1. ACCESSIBILITY WORKS Webinar – March 25, 2014
LOUIE DI PALMA

3. Purpose of this Session
Part 1: Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) explained Part 2: Overview of Accessibility Requirements Part 3: Filing a Report (20+ employees) Part 4: What’s Next Part 5: Resources

4. Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)
GOAL: An accessible Ontario by 2025
Ontario passed the Act in 2005
Accessibility standards:
Rules businesses and organizations must follow to identify, prevent and remove barriers for people with disabilities

5. Question
True/False
1 in 15 Ontarians have a disability

6. Disabilities Defined
AODA definition is the same as Ontario Human Rights Code (
Includes visible and invisible disabilities:
Broad range of physical disabilities
Developmental disabilities
Learning disabilities
Mental health disabilities
Injury or disability (where benefits are claimed or received under Workplace Safety and Insurance Act)
Covers short-term, long-term and permanent disabilities

7. What are the Barriers? Attitudinal Information and communication
Policy and procedure
Architectural/Structural

8. Accessibility Standards
Ontario has developed 5 accessibility standards:
Customer service
Employment
Information and communications
Transportation
Design of Public Spaces

9. Who is Required to Comply?
ALL Ontario organizations that:
have 1+ employees in Ontario
provide goods or services
directly to the public
to other businesses or organizations
Counting Employees:
Full-time, part-time, seasonal and contract employees

10. 2012 Accessibility Requirements
By January 1, 2012 businesses and non-profits were required to:
Create a plan to provide Accessible Customer Service
Train your staff on Accessible Customer Service
Keep your employees and customers safe
December 31, 2012
Organizations with 20 or more employees were required to file a report

11. Creating a Customer Service Plan
Your Plan should include policies, practices or procedures on:
Assistive Devices
Service Animals and Support Persons
Communication
Feedback process
Notice of temporary disruption of service
Training
Consistent with principles of:
Independence, Dignity, Integration, Equal Opportunity

12. Assistive Devices Create a policy outlining:
How your business or organization deals with the use of personal assistive devices
The availability of assistive measures on your premises

13. Question
True or False If a customer enters your place of work, and you notice they are wearing a hearing aid, you should take out a piece of paper and communicate through writing.

14. Support Person
Allow support person to accompany the person with a disability
If not permitted (e.g. change rooms), provide alternative ways to access your goods or services
Clearly state in policies if admission fees apply 14

15. Service Animals
Allow Service animals in areas open to the public, unless excluded by law
If animal is excluded:
Bring goods or services to the person
Offer a safe location where the service animal can wait
Offer assistance to person with a disability while they are separated from the service animal 15

16. Question
Yes or No? Alex enters a local restaurant accompanied by his service dog. Should the waiter restrict him from eating at the restaurant?

17. Communication
Take into account the person’s disability and be prepared to communicate in different ways:
In writing
Use of pictures
By telephone
Online
Choose the right word
Train all staff about different disabilities

18. Question Which statement is proper?
A) My client this afternoon was a disabled person.
B) My client this afternoon was a person with a disability.

19. Feedback Determine a feedback process
Develop action steps to respond to a complaint
Let people know you have a feedback process in place. You could post a notice near the cash register or on your website.

20. Disruption of Services
Provide notice if facilities or services are temporarily unavailable
Clearly state:
The reason for disruption;
anticipated duration; and
alternative facilities or service, if available

21. Training Train staff on providing accessible customer service
Decide on a format that meets your needs
Who needs to be trained?
Provide training on an ongoing basis when:
policies change
a new person is hired
an employee is assigned duties where training is required under the standard  
20+ employees maintain training records

22. 20 + Employees
Document policies, practices procedures and make them accessible
File an accessibility report online
File online at ontario.ca/AccessON - Click ‘Here’s how to file your report’
What you need:
Computer, and 20 minutes
You will need your business number
Binding authority to file report
Supports:
Step-by-step guide to walk you through process
AODA contact centre:

23. Emergency Requirements
Keeping Employees and Customers Safe
Provide individualized workplace emergency response information to employees with disabilities, when necessary
Make publicly available emergency or safety information accessible, on request

24. Accessibility Reporting Who needs to report?
Businesses and organizations covered by an accessibility standard
Exemptions:
Customer Service: organizations with fewer than 20 employees
IASR: organizations with fewer than 50 employees
File report on-line (simple checklist format)
Make your accessibility report available to the public

25. Accessibility Reporting When do you need to report?
Private sector and non-profit organizations required to submit AODA compliance report in 2012 and 2014, then every three years thereafter.
Passed and upcoming deadline to submit online compliance report
Private and non-profit organizations with employees
Private and non-profit organizations with 50+ employees
By December 31, 2012
Customer Service Standard
By December 31, 2014 +
IASR Requirements for 2012, 2013 and 2014
Next compliance report to be submitted by December 31, 2017.

26. What’s Next Accessibility Requirements
Based on organization type (public, private, non-profit) and size, and what they provide
Phased-in approach
Planning ahead:
Accessible information
Websites
Public Spaces

27. AODA Compliance Wizard
Answer a few questions about your organization, and the Wizard will give you a personalized summary of what you have to do and by when
Free and user-friendly
The Wizard can be found at

28. For more information, contact:
Service Ontario (AODA Contact Centre)
Toll-free:
TTY: / Toll-free:
Fax:
Website: ontario.ca/AccessON
Ontario Chamber of Commerce
Louie DiPalma
Tel: ext.227
Website:

29. An initiative of: