Accessibility Advisory Committee
aac@king.ca
“Did you know…?
… the Accessibility Standards for Customer
Service (Ontario Regulation 429/07) came
into force on January 1, 2008. If you are a
provider of goods or services, and have one
or more employees in Ontario, you will be
required to comply with the regulation”.
Accessibility Advisory Committee
aac@king.ca
“Did you know…?
… that if you are a private business, non-profit
organization or any other service provider with
at least one employee in Ontario, you must
comply with the Accessibility Standards for
Customer Service (Ontario Regulation 429/07)
by January 1, 2012”.
Accessibility Advisory Committee
aac@king.ca
“Did you know…?
… that you can immediately improve
accessibility in your business or workplace
by treating all customers with dignity and
respect and asking “How May I Help You”.
Accessibility Advisory Committee
aac@king.ca
“Did you know…?
… that you cannot refuse service to any person
with a disability who has a service animal
whether that service animal is a cat, ferret, etc.
That as long as the person has a doctor’s letter
with them that states the animal is for service
purposes the animal is to be treated as a
qualified service animal”.
Accessibility Advisory Committee
aac@king.ca
“Did you know….
… that disability impacts the lives of many
Ontarians, and the numbers of people with
disabilities is increasing? Today, 15.5% of
Ontario’s population has a disability and this
number will continue to grow as the
population ages”.
Accessibility Advisory Committee
aac@king.ca
“Did you know…?
… that people with disabilities represent a
large pool of untapped employment potential
and when we make Ontario accessible to
people with disabilities everyone benefits”.
Accessibility Advisory Committee
aac@king.ca
“Did you know…?
… the Accessibility for Ontarians with
Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) uses the same
definition of “disability” as the Ontario
Human Rights Code, which includes both
visible and non-visible disabilities”.
Accessibility Advisory Committee
aac@king.ca
“Did you know…?
… there are a broad range of disabilities which
include vision disabilities, deafness or being
hard of hearing, intellectual or developmental,
learning, and mental health disabilities”.
Accessibility Advisory Committee
aac@king.ca
“Did you know…?
… when you are think about making your
organization accessible, it is important to be
alert to both visible and invisible barriers”.
Accessibility Advisory Committee
aac@king.ca
“Did you know…?
… a barrier is anything that prevents someone
with a disability from participating in the
social or economic life of our community”.
Accessibility Advisory Committee
aac@king.ca
“Did you know…?
… that architectural or structural barriers may
result from the design of a building such as
stairs, doorways, the width of hallways and
even room layout”.
Accessibility Advisory Committee
aac@king.ca
“Did you know…?
… that information and communications
barriers can make it difficult for people to
receive or convey information. Things like
small print size, low colour contrast between
text and background, confusing design of
printed materials and the use of language that
is not clear or plain can all cause difficulty”.
Accessibility Advisory Committee
aac@king.ca
“Did you know…?
… that technology, or lack of it, can prevent
people from accessing information. Everyday
tools like computers, telephones and other aids
can all present barriers”.
Accessibility Advisory Committee
aac@king.ca
“Did you know…?
… that systemic barriers can occur through
policies and procedures. These are any
practices or rules that restrict people with
disabilities – for example, denying access to a
person with a service animal”.
Accessibility Advisory Committee
aac@king.ca
“Did you know…?
… that attitude is perhaps the most difficult
barrier to overcome? Some people don’t know
how to communicate with those who have
visible or non-visible disabilities. Or they
simply discriminate against them because of
stereotypes. They may feel that they could
offend the individual with a disability by
offering help or they ignore or avoid people
with disabilities altogether”.
Accessibility Advisory Committee
aac@king.ca
“Did you know…?
… if you would like information on the
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities
Act (AODA) your can contact Service Ontario
toll free at 1-866-515-2025 or visit
www.AccessON.ca”.
Accessibility Advisory Committee
aac@king.ca
“Did you know…?
… you can attract more customers by
providing better access to your business”.
Accessibility Advisory Committee
aac@king.ca
“Did you know…?
… by making our business open to people with
disabilities, you can tap into this huge market –
a market that has significant spending power”.
Accessibility Advisory Committee
aac@king.ca
“Did you know…?
… you should communicate with a person
with a disability in a manner that takes into
account his or her disability”.
Accessibility Advisory Committee
aac@king.ca
“Did you know…?
… you must 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”.
Accessibility Advisory Committee
aac@king.ca
“Did you know…?
… that you must 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”.
Accessibility Advisory Committee
aac@king.ca
“Did you know…?
… you must provide notice when facilities or
services that people with disabilities rely on to
access or use your goods or services are
temporarily disrupted”.
Accessibility Advisory Committee
aac@king.ca
“Did you know…?
… it is important that providers of goods and
services are prepared to serve people with
disabilities? This includes having policies that
address the use of personal assistive devices
and the availability of other assistive
measures”.
Accessibility Advisory Committee
aac@king.ca
“Did you know…?
… most self-service gas stations with several
staff on hand have a policy that they will assist
drivers with disabilities in pumping their gas”.