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ANNOUNCER: From our community to yours...
I'm Shirley Harasym for Accessible Media.
It's estimated that one in seven Canadians
lives with a disability,
and with that number expected to increase to one in five
over the next couple of decades,
the Sudbury District Health Unit
is busily working toward providing
barrier-free community health services.
As Human Resources Manager Troy Haslehurst-Walker explains,
a couple of key components are an accessible website
and interactive technology.
HASLEHURST-WALKER: A big part of what we're doing now though
is educating our workforce
to try to build accessibility into the work that they do.
Because to say that something is accessible,
you have to put meaning to that; what does that action mean.
And if you're not an individual who has a particular disability
that would be enhanced or would be supported by
a certain presentation of a certain piece of material,
you need to build the awareness of individuals
that are creating those documents.
So, for example, making sure that your PDFs
can be read by a screen reader, is an example.
And it may not be because they have the need for
a document in a different format,
it's more for the virtue of the work that they're doing;
it's easier to edit when it's been formatted properly.
HARASYM: According to the Accessibility Plan,
by adopting the principles of universal design,
accessibility has broader impacts:
assisting children, older adults, families,
and just about anyone who appreciates
barrier-free access, clear language,
and getting the right service when you need it.
Overall you're going to improve your customer service.
Regardless of the work that you're doing,
you're going to increase and the community will benefit
based on building that into into the framework
of your organization.
So really the impact,
or individuals that you're working with,
one in five eventually will have a disability
and may not know it; they can't necessarily see it.
And overall, your customer service will improve
by having accessibility built in.
So I think it will benefit everybody.
HARASYM: Building accessibility into the organizational framework
requires careful planning
and the dedication of staff and volunteers.
Important as well are partnerships
with community organizations like the CNIB
to help identify what's needed.
Oh, and by the way, the catchment area
for the Sudbury District Health Unit
is the size of New Brunswick.
I'm Shirley Harasym for Accessible Media.