Accessibility news and events

The City of Ottawa is pleased to celebrate our 21^st Annual AccessAbility Day. This event recognizes the City’s accessibility achievements, commitment to inclusion across services, programs and facilities, and celebrates the diverse community of persons with disabilities. 

This year’s theme is: Looking towards 2025 and the future of accessibility.   

Please join Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and City Manager Wendy Stephanson for the opening ceremony and proclamation of AccessAbility Day in Ottawa. This will be followed by updates on the City of Ottawa Municipal Accessibility Plan, and an educational talk from our keynote speaker.    

Date: Thursday, May 30 

Time: 10 am to 2:30 pm  

Location: In-person event at Ottawa City Hall, 110 Laurier Avenue  

The morning portion of the event will be livestreamed on the City’s YouTube channel.    

Please mark your calendars and stay tuned for more information and a registration link coming soon.   

The City of Ottawa recently hosted a virtual public information session and discussion on emergency preparedness for persons with disabilities. Coordinated by the Accessibility Office, the session included presentations from staff in the Office of Emergency Management and Ottawa Public Health who provided information and resources with a focus on key emergency preparedness considerations for those living with disabilities.

There has been an undeniable increase in climate-related emergencies over the past number years including heavy winds and tornadoes, heavy rainfall and flooding, as well as extreme cold and heat events. Additionally, given that the City is the nation’s capital, political demonstrations and protests have equally contributed to various recent emergency events and responses.

As such, when planning for emergencies, whether that requires sheltering in place or evacuating, all residents, including those with disabilities, must consider emergency planning that is tailored to each personal situation.

During the presentations, staff in the Office of Emergency Management highlighted the importance of social connections and personal supports, assistive devices, including back-up options in the event of a power outage, as well as considerations for the management of your health, including ensuring you have an adequate supply of medication, if possible.

Staff in Ottawa Public Health also presented on the diversity of our personal experiences, and that emergency preparedness is definitely not “one size fits all”. Staff went onto explain various considerations to keep in mind for either sheltering in place or evacuating, such as providing your emergency contacts with extra keys to be able to access your home, as well as important elements to include in your emergency kit and/or a go bag, not forgetting to include any supplies needed for pets and service animals.

Following the presentations, participants had the opportunity to engage with City staff from both teams with their own concerns, questions and feedback based on their personal experiences from past events.

Staff in the City’s Accessibility Office will be compiling all feedback, either shared during the event itself, as well as through the evaluation survey and all communications received post-event, and will share this with staff in the Office of Emergency Management and Ottawa Public Health for their awareness and establishment of future actions.

For those unable to attend the virtual event live, you can watch the recording on the City’s YouTube channel. 

Keep in touch with the Accessibility Office and get accessibility-related updates through the Accessibility Spotlight. Sign up using the City's eSubscriptions sign up form to receive the monthly e-newsletter directly to your email.

For information on or to receive previous Accessibility Spotlight articles, contact:

Accessibility Office
City of Ottawa
accessibilityoffice@ottawa.ca