I am pleased to present the University of Waterloo’s (“Waterloo”) Multi-year Accessibility Plan, which captures our priorities in the area of accessibility over the next five years.
As Canada’s most innovative university, we apply that creative energy towards meeting a host of accessibility challenges. Considering accessibility in everything we do, before action is taken, is the most effective and efficient way of addressing barriers that might exist rather than retrofitting accessibility considerations in an end state.
Towards the end of 2017, our President approved Policy 58: Accessibility to address these and other issues and to build a foundation for further action. As articulated within the Policy:
Waterloo is committed to achieving accessibility and its requirements established under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Waterloo is committed to fostering an accessible campus environment for persons with disabilities.
This multi-year accessibility plan is intended to support and align with the commitments within Policy 58: Accessibility. The strategies and actions also meet Waterloo’s obligation for creating an accessible environment under the AODA.
Waterloo’s current strategic plan is in its final year and we are in the process of developing a new plan that will take us through 2020 and beyond. Accessibility, along with all equity and similar value-related and driven initiatives will be embedded in everything we do. As such, I am confident that accessibility will be positioned prominently within our next strategic plan and progress will be tracked at all levels of the organization. To demonstrate Waterloo’s commitment, a dedicated Accessibility Plan that outlines specific initiatives for achieving these goals and the detailed accomplishments need to be highlighted on their own and, to that end, Waterloo is committed to maintaining a standalone plan which will guide us in tracking progress on at least an annual basis.
Building upon a commitment to promote equitable opportunities for all individuals, Waterloo’s multiyear accessibility plan has been created to enhance, formalize and make public many of our current and proposed practices. The initial and subsequent plans will set directives to support and encourage members of Waterloo’s community to think strategically regarding accessibility planning.
Sincerely,
Marilyn Thompson
Associate Provost, Human Resources
Acknowledgement The University of Waterloo acknowledges that we are on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishnawbe and Haudenosaunee peoples. The University of Waterloo is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land promised to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River.
The Multi-Year Accessibility Plan 2018-2022 (PDF) is also available for download.
