Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act
Description
Through the
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, Ontario is working towards making the province accessible for all people with disabilities by 2025. Via this Act, Ontario is developing accessibility standards which business and organizations will need to follow to break down barriers in the following areas; Customer Service, Transportation, Employment, Information and Communications, and the Built Environment (which includes buildings and other structures).
This workshop will outline how law firm management will be required to meet the requirement of the Customer Service Standard. This includes;
1. Policies, practices and procedures on providing goods or services (legal services for example) to people with disabilities
2. Training for all staff, volunteers, contractors on how to use reasonable efforts to assist people with disabilities
3. Feedback Process for people to provide feedback on how your business provides goods or services to people with disabilities and what actions will be taken
4. Communications – developing methods to communicate with a person with a disability in a manner which takes into account the disability
5. Service Animal use on the premises which are open to the public
6. Support Persons; permitting people with disabilities to bring their support person with them to access goods or services
7. Notice of Temporary Disruption of Services by providing notice when your facility or services are temporarily disrupted
8. Documentation in writing of all policies, practices, and procedures for providing accessible customer service
The goal will be to educate attendees about the AODA and the province’s goal for 2025. As well the seminar will ensure attendees understand what their immediate obligations are relative to the first step, Customer Service and how they can commence the process for either the 2010 or 2012 compliance dates. To illustrate what a Compliance Program and Process should look like both Olga and Jane will describe their recent projects with the LCBO and George Brown College.