Accessibility Statement

Young People’s Theatre (YPT) believes in equal opportunity and is committed to providing a barrier-free environment that allows all people to maintain their independence and dignity. We believe that everyone should have equal access to employment, as well as to our productions and programs, and that our diverse community should be reflected in all that we do. The limitations imposed upon us by budget constraints and building design mean we cannot provide all the services we would like at this time, but we are continuing to work on methods to better serve patrons with all manner of disabilities and special needs. As an organization, we respect and uphold the requirements set forth under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (2005) and its associated Regulations, and strive to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities in a timely and effective manner.

When booking tickets and registering for Drama School or other YPT programs please provide us with detailed information on any special needs your party may have so that we can ensure you have a safe and enjoyable experience at the theatre.

To view our full range of resources, visit our Access & Inclusion page.

Customer Service Standard

YPT will ensure we are identifying and removing barriers to access for people with disabilities by:

  • Encouraging people with disabilities to use their own personal assistive devices to improve access to YPT’s services and activities.
  • Enabling people with disabilities to access our activities and utilize our services by offering assistive devices and measures whenever possible.
  • Communicating with a person with a disability in a manner that takes into account his or her disability.
  • Allowing people with disabilities to bring their guide dog or service animal with them to areas of the premises that are open to the public.
  • Permitting access for people with disabilities to have a support person accompany them and ensuring that they have access to their support person while on our premises.
  • Training staff and volunteers about key principles and accessibility strategies and tools (i.e. Accessibility workshop and Accessibility Booklet).
  • Wherever possible, providing notice when there are temporary disruptions to facilities or services that are relied upon by people with disabilities.
  • Promoting a process for people to provide feedback on how activities or services are delivered, as well as explaining how YPT will respond to any feedback and what action will be taken as a result. It is the responsibility of every staff member to be attentive to the concerns of patrons, their families, teachers, students and visitors and to resolve concerns related to accessibility. 

In accordance with the AODA Customer Service Standard, YPT has documented a series of company specific policies and procedures that deal specifically with the following:

  • ASL Interpreted Performances
  • Relaxed Performances
  • Audio Described Performances
  • Meet the Theatre (guided tour behind-the-scenes)
  • Touch Tours
  • Wheelchair Accessibility and Mobility
  • Service Animals
  • Support Persons
  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Subsidized Tickets
  • Drama School
  • Employment
  • General Facility Information
  • Emergency Evacuation Procedures

Principles of Customer Service

Dignity

Refers to policies, procedures and practices that treat a person with a disability as valued and as deserving of effective and full service as any other person. They do not treat people with disabilities as an afterthought or force them to accept lesser service, quality or convenience. Service delivery needs to take into account how people with disabilities can effectively access and use services and show respect for these methods.

Independence

In some instances, independence means freedom from control or influence of others’ freedom to make your own choices. In other situations, it may mean the freedom to do things in your own way. People who may move or speak more slowly should not be denied an opportunity to participate in a program or service because of this factor.

Integration

Integrated services are those services that allow people with disabilities to fully benefit from the same services, in the same place and in the same or similar way as other clients. Integration means that policies, practices and procedures are designed to be accessible to everyone including people with disabilities. Sometimes integration does not serve the needs of all people with disabilities. In these cases, it is necessary to use alternate measures to provide programs or services. Alternate measures are ways of serving people that are not completely integrated into the regular business activities of the organization, for example, email.

Equal Opportunity

Equal opportunity means having the same chances, options, benefits and results as others. In the case of services, it means that people with disabilities have the same opportunity to benefit from the way we provide services as others. They should not have to make significantly more effort to access or obtain service. They should also not have to accept lesser quality or more inconvenience.

Disruptions in Service

YPT will notify our patrons and community members in a timely manner of any planned service disruptions that affect access to our facilities or services (i.e. elevators, etc.). In the event of an unexpected disruption of service, YPT will provide notice as soon as possible. During the disruption, we will make every reasonable effort to provide alternative accommodations that take into consideration the needs of the individual.

Notifying the Public of a Service Disruption

We will take the following steps to communicate any disruptions to YPT’s facilities or services.

  • Issue is discovered and the YPT Accessibility Committee is notified as well as the Production Manager, Executive Director and Producer.
  • If the issue cannot be resolved by staff, arrangements are made for appropriate repair work to be conducted.
  • Staff are notified of the estimated amount of the time it will take to fix the issue.
  • Notice of service disruption is posted at the site of the disruption.
  • If the disruption is in a critical location (i.e. entrance ways, elevators), notices are posted in a visible location in the main traffic areas.
  • In the case of a disruption that requires people to make alternate arrangements before coming to the theatre (disruption to accessible entrances, elevators, etc.), notice will also be provided on our web site.
  • Updates to the notice of disruption will be made as needed and posted accordingly.
  • Once the issue is resolved and/or repair completed, notice of disruption signs will be removed.

Notice of disruption will include the following information:

  • The nature of the disruption in service
  • The reason for disruption
  • The expected duration of the disruption
  • A description of alternatives to service, if available
  • A contact number for more information

Multi-Year Plan

This 2021 to 2026 accessibility plan outlines the policies and actions being implemented by Young People’s Theatre to continue to improve access for visitors, staff and volunteers with disabilities, in compliance with the requirements communicated under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) guidelines for the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR).

Click here to access the multi-year accessibility plan.

For More Information

Please contact us for more information on this accessibility plan.

Accessibility Committee

Young People’s Theatre

165 Front Street East, Toronto, ON M5A 3Z4

Phone: 416.862.2222
Email: online@youngpeoplestheatre.org

Accessible formats of this document are available free upon request.
Visit our Accessible Format Request Form here.