Accessibility is critical to ensuring that all voters are able to participate fully in the electoral process and exercise their democratic right to vote.
Since the 2007 general election, Elections Ontario has made great progress in our understanding of and approach to accessibility. “Inclusiveness” has become part of Elections Ontario’s culture. We now integrate accessibility design principles into everything we do.
To make sure that voters are fully aware of all the accessible services available to them, Elections Ontario has developed an Accessibility Action Plan. The plan outlines how Elections Ontario will work to remove barriers to voting. It describes new services, such as Special ballots, home visits, and assistive voting technologies.
In addition, the Plan will provide Ontarians with an understanding of Elections Ontario’s continuing commitment to accessibility through post-election evaluation and ongoing integration of accessibility into electoral policies and processes.
As part of its commitment, Elections Ontario has established the Elections Ontario Accessibility Advisory Committee. The mandate of this committee is to advise the Chief Electoral Officer on initiatives that Elections Ontario will undertake to remove barriers in the electoral process and to increase opportunities available to persons with disabilities. The committee held its first meeting on January 26, 2011.