Promoting a Culture of Accessibility and Inclusion in the Municipal Sector
Call for Workshop Session Proposals
OMSSA, as part of the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario’s EnAbling Change program, will be sponsoring a conference in Toronto on Monday,December 5, 2016 - Promoting a Culture of Accessibility and Inclusion in the Municipal Sector. Whether through the delivery of human services, the design of outdoor spaces and buildings, recreational and tourism initiatives, or economic development programs, inclusive communities embrace the needs of people of all abilities and all ages. Inclusive communities remove barriers for people with disabilities and other accessibility needs to fully participate in economic, social and community life.
In an inclusive community, everyone belongs.
Who will attend?
Municipal employees and partners interested in making their programs and services more inclusive to all residents.
Participants will include municipal staff working in the areas of accessibility, age-friendly communities, human services, planning, economic development, tourism and recreation, and emergency planning. As well, local community partners and businesses will be invited to attend.
Call for Proposals
Workshopswill be an integral part of the learning environment at the OMSSAAccessibility and Inclusion Conference. We are looking for best practices, and new and innovative ways to promote a culture of inclusion in local communities that goes beyond compliance with AODA regulatory standards.
Workshopsshould be interactive, allow sufficient time for questions, discussion and the exchange of ideas. Technology such as Audience Response Systems is encouraged. Workshops can be offered in a variety of formats including:
1)Interactive workshop presentation
2)Panel presentations[1]
3)Roundtable discussions focused on specific topics. Roundtables are to be presented/organized by facilitators with expertise in the subject matter being discussed. The intention of a roundtableis to dig deep into specifictopics, focus on developing solutions, approaches, strategies, or innovative thinking.
Proposal Categories
Proposed workshop sessions should demonstrate best practices and learningsas they relate to accessibility and/or inclusion in one of the following topic categories:
-Emergency Social Services
-Children’s services
-Income and employment
-Housing and shelter services
-Integrated human services
-Age-friendly communities
-Tourism and/or recreation
-Accessible public spaces
-Social entrepreneurship and economic development
-Working with local businesses
Workshop Selection
All submitted proposals will be reviewed and selected using the following criteria (in no specific order of importance):
- Relevance to the conference theme
- Clarity and accuracy
- Geographical representation
- Originality and creativity
- Context within current practices
Submission
All proposals must be submitted in writingusing the Submission Form by no later than June 30, 2016 via e-mail to .
Selected participants will be notified via e-mail by July 31, 2016.
Additional Information
Should you require additional information or have any questions, please contact Ellen Waxman, Conference Organizer at , or (416) 452-7770. Thank you and we look forward to your participation.
Promoting A Culture of Accessibility and Inclusion
Workshop Submission Form
Workshop Title:
Workshop Content:
Format:
Presenters:
Learning Objectives:
Contact:
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[1] From time to time OMSSA receives multi proposals that reflect the same theme and content. In these circumstances we will work with interested parties to collaborate or partner on a single workshop.