City of Ottawa - Accessibility Spotlight - April 2022

 

OC Transpo’s new My Para Transpo web application makes it easier for customers to book a trip online

Book, cancel and track your Para Transpo ride with My Para Transpo! Para Transpo customers can now use a mobile-friendly online service to book and track trips. My Para Transpo allows customers to: Book a next-day trip Cancel a booked trip Track the location of a vehicle for an upcoming trip Manage their customer profile information My Para Transpo has been developed in collaboration with Para Transpo customers. Since December 2020, a working group of customers has been testing the web application and an early adopters group has been piloting the service since July 2021. Future releases will include; the ability for support persons, caretakers and institutions to book or cancel trips on behalf of their family members, friends or clients; customer notifications for upcoming trips, and a downloadable mobile application. Get started! It’s easy to enrol! To begin, visit My Para Transpo, enter your customer ID, email address and date of birth. You will receive an email link to confirm enrolment. If you have an online ParaPay account, use the same login and password, no need to enrol. To ensure a smooth transition to My Para Transpo, the web forms that have been available to customers since February 2020 for bookings and cancellations will remain accessible for an overlap period. My Para Transpo is one of the ways we’re working to enhance the customer experience and provide you with more self-service options. You can still manage your bookings by giving us a call at 613-560-5000. To learn more about OC Transpo’s My Para Transpo web application, visit octranspo.com .

Accessibility at City parks and play structures

With the warmer spring weather upon us, residents, their children and visitors will be flocking to City of Ottawa parks and outdoor play structures to enjoy some of our beautiful green spaces. We are reminding everyone of all the accessible play structures and play area locations available across the City through an interactive map and table. If a resident notices any accessibility issues in these spaces, they are encouraged to complete a form online, or to contact 3-1-1 to report it to staff.  Service requests via social media are not accepted. For all immediate requests, residents are asked to call 3-1-1. If this service is not available to you, or to use our Video Relay Service (VRS), please call 613-580-2400, or 613 580-2401 for TTY. If you would prefer to report the problem online, you can do so here: City park maintenance Road, sidewalk, and pathway maintenance (summer season) Street lighting For general information about the City’s spring maintenance operations, please visit Ottawa.ca.

Accessibility on Ottawa’s Patios

In order to support businesses impacted by COVID-19, the City developed its Patio Innovation Program in 2020 to encourage new or expanding restaurant patios and café seating. This has allowed restaurants to keep serving customers during Provincial closures, which provided the opportunity to generate revenue and keep some staff employed. To ensure accessibility, all patio applications must maintain a 2-meter clear pedestrian path of travel and must comply with the City’s Accessibility Design Standards, including cane-detectable delineation around the patio’s border. Accessibility is reviewed by City staff at the application stage. Additionally, when new or expanded patios are considered, every effort is made to maintain a straight pedestrian path of travel. Consideration is also given for street furniture and amenities, such as benches, waste receptacles and planters.   This Program will continue in 2022 and will include staff support for regular inspections and proactive enforcement. For more information on this Program, please contact ROWPatio@ottawa.ca (link sends e-mail). For issues related to enforcement, please contact 3-1-1, 613 580-2400 for Video Relay Service, or 613 580-2401 for TTY.

Investments in Accessibility in Community and Recreation Centres

The City of Ottawa strives to continually improve the accessibility of its community and recreation centres through the removal of barriers in its facilities. Infrastructure Services’ Design and Construction Facilities team leads the implementation of these improvements and oversees the updates in partnership with Asset Management and Recreation, Culture and Facility Services. In 2022 alone, the City of Ottawa is investing $2.5 million in facility improvements. In 2021, the Lois Kemp Arena in Blackburn Hamlet was reopened as a new, modernized community hub with accessible and inclusive features including alternate needs dressing rooms, an accessible bleacher seating area, and accessible parking spaces with an adjacent sidewalk. Renovations also began at the Kanata Recreation Centre to improve the accessibility of the existing washrooms, change rooms, halls, kitchen, and main entrance. In the east end, the Bob MacQuarrie Arena added an accessible change room to the fitness room for each of the regular change rooms at the facility, and constructed an accessible viewing platform in both arenas. Also in 2021, the new expansion of the Beacon Hill North Community Centre was announced and will include improvements that will benefit residents of all abilities. Construction on this began this April. In 2022, accessibility improvements at the Nepean Sportsplex will remove barriers in all washrooms and changerooms across the facility. An accessible viewing platform is also being built in the Yzerman Arena to provide barrier-free access to view activities on the ice surface. These improvements will be constructed this summer. These are just a few locations where City facilities are being updated and removing barriers. The City continuously monitors its facilities for accessibility barriers and Asset Management, along with Infrastructure Services, actively plan for their removal.