Accessibility

Holy Blossom Temple strives to be welcoming and accessible to all. If you need something to fully participate in the Temple that is not listed below, please be in touch with Marni. Please also share any feedback with us; we are committed to growing and becoming more and more welcoming and accessible to all. Questions about the administration of AODA policy can also be directed to Marni.

Contact Marni Turner, Director of Membership and Community Engagement at [email protected]; at (416) 789-3291 x 232, or by stopping by her office.

Taking Wheel-Trans to Holy Blossom

Please put in 1950 Bathurst St as your destination/pick up address, and then add the instruction “Please use Ava Road parking lot and entrance.” If you are waiting for a Wheel-Trans pick-up, please feel free to wait at our Welcome Bench right inside the Ava Road entrance by the Welcome Desk. If you choose to wait in the Holy Grounds Cafe or the Atrium, please introduce yourself to the front desk staff so they can notify you when your vehicle has arrived.

Taking TTC to Holy Blossom

TTC Bus #7 (the Bathurst bus) makes stops at both Ava Road and Dewbourne Road. The Ava Road bus stop is about 100 meters from Holy Blossom’s accessible Ava Road entrance. Additionally, we are 1.2 km from the Eglinton West subway station.

Accessible Parking at Holy Blossom

We have multiple reserved spaces for people with Accessible Parking Permits in our Ava Road parking lot. These spaces are about 15-25 feet from an entrance to the Temple. During the High Holidays, all parking spaces in both the Ava and Dewbourne parking lots are reserved for people with Accessible Parking Permits.

American Sign Language Interpreters

ASL Interpreters may be available upon request. Please be in touch with Marni.

Assistive listening devices

Assistive listening devices are available in the Main Sanctuary. Please ask the greeters for help if needed.

Large Print

Large print versions of current flyers are available. Please contact Deanna Levy at [email protected] to request this. Magnifiers are available inside of the Main Sanctuary, next to the prayerbooks.

Navigating the Temple

Holy Blossom Temple strives to be an accessible facility, with wheelchair access throughout. There is an elevator that serves all four floors of the Temple, and there are accessible washrooms with on the lower level, first, and second floors. These washrooms have automatic door openers, are single-stall and not gender-specific, are large enough for someone using a wheelchair and an attendant, and contain changing tables (one second floor washroom has a changing table made to support an adult). The washrooms on the third floor are not accessible and are gendered.

Many doors throughout the building have automatic door-opening buttons. Not all doors currently do, but more are being added. One workaround to get through heavy doors without buttons is to cross through the elevator (i.e. go from 3 to 3R).

There are glass windows and doors throughout the building that can be a challenge to navigate. They have small decals on them, but these decals are sometimes not clear enough. We are aware of this and working to fix it. If the glass presents an issue for you, please ask for help at the front desk and we will have someone help you navigate the building.

Children are Welcome at Holy Blossom

Children are a welcomed and cherished part of our community. There are books and toys available throughout the building, including in prayer spaces. There are also highchairs available on the lower level (these can be moved to other floors upon request).

Parents are welcome to breastfeed at all events and activities. Additionally, the lifecycle room is often available as a private room. If you need assistance finding a private place to nurse, please ask the front desk staff.

Holy Blossom Temple will make every reasonable effort to ensure that its policies, practices, and procedures are consistent with the principles of dignity, independence, integration, and equal opportunity by:

• Ensuring that all congregants and members of the public receive the same value and quality;
• Using alternative methods when possible to ensure that congregants and members of the public with disabilities have access to the same services, in the same place and in a similar manner;
• Taking into account individual needs when providing goods and services;
• Communicating in a manner that takes into account the congregant or member of the public’s need.

Holy Blossom Temple shall provide congregants and members of the public with the opportunity to provide feedback on the service provided to people with disabilities. Feedback forms along with alternate methods of providing feedback such as verbally (in person or by telephone) or written (handwritten, delivered, website, or email), will be available upon request.