Gardiner Museum Access Policy
Overview
The George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art (“the Gardiner Museum” or “the Museum”) is Canada’s only museum dedicated to ceramic art and, as such, plays an important role in the local, national and international communities. The Museum is committed to providing everyone with access to its collections and programs, and to maintaining its role as a national and international ceramics expert. An important part of this commitment is for the Museum to meet its obligations under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (the “Act”) and the United Nations Rights of Indigenous Peoples (“UNDRIP”) through the Canadian Museum Association’s Move to Action: Activating UNDRIP in Canadian Museums “Standards for Museums”.
The goal of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (the “Act”) is to create a more accessible Ontario, by identifying, and to the extent possible, preventing, and eliminating barriers experienced by persons with a disability.
The Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, Ontario Regulation 429/07 (the “Customer Service Standard”) was established under the Act to ensure goods and services are, where at all possible, equally accessible to every member of the public.
The Integrated Accessibility Standards, Ontario Regulation 191/11 (the “Integrated Accessibility Standard”) establishes particular accessibility standards for information and communications, employment, transportation and the design of public spaces.
Purpose
In accordance with the Act, the Customer Service Standard and the Integrated Accessibility Standard, the Gardiner Museum has instituted the Access Policy. The Access Policy (“policy” or “the policy”) has been developed to guide the Museum in mounting programs that are vital community activities and that ensure the widest possible spectrum of people are able to enjoy use of the Museum’s public facilities and the creativity of clay. It will guide the Museum in establishing practices and procedures in order to meet its obligations under the Act, specifically Regulation 191/11 Integrated Accessibility Standards Part IV.2 Customer Service Standards.
Scope
The policy applies to all staff and volunteers responsible for designing and implementing programming and education, and delivering visitor services at the Gardiner Museum. The policy will take an approach that is proactive and has roots in values of inclusion and anti-racism supported by regular accessibility assessments; ongoing professional, community and rights holder consultation; and mechanisms for training, financial resources, and technological advancement that improve accessibility.
Policy
The Gardiner Museum strives to be recognized as vital to the communities within the City of Toronto, and also nationally and internationally, for its cultural and educational leadership. The Museum will offer clay education and support the importance of craft, as well as the art of ceramics, by ensuring engagement with its collections and various programs. Its programs, both educational and other, are designed to appeal to all ages, backgrounds and abilities.
The Museum’s audience includes the general public, scholars and students of all ages, Indigenous communities and rights holders, special-interest groups, community groups, the academic community, the increasingly diverse Toronto community, community groups in at-risk neighbourhoods (as defined by the City of Toronto), cultural tourists, Gardiner Museum Friends, collectors, and ceramic and other artists.
The Museum will reach a widespread audience, not just within the Museum but also through partnerships and programs beyond Museum walls, by ensuring its programs include the following:
- Free events;
- Partnerships with community and cultural partners to bring specific groups into the Museum, particularly from communities and traditions historically excluded;
- Resource-supported partnerships and engagement that centers Indigenous self-determination and needs as determined by those communities;
- Varied and diverse programming connected to the permanent collection, special exhibitions, and clay;
- Where applicable, proper citation of Indigenous knowledge, terminology and intellectual property;
- Guided group tours of the collections, ensuring the use of correct terminology when highlighting Indigenous belongings;
- Wide and diverse offering of adult, children, and family clay classes and workshops, and private clay classes for interested groups;
- Free admission for youth and children under 18, students with a valid ID, and Indigenous Peoples, discounted admission for seniors, and free general admission at predetermined times;
- Free admission for support persons accompanying a person with a disability;
- Community access through Family Day programming and participation in various museum pass programs;
- Hands-on educational programming for K-12 linked to Ontario Ministry of Education school board curriculum;
- The provision of accessible formats and communication supports, upon request, in consultation with a person with a disability making the request to determine the suitability;
- The welcoming of certified service animals to areas open to the public;
- Maintaining an active Young Patrons Committee in an effort to engage the next generation of Gardiner Museum supporters; and
- The Gardiner Signature Lecture Series.
Commercial Access
In order to remain accessible to a wide range of organizations, the Gardiner Museum offers discounted and/or free space rentals to not-for-profit organizations (minus the staffing costs borne by the Museum). In consultation with the Manager, Events and Hospitality, a not-for-profit discount of 30% will be offered. Every effort will be made to accommodate requests; however, dates available at discounted rates are limited to certain days of the week and certain times of year based upon seasonal trends and curatorial/programming needs.
Physical Access
The Gardiner Museum endorses the Act and the regulations passed pursuant to the Act.
Communication
The Museum will make reasonable efforts to communicate with people with disabilities in ways that take into account their disability. The Gardiner Museum, upon request, will provide or arrange to make documents available in an accessible format or with communication support in a timely manner and at a cost that is no more than the cost charged to other persons. We will consult with the person making the request to determine the suitability of an accessible format or communication support.
Assistive Devices
People with disabilities may use their own personal assistive devices, or those that may be provided by the Gardiner Museum while obtaining any goods and services provided on our premises that are open to the public.
A person with a disability may enter any part of our premises that is open to the public with an assistive device, unless not allowed by law. If barriers to the use of an assistive device exist at our premises that are open to the public, these barriers, where reasonably possible, will be removed.
We will ensure that our staff are trained in, and familiar with, various assistive devices that may be used by customers with disabilities while accessing our goods and services.
Service Animals
We welcome people with disabilities and their service animals. Service animals are allowed on the parts of our premises that are open to the public, except where animals are not allowed by law. If it is not readily apparent that the animal is a service animal, the Gardiner Museum may request documentation from a regulated health professional confirming that the person requires the animal for reasons related to a disability.
Support Persons
A person with a disability who is accompanied by a support person will be allowed to have that person accompany them on at all times while on the Gardiner Museum’s premises. Fees will not be charged for support persons.
A “support person” means, in relation to a person with a disability, another person who accompanies him or her in order to help with communication, mobility, personal care or medical needs or with access to goods, services or facilities.
The Gardiner Museum reserves the right to require a person with a disability to be accompanied by a support person when on the premises, if a support person is necessary to protect the health and safety of the person with a disability or the health or safety of others on the premises. Prior to requesting the presence of a support person, the Gardiner Museum must first consult with the person with a disability to understand their needs and consider the health and safety implications based on available evidence. The presence of a support may then only be required if there is no other reasonable way to protect the health and safety of the person or of others on the premises. Where the presence of a support person is required, any applicable admission fee or fare must be waived for that person.
Training
The Gardiner Museum will provide training to all staff, volunteers and third parties who provide goods, services or facilities on our behalf. Training will include a review of the purposes of the Act, the requirements of the customer service standards and instruction about:
- How to interact and communicate with people with various types of disabilities;
- How to interact with people with disabilities who use assistive devices or require assistance of a service animal or of a support person;
- What to do if a person with a disability has difficulty accessing the Gardiner Museum’s goods, services or publicly-accessible premises/facilities;
- How to use equipment or devices available or provided by the Gardiner Museum that may help with the provision of goods, services or facilities to a person with a disability;
- The Gardiner Museum’s policies, practices and procedures relating to the customer service standard.
Training will be given when changes are made to this policy, or any related practices and procedures.
Notice of Temporary Disruptions
The Gardiner Museum will provide customers with notice in the event of a planned or unexpected disruption to goods, services or facilities for customers with disabilities. This notice will include information about the reason for the disruption, how long the disruption is expected to last, and a description of any alternative facilities or services, if available. The notice will be placed on the Gardiner Museum’s website, and/or may be posted at the location.
Contacting the Gardiner Museum/Feedback Process
Anyone who wishes to contact the Gardiner Museum to provide feedback on how the Gardiner Museum provides goods, services or facilities to people with disabilities can contact the Museum by phone, email, through our website, or in-person. All feedback that comes to the general mail is received by the Manager, Visitor and Volunteer Services and may be escalated as required to the relevant department managers. We will arrange for the provision of accessible formats and communication supports on request.
Concerns will be acknowledged as soon as possible. Visitors can expect to hear from the Gardiner Museum promptly, either with details on the resolution of the concern or, in more complex cases, on the steps being taken by the Gardiner Museum to resolve the concern.
