CAN-ASC-2.7: Heritage Buildings and Sites-Accessibility for Federally Regulated Entities as defined by the Accessible Canada Act
Scope:
The purpose of standard CAN-ASC-2.7 is to develop a standard that goes above mandatory minimum technical specifications and produces equity-based technical requirements.
There are common areas where people with disabilities may experience barriers to accessibility in heritage buildings and sites. These areas include, but are not limited to:
1. Inaccessible areas within the built environment, including, but not limited to:
- entrances
- interior and exterior paths of travel
- washrooms and sanitary facilities
- stairs
- wayfinding and signage
- means of emergency egress (exit)
2. A lack of accessible communications related to, for example:
- heritage site descriptions and tours
- communication documents
- information products available to the public at heritage sites.
3. Inaccessible information and communication technologies, such as websites, that do not align with existing accessibility standards (where relevant).
To address these barriers, this standard will first have to define what a heritage building or site is. The standard will then establish technical requirements related to the accessibility of heritage buildings and sites, including but not limited to:
- entrances
- exterior and interior paths of travel
- parking
- doors and doorways
- stairs
- ramps
- lifts and elevating devices
- wayfinding and signage
- sanitary facilities
- communication
- interpretation to enhance the visitor experience
- websites
- staff training
- emergency egress (exit).
There are several issues that the technical committee will be required to address and acknowledge in the development of the standard.
Federally regulated heritage and cultural sites are an integral part of Canada’s history and legacy. The committee will need to consider the importance of maintaining the history and legacy of heritage sites when developing the standard.
For some buildings and sites, the committee may need to find alternative solutions for removing barriers to ensure the site’s heritage value is preserved. However, the goal should be to find best-practice solutions that embrace the spirit of equity.
This standard will align with relevant technical requirements found in 6 other Accessibility Standards Canada standards:
- CAN-ASC-2.1: Outdoor Spaces
- CAN-ASC-2.2: Emergency Egress
- CAN-ASC-2.3: Model Standard for the Built Environment – Accessibility for Federally Regulated Entities as Defined in the Accessible Canada Act
- CAN-ASC-2.4: Wayfinding and Signage
- CAN-ASC-5.1: Emergency Measures
- CAN-ASC-6.1: Information and Communication Technology Products and Services
Project need:
Accessibility Standards Canada was created under the Accessible Canada Act. Its mandate is to prevent, identify, and remove barriers to accessibility for Canadians with disabilities. In pursuit of this mandate, Accessibility Standards Canada develops standards based on the needs of people with disabilities. These needs have been identified in consultations with Canadians with disabilities, including the Governor in Council appointed Board of Directors, who are primarily people with disabilities and have approved the development of this standard.
Accessibility Standards Canada’s standards apply to federally regulated entities, including the federally regulated private-sector, as defined within the Accessible Canada Act. Accessibility Standards Canada also works with Provincial and Territorial partners to identify additional stakeholder needs across Canada in order to increase harmonization.
In addition to these identified needs, Accessibility Standards Canada standards are developed following the principle of “nothing without us.” This means that Accessibility Standards Canada standards are developed with:
- research that has been led by people with disabilities or lived experience
- the participation of people with disabilities on our technical committees. These committees produce equity-based requirements that take into account the needs and perspectives of people with disabilities.
This also means that the public review process for this standard will be accessible, allowing even more people with disabilities to be part of the standards development process.
Note: The information provided above was obtained by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) and is provided as part of a centralized, transparent notification system for new standards development. The system allows SCC-accredited Standards Development Organizations (SDOs), and members of the public, to be informed of new work in Canadian standards development, and allows SCC-accredited SDOs to identify and resolve potential duplication of standards and effort.
Individual SDOs are responsible for the content and accuracy of the information presented here. The text is presented in the language in which it was provided to SCC.