Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility CertificationTM (RHFAC) is a tool which gives organizations a snapshot of their building’s accessibility to inform future accessibility improvements. Over 1,200 sites across Canada have been rated to-date including Ottawa International Airport, SAP, Canada Science and Technology Museum and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. One in five Canadians have a disability and as our population ages this continues to grow. Accessibility is more important than ever.
Thanks to the support of the Government of Ontario’s Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility, 250 complimentary RHFAC ratings are available in 15 municipalities across Ontario. Round two deadline to submit applications is November 30th, 2020.
If your site achieves a high enough rating to become RHF Accessibility Certified or Accessibility Certified Gold, celebrate your achievement by listing on the RHFAC Registry and displaying your recognition label. It’s time to showcase your commitment to accessibility.
To be eligible to apply, the following criteria must be met:
1. Application must be complete (no missing fields) and submitted by the application deadline. Round two opens for applications on September 8th, and the deadline to submit applications for this round is November 30th, 2020.
2. The proposed site (“Site”) to be rated must be located within one of the below 15 municipalities in Ontario:
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If the project is in the design stage, organizations must have already acquired rights to the applicable site within one of the identified municipalities.
3. Organizations may make multiple applications for more than one site.
4. Organizations must consent to their application form and any supporting materials being shared with the municipality and its Accessibility Advisory Committee in which the applicable building is located for the purposes of assessing the application.
5. Site or pre-construction design plans to be RHFAC rated are limited to commercial and institutional buildings in the public (municipal sites), private and not-for profit sectors:
- Commercial spaces include retail stores, offices, and industrial sites
- Institutional spaces include schools, community and recreation centres and libraries
6. Ineligible Sites and/or organizations include:
- Sites that are trail or pathways.
- Sites that are residential dwellings.
- Sites or design plans that have received an RHFAC rating.
- Organizations that have financially supported the Rick Hansen Foundation in the last 5 years.
7. Participation requirements include:
- The Site must have a public entrance and all its key functional spaces and amenities must be physically accessible for everyone.
- Organizations and their Site(s) will be publicly shared on rickhansen.com as a recipient of a complimentary RHFAC rating, no matter the certification level achieved.
- Organizations must register on the RHFAC Registry, which includes agreeing to the Registry Terms and Conditions.
- Organizations must publicly list the rating result on the RHFAC Registry, and order and install a complimentary recognition label in a prominent place at the Site should their Site achieve RHF Accessibility Certified or RHF Accessibility Certified Gold.
- Organizations must complete a follow-up survey.
- Organizations must enter into RHFAC’s Participation Agreement.