Ontario restaurant accessibility test finds widespread barriers for people with disabilities

TORONTO · A Marketplace investigation into accessibility at Ontario restaurants found widespread barriers for people with disabilities, including missing braille menus, malfunctioning power doors and inaccessible self-service kiosks. The investigation tested five fast-food and five full-service restaurant locations in the Greater Toronto Area. The findings raise questions about the effectiveness of Ontario's Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. "There's so much more that can be done," said accessibility strategist Lorene Casiez, who manages the accessible design practice Human Space.

Robert Hampson, who is blind, visited A&W, McDonald's, Thai Express, Tim Hortons and Wendy's locations as part of the test. He started each visit by asking for a braille menu, but none of the locations could provide one. "I would have liked to have at least found one that had a braille menu," Hampson said. "It's something that needs to be improved upon." Tim Hortons said it does not offer braille menus because of how frequently its menu changes. Wendy's told Marketplace braille menus are available across the country but did not explain why Hampson was not offered one.

Hampson also had difficulty using self-service kiosks at McDonald's and Wendy's, which had touchscreens but no audible component to hear options. He faced navigation challenges, accidentally going through an emergency exit at Tim Hortons and toward a drive-thru lane. He also got confused on the way to washrooms at McDonald's and A&W, where bathroom doors lacked braille or tactile markings. "I had no way of knowing, is that the women's? Is that the men's?" he said. Casiez noted a requirement for tactile signage on washroom doors has been in the Ontario Building Code for a long time.

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In statements to Marketplace, McDonald's Canada said it was sorry to hear about Hampson's challenges and shared the observations with the franchisee. Wendy's said it is looking into the visit and working with the franchisee. Tim Hortons said the restaurant was built to standards at the time and it is working to identify future design changes for independent navigation. For the full-service restaurant test, Marketplace visited Boston Pizza, Earls, Milestones, Swiss Chalet and The Keg in Toronto with two women who use wheelchairs. Taylor Lindsay-Noel, a content creator who does accessibility-focused reviews, documented challenges with entrances. At Swiss Chalet, power door operators malfunctioned on the way in and when she left. The same issue occurred at Boston Pizza, where a plant and sign were also placed in front of the power door button on the way out. "Even if it was working, I wouldn't have been able to hit it," Lindsay-Noel said.

Marketplace also documented that there were no power doors at the entrance to The Keg, which is required by the current building code. It is unclear which version of the code applies to that location. When asked, frontline employees at four of the five full-service restaurants said they were not aware of the AODA, which requires mandatory accessibility training. Only one employee at The Keg said she was "a little bit" familiar with the legislation.

Casiez said the AODA does not specifically require braille menus, but having alternate formats is a requirement. "Thinking about different ways that people can understand the information is certainly a requirement in the AODA," she said. Hampson said he wants to see more consistency in restaurant layouts and markings on the ground he can feel with his cane to help with navigation. "I need to educate people along the way," Hampson said. "Every time I walk out the front door and step outside, I'm an advocate for people who are blind and people with disabilities."

With files from CBC News