Accessibility Standards for Customer
Service
Summary of Requirements
What you need to 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.
- If you are a public sector
organization designated in the standard, you must comply by January
1, 2010.
- If you are a private business,
non-profit organization, or any other service provider with at least
one employee in Ontario, you must comply by January 1, 2012.
This document outlines what you must
do to ensure you are providing accessible customer service to people
with various kinds of disabilities. The following is a summary of requirements:
- Establish policies, practices
and procedures on providing goods or services to people with disabilities.
- 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.
- 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.
- Communicate with a person
with a disability in a manner that takes into account his or her disability.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
Some small steps you can take immediately
to improve accessibility include:
- treating all customers with
dignity and respect
- asking ‘How may I help you?’
More Information
At www.AccessON.ca/compliance you’ll find information and resources to help
you understand how to comply with the regulation.
Please note: This document is for information
purposes only.
This is not legal advice and should be read together with the official
language of the standard. To view the official wording of the regulation,
go to www.e-laws.gov.on.ca, and click on “Current Consolidated Law”
to do a keyword search for “429/07”. Or contact ServiceOntario (listed
below) to order a copy.
For more information or to get this document
in an alternate format, contact:
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities
Act (AODA) Contact Centre (ServiceOntario)
Toll-free: 1-866-515-2025
TTY: 416-325-3408 / Toll-free: 1-800-268-7095
Fax: 416-325-3407
Website: www.AccessON.ca
This document was produced by the Ministry
of Community and Social Services,
March 2008.
Ce document est également disponible
en français.
© Queen’s Printer for Ontario, 2008
ISBN 978-1-4249-5933-4 (Print)
ISBN 978-1-4249-5934-1 (HTML)
ISBN 978-1-4249-5935-8 (PDF)
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