Towards an
Accessible Ontario
Accessibility for Ontarians with
Disabilities Act, 2005
Canadian Assistive Devices Association
March 26, 2012
Accessibility Directorate of Ontario
Ministry of Community and Social Services
Purpose
To provide an overview of:
• Importance of accessibility
• Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)
• Customer Service Standard
• Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation
• Status of built environment legislation
• Compliance assistance & resources available to organizations
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Why Accessibility?
The Numbers
• About 1.85 million people in
Ontario have disabilities
15.5%
people with
disabilities
• Seniors aged 65+ could more
than double to
4.1 million by 2036
• By 2017, more seniors than
children aged 14 and under
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Why Accessibility?
The Economics
• Labour Market Impact
– Unemployment rate five times as high
– High rate of job performance and retention
– Increase employment income by up to $618
million
– Increasingly dependent on a workforce with
disabilities or aging
• Business Impact
– Revenue increases across the economy,
particularly in the tourism and retail sectors.
– Opportunity for businesses to compete and
succeed:
• attract customers & build customer loyalty
• develop and market products
• improve services for everyone
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Why Accessibility?
Benefits Everyone
• Accessibility not only helps people with
disabilities, it benefits:
– seniors
– families travelling with young children
– shoppers
– visitors with luggage
Accessibility is the right thing to do!!!
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An Accessible Ontario by 2025
Leader in Accessibility
• First in the world to mandate
accessibility instead of react to
complaints
• First in the world that requires
staff to be trained on accessibility
• First in Canada with a clear goal
and a time frame in which to meet
that goal
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About the AODA
The Goal & Standards
An accessible Ontario by 2025 in five key areas of daily living:
1.
2.
Customer Service
Addresses how organizations offer equal access to their goods/services.
Transportation
Addresses ways to prevent and remove barriers to transportation so that everyone can more
easily travel in Ontario.
3.
Employment
Requires organizations to have a process on how to accommodate persons in activities such
as interviews, workplace duties, etc.
4.
Information and Communications
Makes the ways organizations send and receive information and communications accessible
to persons with disabilities.
5.
Built Environment
Will address access to and within buildings and outdoor spaces.
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Accessibility Customer Service Standard
Who has to Comply
• The customer service standard is simply about:
– Understanding that customers with disabilities may
have different needs
– Helping them access your goods and services
• Applies to all organizations with at least one employee in
Ontario, that provide goods or services to the public or other
organizations
• 360,000 organizations have to comply:
– January 1, 2010 - broader public sector
– January 1, 2012 - private and not-for-profit sectors
• 60,000 organizations have to report:
– only those with 20+ employees
– file report by December 31, 2012
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Accessibility Customer Service Standard
What you have to Do to Comply
1)
Develop customer service policies and procedures for
serving people with disabilities.
2) Make sure that your policies and procedures are
consistent with the principles of independence, dignity,
integration and equality of opportunity.
3) Have a policy on allowing people to use the following to
access your goods and services:
– assistive devices
– service animals
– support persons
4)
Consider a person’s disability when communicating
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Accessibility Customer Service Standard
What you have to Do to Comply
4)
Provide training on accessible customer
service:
–
–
5)
staff, volunteers, contractors, and anyone who
deals with the public on your behalf
anyone involved in developing customer service
policies, practices and procedures
Let people know about:
–
–
7)
admission fees (if any) for support persons
temporary disruptions in services or facilities
Set up feedback process. Determine how to:
–
–
–
receive feedback
respond to feedback
make information about the process available to
the public
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Training on Assistive Devices
• Training must cover the following:
– Instruction on how to interact with people with disabilities who use
assistive devices or require the assistance of a service animal or a
support person
– Instruction on how to use equipment or devices available at your
premises or that you provide
• Accessibility Standards for Customer Service: Training
Resource has unit on assistive devices:
– What is an assistive device?
– About commonly used assistive devices
– How to interact with customers who use assistive devices
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Accessibility Customer Service Standard
Documentation
Public sector and organizations with 20+ employees must also:
1) Complete an online report on your compliance by the
reporting deadline.
2) Document in writing all of your policies and procedures on
how you provide accessible customer service.
3) Notify customers that all of the documents required by the
standard are available upon request.
4) When providing documents required under the standard,
make sure the information is in a format that takes into
account the person’s disability.
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Integrated Accessibility Standards
Regulation
(IASR)
• Regulates three accessibility standards: Information and
Communications; Employment; and Transportation
• Came into effect on July 1, 2011 and is now law.
• Applies to all organizations in the public, private and non-profit sectors.
• All Broader Public Sector organizations must report their compliance
with the IASR
• Private and not-for-profit organizations with 50+ employees must also
report compliance online
• Requirements will be phased in over time, giving organizations time to
integrate the accessibility requirements into their regular business
processes.
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Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation
General Requirements
• Develop policies to support each
standard
• Establish and maintain multi-year
accessibility plans
• Train employees and volunteers on the
regulation & the Ontario Human
Rights Code, as applicable
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Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation
Summary of Standards
Information and Communications
• Will help people with disabilities access information and communications
that many of us rely on every day (e.g. accessible formats and websites
and web content.
Employment
• Builds on existing requirements of the Ontario Human Rights Code
• Will help organizations support and keep more skilled employees
• Will make accessibility a normal part of finding, hiring and communicating
with employees who have disabilities
Transportation
• Will make it easier for people with disabilities to get to where they need
to go.
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Integrated Accessibility Standards
Regulation
Early Requirements
As of January 1, 2012…
• Accessible Public Safety Information (I & C Standard)
– Organizations that prepare emergency procedures, plans or public
safety information and make them available publicly must provide this
information in accessible formats or with communications supports on
request.
• Workplace Emergency Information for Employees with Disabilities
(Employment Standard)
– Employers are required to have individualized workplace emergency
response information prepared for employees with disabilities.
– Applies to permanent and temporary disabilities.
• Guidelines and templates have been developed to help organizations
meet this requirement
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Accessibility Reporting
Who Needs to Report?
• Businesses and organizations covered by an
accessibility standard
– Customer Service: organizations with 20 or
more employees
– IASR: organizations with 50 or more employees
• File reports online through the ServiceOntario
(www.serviceontario.ca)
• Must make accessibility reports available to the
public
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Accessible Built Environment
What to Expect
• Changes will be reflected in two areas:
– Within buildings, including:
• entrances, doorways and corridors
• public washrooms
– In outdoor spaces, such as:
• play spaces
• pedestrian trails
• accessible parking spaces
• Focus is on a go-forward basis
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Getting to Compliance
A Progressive Approach
Compliance
Assistance
Self-Certification
Accessibility
Reporting
Reports Audited;
Risk Assessment
Used to Determine
Follow-up
Supported by public
education and
awareness
60,000 obligated
organizations required
to report
Non-compliant reports,
non-filers, patterns of
complaints
Inspections
& Enforcement
Orders and penalties
— Based on risk and
severity of violation
360,000
organizations will be
required to comply
with standards
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Public Education Strategy
Helping Organizations Comply
• Information, free tools, and resources distributed through:
– ontario.ca/AccessON
– key events and conferences
– stakeholder websites, newsletters, and publications
• AODA Contact Centre (ServiceOntario)
• Partnerships with key provincial umbrella organizations. The EnAbling Change
Program is an annual program that:
– provides funding for projects that will make a significant impact on
improving accessibility and/or promote compliance with the AODA.
– seeks partners who have the vision, leadership and commitment to
improve accessibility.
– seeks partners whose impact is broad enough to be felt throughout an
industry or sector, or across several sectors.
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EnAbling Change Partners
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Getting to 2025
Make Accessibility Your Business
• Learn about, identify and remove barriers
• Implement accessibility standards
• Work together to pool ideas and resources
• Nurture a culture of accessibility at work and in
your community
• Visit our website to learn more and get updates
Be an Accessibility Champion!
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Links and Resources
AccessON
www.ontario.ca/AccessON
Click on “What do I need to do?”
AODA Contact Centre (ServiceOntario)
Toll-Free: 1-866-515-2025
TTY: 416-325-3408 / 1-800-268-7095
Fax: 416-325-3407
ServiceOntario Publications
(to order resources online):
www.publications.serviceontario.ca
Facebook.com/AccessOn
@OntMinCommunity
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