedy the ADA violations and bring the [bus stop] landing pads into compliance with the requirements, provisions, and regulations of the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act within thirty (30) days.” The transit operator responded to the plaintiff’s demand letter, noting the availability of accessible alternate pick-up and drop-off locations its bus stops, as well as its policy of allowing courtesy stops anywhere along a bus route. The vast majority of the bus stops are “unimproved,” meaning ordinary bus stops that were not specifically constructed as bus stops, but rather are merely locations where a sign in the ground marks the general area in which a bus will stop. Essentially, the plaintiff argued the public transit operator was required to make significant modifications to its existing bus stops by constructing concrete wheelchair landing pads with sizes and slopes that meet current federal specifications applicable only to newly altered or constructed bus stops. The federal district court dismissed the plaintiff’s complaint, finding the operator’s paratransit service (a transportation service for individuals who are unable to use a fixed route transportation system along a prescribed route according to a fixed schedule) and its flexible pick-up and drop-off policy were each reasonable accommodations providing meaningful access to the transit authority’s bus service. Continue reading: https://lnkd.in/g7stP-sw

"the hon. Lady is the jam in the centre of the doughnut, and I am the heavy, leavened dough that surrounds the hon. Lady’s jam." If you want to know what Jacob Rees-Mogg thinks of #lowtrafficneighourhoods, and why doughnuts might be relevant to that - read on! (Spoiler, he's not mad keen on them.) Actually some very useful contributions here from a range of politicians highlighting what works in terms of modal filters, and perhaps some areas where we need more research. Some especially useful reflections from Ruth Cadbury MP on work that I kicked off in #westLondon to reduce through traffic on residential roads in Chiswick, Brentford and Isleworth. Key takeaway is that there isn't likely to be a one size fits all solution, and a mix of hard closures and smart traffic management solutions such as ANPR enforced permit controlled access points for residents are likely to be required to develop an optimum scheme - particularly in areas with higher car mode share like #outerlondon. The main issue raised again and again in this debate is around a need for more #engagement, particularly with more vulnerable population groups. Very few professionals I know were happy at having to implement these sorts of projects "within weeks" during the early months of a global pandemic, largely precluding a proper conversation with the community. I think that this government mandated pace, and the scale of change across a wide geography rather than on a site by site basis as had previously been the case for #trafficmanagement schemes of this nature, are the main causes of angst in this space. As Ruth notes, previous road closure schemes, whilst often locally contentious, have not typically led to widespread community concern, and certainly not debates like this in parliament. The fact that very few residents living in historic #LTNs would want existing closures reversed suggests we generally get these things right. As we move towards a more considered and collaborative process of managing moving traffic post pandemic, I hope that we can get back to a more rationale debate around how we best mitigate high traffic flows on residential roads. Hopefully that also happens at the right level (#localgovernment) and not necessitating valuable parliamentary time. #transportplanning

Critical perspectives for electeds, transportation planners and transportation agencies (everybody, really!) to consider here. Especially crucial is recognizing the impact robust, accessible transit can have w/r/t access to economic opportunities for people with disabilities, who continue to experience under- and unemployment at rates far higher than "abled" people. https://lnkd.in/g23YMfBz?

Manitoba's Accessible Transportation Standard is finalized and its requirements will be effective in 2027. It has a lot of similarities with the Ontario standards and has clarified some things that are unclear in Ontario. What do you think? Is it making meaningful change for passengers with disabilities? How will transit providers respond to it? https://lnkd.in/duwk999A

Did you know? The Americans with Disability Act (ADA) requires public entities and businesses that are open to the public to ensure accessibility through modifications such as ramps, elevators, and exceptions to policies (for example, allowing a service animal or an electric scooter.) The 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design requires that all newly designed, constructed, or altered state and local government facilities, commercial facilities, and public accommodations be readily accessible and usable by people with disabilities. Features include an accessible entrance, accessible restroom, and accessible elements such as parking or elevators. To learn more about accessibility under the ADA, visit the following links: Mandates for businesses: https://lnkd.in/e2gxnsAr Mandates for state and local governments: https://lnkd.in/eDCEzjx3 #Accessibility #Wheelchairaccessibility #AccessibleParking #Wheelchairramps #Elevators #Mobility #MobilityAwareness #DisabilityPrideMonth #AmericanswithDisabilitiesAct

Attention, construction, advanced manufacturing, and clean energy companies: In and effort to continue the record employment rate for people with disabilities, the US Department of Labor has arranged this toolkit with helpful tips for employers! https://loom.ly/CuKKze4 #TransCen #ADA #MeaningfulWork #CommunityInclusion #DisabilityEmployment

🎶 We took the *accessible* train going aaanywhere 🎶 Good news! 🗞️The MBTA won a grant to improve accessibility on the Green Line. The Green Line is the oldest subway line in the country—nearly all stations were built before the ADA, so a lot of work is necessary to make them accessible to people with disabilities. What good accessibility news have you seen in your community lately? Let us know in the comments! 🚃 🚃 🚃 #Accessibility #BostonAccessibility #PublicTransportation #Boston #AccessibilityNews

Universal Changing Spaces are gaining more visibility. This article discusses benefits of adult sized adjustable height changing tables in public restrooms.

Most states and territories across Australia have agreed to implement the 2022 National Construction Code mandatory accessible housing design Silver Standards. Western Australia and New South Wales are yet to sign up, however both the Disability Royal Commission and the NDIS Independent Review recommended they do so immediately. “Australia has been disgracefully behind other countries but now is the time to catch up and lead the rest of the world," said Former Disability Royal Commissioner Dr Rhonda Galbally. "The cost of accessible design upfront is negligible, and the NSW and WA governments must sign on like the other jurisdictions.” Research recently released by the Summer Foundation Ltd provided insight into what the design and construction sector need to successfully implement these mandatory accessibility standards. Show your support for NSW and WA signing on to the new standards: WA Petition https://buff.ly/4cLhbyM NSW Petition https://buff.ly/4aAoLet #buildingbetterhomes #NationalConstructionCode #buildingministers #accessiblehousing #disability #peoplewithdisability