Accessful Strategy Group

VIVA Accessible Bus

For those following my Social|Median clips and Tweets you will have noticed a significant increase in the number of news stories coming out of municipalities related to the AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act). The overarching theme? Municipalities are asking for more time or more money to implement the proposed AODA standards. They are also waiting to implement any changes until the standards are finalized.

Recently the London Free Press reported on the financial troubles of the LTC (London Transit Commission).

Another cost pressure may soon come from the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act if proposed regulations are adopted. They’d require installation of equipment to call out stops for the blind and deaf, special grab bars and seating, upgrades to bus stops and shelters and fare parity, among other things.

The upgrades could cost the LTC an initial $1.5 million, plus yearly compliance costs adding 3% to its budget, Ducharme has said.

Source: LTC struggles to meet growing demand

Note the word “IF”. If proposed standards are adopted.

IF is an interesting choice of word for the reporter. IF packs a big fiscal punch. It means that the Transit Commission is not preparing NOW for the proposed standards but is sitting in a waiting pattern just in case the standards are not implemented.

Now let’s change that word IF to WHEN. WHEN packs a big planning punch. WHEN requires action now. When you are planning for WHEN the standards are adopted you are already changing how you operate your business.

The standards are coming, in one form or another. Public and private sector organizations and businesses have every right to choose a “Wait and See” approach to the standards. I would argue that this is not a fiscally responsible approach. Choosing to implement them when absolutely required saves dollars in the short term but puts a significant burden on budgets in the future. They could choose to plan ahead and make incremental changes to their business plans and their current operations so that when the IF becomes WHEN they are better prepared both physically and fiscally.

Why is this so important? During a “Wait and See” time frame businesses and organizations could be making major purchases. In the case of a transit commission – repairs to buses, the purchasing of replacement vehicles, replacement of damaged or old bus shelters… Why replace a vehicle or shelter with an inaccessible one if it is highly likely that in a few years time you will be mandated to have an accessible vehicle or bus shelter? It simply makes fiscal sense to not “Wait and See” but look toward the future – plan and purchase with accessibility in mind. Worst case scenario and the standards are not implemented? You have an accessible transit system that can accommodate more of an aging population. It is a WIN-WIN situation.

Businesses, large to small, should be looking toward the future in the same way. Before you make changes to buildings and landscaping have an accessibility consultant look over the plans. Often you will find that only slight modifications are needed now to ensure you are accessible in the future. Planning for accessibility now could save your tens of thousands of dollars in the future.