Accessibility Advisory Committee

Community Engagement:

• • coffee hours with local retirement residences to obtain feedback on accessibility issues being faced in the community;
  • attended the "Your City, Your Future" event for all grade 10 students in Stratford.

Presentations to Council:

• • National AccessAbility Week (May 2025);
  • International Day of Persons with Disabilities (November 2025);
  • Accessibility Award 2025 presented to Stratford Intermediate School & Avon Maitland District School Board (November 2025).

Completion of the accessible entrance to the Stratford Police Station on George Street.

Permits are issued by Service Ontario to either a driver or a passenger with a disability or health condition. When people use mobility devices such as wheelchairs or walker, their disability is obvious. However, some health conditions are invisible, for example people with heart or lung conditions. Permits are issued to people, not vehicles, so that people living with a disability can use the permit in any vehicle. That person must be in the car for the permit to be valid.

The province began issuing new accessible parking permits with enhanced security features in 2016. The features, which include machine-readable barcodes, raised markings and serial numbers, help to confirm that a permit is authentic. An Identification Number contains key information that describes the permit holder including first and last initials, gender and decade of birth. Permit abusers are easily identified.

In the City of Stratford, if a person uses a permit not issued to them, it can result in a fine of $400, and the car may be towed and the permit may be seized.

There is no good reason to park illegally in an accessible space, and none of these excuses will get you out of the $400 fine:

I need to drop off a few heavy things
I won’t be a minute, I only needed to pop in to pick up something
I have a disability, I just forgot my permit
I don't have a permit, but I find it very difficult to walk
I am a pensioner, so I am entitled to park near the shop
I was going to miss my flight if I didn't park there
I'm doing a few things for my dad and it's his permit

The short answer is NO.

In addition to the accessible parking space, the striped access aisle next to the accessible parking space is needed by people using wheelchair lifts and/or assistive devices to get in and out of their vehicle. It is never okay to park in the access aisle, even if you have a permit.