Accessibility
The City of Westmount is committed to offering its residents a welcoming and accessible environment in which to live. It fully supports the mission of the Office des personnes handicapées du Québec (OPHQ) and works with the OPHQ and other public and community organizations to continuously improve its municipal services and reduce barriers that prevent the full participation of all members of the community.
Since 2005, Quebec municipalities of more than 15,000 residents must comply with the provincial Act to secure handicapped persons in the exercise of their rights and prepare an annual action plan to improve the social, professional and educational integration of persons with disabilities in the local community. Westmount’s Action Plan outlines past achievements and puts forth its latest goals towards the continuous improvement in accessibility of municipal services, programmes, activities and buildings.
You will find on this page the City’s latest Action Plan, as well as a list of resources and services for persons with disabilities and caregivers.
RESOURCES AND SERVICES FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
Services offered by the City of Westmount
The Vulnerable Persons Registry (VPR) is a community based public safety initiative in partnership with the municipal public safety department and local community services. The registry promotes communication between vulnerable persons, the people who support them and the City. This information will assist our officers when responding to an emergency involving the vulnerable individual. The registry provides quick access to critical information about a registered person, such as who to call in an emergency, a detailed physical description, and any particular sensitivities that the person may experience.
Who is a vulnerable person?
A vulnerable person is defined as a person who due to medical, cognitive, mental health or physical condition may exhibit patterns of behavior that may pose a danger to that person. Examples of Vulnerable Persons may include persons with autism, dementia, acquired brain injury, cerebral palsy that may cause a person to exhibit atypical behaviours (e.g. wandering, physical instability, inability to communicate, aggression, irrational fear, oversensitivity to sensory stimulus (sounds, lights, touch).
For more information and to register in person:
Public Safety Department
21 Stanton Street, City of Westmount
514 989-5222
A personalized telephone service for seniors, persons with disabilities and individuals with reduced autonomy residing alone in Westmount. A reassuring voice in case of emergencies or accidents.
How it works
- The resident or their representative can sign up for the service by coming to the Public Security Office or by making an appointment for an officer to meet with them at their home.
- A registration form is completed and the resident must provide at least one (1) emergency contact.
- A waiver can also be completed in order to allow an officer to gain access to the home in case the resident does not respond.
- A key box is provided free of charge upon registration if the resident chooses to leave a key.
For more information, just register by filing the online form below or call 514 989-5222.
Other services
Government agency that helps increase the social participation of people with disabilities. It offers information, advice, support, and advocacy.
Guide to programs and services offered by government departments and agencies to persons with disabilities. The guide is available in French.
Not-for-profit organization with a mission to improve the well-being and increase the autonomy of people with reduced mobility or functional limitations by centralizing and circulating information on accessibility, educating the population, and valuing community stakeholders for implementing innovative solutions. It offers a wide variety of information and resources.
EMERGENCIES: essential phone numbers and links, automated emergency notification system, guides to help you prepare for emergency situations, and more
EMERGENCY EVACUATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: the Service de sécurité incendie de Montréal (Montréal fire department or SIM) invites persons with reduced mobility to register, at no cost, for its electronic database which enables firefighters to find them and provide evacuation assistance in the event of an emergency
PARKING PERMIT for Westmount residents
ACCESSIBLE PARKING PERMIT: obtain or renew the SAAQ permit for accessible parking spaces
SAAQ: reimbursement of expenses related to the adaptation or purchase of an adapted vehicle
STM ADAPTED TRANSIT: adapted public transportation on Montreal Island
RTM ADAPTED TRANSIT: adapted public transportation service (Greater Montreal Area)
ILI INTERACTIVE ACCESSIBLE LODGING INFORMATION DATABASE: electronic directory of accessible and adapted homes; find or register lodging
MOTNREAL PORTRAIT OF ACCESSIBLE AND ADAPTED HOUSING: a survey of social and community housing stock in the Montréal urban agglomeration
SERVICES QUÉBEC – HOUSING AND ACCOMMODATION: financial assistance to adapt a dwelling, affordable housing programme, and AccèsLogis Québec programme (in French)
HOME ACCESSIBILITY TAX CREDIT: Canada Revenue Agency
GOVERNMENT OF QUEBEC POLICY ON ACCESSIBILITY: “Equals in Every Respect: Because Rights Are Meant to Be Exercised”
GOVERNMENT OF QUEBEC LAW ON ACCESSIBILITY: Act to secure handicapped persons in the exercise of their rights with a view to achieving social, school and workplace integration
QUEBEC HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION: information, tools and resources concerning human rights, defending your rights, areas where discrimination is forbidden, reasonable accommodation, and access to employment, housing and public services
GOVERNMENT OF CANADA – RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES: information and resources concerning the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, transportation rights, employment rights, voting rights and international rights
UNITED NATIONS: information and resources concerning the international Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, UN Enable newsletter and more
CLSC MÉTRO / CSSS DE LA MONTAGNE: complete heath services for Westmount residents.
SANTÉ QUÉBEC : services for individuals with a physical or intellectual disability or an Autism Spectrum disorder (ASD).
INFO SANTÉ : 24-hour phone consultation service on health; free and confidential
211 SERVICE : find community and social services by phone (7 days, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.) or by internet; free and multi-lingual
ALTERGO: support for the social inclusion of persons with disabilities through participation in recreational, sports and cultural activities
JOOAY: mobile app that helps children with disabilities and their families locate accessible leisure activities for children and youth
KÉROUL: organization that promotes tourist and cultural opportunities for persons with limited physical abilities; publisher of Le Québec pour tous (Québec for All), an interactive magazine and Web platform listing more than 1700 accessible ou partially accessible tourist establishments
TOURIST AND LEISURE COMPANION STICKER (TLCS): sticker that provides free access to certain activities for companions of persons 12 years of age and up with a permanent disability; the website offers a map of tourist and leisure sites in Québec that accept the TLCS
VISIONS SUR L’ART (QUÉBEC) INC.: organization that fosters the integration of artists with disabilities into various art disciplines (website in French)
ASSOCIATION QUÉBÉCOISE POUR LE LOISIR DES PERSONNES HANDICAPÉES: organization that helps promote and develop recreational opportunities for persons with disabilities to encourage social integration (website in French)
EMPLOI-QUÉBEC: specialized services to assist persons with disabilities to enter the labour market and find work
REGROUPEMENT DES ORGANISMES SPÉCIALISÉS POUR L’EMPLOI DES PERSONNES HANDICAPÉES: a not-for-profit group representing 21 employment services for persons with disabilities operating throughout Québec; it supports member groups in their work to assist persons with disabilities become active members of the workforce
COMMUNITY GROUPS: list of not-for-profit organizations in Westmount
ACCESSIBLE MEDIA INC.: a not-for-profit media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians who are blind or partially sighted.
ALEXIS NIHON COMPLEX: a champion of accessibility amongst shopping centres