The City of Sault Ste. Marie is committed to improving access to its citizens and visitors through the requirements legislated under the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001 and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. These Acts require all municipalities with 10,000 or more residents to establish accessibility advisory committees, whose primary purpose is to help prepare and implement annual accessibility plans. A majority of the members of a municipal Accessibility Advisory Committee are people with disabilities as defined by the Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

The Accessibility Advisory Committee advises Council and potentially City agencies, boards and commissions, in promoting and facilitating a barrier-free Sault Ste. Marie for citizens of all abilities.

Mission
We are committed to continually strive towards identifying and preventing barriers in our community.

Vision
Promoting and facilitating a barrier-free Sault Ste. Marie for citizens of all abilities.

Accessibility Standards
Standards are being developed provincially.  The first standard, now a regulation is the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service.  All staff, volunteers, boards and third party agents or contractors that come in contact with the public on our behalf must be compliant with this standard.  This means that you must complete training which includes:

1. A review of the purpose of the legislation
2. Requirements of the Customer Service Standard
3. How to interact with persons with disabilities who use assistive devices
4. How to use any assistive devices equipment that we have on our properties
5. What to do if a person with a disability is having trouble accessing our goods or services
6. Our corporate and departmental policies, practises and procedures governing the provision of our goods or services to people with disabilities

Please scroll down to the bottom of this page for the link to our Corporate Training Program

Barrier Identification Checklist
The Accessibility Advisory Committee has created a checklist to assist in identifying barriers to accessibility encountered in municipal facilities or operations. Download the checklist here.

Facility Accessibility Design Standard (FADS)  is the tool used to improve accessibility to our municipal buildings. 
It is the recommended standard (developed by the Corporation of the City of London) and is used around the province  to improve accessibility to buildings for persons with disabilities.
FacilityAccessibilityDesignStandards.pdf

Download:
2010 Accessibility Plan
2009 Accessibility Plan
2008 Accessibility Plan
2007 Accessibility Plan
2006 Accessibility Plan
2005 Accessibility Plan
2004 Accessibility Plan