Accessibility Plan
Central Ontario Broadcasting operates radio stations Rock 95 and KOOL FM, as well as online news through Barrie360.com
We welcome comments regarding any accessibility barriers that you may have encountered in dealing with our organization. We are also in the process of developing an Accessibility plan and you are invited to provide input or suggestions as to how we can best develop and implement the plan.
See the 2024-2025 Progress Report
See the 2025-2026 Progress Report
What are accessibility barriers?
The Accessible Canada Act (ACA) defines a barrier as:
“anything physical, architectural, technological or attitudinal, anything that is based on information or communications or anything that is the result of a policy or a practice—that hinders the full and equal participation in society of persons with an impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment or a functional limitation.”
The ACA highlights the following areas of focus for the removal and prevention of barriers: employment; the built environment; information and communication technologies (ICT); communication, other than ICT; the procurement of goods, services and facilities; the design and delivery of programs and services; and transportation. The Accessibility manager will work with senior managers responsible for these areas. Those managers will be responsible for taking concrete actions to identify, remove and prevent barriers under each of the above areas.
How to provide feedback
The person responsible for receiving your feedback is our Accessibility Manager. Your feedback can be general in nature, or very specific.
You may contact the accessibility manager via email at accessibilty@cobroadcasting.com or call and ask for the accessibility manager at 705-725-7304. We can also set up a video call or in-person visit if required.
By mail
Please mail your comments to: Accessibility Manager, Central Ontario Broadcasting, 431 Huronia Road, Barrie, Ontario, L4N9B3
Acknowledgement
All feedback will be acknowledged via email, or, if sent by mail, through a letter sent to your return address. If you contact us in person via phone or video call, we will acknowledge your comments during the call.
Anonymous feedback
You do not have to provide personal information in order to provide feedback. If you wish to contact us without providing personal information, you may do so via telephone or via mail. If you telephone us, we will acknowledge your feedback during the call.
All comments and concerns will be addressed with the same care and attention whether they are provided anonymously or not.
How your feedback will be used
Feedback will help our organization improve our accessibility efforts. Some feedback may not require a direct response or immediate follow-up, and some may highlight issues that need to be addressed right away. However, all feedback received will help Central Ontario Broadcasting develop its future accessibility plans and it will help us know how we are progressing towards our accessibility goals. The feedback we receive will be taken into consideration when we write our accessibility progress reports, published in the years between accessibility plans.
Employee feedback
Central Ontario Broadcasting employees should contact our manager of Human Resources, who is identified in the Employee Handbook. The HR manager is actively involved with all of our processes with respect to employment barriers. They will review your concerns with the Accessibility manager and work together with you to ensure there is adequate follow-up. As is the case with all HR related issues, all of your comments will be held in the strictest of confidence.
Employees wishing to provide feedback on an anonymous basis can do so by sending a letter to the Accessibility Manager or to the Human Resources Manager.
Retention
All feedback, responses to feedback and measures taken to improve process and remove barriers will be retained in electronic format and retained for a seven year period.
Alternative formats
You can request an alternative format of this feedback process description in large print or audio format or by sending an email to accessibilty@cobroadcasting.com
Accessibility Progress Report (2024–2025)
1. Feedback from the Public
We did not receive any accessibility-related feedback from the public during the 2024–2025 reporting period.
2. Consultations
We continued consultations with the following community organizations, including:
- Youth Haven
- David Busby Centre
These meetings are part of our ongoing efforts to support community outreach and foster an inclusive environment.
Additionally, we reviewed findings from a consultation organized by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) in spring 2025, which included participants from the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB). This consultation explored:
- Best practices for accessible workplace culture
- Improvements in closed captioning and described video
- General accessibility initiatives in media organizations
We plan to use these findings to review and improve our own accessibility practices in the coming year.
3. Design and Delivery of Programs and Services
Public Events
Central Ontario Broadcasting organizes public events such as concerts and fundraising initiatives. We strive to ensure barrier-free access at all events and are committed to expanding accessible options wherever possible.
Transportation
We do not provide transportation services to the public. A review with our staff confirmed that no current employees are facing transportation-related accessibility barriers.
Technical Barriers
We provide assistive technology and accessible computer monitors to staff where needed to support individuals with disabilities.
Staff Access to Technology
This year we put together a guide to assistive technology for our staff. This provides awareness as to what is available as well as how to use it.
Audio News Access
In 2024–2025, we expanded accessibility by launching an second audio podcast of our afternoon news. This content was previously only available in written format, and now provides improved access for individuals with vision impairments or reading difficulties.
4. Mental Health and Workplace Inclusion
We recognize the importance of supporting mental health in the workplace. The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) provides an online training program for employers on supporting employees facing mental health and addiction challenges.
Although we had planned to deliver CAMH training to our managers in 2024, staffing issues delayed implementation. We remain committed and have scheduled this training for fall 2025.
5. Future Commitments
- Review and apply recommendations from the CNIB/CAB consultation.
- Deliver CAMH training for all managers by the end of 2025.
- Continue consulting with community partners to improve accessibility.
- Expand access to public events by identifying and removing potential barriers.
Section 6 of the Accessible Canada Act
In developing this Accessibility Plan, we considered the principles set out in section 6 of the Accessible Canada Act. Our goal was to ensure that people with disabilities are treated with dignity and have the same opportunities as others to participate fully in our workplace and in the services we provide. We focused on identifying and removing barriers so that access is as simple and inclusive as possible, and on designing our policies, programs, and services in ways that recognize that people have different needs and interact with their environments in different ways. We also considered the importance of autonomy by supporting individuals’ ability to make their own choices, including accessing support when they choose to do so. As part of this process, we considered the perspectives of persons with disabilities to help us better understand barriers and practical ways to address them. These principles guided the development of this Plan and continue to inform our ongoing approach to improving accessibility.
Consultation with Persons with Disabilities
In preparing this Accessibility Plan, we considered input from persons with disabilities through a combination of direct and indirect consultation. This included discussions with community organizations that support individuals facing accessibility-related barriers, including Youth Haven and the David Busby Centre, which provided insight into challenges experienced by individuals with disabilities in accessing information, services, and community programming. We also reviewed findings from an industry-wide consultation led by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters in spring 2025, which included participation from the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. These discussions informed our understanding of best practices in accessible workplace culture, audio content, and inclusive media services. In addition, internal feedback mechanisms for employees, including confidential and anonymous channels, were considered in the development of this Plan. Input gathered through these sources helped shape our approach to identifying barriers and prioritizing accessibility improvements.
If you would like this report in an alternate format or wish to provide feedback on accessibility, please contact:
Accessibility Manager via email at accessibility@cobroadcasting.com or by phone at 705-725-7304. Ask for the accessibility manager. Or, you can mail your comments or questions to:
Accessibility Manage, Central Ontario Broadcasting 431 Huronia Rd. Unit 10, Barrie ON L4N9B3
We can also set up an in person or remote call upon request.
Accessibility Progress Report – 2025-2026
General
Central Ontario Broadcasting operates out of studios located in Barrie Ontario. The company operates two radio stations, Rock 95 FM and 107.5 Kool FM, also an online news service Barrie360.com and an advertising agency – Flying Pigs Marketing.
We are committed to providing accessibility for people with disabilities both within our organization and for the public. This is an ongoing process, largely driven by staff awareness of the issue as well as identifying opportunities for improvement on a year to your basis.
Our disability manager can be reached at accessibility@cobroadcasting.com or via telephone at 705-725-7204 or in person at 431 Huronia Road, Unit 10, Barrie Ontario.
We welcome feedback in any format and we can arrange in-person or online meetings upon request.
We also can provide information or exchange ideas through in person or online meetings or in an alternative format as needed.
Progress by Disability Area
Employment
It appears that the most prevalent employment disability is related to mental health issues as well as addictions. We continue to roll out our plan to ensure that management is aware of these issues and how to deal with them effectively. To that end, management staff registered for a series of accessibility and mental health courses offered by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and completed the first course.
The Built Environment
Our studios are fully accessible, and we strive to ensure that any station related events are accessible. However, the built environment is more than just bricks and mortar – it includes interaction between persons with disabilities and our staff. Thus, staff participated in training on the sighted guide technique, used to assist individuals with visual impairments in both public-facing and workplace environments.
ICT
We continue to develop Podcasts, helping make online content available for those with vision impairments.
Communication (non-ICT)
Over the past year, we have taken steps to ensure that our non-digital communications are accessible to both employees and the public.
We are able to provide information in alternative formats (such as large print) upon request. In-person interactions are supported by accommodating individual needs, including speaking clearly, allowing additional time, and offering assistance where appropriate. We have increased awareness of techniques such as the sighted guide method to support individuals with visual impairments
We continue to review our communication practices and will make further improvements as needed to remove barriers.
Procurement
We recognize the importance of accessibility in procurement and have begun to consider accessibility features when making purchasing decisions. Procurement is currently managed on a case-by-case basis, and formal criteria are not yet fully in place. We will continue to evolve our approach as part of our broader accessibility efforts.
Programs and Services
Over the past year, we have continued to deliver content and services in a manner that is inclusive and responsive to the needs of our community. This includes ongoing attention to how information is presented on-air and through public interactions.
One very important factor surrounding accessibility is building the knowledge of the issues by the public. As a broadcaster and publisher, we are in the unique position to assist in this area. We have arranged to produce a series of public service announcements for such initiatives like; Community Living Month, and Disability Employment Awareness Month.
Section 6 of the Accessible Canada Act
In implementing this Accessibility Plan, we considered the principles set out in section 6 of the Accessible Canada Act. Our goal was to ensure that people with disabilities are treated with dignity and have the same opportunities as others to participate fully in our workplace and in the services we provide. We focused on identifying and removing barriers so that access is as simple and inclusive as possible, and on designing our policies, programs, and services in ways that recognize that people have different needs and interact with their environments in different ways. We also considered the importance of autonomy by supporting individuals’ ability to make their own choices, including accessing support when they choose to do so. As part of this process, we considered the perspectives of persons with disabilities to help us better understand barriers and practical ways to address them. These principles guided the development of this Plan and continue to inform our ongoing approach to improving accessibility.
Consultations
We Participated in a consultation session with the Disability Screen Office (DSO), a national disability-led organization focused on accessibility in broadcasting and the screen sector. The session provided insight into systemic barriers and practical approaches to improving accessibility in workplace practices.
We also engaged with Empower Simcoe to better understand community-specific accessibility needs and to discuss opportunities to further enhance accessibility and inclusion across our platforms and initiatives. In terms of opportunities for growth, they recommended leveraging Public Service Announcements to raise awareness of lesser-known initiatives in support of inclusivity and community education.
Feedback from the Public
We did not receive any accessibility related comments or other feedback during the 2025-2026 reporting period.
Planned Activities for the Coming Year
In addition to finding ways to enhance our service to persons with disabilities, we will focus on two specific areas:
- We will continue management training into mental health issues, with a particular emphasis on supporting station staff.
- We will expand upon our public service awareness program both on air and online.
