built environment - physical spaces and places where people live, work, learn and play accessibility - degree to which a product, device, activity, facility, service or environment allows everyone to participate fully and is available to everyone on an equal basis Meaningful access - access that meets the real accessibility needs of all users of a Site, regardless of their physical ability Seeing - sensory disability, includes people with blindness and low vision Hearing - sensory disability, includes people with partial hearing loss to total hearing loss Physical disabilities - includes mobility, flexibility, dexterity, and pain Learning disabilities - affects acquision, organization, retention, understanding or use of verbal or non-verbal information Developmental disabilities - occur from birth or early childhood, inhibit or delay an individual's ability to perform a number of tasks Mental health related - disorders that affect mood, thinking and behaviour Memory - affects storage, retention, and recollection of memories Communication disabilities - impact speaking or understanding spoken language, can overlap with other challenges such as learning difficulties, cognitive challenges, or an aspect of autism spectrum disorders, mental health-related problems, or hearing-related conditions Visible vs. invisible disabilities - physical are often visible, learning disability or mental health are hidden Medical model of disability - disability as a medical condition and expects the person with the disability to change to fit with society Social model of disability - method of looking at the disability experience considers an individual's needs in the context of wider society. Focuses on barriers created by society Barriers to Accessibility - Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act identifies five barriers—attitudinal, architectural and physical, organizational or systemic, information or communications, technology attitudinal barriers - behaviours, perceptions and assumptions that discriminate against persons with disabilities Assuming a person with a physical disability is not capable of being employed, Assuming a person with hearing loss cannot effectively communicate socially or in a work setting, Assuming that someone with vision loss cannot navigate public transportation, city streets or even a filing cabinet, Assuming that a person with mental health issues cannot handle stress. Architectural or Physical - elements of buildings or outdoor spaces that block or limit access to persons with disabilities, Sidewalks, hallways, and doorways that are too narrow for a wheelchair, scooter or walker, Counters or desks that are too high for persons of short stature or someone using a wheelchair, or other mobility device, to interact with staff or to carry out a transaction, Poor lighting that makes it difficult for a person with low vision to see or for someone who lip-reads or uses sign language, Doorknobs that are difficult to grasp for a person with arthritis, telephones that are not equipped with telecommunications devices for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, lack of visual fire alarms could mean that a person with a hearing disability is working in an area that is unsafe for them. Organizational or Systemic - policies, procedures or practices that discriminate and prevent people with disabilities from participating fully in an opportunity available to others, An employment equity program that does not provide a hiring process that is open to people with disabilities: No hiring forms/applications in Braille, large print or other alternative formats, No telephone device for the deaf (TDD) so that people with hearing loss can talk directly to HR staff, Physically inaccessible offices, Rigid office hours or dress codes Information or communications barriers - happen when a person can't easily understand information,