The City of Ottawa has developed Accessibility Design Standards (ADS) to ensure that all City owned and operated spaces and facilities are inclusive and accessible to everyone. This commitment extends to residents, visitors and employees with visible or non-visible disabilities.
The City is committed to providing equal treatment to people with disabilities with respect to the use and benefit of City services, programs, goods and facilities in a manner that respects their dignity and that is equitable in relation to the broader public.
The Accessibility Design Standards are mandatory and apply to both new construction and rehabilitation projects.
The City of Ottawa has released an updated version of the Accessibility Design Standards – Second Edition, November 2015 [ PDF - 6875 KB ]. The second edition can be used immediately and supersedes the November 2012 first edition. The title pages, table of contents, and Section 1 of this document are available in both English and French. Due to its technical nature, the remainder of the document is available in English only. For more information, please contact StandardsSection@ottawa.ca
Numerous changes have been incorporated into the second edition. Notable items include:
- Updates to harmonize with Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Design of Public Spaces Standards (DOPS) and recent Ontario Building Code (OBC) amendments
- Allows the City to meet provincial standards.
- New sections for Visitability Guidelines
- Allows the visiting public to access spaces without barriers.
- Accessibility During Construction
- Pedestrians must be able to move around existing City infrastructure during construction activities.
- This is a very important element as the City has many construction projects underway, including the O-Train Confederation Line
- Removal of conflicts with other City policies or guidelines/standards.
- Working with all City departments to ensure standards are aligned and staff are educated on the updated policies.