AA Toronto Accessiblesign language at an AA meetingAA Toronto Accessibility

Accessibilities Committee

“For some A.A. members, a six-inch step can be an insurmountable obstacle. A locked access door, a blocked ramp or parking problem can make it impossible to get to a meeting. Some members are ill, homebound or living in retirement or skilled nursing facilities; others are blind or deaf or have vision or hearing loss; some may learn, read, or process information differently; some may be wheelchair users; and still others may use canes or walkers, or have other mobility-related needs. Literature may be hard to understand. Childcare issues may make it impossible to attend regular meetings. Remote geography or cultural differences may hinder contact with other members.”

“Accessibility challenges apply to all alcoholics who have difficulty participating in Alcoholics Anonymous, whether those are mental, physical, geographic, cultural, or other factors that vary among people.”

-Accessibilities Workbook (2023), p. 5

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Committee Activities

  • The primary purpose of the GTAI Accessibilities Committee

    Is to support home groups, service committees, Districts to carry the message to all alcoholics.

    Specifically, current and ongoing initiatives include:

    • Collecting accessibilities checklists from home groups and sharing this information with the intergroup webmaster in order to keep meeting lists and meeting finder filters current (Accessibilities Checklist for Meetings and Groups | Alcoholics Anonymous )

    https://aaws.widen.net/content/kjwtcdmpqy/pdf/m-48i_accessibilities_workbook_online.pdf page 26)

    • Revitalizing “Meetings to Go” initiative for housebound alcoholics [see flyer below]
    • Participating in various AA related community outreach events as able (e.g. Ontario Regional Conference, Info AA or Service Days, etc.)
    • Liaising with Service Committees, Area regarding ways to maximize accessibility and inclusion for all

“Meetings to Go” initiative for homebound alcoholics:

Greater Toronto Area Intergroup

MEETINGS ON THE GO — We’ll Come to You!

Meetings on the Go

Need a meeting delivered to you?

Whatever the Reason:

  • Curfew

  • Homebound
  • Hospitalized
  • House Arrest
  • Parents
  • Relocated
  • Sick
  • Shut-In

  • Travellers

Need a Meeting? We’re Here to Help!

Call our 24/7 Help Line: 416-487-5591 to arrange a meeting to come to you.

Email us to bring a meeting to you:

accessibility@aatoronto.org

Interested in getting involved in Accessibilities Service work?

Have you encountered a barrier about which you wish to consult?

Want to network with others who are involved in making our spaces more welcoming?

CONTACT accessibility@aatoronto.org

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They talk the talk, but do they walk the walk?

aa toronto speaker meeting
2026 Info Info

We have heard and used the phrase “They talk the talk; but do they walk the walk?”

Please keep this phrase in mind when you consider the following request from the Accessibility Committee of Greater Toronto.

When planning Special Events at your home group or special “Days” (such as Information AA Day, Service Days, and others) please consider making every effort to be fully accessible. “Fully accessible” means people using wheel chairs can take advantage of every aspect of the day; speaker meeting, washrooms, panel discussions, information tables. A truly all inclusive event.

One other note for local planners in the GTA: TTC’s WheelTrans will not come to a location unless given the full address (the name of the building and nearest intersection are not enough). Please provide the complete street name and number.

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Disability Do’s and Don’ts…

Do respect the needs of a disabled person regarding communication, transportation, etc. Without the provision for these needs, you make the situation worse. Taking a shortcut “just this once” means the problems for persons with disabilities in the workforce continue.

Don’t be afraid to ask. Most persons with disability have lived with them for a long time, and know how to solve the problem, if you ask. Don’t assume. Ask.

Do try to look beyond the disability to the person. Every human being has something to contribute, and many of the world’s greatest contributors have, or had, a disability (Beethoven, Stephen Hawking, John Milton, etc.).

Don’t be afraid to learn. For example, many people are nervous using a TTY to communicate with a person who has a hearing loss. It is a very simple machine to learn (children use it!). Have an adventure, learn something new!

Do, at least, think about taking a risk on a person with a disability. In Canada, over 50% of the disabled are unemployed or underemployed, compared to about 10% national average.

Don’t assume it’s always someone else. Over 90% of disabilities occur after birth. Ultimately, you may be helping yourself.

Accessibility Is Action

AA Speaker Seeing Eye Dog
AA TORONTO INTERGROUP Info Info
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2026 Info Info

I am Responsible

When anyone, anywhere reaches out for help, I want the hand of AA always to be there, and for that, I am Responsible

The committee has a variety of ways you can be involved. Please click on the links below

Request for visit:

If you are an AA member, or wish to be one, and you are chronically ill or homebound, if you would like to talk to an AA member by phone, e-mail, or in person, and/or if you would like some things about AA mailed to you, please click above.

  • Willing to volunteer:
    If you are an AA member and you are willing to phone, e-mail, and visit the homebound and/or chronically ill, and/or you are willing to send e-mail in the case of the deaf and hard of hearing, please visit: evolvethought.com.
  • Wheel Chair Access :
    If you’re a group secretary, let intergroup know about your meeting space and its Accessibility by using the above link.
  • ASL Interpreters Allowed :
    If you’re a group secretary, let Intergroup know if sign-language interpreters are welcome at your open and/or closed meetings by using the link above. Please note that the interpreter may not be an alcoholic, but they adhere to a strict code of ethics regarding confidentiality. They are simply there to facilitate for the deaf alcoholic.
  • Please see the interpreters’ code of ethics for more information: avlic.ca/ethics-and-guidelines.
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Special Material

Material for deaf and hard of hearing alcoholics is available from the Literature Department at:

GTA Intergroup Offices

 234 Eglinton Avenue, Suite 202

Toronto, Ontario M4P 1K5

or by calling 416-487-9865 (TTY number is 416-487-5062)

or by fax at 416-487-5855.

This material includes:

Video Video Videotapes Book-open Book-open Illustrated Pamphlets Thumbs-up Thumbs-up Complimentary A.A. Service Material Address Address icon A.A. Guidelines:
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Videotapes

  • (VS-1) Alcoholics Anonymous (Big Book) in American Sign Lanugage (ASL) 5 volume set 1/2″ VHS cassettes
  • (VS-8) Young People and A.A. In this 28-minute film, four young A.A. members describe what it was. 4 like drinking, what happened to bring them to A.A. and what their lives are like sober today. In keeping with A.A. tradition, the identity of the A.A. members is protected. (Closed-captioned English 1/2″-VHS cassette.)
  • (VS-16) Hope: Alcoholics Anonymous explains the principles of A.A.: What A.A. is and isn’t, primary purpose, sponsorship, home group, the Steps and Traditions and basic recovery tools. (Closed-captioned English 1/2″-VHS cassette.)
  • (VS-13) A.A. Rap With Us features four anonymous young A.A. members. Rap music and lyrics bridge these four young people’s stories of alcoholic despair and A.A. recovery. (Closed-captioned English 1/2″-VHS cassette.)
what is AA

Illustrated Pamphlets

  • (P-55) “The Twelve Steps Illustrated
  • (P-38) “What Happened to Joe …”
  • (P-43) “The Twelve Traditions Illustrated”
  • (P-39) “It Happened to Alice!”
  • (P-36) “Is A.A. For Me?”
  • (P-33) “It Sure Beats Sitting in a Cell”
  • (P-37) “Too Young?”

Complimentary A.A. Service Material

  • List of Central Offices, Intergroups, and Answering Services in the U.S. and Canada. (Some have TTY or TDD equipment – for times and locations of local meetings.)
  • Literature: The Twelve Steps for signing purposes
  • The Twelve Traditions for signing purposes
  • The Twelve Traditions (Long Form) for signing purposes
  • .”A Deaf Newcomer Asks …” for signing purposes
  • “How It Works” for signing purposes
  • “Is A.A. For You?” for signing purposes
  • “A Brief Guide to Alcoholics Anonymous”
  • The Serenity Prayer for signing purposes

A.A. Guidelines:

  • “Carrying the A.A. Message to the Deaf Alcoholic”
  • “Serving Alcoholics with Special Needs”

For more information, email us!