Facility Accessibility Design Standards

The City of Waterloo, City of Kitchener and the Townships of Wellesley, Wilmot and Woolwich are working together to improve accessibility and inclusion in municipal facilities and municipally-owned public spaces. SPH Consulting has been hired to develop a detailed set of Accessibility Design Standards for Municipal Facilities and Public Spaces.

These standards only apply to the physical design of the building or facility, for example:

• Acoustics
• Assistive listening systems
• Change rooms
• Drinking fountains and bottle filling stations
• Fire and life safety systems
• Kitchens and kitchenettes
• Libraries
• Lighting
• Paths of travel
• Playgrounds
• Public address systems
• Recreational and community facilities
• Rest areas
• Security systems
• Signage and wayfinding
• Tactile walking surfaces
• Texture and colour

The goal of this project to develop a clear set of guidelines for consultants, contractors, operations staff, and project managers. These guidelines will give direction on all future construction and renovation projects in public facilities. We aim to meet and exceed existing regulatory codes and standards to offer a more consistent user experience across the community.

How you can contribute

We are using the City of London’s Facility Accessibility Design Standards as a starting point. We have already consulted local community organizations and the Grand River Accessibility Advisory Committee (GRAAC) on their promising practices and guidelines. We have added this valuable feedback to the development of our standards.

We would like to invite community members with disabilities, and those who support persons with disabilities, to contribute as well.

We want to ensure that we’ve heard from many different perspectives and that our standards reflect local experiences and preferences. Your contributions will help ensure that local public spaces are more accessible and inclusive for community members and visitors.

Call us

Opportunities to contribute online are below. Know someone who has great ideas but doesn't spend time online? Tell them to call any member of our project team.

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