OCAD University's Open Gallery, located in the Inclusive Design Institute's new space at 49 McCaul St., will be hosting one of the Abilities Arts Festival's installations, "A Queen Street Cartography" on Sept. 29, 2012. This installation is part of Scotiabank Nuit Blanche. Billed as a "multi-media extravaganza," it will include:

• Live Music by Donald Quan at 9:00 & 11:00pm
• Photography from our Toronto: Street Level Exhibit
• Podplay Screenings – written by Jan Derbyshire, Catherine Frazee, Janna Gorham & Izzy Mackenzie Lay
• An interactive Scavenger Hunt with Prize Packages
• Free Popcorn!

The Podplay Screening times are:

7:15 – I'm Sorry Toronto. Really, I am.
7:45 – Canyon of Our Common Ground
8:30 – Of Chestnuts and Crossroads
9:00 – Cultivating the Underworld

10:00 – I'm Sorry Toronto. Really, I am.
10:30 – Canyon of Our Common Ground
11:15 – Of Chestnuts and Crossroads
11:45 – Cultivating the Underworld

Admission is free.

Abilities Arts Festival is a charitable organization dedicated to enhancing opportunities for artists with disabilities to contribute to the cultural fabric of our society. This year's festival runs from Sept. 20 to Oct. 11, 2012. For more information about the "Queen Street Cartography" exhibit, visit the Abilities Arts Festival website.

Scotiabank Nuit Blanche is a free, all-night contemporary art event, on Sept. 29th, 2012, from 7:03pm to sunrise. For more information, visit the Nuit Blanche website.

During the summer of 2012, the Government of Ontario visited the Inclusive Design Research Centre, the research hub of the Inclusive Design Institute. They produced a video highlighting the work the Centre does to promote inclusive design in Ontario. This video describes how the IDRC and its partners work with people with disabilities to design and develop technologies that accommodate the full range of human diversity.

The Government of Ontario recently featured OCAD University’s Inclusive Design Research Centre on their blog. They produced this video, which features Jutta Treviranus, the Director of the Inclusive Design Institute.

The Inclusive Design Institute (IDI) at OCAD University will host a forum to gather comment on the proposed amendment to the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (Ontario Regulation 191/11) under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005: Design of Public Spaces in the Built Environment.

The goal of the Accessibility Standards for the Built Environment is to remove barriers to access in public spaces and buildings to make it easier for all Ontarians – including people with disabilities, seniors and families – to access the places where they work, travel, shop and play.

The event, organized as a roundtable discussion of the amendment by an expert panel and stakeholders. Comments and discussion by our expert panel will be followed by a session for open questions and discussion. An overview of the background to this proposed accessibility standard will be provided by David Lepofsky, Chair of the non-partisan Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, the community coalition that has spearheaded the province-wide campaign to make Ontario fully accessible for persons with disabilities. The IDI will document the event and send the conclusions and comments to the Ministry Community and Social Services before the amendment's comment deadline of October 1, 2012. Members of the media and the public are invited.

For more information about the proposed amendments, visit the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services website.
 
DATE: Tuesday, September 18, 2011
TIME: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
LOCATION:
    Inclusive Design Institute at OCAD University
    49 McCaul Street
    Toronto, Ontario
PUBLIC RSVP: idi@ocadu.ca
MEDIA RSVP: smulholland@ocadu.ca
 
Please note that McCaul Street is currently undergoing extensive construction including streetcar track replacement, resulting in lane restrictions and sidewalk barricades. Every effort is being made to ensure persons with disabilities can access the site for this event. For status updates please visit OCAD University's Service Alert information webpage.