Accessibility

There are several good reasons why you should get rated and certified. Getting rated and certified will help you:

• be prepared for Canada’s increasing numbers of people with disabilities and seniors
• get ready for a changing regulatory environment and impending federal accessibility legislation
• allow you to serve more customers and attract more employees
• learn about ways to improve your accessibility; and
• showcase your commitment to accessibility by choosing to purchase a label, plaque or to list your location on the online RHFAC Registry.

Ratings are risk-free. Only sites that reach a certain certification level are eligible to be certified and be publicly listed.

Existing building codes vary widely by municipality and province, and while many sites have accessible features, they are often mobility-centric and may fall short of the actual needs of people with various disabilities. RHFAC complements existing building codes by using a universal rating scale that assesses levels of meaningful access nationally.

When people hear disability, they often think of a person using a wheelchair. However, if you have clients or employees over the age of 55, then you have clients or employees who will likely be dealing with mobility, vision and hearing issues. RHFAC helps to future proof your organization by preparing your building or site to accommodate the one in five Canadians who will have a disability by 2036.

After a rating is conducted by an RHFAC Professional, a rating scorecard is externally verified and made available on the RHFAC Registry. The RHFAC rating scorecard provides a snapshot of the accessibility of a site, and organizations will also receive information on key areas of success and improvement through the Registry.

RHFAC Professionals allocate points to each feature within a site which is then scored and measured against a universal rating scale. Sites rated ‘Gold’ are expected to exhibit unique or innovative features, and are considered showcases of accessibility.

he cost of an RHFAC rating consists of the application fee and your RHFAC Professional’s rating fee. The application fee depends on the size of your site, outlined below:

Your RHFAC Professional’s Rating Fee will vary according to the size and complexity of your site.

It will include the onsite rating as well as the final report and submission to the RHFAC Registry for adjudication.

Please Contact Us directly for rates and an estimate of the number of hours required to rate your site.

After the assessor conducts your onsite rating, the data is uploaded to the RHFAC Registry and then verified and peer-reviewed. This process typically takes 4-6 weeks from the date of your assessor submits the rating. (Complex ratings may take longer.)

Program participants will be notified by email when their results in the form of a scorecard are available to be downloaded from the online RHFAC Registry.

No. Rating scorecards are provided to program participants only and are not made public.

Organizations may choose to make their certification public on the online RHFAC Registry or by purchasing a label or plaque for the location.

Ratings are designed to provide organizations with an understanding of the current level of meaningful access in the facility. All program participants will receive a scorecard, and information on what aspects are accessible. The scorecard is also a helpful tool to help you identify where you can improve accessibility. The assessor may provide additional feedback on the key areas of success and improvement for the facility via the Registry too.

Currently, commercial buildings, public spaces and multi-unit residential buildings can all be rated. The site must have a public entrance, and all key functional spaces and amenities, can be physically accessed by everyone.

• Commercial spaces include retail shops, malls, offices, light industrial sites;
• Public spaces include schools, recreation centres, front-country trails and pathways; and
• Multi-unit residential buildings include condominium dwelling units and shared common areas. Single family homes are not eligible.

Yes. Tenants may get their leased space rated even though they do not own the building if they meet the following additional requirements:

1. The RHFAC rating must include the leased tenant space and key common areas of the site.
The tenant is responsible for identifying the leased tenant space and the key common areas for a RHFAC rating. Key common areas include: (1) the closest accessible entrance and route to the tenant space, and (2) the closest accessible washroom and the route to the tenant space. In the case that the tenant occupies a completely self-sufficient space, it is not necessary to rate common areas.

2. The Tenant is responsible for securing permission from the Building Owner to undertake a RHFAC rating in the common areas. An authorized representative of the tenant must acknowledge it has received permission from an authorized representative of the building owner in the RHFAC Registry before a rating is undertaken.
3. The tenant may display any certification labels in the leased tenanted space only. When a tenant obtains certification, it may opt to display certification window labels or plaques. In this event, the tenant must display its labels in the leased tenanted space only to avoid implying that the entire premise has been certified.
4. The tenant must continue to occupy the leased tenanted space.Certification is no longer valid if the Tenant no longer leases or occupies the space.

Yes. Building owners may get their site rated even though they are leasing (or intend to lease) space to other organizations with the additional following requirements:

1. The RHFAC rating must include the space occupied by the building owner and common areas of the site. The building owner is responsible for identifying the space occupied by the building owner and the common areas for a RHFAC rating.

2. The building owner must display any certification labels in a manner that does not misrepresent the areas that have been certified. When a building owner obtains certification, it may opt to display certification labels or plaques. In this event, the building owner must display its labels in a manner that avoids implying that the entire premise has been certified when it has not.

Yes. You can start the process by submitting your plans and blueprints to an RHFAC Professional. You will receive a provisional approval if appropriate. Once your building is built, you must re-certify your site to receive official certification.

Sites are rated on potentially 10 categories including:

1. Vehicular Access;
2. Exterior Approach and Entrance;
3. Interior Circulation;
4. Interior Services and Environment;
5. Sanitary Facilities;
6. Signage, Wayfinding and Communications;
7. Emergency Systems;
8. Additional Use of Space;
9. Residential Units; and
10. Trails and Pathways.

RHFAC Professionals allocate points to features within a category, which are scored via a standardized rating survey. This determines the site’s overall level of meaningful access.

Once a site is certified, program participants can choose to showcase their certification level on the online RHFAC Registry, hosted by CSA Group, and physically display their accessibility with the purchase of a label (plaque or window sticker) directly from CSA Group.

Program participants will also receive a complimentary electronic label.

Organizations can launch a formal appeals process to contest a decision by emailing access@rickhansen.com.

The email should include: Organization name, site name, unique registration number, and identify the exact element(s) or line items in your RHFAC scorecard that you would like to appeal.

The issue will be reviewed and resolved locally at the discretion of the Rick Hansen Foundation (RHF). As part of the review, the relevant RHFAC Adjudicator and/or Assessor may be consulted. RHF will communicate the decision. All decisions are final.

The RHFAC Registry is the platform where:

1. Site owners will receive their results
2. RHF-approved adjudicators independently check every rating submitted by assessors.
3. The public can view the list of Certified sites (if Site Owner chooses to make the rating result public only)
4. The public can view list of Assessors who have an RHFAC Professional designation, and thus qualified to conduct RHFAC Ratings

The Registry is online and hosted by CSA Group (Canadian Standards Association). This is key to helping ensure that the program operates independently, while providing transparency to the public and ensuring the accuracy and completeness of information that is critical to RHFAC’s success.