AllAccess – Creating Accessible Public Space

Complete communities contain public spaces that can be enjoyed by all. These spaces contribute social and economic vitality, creating a shared resource that contributes to everyday life. But for the 1.85 million Ontarians with disabilities, these spaces can be exclusionary. Barriers to access render what should be a civic space difficult, or even impossible, to use.

To address these barriers, the Ontario Government introduced The Design of Public Spaces Standards (DOPS), which forms part of the Ontario Regulation 191/11 Integrated Accessibility Standards. This legislation regulates the design of newly constructed or redeveloped spaces used by the public, promising a more inclusive civic environment. Putting this legislation into practice is essential for ensuring our public spaces are inclusive to all and providing a high-quality of life for all Ontarians, now and in the future.

The AllAccess program increased awareness and understanding of DoPS through:

• A network of over 1700 practitioners wanting to learn more about DoPS and how to implement the Standard;
• A project website – allaccesspublicspace.ca;
• A practitioner survey of over 250 participants to gauge awareness and understanding of DoPS among practitioners, to collect information on barriers to the effective implementation of DoPS and to create a benchmark against which progress in raising awareness could be measured over the course of the program;
• A series of interviews with practitioners working with DoPS;
• Three participatory learning workshops engaging over 70 practitioners in Aurora, Oakville and Toronto;
• A Summary Report identifying key findings, best practices, recommendations for future areas of exploration and outreach to support the important role of DoPS; and
• This AllAccess Toolkit – a collection of online resources developed to support understanding and implementation of DoPS.