Council Approves 2023-2027 Multi-Year Accessibility Plan

RICHMOND HILL – Richmond Hill is committed to being an accessible, inclusive community for everyone. Council reaffirmed this commitment with their approval of the 2023-2027 Multi-Year Accessibility Plan, which outlines the City’s strategy to identify, prevent and remove barriers for persons with disabilities and meet accessibility standards in consultation with the City’s Accessibility Advisory Committee. 

This is the City’s third multi-year accessibility plan, building on successes and opportunities for improvement from its original 2013-2017 and 2018-2022 plans. Key initiatives include:

• Enhancing engagement with the Accessibility Advisory Committee and the community
• Maintaining and improving accessibility related to information and communications, employment practices, design of public spaces, and customer service
• Ongoing review of accessibility policies and procedures
• Continuous improvement based on feedback from the community and collaboration with the Accessibility Advisory Committee

In addition to the plan, the City’s 11-member citizen Accessibility Advisory Committee helps guide Richmond Hill’s accessibility work. The Committee meets regularly through the year to review and comment on accessibility related to City projects, policies and procedures, and to discuss new opportunities to improve accessibility at the City for residents and visitors.  

The full plan is available online at RichmondHill.ca/Accessibility. 

Quotes 

“The work of accessibility is never truly done and requires an ongoing commitment. We have been committed to accessibility for many years with the City’s first accessibility plan having been introduced in 2013. This newest five-year plan builds on the work and accomplishments of the last 10 years, and continues to guide us in all of the services we provide to the community.” – Mayor David West 

“I am proud of the progress we have made as a community in accessibility and of our ongoing commitment to continuing this work. City staff have done a commendable job of pulling together this new plan in collaboration with community feedback. I’m confident that by focusing our efforts on exceeding standards, community engagement, and continuous improvement, we will continue to build on our progress and achievements to date.” – Ward 5 Councillor Karen Cilevitz, Chair – Accessibility Advisory Committee