CNE disability plan back on the table

The Ex is again considering eliminating free admission for people with disabilities

The Canadian National Exhibition is again considering a plan to eliminate free admission for people with disabilities.

A similar change was originally set to take effect before last summer’s CNE, but that proposal sparked a backlash from disability advocates.

At the time, mobility advocate Luke Anderson described the move as “unfortunate,” worrying that it would worsen barriers that people with disabilities already face at the Ex.

Two days later, the Ex put the decision on hold and promised to consult widely on the issue before implementing any change.

Now — after months of consultation — the issue is back on the table, and Anderson’s concerns remain.

“We’re just not at that time in our evolution as a province to start moving towards changes that put everybody on the same level,” Anderson said.

The current recommendation is one of five put forward by an advisory committee the CNE struck after last year’s fee policy debacle.

It suggests separating the question of disability from that of financial need, and implementing a program called Access 2 Entertainment, administered by Easter Seals Canada.

“Last year, when the policy shift was introduced, it was based on a recommendation from a consultant,” said Councillor Mike Layton, who sits on the CNE’s executive committee. “We brought it back and said, ‘We don’t think we went through the right process. Let’s go through a bit more of an exploration about what we can do to make ourselves more accessible, including what the fair policy is.’ ”

The Ex’s chief executive officer, Virginia Ludy, said in a statement that the results of the advisory committee’s work will help the CNE become a more accessible environment for everyone.

No decisions have yet been made, CNE spokesperson Tran Nguyen said. The other recommendations are: Hiring more people with disabilities;

Creating focused training for staff around appropriate sensitivities, language and accommodation;

Assigning a senior executive responsible for creating a more inclusive environment for people with disabilities;

Showcasing technology developments that address important barriers identified by people with disabilities.

If accepted as written, the admissions fee recommendation would end the long-standing policy of free admissions for people with a disability and replace it with Access 2 Entertainment. Under that program, when a person with a disability shows a special ID card at the ticket counter, they still pay full price but are automatically granted free admission for a personal attendant or caregiver.

That is the standing policy at the Royal Ontario Museum. At the Toronto Zoo, guests with a disability pay 50 per cent of the full ticket price, and can have a caregiver accompany them free of charge.

Anderson said overall the recommendations are a good start, but worries that trying to draw too fine a line between disability and financial need risks overlooking too many people.

More than 50 per cent of Ontario adults with a disability are unemployed, Anderson said.

“What they’re proposing is a step in the right direction. It alludes to a real division and not a real overlap between those two segments of the population,” Anderson said.

“There should really be a Venn diagram that overlaps those two circles.”