OTTAWA -- Ontario government announced Dec. 20, 2021, their new chair of Standards Development Committee, Julie Sawchuk, will lead the provinces’ review of Design of Public Spaces accessibility standards for outdoor and public spaces.
Honourable Raymond Cho, Minister of Senior and Accessibility, described Sawchuk as an expert with insights into accessibility strategies. He added, “I am honoured that Julie Sawchuk has accepted the role of chair of this Standards Development Committee.”
Ms. Sawchuk, best-selling author, professional speaker, with a Bachelor of Science and Education degree, is a designated professional for Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification.
Her lived experience as a person who has a spinal cord injury offers an important perspective for the committee she will chair.
As the Ontario government continues working at identifying, removing and preventing barriers for people with disabilities, the Standards Development Committee’s review will focus on whether new standards might be needed to improve accessibility in Ontario public spaces.
The committee includes representatives from businesses, municipalities, other impacted stake holders and people with disabilities.
The government has expressed its commitment to making Ontario more accessible and inclusive, breaking down barriers in outdoor public spaces such as bike paths and playgrounds in indoor public spaces in buildings including, service counters, and accessible washrooms.
The Ministry has indicated that this is a key focus in the cross-government Advancing Accessibility in Ontario framework.
“Creating accessible public spaces in Ontario is not the job of one person, it is the responsibility of all, said Ms. Sawchuk.I’m both grateful and incredibly proud to be asked to lead this discussion and look forward to adding a rural perspective as often as I can. This is an opportunity to bring people together to share what is working and what needs to be done differently in design and construction and to listen to all the voices who are looking for change.”
The Design of Public Spaces Standards Development Committee is expected to begin work in early 2022 and continue into 2023.
