The following 2014-2021 Accessibility Plan outlines the policies and actions that we have or will put in place to improve opportunities for people with disabilities in relation to our Ontario operations.
On an ongoing basis
Information and communications: We communicate with people who have disabilities in a way that takes their disability into account. We are committed to meeting the communication needs of people with disabilities by providing or arranging for the provision of accessible formats and communication supports upon request.
Also, we respond to any question, feedback or any accommodation request provided by:
We deal with accessibility enquiries/requests/concerns/complaints immediately if at all possible. Any complaints that require more time and effort to address, such as consultations at a higher level, are answered within 15 business days. Privacy is respected at all times as per applicable law.
Assistive devices, service animals and support persons: We allow persons requiring assistive devices such as walkers and oxygen tanks, support persons and service animals to have access to our services in the same manner as other customers. Persons with disabilities may bring their service animal to premises that are open to the public or other third parties. If a service animal is excluded by law from our premises, we will ensure, depending on the specific needs, that alternate measures are available to enable the person to access our services.
Training: We provide customer service and human rights training to all our provincially regulated employees as soon as practicable following the start of their duties and on an ongoing basis in response to any material changes in policies, practices or procedures. The training includes:
- An overview of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and standards
- Our accessibility policies, programs and plan
- How to interact with people with various types of disabilities
Employment: We are committed to fair and accessible employment practices.
Notice of temporary disruptions: In the event of a planned or unexpected disruption at our facilities or with the services used by persons with disabilities, we endeavour, in combination with building management where applicable, to provide information on the reason for the disruption, how long the disruption is expected to last, and whether any alternative facilities or services are available, unless the information is not readily available or known. We provide the information by posting notices in conspicuous places including at the point of disruption, at the main entrance and the nearest accessible entrance to the service disruption, contacting any customers with appointments or any other method that might be reasonable under the circumstances. ·
Emergency procedure, plans or public safety information: If requested, we provide publicly available emergency procedures, plans or public safety information in an accessible format as soon as is workable. ·
Modifications to this Plan: Review and update this plan as necessary to ensure consistency with new or revised standards that are developed by AODA.
Additionally
By January 1, 2014
- Have in place accessibility policies, programs and plans to support our goals, and we will provide copies of those documents and/or our filed accessibility reports in an accessible format upon request.
By January 1, 2015
- Ensure existing processes for receiving and responding to feedback are accessible to people with disabilities upon request.
By January 1, 2016
- Ensure all publicly available information is made accessible upon request.
- Notify the public and our employees that we will make accommodations available upon request for people with disabilities during the recruitment and assessment processes and when people are hired.
- Develop individual accommodation plans and return-to-work policies for employees that have been absent due to a disability and ensure that the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities are taken into account in applying our performance management and career development processes.
- Provide or arrange for the provision of accessible formats to employees with a disability that request information that is needed in order to perform their jobs, information that is generally available to employees in the workplace and information about emergency procedures.
By January 1, 2021
- Make all our websites and content conform with World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) WCAG 2.0, Level AA requirements.
