Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities

Providing Goods and Services to People with Disabilities

9.1 Customer Service Standards
The Organization is committed to excellence in serving all customers including people with disabilities. The Organization will meet the accessibility needs of persons with disabilities in a timely manner. This policy shall be made publicly available on the Organization website and, on request, be provided in an accessible format.

Assistive devices:
We will ensure that our staff is trained and familiar with various assistive devices that may be used by customers with disabilities while accessing our goods or services.

Communication:
We will communicate with people with disabilities in ways that take into account their disability.

Service animals:
We welcome people with disabilities and their service animals. Those that require service animals will be granted all reasonable accommodations.

Support persons:
A person with a disability who is accompanied by a support person will be allowed to have that person accompany them on our premises. Fees will not be charged for support persons.

Notice of temporary disruption:
The Organization will notify customers promptly in the event of a planned or unexpected disruption to services or facilities for customers with disabilities. This notice will include information about the reason for the disruption, its anticipated length of time, and a description of alternative facilities or services, if available. The notice will be placed at the entrance / storefront main entry to location.

Training for staff:
The Organization will provide training to employees, volunteers and others who deal with the public or other third parties on their behalf. Individuals in the following positions will be trained: Managers, Sales People, Business Managers, Assistant Managers, & Service Advisors.

This training will be provided to staff during their probationary period within a maximum of 90 days from their date of hire.

The Organization will keep track of training records, including the name of the employee and date training was completed.

Training will include:

• An overview of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and the requirements of the customer service standards plan
• The Organization plan related to the customer service standard
• How to interact and communicate with people with various types of disabilities
• How to interact with people with disabilities who use an assistive device or require the assistance of a service animal or a support person
• What to do if a person with a disability is having difficulty in accessing The Organization goods and services.

Feedback process:

Customers who wish to provide feedback on the way The Organization provides goods and services to people with disabilities can e-mail at <insert> or verbally inform Store Management.

All feedback will be directed to the Health and Safety Committee Customers can expect to hear back within 24 hours. Complaints will be addressed according to our organization’s regular complaint management procedures.

Modifications to this or other policies:

This policy shall be reviewed and updated every five years. Any policy of the Organization that does not respect and promote the dignity and independence of people with disabilities will be modified or removed.

9.2 Employment Standards
The Organization is committed to fair and accessible employment practices at all stages of the employment relationship, including current and prospective employees.

Recruitment
The Organization will notify employees and the public about the availability of accommodation for applicants with disabilities in the recruitment process.

During the recruitment process, the Organization will notify applicants when individually selected to participate in the selection process that accommodations are available upon request.

If an applicant requests accommodation, the Organization will consult with the applicant andarrange for suitable accommodation in a manner that takes into account the applicant’s accessibility needs due to disability.

Informing employees of supports

When making an offer of employment, the Organization will notify the successful applicant about its policies for accommodating and supporting employees with disabilities.

The Organization will provide updated information to employees whenever there is a change to this policy.

Communications
The Organization will provide communication supports and accessible formats of communication to employees upon request. The Organization will consult with the employee making the request to determine the suitability of the communication support or accessible format.

Workplace emergency response
Employees who have a disability will be provided with individualized workplace emergency response information, if the disability is such that the individualized information is necessary. Individualized workplace emergency response information will be reviewed when the employee moves to a different location, when the employee’s overall accommodation needs are reviewed, or when the Organization reviews its general emergency response policies.

Performance management and career development

The Organization will take into account the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities when using performance management process, when providing career development opportunities and during redeployment.

Individual accommodation plans and return to work plans
The Organization will develop and implement individual accommodation plans for employees with disabilities. Individual accommodation plans are written documents that list accommodations employees with disabilities need to make their jobs accessible.

The Organization will develop and implement return to work (RTW) plans for employees whohave been absent from work due to a disability and require disability-related accommodations in order to return to work. RTW plans are written documents that outline the steps that will be taken in order to help the employee return to work.

The procedure for developing individual accommodation and RTW plans is as follows:

• Starting the plan: An employee with a disability may approach his/her manager and request accommodation, or management may ask the employee whether accommodation would help the employee perform job tasks. An employee who is absent from work due to a disability will contact his/her manager when the employee is ready to return, or management may request information from the employee on his/her ability to return to work.
• Discussing accommodation: The employee and his/her manager will discuss the employee’s needs and how the employee will perform certain functions of the job. Others may be involved in the discussion as required, such as other members of management or medical professionals. The employee may request an evaluation by an outside medical or other expert to determine if and how accommodation can be achieved.
• Detailing the plan: The employee and manager will write the plan together. The plan should
  include the following:
  • The employee’s name and job title
  • The manager’s name and job title
  • The time period the plan is required
  • A timeline for reviewing and updating the plan
  • What accessible formats or communication supports the employee needs, if any
  • The employee’s emergency information or individual emergency response plan, if required
  • List of tasks the employee will perform differently
  • List accommodations that allow the employee to perform each task
  • Strategies for implementing the accommodations
  • Actions required to implement the strategies
  • Any other required information
• Reviewing the plan: The employee and manager will review and update the plan as required
  to ensure the employee’s needs are being met.
• Privacy: The Organization shall take all steps required to protect the privacy of the employee’s personal information throughout the procedure.