Message from the Chair for International Day of Persons with Disabilities - 2022

Message from the Chair for International Day of Persons with Disabilities

The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) commemorates the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) every year on December 3^rd. Since 1992, the IDPD has been celebrated worldwide every year on that day in order to promote the integration and access to economic, social and political life of persons with disabilities.

On behalf of the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), I would like to acknowledge the importance of this day and reaffirm our commitment to one of our core mandates: to protect the fundamental human right of persons with disabilities to accessible transportation services. Accessible transportation services are essential to achieving inclusiveness and equality for persons with disabilities.

I would like to take a moment to reflect on the progress we have made in the past year:

• All the provisions of the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations (ATPDR) are now in effect, with the final, more complex provisions coming into force as of June 25, 2022.
• We are currently developing the consultation for the development of the second phase of the ATPDR to cover the small TSPs. The consultation is developed in collaboration with representatives of persons with disabilities and the industry.
• We recently published our Best Practices for Indoor Relief Areas for Service Dogs in Terminals.
• We collaborated with Transport Canada and the National Research Council to further study the issues identified in the Mobility Aids and Air Travel Final Report and issued a report on the Safe Securement and Containment of Mobility Aids in the Cargo Compartment.
• We also published a report as part of the International Working Group on Special Service Request Codes.
• We held a facilitated discussion between representatives of disability organizations and the transportation industry regarding carrier medical forms.
• We continued to promote accessible transportation internationally, such as by supporting and co-sponsoring working papers related to accessible transportation at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and leading ICAO working groups on accessible transportation matters.

We are making progress, but there is still significant work to do. The CTA is committed to using all of the tools at its disposal to ensure that the right to accessible transportation is fully realized. A culture of accessibility must be adopted at the heart of organizations so that the development of policies, programs, training and services proactively take it into account at all times.

France Pégeot

Chair & CEO

Canadian Transportation Agency