Accessibility Plan
for
Nipissing University
September 2003
Submitted by
Dan Pletzer, Chair
Accessibility Planning Committee
This document is available in alternative format
Contents
Page
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3
Background 4
Objectives of Nipissing University’s Accessibility Plan 5
Description of Nipissing University 5
Accessibility Planning Committee
§ Establishment of the Accessibility Planning Committee 7
§ Chair 7
§ Members of the Accessibility Planning Committee 8
Nipissing University’s commitment to accessibility planning 9
Recent barrier-removal initiatives 9
Barrier-identification methodologies 9-10
Barriers identified 10-23
Methodologies for identifying barriers in 2003 - 2204 24
Barriers to be addressed in 2003 – 2004 25
Review and monitoring process 26
Dispute Resolution Process 26
Communication of the plan 26
Appendix 27
Executive Summary
People with disabilities represent a significant and growing part of our population. According to Statistics Canada, about 1.9 million Ontarians have disabilities — about 16% of the population. It is estimated that 20% of the population will have disabilities in two decades.
The purpose of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001 (ODA) is to improve opportunities for people with disabilities and to provide for their involvement in the identification, removal and prevention of barriers to their full participation in the life of the province. The ODA mandates that all universities prepare annual accessibility plans.
To this end, an Accessibility Planning Committee at Nipissing University has collaborated to prepare this report. The aim of this report is to describe steps that were taken during 2002-2003, and measures that will be taken in 2003-2004 to identify, remove and prevent barriers to people with disabilities, including students, faculty, staff, parents, alumnae and the general public who visit our campuses. Six significant activities are planned for the purpose of identification, removal and prevention of barriers for people with disabilities in the coming year at Nipissing University. These include:
1. Continuation of the Accessibility Planning Committee to monitor accessibility planning objectives during 2003 -2004.
2. Conduct an accessibility audit of external and internal facilities at both campuses.
3. Conduct accessibility surveys of students with disabilities.
4. Conduct accessibility surveys of faculty and staff.
5. Draft or revise relevant institutional policies.
6. Develop a faculty guide for promoting a barrier-free learning environment.
Background
The Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001 (ODA) received Royal Assent on December 14, 2001. The purpose of this Act is to improve opportunities for people with disabilities through identification, removal and prevention of barriers to participation in the life of the province. The Act, designed and introduced by the Ministry of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation requires the province, municipalities and the broader public sector to make their buildings, programs, and services accessible to persons with disabilities.
A central feature of the ODA is the requirement for all designated organizations and agencies, including colleges and universities to prepare annual Accessibility Plans. These plans will address the “identification, removal, and prevention of barriers to persons with disabilities in the organization’s by-laws, if any, and in its policies, practices and services.”
This report describes measures that Nipissing University has taken during 2002-2003, and will take during 2003-2004 to identify, remove and prevent barriers to all persons with disabilities when accessing Nipissing University’s facilities, programs and services. All persons include students, faculty, staff, student employees, parents, alumnae, and anyone visiting the University.
The Ontarians with Disabilities Act defines both disability and barrier in broad terms.
“Disability” is defined as:
a) Any degree of physical disability, infirmity, malformation or disfigurement that is caused by bodily injury, birth defect or illness and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, includes diabetes mellitus, epilepsy, a brain injury, any degree of paralysis, amputation, lack of physical coordination, blindness or visual impediment, deafness or hearing impairment, muteness or speech impediment, or physical reliance on a guide dog or other animal or on a wheelchair or other remedial appliance or device;
b) A condition of mental impairment or a developmental disability;
c) A learning disability, or a function in one or more of the processes involved in understanding, or using symbols, or spoken language;
d) A mental disorder, or
e) An injury or disability from which benefits were claimed or received under the insurance plan established under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997; (‘handicap’).
“Barrier” is defined as:
Anything that prevents a person with a disability from fully participating in all aspects of society because of his or her disability, including a physical barrier, an architectural barrier, information or communications barrier, an attitudinal barrier, a technological barrier, a policy or a practice.
Objectives of Nipissing University’s Accessibility Plan
This report:
1. Reviews the commitment and progress that Nipissing University has made to date in removing and preventing barriers to persons with disabilities in its facilities, policies, programs, practices and services.
2. Describes the process by which Nipissing University will continue to use to identify, remove, and prevent barriers to people with disabilities.
3. Lists the facilities, policies, programs, practices and services that Nipissing University will review in the coming year to identify barriers to people with disabilities.
4. Describes the measures Nipissing University will take in the coming year to remove and prevent specific barriers that have been identified.
5. Outlines a dispute resolution process for dealing with complaints regarding accessibility.
6. Describes the ways that Nipissing University will make its Accessibility Plan available to the public.
Description of Nipissing University
Nipissing University is a co-educational, non-denominational, government-supported institution that was granted, on December 10, 1992, the right to confer degrees in the province of Ontario. It is a member of the Council of Ontario Universities, the Association of Universities and Colleges in Canada and the Association of Universities of the British Commonwealth.
The Nipissing University Act (1992) provides for governance of the University by the Academic Senate and the Board of Governors. The administration of the University is carried out by a Board of Governors of 26 members. The Academic Senate consists of all full-time Faculty members of the University, the Registrar, the Executive Director of Library Services, plus representatives from students, the Board and the Aboriginal Council on Education.
Finances for the operation of the University are secured through fees and through regular government grants on the same basis as grants paid to all universities in the province.
Mission statement
Nipissing University is a Canadian university which provides undergraduate programs in Liberal Arts, Science, Business and undergraduate and graduate programs in Education. Nipissing aspires to fulfill the best traditions of scholarship and to provide an environment committed to the ideals of free inquiry and expression. Nipissing’s individuality as a university is a function of its size, location and history. As a smaller university, Nipissing strives to provide a collegial setting attentive to individuals thereby enabling members of all groups within the university community to achieve their personal potential.
As a university in a Northern Ontario community, Nipissing aspires to reflect and respond to the region by serving as an intellectual and cultural centre.
As a university with predominantly undergraduate programming and roots in teacher education, Nipissing places priority on the highest ideals of instructional excellence.
Number of Employees and Students
The current number of employees in all classifications at Nipissing University is 1251. This number of registered employees combined with approximately 3000 on-campus students totals approximately 4250 persons who participate on a regular basis in the affairs of the university learning community. With an estimated 16% of the population of Ontario being affected by some form of disability this equates to a presence of 680 persons with a disability participating in the activities of the university.
Location, including branches
Main Campus:
100 College Drive,
North Bay, Ontario P1B 8L7
Satellite Campuses:
Muskoka Campus
440 Ecclestone Drive,
Bracebridge, Ontario P1L 1Z6
* Brantford Campus (shared with Wilfrid Laurier University)
73 George Street
Brantford, Ontario N3T 243
*Addressed in Wilfrid Laurier’s Accessibility Plan.
The Accessibility Planning Committee
Establishment of the Accessibility Planning Committee
Former President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Dave Marshall, in consultation with the Vice-President Administration/Finance Murray Green, endorsed the creation of an Accessibility Planning Committee in March 2003. The mandate of the Accessibility Planning Committee is to:
· Conduct inquiries regarding potential and actual barriers to people with disabilities in all facilities, regulations, policies, programs, practices and services offered by Nipissing University.
· Identify facilities, regulations, policies, programs, practices and services that cause or may cause barriers to people with disabilities.
· Prioritize and specify barriers that will be removed or otherwise modified in the coming year within the limits of the financial and human resources available.
· Describe how these barriers will be removed or prevented.
· Prepare an annual report on these activities, and subject to approval by the University’s Board of Governors, make an Annual Accessibility Plan available to the public.
Chair
The President appointed Dan Pletzer, Manager of Counselling and Disability Services to co-ordinate and chair the activities of the University’s Accessibility Planning Committee.
Nipissing University Accessibility Planning Committee
The following representatives of the university community were recommended to participate on the Planning Committee:
Planning Committee Member / Department / Contact InformationWilson Abreu / President, Nipissing University Student Union / Ext. 4409
Darlene Brackenreed / Professor – Faculty of Education / Ext 4502
Wendy Young / Professor – Faculty of Arts and Science / Ext. 4314
Al Carfagnini / Executive Director, Student Affairs / Ext. 4278
Ronald Common / Dean – Faculty of Education / Ext. 4268
David Cotie / Director College Facilities Canadore College / Ext. 5502
Andrew Dean / Dean – Faculty of Arts and Science / Ext 4290
Murray Green / Vice-President, Administration and Finance / Ext. 4289
Robert Hawkins / Vice President, Academic & Research / Ext. 4254
Bonnie Houston / Learning Strategist – Disability Services / Ext 4235
Jack Jones / Director of Instructional Development and Technology Mediated Learning / Ext. 4281
Brian Nettlefold / Executive Director – Library Services / Ext. 4220
Bill Ross / Director of Technology Services / Ext. 4353
Frank Ciancio / Manager of Application Development and Support / Ext. 4229
Connie Vander Wall / Director of Human Resources and Payroll / Ext. 4497
* The Chair of Nipissing University’s Accessibility Planning Committee collaborated with the Chair of the Canadore College Accessibility Planning Committee due to shared resources, programs and services between the two institutions.
Nipissing University’s Commitment to Accessibility Planning
This document presents Nipissing University’s commitment to establishing an Accessibility Plan under the mandate of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act and was approved by the Plant and Property committee of the Nipissing University Board of Governors on October 22, 2003. Inherent in this commitment is the understanding that improving access to persons with disabilities at Nipissing University involves institution-wide awareness and participation, including the participation of persons with disabilities in the ongoing accessibility planning and review process. Through this collaborative approach, the institution can achieve and sustain a reasonable standard of service to all members of the university community who have disabilities.
During the 2003-2004 academic year, the Accessibility Planning Committee will continue to meet regularly to review the progress of the current accessibility planning objectives and to set out future planning objectives.
1. Past Barrier Identification and Removal Initiatives
In past years, there have been several initiatives to identify, remove and prevent barriers to people with disabilities at Nipissing University. These include:
Date / InitiativeOct, 2000 / Residence accessibility planning and follow-up audit and report
Oct. 2000 / Athletic Centre accessibility audit
Oct. 2001 / Faculty Survey on Learning Disabilities
Annually / Special Needs (Disability Services) Program Evaluation
Annually / Campus Safety Audit
2. Barrier-Identification Methodologies
During the 2002-2003 academic year Nipissing University used the following barrier identification methodologies:
Methodology / Description / StatusAccessibility Survey of Students with Disabilities / An additional section was added to the Disability Services (formerly Special Needs) Program Evaluation for the 2002-2003 academic year. Specific questions were asked of students to identify barriers that they have observed in regard to physical accessibility, instructional/learning environment and policies, practices, programs and services. (See Appendix I) / Survey was sent to students in April 2003. Responses were summarized and recommendations for barrier removal are included in the barrier identification section of this report.
Methodology / Description / Status
Consultation with institutional department representatives according to the University Accessibility Planning checklist prepared by the COU Ontarians with Disabilities Act Planning Committee. / Using materials from the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario and the COUODA Planning Committee, the following areas were identified as needing review regarding policies, practices and services:
1. Publications and information resources;
2. Equipment and adaptive technology;
3. Physical facilities;
4. Human resource issues;
5. Awareness programs for faculty and staff;
6. Academic services and policies for students with disabilities;
7. Non-academic student support services / Commenced on May 22, 2003. Consultation is ongoing for each area.
Joint accessibility planning with Canadore College / Canadore College and Nipissing University share a common campus and many peripheral services such as physical resources, library, security, health services, bookstore, and food services. / Meetings commenced May 1, 2003 and are ongoing.
Incoming Student Self-Identification form / A self-identification form was included with each offer of admission sent to every new student with instructions to the student to complete the form and return it to the Disability Services Office. / Completed during the period: April - June 2003.
Enhanced Services Program for Students with Learning Disabilities Year-End Survey / A survey was designed as part of the evaluation of services and practices provided to students with specific learning disabilities. / Survey was sent to students in April 2003. Responses were summarized and recommendations for barrier removal are included in the barrier identification section of this report.
Residence-User evaluation and feedback / Students with disabilities who live in the Nipissing University residences were invited to identify deficiencies in new construction as well as existing barriers. / Completed, September 2003
3. Barriers Identified