As Ontario works toward its 2030 accessibility goals under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), businesses and venues are contemplating: What does accessibility look like beyond compliance?
“Toronto has become a major event city, with accessibility emerging as part of that competitive advantage”
- Maayan Ziv, founder of AccessNow
That shift rings especially true in Toronto. As one of the world’s most multicultural cities—and a global champion of equity, diversity, and inclusion—the end goal is simple: everyone should feel welcome here.
“Accessibility is no longer being viewed purely through the lens of compliance,” says Maayan Ziv, founder of AccessNow. “Many Toronto venues are beginning to understand that accessibility directly impacts guest experience, reputation, audience growth, and overall event success.”
For event planners, the conversation has moved beyond ramps and elevators. It’s also about whether attendees feel comfortable, supported, and able to fully participate.
“Toronto has become a major event city, with accessibility emerging as part of that competitive advantage,” said Ziv. “More venues think holistically about accessibility and engage directly with disabled communities and people with lived experience—which is critical because accessibility cannot be designed effectively in isolation.”
That mindset is showing up in event spaces across the city. These five Toronto venues are examples of what happens when accessibility moves beyond the basics and becomes a key part of what makes an epic event.
With more than 100,000 works spanning contemporary art, Indigenous collections, and classics including pieces by the Group of Seven, the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is one of North America’s premier art museums. The museum also offers rentable spaces ranging from seminar rooms to the luminous Joey & Toby Tanenbaum Sculpture Atrium to larger events in Baillie Court—a loft-like venue beneath Frank Gehry’s spiral staircase with capacity for up to 450 guests.
The AGO is fully accessible and BlindSquare-enabled—a GPS navigation app that assists visitors who are blind, deafblind, or partially sighted. Large-print exhibition guides are available online, while Relaxed Visits and a Multisensory Art Cart support neurodiverse guests through sensory kits, soundscape tours, and textured-touch experiences.
Standout feature: Ziv points to the AGO’s sweeping curved wooden ramp, which does more than “simply provide access.”
“Rather than feeling clinical or secondary, the ramp is seamlessly woven into the architecture, creating movement, warmth, and visual interest while also offering an inclusive way for people to navigate the space,” says Ziv. “It’s a strong example of how accessibility and design excellence can coexist beautifully.”
The takeaway for planners? First impressions matter—and accessibility can be part of the design story, rather than an afterthought.
“If arriving at a venue is stressful, confusing, or physically exhausting, it immediately impacts how included someone feels,” Ziv says. “The arrival experience sets the tone.”
Part of Mirvish Productions—Canada’s largest commercial theatre company—the Princess of Wales Theatre is world renowned for blockbuster productions. Beyond the stage, the 2,000-seat venue features private suites and lounges for everything from intimate gatherings in the 12-person Mirvish Suite to galas and receptions for up to 200 guests in the CAA Lounge beneath the auditorium—a favourite for hosting red-carpet TIFF galas and corporate events.
“Guests remember how they were treated.”
- Maayan Ziv, founder of AccessNow
The theatre offers wheelchair-accessible, special access, and bariatric seating, alongside barrier-free washrooms, support person accommodations, and service animal access. During performances, double doors can be propped open to create a barrier-free entrance, while aisle seats have armrests that act as swinging doors, helping patrons transfer more smoothly into place.
And if someone needs a break mid-show? Just snag a seat outside the theatre and keep watching from TV screens.
Princess of Wales Theatre
“The theatre accommodates diverse sensory needs through relaxed performances, offering modified sound and light environments for neurodivergent guests, individuals with dementia, and families,” says Ziv. “The staff are also highly trained, ensuring every guest receives attentive, respectful, and well-coordinated support from arrival to departure.”
For Ziv, those details matter as much as physical infrastructure.
“Guests remember how they were treated,” she says.
Standout feature: Accessible seating isn’t tucked into a single section. Guests can choose seats across the Orchestra, Dress Circle, and Balcony, with options spanning different price points and distances from the stage.
“Seats are available in various price tiers and distances from the stage, ensuring guests with disabilities have a true variety of options,” says Ziv. “Specific seats can be removed to create flexible configurations, so patrons using mobility devices can sit beside their companions.”
Princess of Wales Theatre
3. Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada: A Deep Dive into sensory and cognitive accessibility
Home to more than 20,000 aquatic animals across nine galleries, Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada is best known for immersive exhibits, including North America’s longest underwater viewing tunnel, but it also doubles as a popular event venue. Inside, there are a range of spaces for cocktail receptions, dinners, team building, and large buyouts held alongside exhibits and beneath marine life displays. Private dining beside the shark tank? Product launches in the Rainbow Reef gallery swimming with colourful fish? Taking over the entire aquarium for up to 1,200 guests? All doable.
The Rick Hansen accessibility-certified attraction is also thinking more broadly creating an inclusive space. A long ramp leads to automatic entrance doors, lowered ticket counters improve access for wheelchair users, and the entire aquarium is designed without the need for elevators. Instead, gradual slopes guide guests through the space, while hand railings and built-in benches offer extra support and places to pause.
Standout feature: Ripley’s offers sensory-friendly hours in partnership with Autism Ontario, offering increased lighting, no music, and access to quiet spaces for guests who need a break. Visitors can also review sensory guides ahead of time to better understand the experience across different areas of the aquarium.
“Accessibility is not only about whether someone can physically enter a space, but whether they can comfortably participate and remain engaged throughout the experience,” says Ziv.
4. Royal Ontario Museum: Smart technology, more inclusive experiences
A world-renowned museum and unique event venue offering a range of spaces—from soaring atria to grand gallery settings—the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) knows how to make an impression.
With 13 million artworks, cultural objects, and natural history specimens, it’s one of Canada’s busiest museums. Knowing this, the ROM strives to ensure everyone can experience the attraction in their own way. Guests can borrow wheelchairs, FM assistive listening devices, and accessibility resources on arrival, while tactile books, Braille-labelled replicas, and audio descriptions offer different ways to engage. American Sign Language interpretation is also available on request.
“One of the biggest improvements is that attendees can now access accessibility information [from the Accessibility Map Guide] before arriving."
Guests can borrow wheelchairs, FM assistive listening devices, and accessibility resources on arrival, while tactile books, Braille-labelled replicas, and audio descriptions offer different ways to engage. American Sign Language interpretation is also available on request.
Standout feature: Reducing guesswork can be just as important as removing physical barriers, especially in venues with multiple rooms, crowds, and changing sensory environments.
The ROM offers downloadable accessibility maps tailored to different needs, including mobility-friendly maps for elevators and ramps, quiet-space maps, and sensory-friendly guides developed with Autism Ontario that highlight noise levels, slopes, and other considerations throughout the museum. The Accessibility Map Guide also helps guests locate accessible washrooms.
“One of the biggest improvements is that attendees can now access accessibility information before arriving, allowing them to make informed decisions and reduce uncertainty,” says Ziv.
For attendees, it means less energy spent figuring out the space—and more time engaging with the event.
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
With 442,000 square feet of exhibit space, 77 meeting rooms, multi-purpose ballrooms, and a theatre designed for both performing arts and corporate events, the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) is built for gatherings with serious scale. And when thousands of attendees are flowing between sessions, exhibits, and networking events, accessibility becomes part of the logistics.
"It’s about building richer, more welcoming, more human experiences that reflect the diversity of the people attending them.”
The venue includes accessible entrances, elevators, washrooms, automatic doors, barrier-free features, and courtesy wheelchairs. Washrooms can also be adapted to gender-neutral configurations, while spacious layouts and service animal accommodations help make large events easier to move through.
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
Standout feature: The MTCC is directly connected to both the Delta Toronto and InterContinental Toronto Centre, making it easier to shuffle between accommodations and event spaces. For planners managing multi-day conferences, that can mean a more seamless experience for attendees with mobility needs, chronic illness, fatigue, or anyone simply trying to make it through a long event day.
“Attendees increasingly expect environments that are thoughtful, inclusive, and easy to navigate,” said Ziv. “Ultimately, accessible events are not about lowering expectations or creating separate experiences. It’s about building richer, more welcoming, more human experiences that reflect the diversity of the people attending them.”
