AODA – Accessibility Standard for Customer Service

AODA – Accessibility Standard for Customer Service consulting services, assessments (facilities and websites), tools, techniques and free resources.

The new Accessibility Standard for Customer Service came into effect across Ontario on January 1, 2012. All employers are required to establish policies, practices and procedures on providing goods or services to people with disabilities and are asked to train employees on:

• How to communicate with people with various types of disabilities; how to interact with people with disabilities who use assistive devices or require the assistance of a guide dog, other service animal or a support person;
• How to use equipment or devices available at your premises, that may help people with disabilities access your services, such as TTY telephones, elevators, lifts, accessible interactive kiosks or other technology;
• What to do if a person with a disability is having difficulty accessing your services;
• Protocol to take if service normally available to the disabled is temporarily not available.

a. What requirements apply to all providers?

 

The following requirements of the customer service standard apply to all providers that are covered by the standard. If you are a provider, you must:

• Establish policies, practices and procedures on providing goods or services to people with disabilities.
• Set a policy on allowing people to use their own personal assistive devices to access your goods and use your services and about any other measures your organization offers (assistive devices, services, or methods) to enable them to access your goods and use your services.
• Use reasonable efforts to ensure that your policies, practices and procedures are consistent with the core principles of independence, dignity, integration and equality of opportunity.
• Communicate with a person with a disability in a manner that takes into account his or her disability.
• Train staff, volunteers, contractors and any other people who interact with the public or other third parties on your behalf on a number of topics as outlined in the customer service standard.
• Train staff, volunteers, contractors and any other people who are involved in developing your policies, practices and procedures on the provision of goods or services on a number of topics as outlined in the customer service standard.
• Allow people with disabilities to be accompanied by their guide dog or service animal in those areas of the premises you own or operate that are open to the public, unless the animal is excluded by another law. If a service animal is excluded by law, use other measures to provide services to the person with a disability.
• Permit people with disabilities who use a support person to bring that person with them while accessing goods or services in premises open to the public or third parties.
• Where admission fees are charged, provide notice ahead of time on what admission, if any, would be charged for a support person of a person with a disability.
• Provide notice when facilities or services that people with disabilities rely on to access or use your goods or services are temporarily disrupted.
• Establish a process for people to provide feedback on how you provide goods or services to people with disabilities and how you will respond to any feedback and take action on any complaints. Make the information about your feedback process readily available to the public.

 

b. What additional requirements apply to designated public sector organizations and providers with 20 or more employees?

 

If you are a designated public sector organization or other provider with 20 or more employees, you must:

• Document in writing all your policies, practices and procedures for providing accessible customer service and meet other document requirements set out in the standard.
• Notify customers that documents required under the customer service standard are available upon request.
• When giving documents required under the customer service standard to a person with a disability, provide the information in a format that takes into account the person’s disability.

 

Scope of requirements for compliance

 

Develop a written policy

Develop written policies, procedures and an Accessibility Standard for Customer Service Planwith the AODA online form). This form must be available to all customers to review.

 

Develop procedures, practices and policies to put in place:

•  A summary of 11 key requirements are available at this link.
• A One-Source account needs to be opened by organizations and an Accessibility report must be filed with the government. Here is the Business Checklist for more than 20 Employees.

 

Train employees

Refer to video or DVD links below for detailed overview of how to provide training. Keep a record of the date your employees are trained or retrained.
Serve-Ability Service Video – having staff view the”Serve-Ability: Transforming Ontario’s Customer Service” video will fulfill the organization’s employee training requirements.

Understanding Accessibility Videos  – these additional videos promote better understanding of disabilities and accommodation.

 

Documentation

• Customer Service – tools to help with compliance for organizations with more than 20 employees.
• For companies with 20+ employees- an Accessibility Report must be filed with the government.
• Detailed Employer Accessibility Standard for Customer Service handbook, FAQ`s, etc.
• Understanding the Standard (PDF)

About the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) –  outlines the government plan from 2005 to 2025, the different stages being rolled out, such as the Customer Service Standard implemented January 1, 2012.

Contact Arcus for additional information about AODA requirements and development of anAccessibility policy.