Accessibility
Victoria County developed an Accessibility Plan to offer more inclusive municipal programs and services. The goal is to identify and eliminate barriers for people with disabilities.
An Accessibility Advisory Committee was established consisting of municipal staff and members of the community to advise the municipal council on identifying, preventing and eliminating accessibility barriers to municipal programs, services and infrastructure. The committee played a key role in developing the plan.
Provincial standards were developed for the following areas outlined in Nova Scotia’s Accessibility Act and therefore these are the areas that Victoria County explored through the development of its plan:
- Programs and Services – Ensuring everyone has equitable access to municipal programs and services
- Information and Communication – Ensuring everyone can receive, understand and share the municipal information they need
- Transportation – Making it easier for everyone to get where they need to go in Victoria County
- Employment – Making municipal workplaces accessible, and supporting our employees with disabilities
- Built Environment* – Making municipal facilities accessible to everyone
- Education – Raising awareness about diversity and inclusion in Victoria County
*The build environment refers to municipal facilities that include the administration office in Baddeck, two transfer stations and recycling depots and four water utility sites.
Community Consultation
An essential part of our planning process is gathering feedback from Victoria County residents to help identify barriers that will shape the Accessibility Plan. This will be an ongoing initiative for Victoria County and your feedback is welcome anytime.
Online Survey: The online survey closed on June 30, 2022.
Victoria County Open House Sessions: Sessions were held between May 24 and June 7, 2022 in all eight districts in Victoria County.
Contact
To reach Victoria County about accessibility please email accessibility@victoriacounty.ca or call 902-295-3672.
Disability in Nova Scotia
According to Statistics Canada, 30 per cent of Nova Scotians aged 15 years and older identify as having at least one disability. That is nearly 230,000 Nova Scotians. This is the largest percentage of any Canadian province. Nova Scotia also has among the highest percentage of adults older than 65 – currently 20 per cent, or 1 in 5. This percentage will increase to about 25 per cent of the population, or 1 in 4, by 2030.
Because older adults are more likely to have disabilities than younger people, the number of Nova Scotians with disabilities will rise as our population ages. Learn more at novascotia.ca/accessibility/stats-on-disability-in-Nova-Scotia.pdf
Background
In 2017, Nova Scotia became the third province in Canada to pass accessibility legislation, committing to a more equitable and accessible province. The Accessibility Act recognizes accessibility as a human right and sets a goal to make Nova Scotia an accessible province by 2030. The goal of the act is to prevent and remove barriers that restrict people with disabilities from fully participating in society. It enables the government to develop standards for accessibility, and outlines responsibilities for some public sector bodies, including municipalities.
Resources