AODA

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AODA Customer Service Standards

• Reach Canada Seminar
• May 15, 2008
• Mary Reid, City of Ottawa

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Standards will be appliedin areas of

• 1.      Customer service
• 2.      Information and communications
• 3.      Employment
• 4.      Built environment, and
• 5.      Transportation

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Accessible Customer Service Standards Ontario
Regulations 429/07

• Became effective January 1, 2008
• Designated public sector organizations comply by
  January 1, 2010
• Other providers (including private sector) comply
  by January 1, 2012

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Customer service standards apply to

• Public sector organizations and every person or
  organization that provides goods or services to
  the public that that has at least one employee
  (services and goods may be delivered in person,
  by phone, mail or electronically)
• Employees,volunteers and contracted-out providers

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Customer service standards do not apply to

• Services provided internally within an
  organization
• Goods or products

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Obligation to establish policies

• Policies, procedures and practices that
• govern the provision of goods and services to
  persons with disabilities,
• deal with the use of assistive devices, and
• ensure communication takes into consideration the
  persons disability.

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Policy Principles

• Organizations are to use reasonable efforts to
  make sure their policies, practices and
  procedures reflect these principles
• dignity and independence
• integrated services, and
• equality of opportunity.

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Service Animals and Support Persons

• Providers operating out of places with public
  access must make sure people with a guide dog or
  other service animal can enter and keep the
  animal with them, unless
• the animal is excluded by another law. In this
  case, other measures must be put in place to make
  sure the person receives the good or service.

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Service animal is defined

• An animal is a service animal when it is
• a) readily apparent that the animal is used for
  reasons relating to a disability, or
• b) the person has a letter from a physician or
  nurse which states the animal is required for
  disability related reasons.
• A Guide dog is defined as per the Blind Persons
  Right Act.

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Support Person is defined

• A support person is someone who accompanies a
  person with a disability to help with
• communication,
• mobility,
• personal care
• medical needs, or
• access to goods or services.

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Support Person

• A support person includes people who are paid,
  volunteering, a family member or a friend.
• Support persons must be permitted access to
  public areas.
• Free access is not required but there must be
  notice of any fee charged.
• Consent is required if confidential information
  is going to be shared when a support person is
  present.

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Obligation to give notice of service disruption

• Providers are to give notice of temporary
  disruptions to services or facilities used by
  persons with disabilities
• - include reason for disruption, duration and
  alternate services
• - notice is to be conspicuous posted on site or
  on website
• - advance notice is required for expected
  disruptions

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Obligation to Train

• Providers shall make sure there is training for
  their employees and volunteers about how it
  provides goods or services to persons with
  disabilities.

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Who is to be trained ?

• Employees, volunteers, and agents who deal with
  the public on behalf of the provider, and
• Employees, volunteers and agents who participate
  in developing policies, practices, procedures.
• (Identifying who to train depends on actual roles
  not job descriptions.)

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When to provide training

• Public sector employees, agents, volunteers by
  January 1, 2010
• Private and non-profit sector employees by
  January 1, 2012
• As soon as practicable when employees, agents, or
  volunteers are newly assigned duties that trigger
  the training requirement
• Whenever there are changes to the policies,
  practices, or procedures or when new equipment is
  acquired

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Training is to include

• Purpose of AODA and requirements of the Customer
  Service Standards Regulation
• How to interact and communicate with people with
  various types of disabilities
• How to interact with someone who has a service
  animal or is using the assistance of a support
  person
• How to use equipment that is on the premises and
  designed to assist someone with a disability
• What to do if someone is having difficulty
  accessing a service

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Obligation for feedback

• Providers are to establish a process for
  receiving and responding to feedback.
• Feedback could be received in person, by phone,
  in writing, electronically, by mail or other
  means.
• The feedback process is to specify what actions
  are required if a complaint is received.

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Obligation to document

• Public sector organizations and providers with at
  least 20 employees are to prepare document(s)
  that describe their
• Policies that govern how services are provided to
  persons with disabilities,
• Policies that address the use of service animals
  or support persons,
• Steps to be taken during a service disruption,
• Provision of training, and
• Feedback processes.
• These document(s) shall be provided on request
  and in the format requested.

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Further information

• AccessON
• http//www.accesson.ca
• MCSS
• http//www.mcss.gov.on.ca/accessibility
• Thank You