Accessibility Committee: Consultation, Feedback, Monitoring & Evaluation
Purpose of the Accessibility Committee
Under the Accessible BC Act, organizations must establish an Accessibility Committee to assist with identifying and preventing barriers to individuals in or interacting with the organization. The purpose of the accessibility committee is to work collaboratively to assess and improve community accessibility, focusing on the experiences of individuals with disabilities while encompassing the whole community. The Accessibility Committee also advises the school Administrator/Board on strategies to reduce social, physical, sensory and other barriers that prevent people from fully participating in all aspects of school community life.
Recruitment to the Accessibility Committee
Under the Accessible BC Act, the selection of accessibility committee members must, to the extent possible, align with the following goals:
- At least half the members are persons with disabilities (PWD) or individuals who support or are from organizations that support PWDs;
- At least one member is an Indigenous person, and
- Members reflect the diversity of persons in B.C.
The current Accessibility Committee includes Sara Kraushar and ______, with our intention to grow the committee during the 23/24 school year and more fully represent the diverse needs of the school community.
Accessibility Committee
We would like to ask people interested in applying to join the Accessibility Committee to complete the form below. Applications will be reviewed annually at a regularly scheduled meeting.
Committee members will be asked to:
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To meet regularly to review feedback
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To create or ratify a comprehensive feedback survey
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To annually review HCOS' Accessibility plan and create recommendations for the Directors team.
Note: Accessibility Committee volunteers may be eligible for an annual stipend.
Accessibility Committee: Expression of Interest Form
Consultation
The Accessibility Committee plans to use the following barrier-identification methods:
School Physical Accessibility Audit (Annual) | An Assessment of School Physical Accessibility will be developed. An audit team will be identified and conduct the School Physical Accessibility Audit. |
Accessibility Feedback Tool (Ongoing) | A feedback tool was developed and posted to this SOPHIE page. Information about the tool will be shared with school stakeholders (i.e., students, staff, outside professionals and parents/guardians). |
Feedback
At HCOS, we want to learn about specific barriers that people face when they are trying to:
- Access a school program, building or school information
- Receive a service or support
Thank you for taking the time to alert the Accessibility Committee to any barriers you have noticed or areas of support that could be developed.
Monitoring and Evaluation
The Accessibility Planning Committee meets regularly to review progress and evaluate the effectiveness of the plan’s implementation and plan for increased accessibility throughout the school.The committee will ensure the following steps are taken regarding the Three-Year Accessibility Plan:
1. Prepare an annual status report on the progress of the measures taken to implement the plan.
2. Review and update the Three-Year Accessibility Plan every three years in consultation with persons with disabilities and other relevant community members.