Accessibility

The Ermatinger Clergue National Historic Site is committed to ensuring that the Site is safe, secure, and accessible to staff, volunteers and visitors.  The Municipality of the City of Sault Ste. Marie has an accessibility plan for all municipally owned buildings and services, as well as an Assets Management plan.  The Ermatinger Clergue National Historic Site (Community Services Department, Recreation & Culture Division) is included in this process and will follow and meet relevant related regulations and building codes where possible or unless an exemption is given to maintain heritage integrity.   

The Ermatinger Clergue National Historic Site follows the City of Sault Ste. Marie Accessibility Mandate & will follow the Accessibility Standards set forth by the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005.  Staff and volunteers have participated in current accessibility training programs set forth by the Accessibility Committee of the City of Sault Ste. Marie. (See Governance Policy – section 3.5). The Ermatinger Clergue National Historic Sites has its own Accessibility Plan to compliment the City’s Accessibility plan.

The Site does have some limitations regarding physical accessibility due to its historic buildings and their structure.  Both the E.O.S.H. and the Clergue Blockhouse have a second floor. The E.O.S.H. has a third floor and a basement.  Neither building has an elevator due to the maintenance of historic integrity of the Site. The HDC offers full physical accessibility from the parking lot, washrooms, ground floor only facility, with actuated door entrances. The EOSH is equipped with a ramp entrance and actuated door that accommodates wider wheelchairs and scooters.  A touch screen display is present at the two historical buildings and Heritage Discovery Centre for customer information access and allows for accessibility that includes Augmented Reality experiences and artifacts digitization.

In 2023, a Digital Strategy was completed, and 2024 a Digital Plan began. In making its resources accessible, the staff, volunteers and Board will respect the values and traditions of its community in the development of programs and exhibits that are consistent with the mandate. Minimize economic, social, geographic, physical, and cultural barriers and reach out to a broad range of interest levels, to the greatest extent possible. Demonstrate its commitment to the community through public opening hours, public access, outreach, physical accessibility, and intellectual accessibility.

The website for ECNHS ensures that accessibility requirements are met. Future exhibition digitization projects are set within the strategic and exhibition plans of the HSB. Research information can be accessed through Collection and Digitization web page transitioned from the archive room of the site which offers distance learning that students, and individuals from everywhere can access information even though they are not physically present on the site.