The Board of Trustees has received the Board’s Annual Accessibility Plan 2021-2022, which is a blueprint for improving opportunities for persons with disabilities and to provide for their involvement in the identification, removal and prevention of barriers.  School boards are required to consult annually with persons with disabilities in the preparation of the plan and to make the plan public. These requirements are set out in the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001 (ODA) and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA).

“As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of the professional development opportunities outlined in the plan were completed online,” says Lisa Demers, Superintendent of Education.  “I want to thank members of our Accessibility Working Group for their input in helping to lead the Board in identifying barriers to accessibility and developing a plan to address them.”

The focus of the Accessibility Working Group will now shift towards implementation of the province’s K-12 Education Standards Development Committee’s findings to advance new accessibility standards for K-12 education.

The committee’s initial report has been completed and focuses on eight barrier areas:  Attitudes, Behaviours, Perceptions and Assumptions; Awareness and Training; Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment; Digital Learning and Technology; Organizational Barriers; Social Realms; Physical and Architectural Barriers; and Emergency Planning.

The K-12 Education Standards Development Committee now invites feedback on its initial report.

“We now await this important feedback,” says Mrs. Demers.  “We look forward to continuing our work in partnership with the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee, and the measures, policies, practices and requirements, which the committee will propose for implementation by January 1, 2025.”

Read the full St. Clair Catholic Annual Accessibility Report 2021-2022 here.