International Day of Persons with Disabilities – what rental housing providers can do
Today is International Day of Persons with Disabilities, a day when we, as rental housing providers, should reflect on the important role we have to play in ensuring the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities.
For-profit rental housing provides much of the housing for people with disabilities in Canada. Besides bearing in mind our legal responsibilities under the Human Rights Code of each province, we should remind ourselves how much people with disabilities rely on our support, whether it be for unit repairs or renovations, or for accessibility in our buildings and to our services.
During this difficult period, when many of our tenants who struggle with a disability are more isolated than ever because of COVID-19, we should welcome this responsibility and continue to support members of our society with disabilities.
Some specific actions we could take include:
- Inspecting all equipment designed to assist people with disabilities, including automatic door openers
- Checking web features and portals for accessibility for the visually impaired
- Prioritizing any needed repairs or upgrades to improve accessibility
- Ensuring job application processes and documents are accessible
- Attending the Aird & Berlis webinar described below.
The Aird & Berlis webinar is entitled “Stories from Canadian Para Athletes: Waiting for Game Day”. It will take place from 3:00 to 4:15 pm today. Click here for a complete overview. Register by clicking here.
CFAA urges you to make accessibility and inclusion important every day, and to take or plan a careful look at how you are doing, and what you could do better.
