# Accessibility at Northern College In 2005 the province of Ontario enacted the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. This sweeping legislation mandated accessibility standards in 5 areas: information and communication, customer service, employment, the built environment, and transportation. These standards which are bein | | | |---|---| | Type | PDF | | Size | 260 KB | [Open original PDF →](https://www.northerncollege.ca/uploads/2025/07/Northern-College-2023-2026-AODA-Multiyear-Plan-Accessibility-Plan.pdf) Referenced from: [Accessibility at Northern](/pages/accessibility/accessibility/) ## Document text ## Accessibility at Northern College In 2005 the province of Ontario enacted the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. This sweeping legislation mandated accessibility standards in 5 areas: information and communication, customer service, employment, the built environment, and transportation. These standards which are being phased in are intended to ensure a fully accessible province by 2025. Since the enactment of the AODA in 2005, the five standards have been harmonized into two secondary laws, the Customer Service Standard in 2007 and the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR) in 2011. As a broader public sector organization, Northern is in full compliance with the standards implemented on or before December 30, 2015, including the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulations of general requirements, Information and communication, employment, built environment and customer service. ## The AODA Multi-year Plan Under the act's Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR), Northern College is required to develop and publish mul ti-year accessibility plans, update those plans at least every five years and report on them annually. The MultiYear Accessibility Plan ('the plan') outlines how Northern College is responding to and going beyond our legislated obligatio ns to identify, prevent and remove barriers for persons with disabilities. This plan is a fluid document and framework, which provides high-level deliverable and activities over the next few years. This plan builds on the College's previous work in creating an accessible environment, identifies our accomp lishments to date, and outlines the next steps in our efforts to identify and remove barriers for persons with disabilities. This plan represents a continuation of previous plans in that the current accessibility standard requirements have been reached, and this plan identifies further refinement of accessibility goals and anticipation of emerging new requirements under the AODA. The plan reaches three years into the future and so the specificity of the plan decreases as the plan moves forward. This allows for the addition of evolving issues and the inclusion of new requirements over time. The plan will be extended to 2028 by the end of 2025 as per the recommendations of the Accessibility Working Group to be established in 2024. ## Northern College's Commitment to an Inclusive, Accessible Learning and Working Environment Based upon the principles of dignity, independence, integration, and equal opportunity, Northern College is committed to continually improving access, both physical and attitudinal, to facilities, programs, information resources, goods and services, and employment. Northern College, in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, shall meet the needs of persons with disabilities in a timely manner. For any questions or concerns, please contact the Human Resource Services Department at HR@northern.on.ca ## Multi-Year Accessibility Plan January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2026 ## Multi-Year Accessibility Plan January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2026 | Past Achievements and Ongoing Initiatives | Past Achievements and Ongoing Initiatives | Past Achievements and Ongoing Initiatives | Past Achievements and Ongoing Initiatives | Past Achievements and Ongoing Initiatives | | --- Source: [https://www.northerncollege.ca/uploads/2025/07/Northern-College-2023-2026-AODA-Multiyear-Plan-Accessibility-Plan.pdf](https://www.northerncollege.ca/uploads/2025/07/Northern-College-2023-2026-AODA-Multiyear-Plan-Accessibility-Plan.pdf)