This is National AccessAbility Week (May 25-31), celebrating the contributions and leadership of persons with disabilities and the work of organizations and communities working to remove barriers.
The City of Belleville’s Accessibility Coordinator Nicole Yantzi says it’s about addressing barriers for people with physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“When we talk about removing barriers, we have to recognize that people with disabilities are some, where it’s visible, like you know, for example, I use a walker. But there are many that are hidden and are not immediately visible.”
2025 is a big year for Accessibility in Ontario.
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) had set a deadline of this year to become fully accessible.
Yantzi says they are not there yet and there is ongoing work to do, but she sees that departments within the city are committed.
“And even you know, willing to learn about ideas to improve accessibility whether it’s websites or whether it’s playgrounds and splash pads. But the departments that I work with at the city are fantastic.”
She adds the city’s Accessibility Advisory Committee is working hard to see the community become accessible to everyone.
The committee has organized a trio of events to celebrate the week.
On Tuesday, the 2025 Accessibility Excellence Awards were handed out, recognizing a dozen individuals, not-for-profit and commercial groups for their efforts to increase accessibility.
Click here for more on the awards and the winners.
With funding from the Enabling Accessibility Fund, the city has been able to purchase three new assistive listening devices which have been installed at City Hall, and the 50+ Centre and Multipurpose Room at the Quinte Sports & Wellness Centre.
A demonstration on how the devices work will be held Thursday afternoon from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall.
Friday at the Belleville Public Library there will be a special reading by Scott Granville from his book Iron Knee-Iron Will.
“So this is an exercise book but what is really exciting is people who see the book will see a Belleville landscape featured throughout the book. So it is really tailored to Belleville. Scott developed the book after dealing with many health issues as a result of back-to-back hit-and-run crashes.”
The reading and question-and-answer session will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. in the third floor meeting room.
Both events are free and open to the public.
