Jan. 1, 2025, was a day “disabled folks across the province have been waiting for for 20 years,” says Brad Evoy, executive director of the Hamilton-based Disability Justice Network of Ontario.
That’s the deadline the Ontario government set to fully implement the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), which passed in 2005 with a commitment to develop, implement and enforce accessibility standards in the public and private sectors.
But, days after the day passed, Evoy told CBC Hamilton, there remains a “huge chasm” between reality and where Ontarians with disabilities want to be.
He believes living conditions for them are worsening, in part because social assistance isn’t keeping up with the high cost of housing.
“If used as intended, the act could be materially improving people’s conditions,” said Evoy, who is a disabled person himself. “I think the customer service standards alone would really push some big changes for folks engaging in the commercial and civic aspects of life.”
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