Know someone who has fostered accessibility in Vaughan?
Nominate them for the 2026 Accessibility Champion Awards by Feb. 18
The City of Vaughan wants to recognize accessibility champions helping to pave the way to a barrier-free community. An accessibility champion is someone who advocates for an accessible city, a group working to advance inclusivity practices or a business that invests in a product or service for people with disabilities. Does this sound like a person, business or organization you know? Nominate them for a 2026 Accessibility Champion Award by Wednesday, Feb. 18!
Established in 2019 by the City’s Accessibility Advisory Committee, this award – which is presented every other year – honours individuals, students, groups, businesses and organizations helping to create an accommodating and inclusive community for all.
Here’s everything you need to know to submit a nomination:
Categories:
Accessibility champions can be nominated in the following five categories:
- individual or group (PDF)
- small business or organization (PDF) (1 to 99 employees)
- medium business or organization (PDF) (100 to 499 employees)
- large business or organization (PDF) (more than 500 employees)
- student leadership (PDF) (elementary, secondary and post-secondary institutions)
Eligibility:
Individuals, businesses or organizations being nominated for an Accessibility Champion Award must provide goods or services to people with disabilities in Vaughan or go above and beyond to enrich and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. This could include a business that implemented significant accessibility upgrades to their workplace or an individual who advocated for greater access and inclusion for people living with a disability.
Nomination process:
To submit a nomination for the 2026 awards:
- Visit the City’s Accessibility Champion Award webpage.
- Click on the categories to review the award information packages, which outline eligibility, consent and conflict of interest.
- Have the nominee sign the Consent and Conflict of Interest Declaration Form in the applicable award package.
- Complete the nomination form and submit it with the signed declaration form and any supporting documents which highlight the nominee’s accomplishments.
If you require assistance with the nomination form or would like to receive an alternative format, please call Service Vaughan at 905-832-2281 or email accessibility@vaughan.ca.
Selection process:
Recipients will be selected by the Accessibility Advisory Committee (PDF) during the Monday, March 23 advisory committee meeting. The award recipients will be notified at the end of April, following ratification at Council.
Award ceremony:
Award recipients will be honoured at a ceremonial presentation at the Council meeting on Tuesday, May 26.
The Accessibility Champion Awards is one way the City is fostering an inclusive community for all. Learn more about how the City is championing accessibility in Vaughan’s Multi-year Accessibility Plan.
Visit vaughan.ca/accessibility to learn more.
For updates and news as they happen, subscribe to Vaughan News and follow the official corporate channels on X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
