In the 2023 review of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), Rich Donovan declared that the province was in an accessibility crisis . Donovan, a leading advocate on disability rights, highlighted one example of how the province fails to ensure the safety of people with disabilities: a routine fire drill at a government office. While most employees made their way down the stairs in orderly fashion, “others — those using wheelchairs and managing vision issues — instead made their way to what was, in essence, a closet,” wrote Donovan, who was appointed to review the act.
“This was what they were told to do in a fire. Sit. Wait.
Hope someone comes for you.” The province set a goal to achieve full accessibility by Jan. 1, 2025 — a target advocates say we’re nowhere near meeting.
“We’re way behind and the government needs to revise its approach,” said David Lepofsky, a retired lawyer who spearheaded the campaign for the AODA, which became law in 2005. “All of those reviews spoke in increasingly scathing language.” In a statement, the Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility said Ontario is “meeting, achieving or exceeding” AODA standards.
But disabled people who spoke to the Star told a different story, citing ongoing challenges and day-to-day barriers with accessibility and enforcement. To assess where Ontario stands after the 2025 deadline for full accessibility has passed, they also provided a grade for each of the key AODA cate.
