Accessibility
Our Commitment to Accessibility
Temple Emanu-El strives to ensure that everyone, regardless of their ability, is able to participate equally in everything we offer, independently and with dignity.
Temple Emanu-El will make all appropriate efforts to ensure that our policies, procedures, practices and infrastructure respect principles of independence, dignity, integration and equality of opportunity to all, with particular attention to persons with disabilities.
Watch Emanu-Elnik and disability rights advocate, David Lepofsky, on TVO's The Agenda with Steve Paikin. David discusses the serious disability barriers to health care hurting people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Highlights of Our Efforts
Parking:
Accessible parking is available on both the east and west sides of the building. On the east side the spaces are at the front of the lot, pointing towards the building, and the closest door “D” is operable by an electronic button.
Parking on the west side is in the lot towards the back of the building, and there are two spaces that are nearest door B. This is the entrance used for our Morning Minyan.
Access into Our Building:
Our building is accessible through our bank of front doors for Shabbat, Sunday School and other services. The entrance to the sloping sidewalk is at the south side of the building, where the blue 'wheelchair' sign is located. Due to security concerns, entrance is generally limited to these doors, but you may leave by any of the four doors at each corner of the building. During the week when the building is occupied by the office staff, the front doors will be locked and visitors are admitted by ringing the doorbells at any of the four corner doors.
Our Sanctuary:
Seating in our sanctuary is completely flexible, with movable chairs that allow for easy movement and placement of mobility aids and service animals. Specific seating locations to permit improved access or sight-lines for speech-reading can be ensured upon request to an usher, staff or Board member. Assigned seating to accommodate disabilities at the High Holy Days services is available with advance notice on the ticket request document. Headsets are available upon request for augmented hearing during religious services and programs.
All copies of the Mishkan T’fillah prayer books that are used for Shabbat and weekday services are in large print, and we have a supply of reading glasses in case you forgot yours at home!
Our Facilities:
Guide Dogs, Hearing Ear Dogs, and other service and support animals are welcome in our building with the understanding that they remain under the complete control of the owner at all times, and that the owner is responsible for cleaning up any spills or accidents caused by the animal.
A gender neutral, wheelchair accessible washroom is available on the north side of the building, near Door B, and a bi-level, accessible water fountain is located nearby on the same hallway.
The gender neutral washroom is the location for the infant changing table, with an appropriate diaper-disposal pail. Temple Emanu-El strives to be a family-friendly congregation, and children are welcome to attend our services. We recognize that some children and adults may find it difficult to remain quietly in seats during a service, and we want participants to feel comfortable standing or walking around the perimeter of the room, behind the other worshipers if they need to.
Special Accommodations:
We respectfully suggest that members and guests remain as quiet as possible during the services, but recognizing that this is not always manageable, we do provide a ‘quiet space’ in the small Reading Room opposite the Social Hall doors.
Our building and the surrounding property is scent-free, and all food is nut-free, as far as we can ascertain. There is no smoking permitted anywhere on the Temple Emanu-El property.
Finally, An Invitation to Help
We welcome suggestions from members and guests for further improvements on our accommodations and procedures. The Temple is a member of the Synagogue Inclusion Group, and our staff and volunteers have all received appropriate training on the AODA and sensitivity and awareness of disability issues.
Any members who are interested in joining the committee are encouraged to attend a meeting. Please speak to the Rabbi, any Board member, or Lauri Sue Robertson, the committee chair.
