A discussion about including braille on signage in the Town of Gravenhurst morphed into the possibility of adding quick response (QR) codes.
Coun. Penny Varney said the idea started during the March 21 Accessibility Advisory Committee when Carole Anne Simpson, Chair of the town’s Public Art Advisory Committee, suggested including braille on the Siggy Puchta sculpture at the Muskoka Wharf.
However, Jonathan Gilston, deputy clerk, explained during the meeting that the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act requires a policy to be created to cover this. He said since the town doesn’t currently have a policy that would cover what was being discussed, they would need to start from scratch and would need to be inclusive of everyone.
Varney said that’s why a QR code may work since it could be implemented using multiple languages and would be more accessible for everyone.
“This is not just for the visually impaired,” she continued.
In the end, council unanimously passed a resolution calling on town staff to review the feasibility of making public signage and plaques more accessible, including the possibility of using braille.
A timeline for when the report will be returned to council wasn’t mentioned.