November 29, 2024 Stratford Times d (oral FASHION SELECT REGULAR- PRICED ITEMS! oO F EF in-store € online CONNOR LUCZKA Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Though Roger Koert, chair of the acces- sibility advisory committee (AAC), spoke to Stratford city council on Nov. 26 to present the committee’s annual award, it would be the last time that someone from the AAC would speak to council ahead of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Dis- abilities Act (AODA)’s fast approaching 2025 deadline, when all public facilities must be made accessible and barrier-free. Koert did not waste the opportunity. “I'm going to challenge you, and when you want to react defensively, instead be reflective,’ Koert said. “People in ou community, province, nation have been living this life for too long, being discrim- inated against or advocating tirelessly only to feel unheard or dismissed. “Rewind to 2005, two years before I became disabled. ... In the early years of my rehab, I'm hearing the promise of this future utopia and I decided to approach my disability with youthful positivity, knowing there were better days une the corner. Well, my youthful pi has changed to middl ed realit The AODA was enact ing a more limited law, as a more com- prehensive standard to address the dis- crimination of persons with disabilities. The Province of Ontario gave itself and i=} h al lack of progress in that time province. The most recent review found a lack of accountability, enforcement and s some of the rea- Koert also shared the stories of fellow AODA deadline fast approaching and Stratford hasn't done its homework, according to accessibility advocate Zein and former AAC member Mary Hel- en Mosterman, his aunt who, just earlier that day, passed away at the age of 65 after having dealt with symptoms of multiple sclerosis for 40 years. “A quarter of Ontario's population, 2.9 million people, live with a disability, vis- ible or invisible. By 2040, this number will be closer to on million,” Koert said. “People with disabilities are everywhere. We, the disabled community, have been passive and accepting of people not mak- ing acceptable accommodations for per- sons with disabiliti He turned to the Stratford Police Ser- vice’s downtown headquarters (long known to. be inaccessible), as just one hot-topic example. He said it feels as if they are Re before an exam,” even though the A introduced a mo- tion 17 years ago 2 make the building ible. He said there are many allies to those with accessible needs, but they don’t silent supporters. They need accomplices; people who are active in achieving the province’s mandate and fostering a es er-free reality beyond the AODA. As he started his self-described “ “rant? Koert told councillors and the gallery it would be 20 minutes long. When it drew to a close only a few min- utes later, he asked the room to reflect on the uncomfortability they felt knowing they would have to sit for 20 minutes. “Which would still only be one minute of every year we in the disabled commu- nity have beet waiting for a fully accessi- ble community and province.” After he spoke (and presented the AAC’s annual award), Mayor Martin Ritsma thanked him for his reminder that ig. local advocates like Diane Sims, Peter _ there is still lots of work to do EXTRA OFF CLEARANCE! EABAN( “haven STRATFORD BE IN THE KNOW! Get the Latest Edition Delivered Straight to Your Inbox! RED CORAL STRATFORD RED CORAL ST. JACOBS 77 Ontario St. 1385 King St. N. Stratford, ON | St. Jacobs, ON 519-933-9398 519-664-0297 www.redcoralfashion.com Follow Us! @OO@