In Canada, accessible transit for the visually impaired is an important issue. Recently, writer Katherine Fletcher wrote an article for the Calgary Herald stating:
Last month, Ottawa city council rejected OC Transpo’s proposal to install an $8-million automated system in its bus fleet. After last month’s ruling, (David) Lepofsky told the Canadian Press the tribunal’s decision could extend to other public transit systems across the country: “Blind people have the same need to know where they’re getting off, whether it’s a bus in Toronto, or Montreal, or Calgary, or Regina…Tell me there’s a city in Canada that has more traffic, or bus routes, or diversity than Toronto. If you can do it here then you can do it in London (Ontario), or wherever.”
See full article: Is Calgary Transit accessible enough for Calgarians with disabilities?
To add to the need for consistent, audible, next step messaging for accessible mass-transit in Canada, the Ontario Human Rights Commission is:
“Following up on several key developments in the area of accessible transit, Chief Commissioner Barbara Hall has written to transit services across the province asking them to remove barriers faced by riders with disabilities. “Stop announcements are not only necessary for visually impaired riders but can benefit all transit users including visitors and even many of us who can’t see the stops due to crowds or weather conditions,” commented Chief Commissioner Hall.
In the United States, the American Disabilities Act (ADA) requires transportation systems to remove barriers to mass transit for persons who are blind or visually impaired, primarily by making visible information accessible and usable and “Making stop announcements inside transit vehicles at main points along a bus or train route.”
While accessible transit is coming to the forefront of public consciousness in Canada, it’s clear that there is still more work to be done. The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) states “Public transportation is a major key to independence, productivity, and community participation.” Independence, productivity, and community participation are basic and fundamental human rights.
For more information on the Human Rights Tribunal in Ontario regarding accessible mass transit please visit the Canadian Legal Information Institute.
