Verona resident receives 2015 Persons with Disabilities Access Award

Julie Druker | Jan 06, 2016

Following their regular meeting in Glenburnie on December 16, members of Frontenac County Council along with Neil Allen, chair of the Frontenac Accessibility Advisory Committee, presented South Frontenac resident Doug Lovegrove with the 2015 County of Frontenac International Day of Persons with Disabilities Access Award.

Created in 2013 through the County of Frontenac in partnership with the Frontenac Accessibility Advisory Committee, which includes citizens from North, Central and South Frontenac, and the Frontenac Islands, the award honors persons, groups or organizations that “have made or are making a significant contribution beyond legislated requirements, towards improving access for persons with disabilities in all corners of the Frontenacs”. Lovegrove, who is a long-time member of the Verona Community Association (VCA), was recognized for producing an AODA, (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act) training booklet/manual, which outlines topics regarding accessibility and customer service for persons with disabilities. The act aims to have in place by 2025, various standards relating to accessibility as they apply to buildings and structures, goods and services facilities, accommodations, employment and more.

When interviewed after receiving the award, Lovegrove said he was surprised but pleased at being chosen. He said he decided to create the booklet when the subject of the AODA was brought up years back at a meeting of the VCA. “I recall telling members at the meeting that this [the AODA] is something that we are going to have to abide by and it was back then that I decided to move forward on creating a booklet that would make the information easy for people to access and understand.”

He designed the booklet originally as a training manual for VCA members but since that time he has made it available to community groups, organizations, businesses and other service providers wanting to better understand the types of standards that the act is aiming to achieve. Lovegrove, who worked as a technical instructor in the military, said that creating this type of manual was right up his alley. “I just took the information and put it into a format that would make it more accessible to people and the community at large”.

Lovegrove stressed that one of the aims of creating the booklet was to make people more aware. “As we are all aging and acquiring various disabilities that may include vision, hearing, mobility and a number of other issues, my hopes are that people become more aware of the challenges that people with disabilities face. I am hoping that people in our communities will be encouraged to make the necessary changes that can make a big difference in people’s lives.”

Lovegrove, who has been an active volunteer in his community and a member of the VCA for 20 plus years, said that he himself is slowly reducing the amount of volunteering he does in his local community. “With that in mind and by creating this booklet, I am hoping to see others carry this important issue forward.”

Anyone wishing to have a booklet can email him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Previous recipients of the award were the Verona Lions Club (2013) and Joe Ryan and Brenden Hicks of Accessible Living (2014). The other nominees for the 2015 award included the VCA, the Township of South Frontenac, the Sharbot Lake Petro-Canada gas station, the Frontenac Gazette EMC, the Frontenac News and the Heritage News.