Legislation
On August 22, 2010, the third stage of the American Federal Reserve's implementation of the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act came into force. Provisions for fair and equal credit have continued to be incorporated into laws that prohibit discrimination in credit transactions. These regulations require that consumers are notified of the reasons for denial of credit, provide borrowers with the means to check out their credit records, and...
Posted on: 27 Aug 2010
With tomorrow set to mark the first day of 2010, the January 1st date is particularly meaningful for service providers operating in the province of Ontario. The Customer Service standard is the first of five to be implemented under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), and there are certain requirements that providers must comply with by tomorrow's deadline.
Based on the questions I have received personally, and the...
Posted on: 31 Dec 2009
It was with great interest, both general and vested, that I read today’s announcement of Finance Minster Flaherty’s release of new regulations that govern credit card disclosure practices . As both a blind consumer and CEO of a company assisting institutions in delivering information accessibly, I applaud the introduction of a regulation that mandates the clear and effective communication of critical information.
As one of the 12.8 million blind and...
Posted on: 22 May 2009
Final chance for review and input Prior to it’s transmittal to the Minister of Community and Social Services for anticipated approval, the final draft of the Information and Communications Standards is scheduled to be voted on by the ICS Development Committee on the 28th of this month. As with the other four standards under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), the draft Information and Communications Standard...
Posted on: 13 Apr 2009
I wanted to take this opportunity to update all stakeholders on the status of the Accessible Information and Communications Standard, as both an ICS-DC committee member, and blog contributor who endeavours to keep communities of interest informed. Open for public review as of November 17th, the proposed standard, which outlines potential accessible communication requirements of both public and private organizations, will now be open until February 6th, 2009, extended from the originally...
Posted on: 10 Dec 2008
As referenced in a previous post, “Requesting input from my communitiesâ€, the recently proposed standard for Accessible Information and Communications, as part of the AODA, 2005 is now open for a period of public review. As a contributing member of the Standards Development Committee (SDC), while I am confident that we have drafted a representative proposal, I am hopeful that interested members of government, corporate and consumer communities will review and offer feedback on...
Posted on: 18 Nov 2008
The Accessible Information and Communications Standards Development Committee (I & C SDC) was established under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 to develop a proposed Ontario standard for accessible information and communications, to be considered by the government for adoption into a regulation.
The Standards Development Committee is working to reach consensus on an initial draft of a proposed standard. As a member of the Committee, I am seeking your informal...
Posted on: 04 Sep 2008
Last week, the Canadian government proposed updates to the Copyright Act which until now, has remained unchanged for over ten years. The tabled amendments outlined within this Copyright Reform Act (Bill C-61) were introduced by Industry Minister Jim Prentice and Heritage Minister Josée Verner, defended with the promise of offering consumers greater access and copying capabilities, while ensuring the protection of copyrighted content for authors/creators.
The proposed Act has sparked great...
Posted on: 20 Jun 2008
On June 3rd, the Ontario government introduced legislation that if passed, will allow Ontarian citizens to use an enhanced driver’s licence as proof of identification.
This licence, known as the EDL, will be available to non-drivers and can be used as an alternative travel document at Ontario-United States land and sea border crossings, as well as other routine tasks that require official identification.
As a blind citizen and long-time Ontario resident, I have experienced...
Posted on: 12 Jun 2008
Ontario has an important law called the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. It’s the first of its kind in Canada. In direct relation to the mission of my company, it’s intent is to ensure that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as all others and be able to do the things that most of us take for granted. Businesses and organizations that provide goods and services to people in Ontario will have to meet certain accessibility standards...
Posted on: 28 Apr 2008
