St. Clair Catholic’s Annual Accessibility Plan for 2023-2024 was presented to the Board of Trustees at the Regular Board Meeting of Tuesday, June 20, 2023.  The plan outlines the process by which the Board will identify, remove and prevent barriers for people with disabilities.  It is a review of initiatives undertaken in 2022-2023 and outlines areas that the Board will review in 2023-2024.

Through the plan, the Board will meet its commitments and responsibilities under the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001 (ODA) and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA). 

“Our Board continues to recognize the need for continual improvement for access to school board facilities, policies, programs and practices, and services for students, staff, parents/guardians, volunteers and member of the community with disabilities,” says Lisa Demers, Superintendent of Education.  “This comprehensive report is a record of past achievements and a blueprint for the future.”

Highlights for 2022-2023 include: 

Attitudinal

• A number of professional development and training opportunities for system leaders from experts such as Dr. Noumann Ashraf, Dr. Kim Schonert-Reichl, Michael Way Skinner, Dr. Josephine Lombardi, Anne Jamieson, and Melissa Mikel, in the areas of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion have been provided for staff.
• Stronger Together workforce census completion in April to provide information to better support our diverse staff.
• Hiring of Graduation Coach for Black Students in secondary schools.
• Parent Engagement Facilitator to reach out to families.
• Hiring of English Language Learners teacher.

Architectural

• Facilities Services worked in consultation with the Special Education Department and school communities to plan and provide accessible facilities ensuring that all renovations and additions meet building code requirements.

• Facilities Services addressed accessibility inside, outside and around buildings.

Technological

• Review software images and incorporate changes identified to improve boot-up times, efficiency and to modernize options for learners and staff.

• Worked collaboratively with the Special Education team to leverage software ensuring accessibility for learners.

Information and Communication

• The Information Services Team deployed additional WIFI access points as requested to facilitate increased usage of the Board’s WIFI networks.  This network also supports the use of personal electronic devices via our BYOD program.  SD WAN project to ensure 1MB/S per student at all locations.
• Prioritized deployment of new hardware based on feedback from school-based staff.
• Obtained feedback from end-users via thought exchange data collection approach to assess effectiveness of current systems in order to inform and direct planning priorities for future implementations.  Information and feedback sessions with users in planning stages.

Policy

Policies are reviewed on a cyclical basis and will include consideration of Equity and Inclusion and Accessibility legislation. This year, a large number of policies were reviewed through the lens of equity, diversity, and inclusion.

The full Annual Accessibility Plan 2023-2024 can be found here.