Accessibility Standards Canada and the British Columbia Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction met today to discuss the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) they recently signed. This joining of forces sets forth a collaboration to identify, remove, and prevent barriers to accessibility in Canada.
The MOU aims to improve coordination and collaboration between the mandates and objectives of the Governments of Canada and British Columbia relating to accessibility. Specifically, this agreement aims to optimize the efforts and resources of both entities. That way, they can strengthen their complementary approaches to accessibility. This would lead to a more consistent accessibility experience between jurisdictions.
In Canada, federal, provincial, and territorial governments develop their own policies and standards. Collaborations like this one allow uniformity between governments. This is crucial when developing accessibility standards.
Harmonizing accessibility standards nationally carries benefits for all Canadians:
- It increases the potential for a cohesive accessibility experience across Canada.
- It ensures that standards reflect the needs of people living with disabilities, regardless of jurisdiction.
- It promotes equity and consistency of accessibility for all Canadians as they live, work, and travel from coast to coast.
