Yes, it’s May, but accessibility matters do not take a holiday even when it’s one of the Accessibility Advisory Committee’s usual months off. Unlike most AAC joints, this one will focus on one issue, and it’s a referral from city council. The committee will be asked to bring their expertise and experience to bare on a matter of playgrounds and their level of accessibility in a key piece of City policy.
NOTE #1: This meeting will take place in Meeting Room A at City Hall, but you can also watch it on video via Microsoft Teams. (Find the link on the meeting agenda.)
NOTE #2: Accessibility-related accommodations available upon timely request to Sarah Boghossian 519-822-1260 extension 3536; TTY 519-826-9771 email: accessibility [at] guelph.ca.
NOTE #3: The meeting begins at 3 pm and is expected to wrap up around 5 pm.
Playground Accessibility – Back in October a series of motions were referred to the AAC about accessibility matters supplementary to the Parks and Recreation Master Plan. In order to have a full airing of the issues raised in the council motions, it was decided that the AAC would have a full meeting in one of their off months in order to discuss them. No report was attached to this agenda, but the outline shows that the committee will tackle each motion one at a time.
In case you’ve forgotten, they are:
1. That the final PRMP include a requirement that all new playgrounds in Guelph include a minimum of two wheelchair accessible play equipment, and that talk tubes are not considered one of those features.
2. That the final PRMP include a requirement that all new playgrounds in Guelph include at least one play structure that is wheelchair accessible to the lowest deck.
3. That recommendation 33 in the Parks and Recreation Master Plan be revised to read “Apply a service level target of one rubber surface playground within 2.5 km of residential areas until 2025, moving to a target of one rubber surface playground within 1.5 km of residential areas starting in 2026.”
4. That the final PRMP include a recommendation that areas of economic need will be a factor in determining the location of playgrounds with rubber safety surface.
5. That the final PRMP include a recommendation to work with the Accessibility Advisory Committee to establish a target ratio of playgrounds that have rubber safety surface.
Guelph Politico 