Legal expert to review Ontario's accessibility laws

Ontario has appointed Mayo Moran, dean and professor of law at the University of Toronto, to lead a review of the province's Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).  
"Ontario is one of the first jurisdictions in the world to mandate accessibility. I’m proud that our efforts will improve the day to day lives of people living with disabilities by making workplaces, stores, buses and communities more accessible," said Eric Hoskins, minister of economic development, trade and employment.

Since the AODA became law in 2005, Ontario has established accessibility standards for customer service, information and communications, employment, transportation and the design of public spaces.

One in seven people in Ontario has a disability and this number is expected to grow in an aging society, said the government.

The first review of the act was conducted by Charles Beer, former provincial minister of community and social services and was completed in 2010. Beer's review examined the process for developing accessibility standards, municipal accessibility advisory committees and the government's administration of the AODA.

Making Ontario accessible for people with disabilities by 2025 is the goal of the AODA and will help build a fair society so that everyone can contribute their skills to our economy, said the provincial government.

The act requires that within four years of coming into force, a reviewer be appointed to undertake a review of its effectiveness, and that subsequent reviewers be appointed within three years of the previous report being tabled.