What your Small Business of less than 50 People Needs to know to comply with Accessibility of Ontarians Disability Act. This presentation was presented to the Clinton Centarl Huron BIA by Sandra Thompson, accessibility coordinator of Huron County.

1. 1
WHAT YOUR SMALL BUSINESS
OF LESS THAN 50 PEOPLE
NEEDS TO KNOW TO COMPLY
WITH ACCESSIBILITY OF
ONTARIANS DISABILITY ACT
PRESENTED TO CLINTON
CENTRAL HURON BIA
BY SANDRA THOMPSON, ACCESSIBILITY
COORDINATOR COUNTY OF HURON
January 2, 2014

2. Objectives
2

Accessibility of Ontarians Disability Act

Provide Overview of the Integrated
Accessibility Regulation






General Regulations/Human Rights
Information & Communication
Employment
Transportation
Built Environment
 Outdoor Spaces
 Building Code
Summary of Standards Your Should
Already Be In Compliance With

3. Objectives Continued
3

Future Standards To Be In
Compliance With By Year

AODA Wizard Tool

Questions

Thank You

4. 4
Integrated Accessibility
Regulation

Under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act
(AODA), 2005 Integrated Accessibility Standard Regulation
(IASR), small Private Sector organizations (1-49
employees) and large Private Sector organizations (more
than 50 employees) are required to meet a number of
provisions with respect to ensuring the accessibility for
people with disabilities in the areas of:






customer service
information and communication,
employment,
transportation and
built environment.
These provisions must be implemented between 2012 and
2025

5. 5
Integrated Accessibility
Regulation

Under the IASR, required actions
include:

Develop a statement outlining the Private Sector
Organization’s commitment to meeting the
accessibility needs of persons with disabilities in a
timely manner.

Integrate accessibility in procurement processes.

Train employees, volunteers, and relevant third
parties.

Provide accessible formats and communication

6. 6
Integrated Accessibility
Regulation

Ensure website accessibility.

Establish accessible employment processes
throughout the employment cycle, including
recruitment, selection, individual accommodation
plans, workplace emergency information, return to
work process, performance management, career
development, and redeployment.

Meet accessibility requirements when constructing
new or redeveloped elements of public spaces
(more details to follow).

7. General Requirements & Human
Rights
7

General requirements, including:





accessibility criteria in procurement and acquisition
processes,
policies describing how the provisions of the standards will be
met,
development of a 5-year accessibility plan, outlining the
process for meeting the IASR, and
training for all staff, volunteers, and relevant third parties.
Human Rights

Broadly, the IASR requires organizations to document
policies, processes, and plans for various provisions, to train
all employees, volunteers, and relevant third parties in the
IASR requirements and the Human Rights Code as it relates
to people with disabilities, and to develop or acquire various
resources or equipment to support compliance.

8. Information & Communication
8

Information and
communication includes
accessibility standards for:



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websites,
accessible formats of
documents and
communications to the
public,
accessible feedback
processes,
providing accessible
emergency and public
safety information, and

9. Employment
9
Employment includes
providing:
accommodation throughout the
recruitment process,
 providing accessible formats of
information and
communications to employees,
 documenting accommodation
plans for employees with
disabilities, and
 accommodating employees
during return-towork, redeployment, and


10. Built Environment
10
Public Outdoor Spaces
Beginning in 2015, public and private sector
organizations will have to meet accessibility
requirements when constructing and
maintaining new or redeveloped elements
of public spaces including:
 Recreational trails and beach access routes
 Outdoor eating areas for public use
 Outdoor play spaces (such as playgrounds)
 Exterior paths of travel (such as walkways
across parks or between buildings)
 Accessible on- and off-street parking
 Service counters and waiting areas

11. Building Code
11

Accessibility Standards for
the interior of public buildings
have been implemented in
the Ontario Building Code.

12. Compliance Date January, 2012
12

Customer Service Standard

The customer service standard is the
first standard developed under the
AODA.

It became law effective January
1, 2008.

Small private organizations had to be
in compliance by January 1, 2012.

To be in compliance your organization
must create a Customer Service & Use
of Assistive Devices that is shared with
all staff.

All staff must receive customer service
training.

http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/mcss/pr
ograms/accessibility/customerService/
Does your organization shine above the rest?

13. Compliance Date January, 2012
13

Integrated Accessibility Regulation

Making Emergency Information Accessible to the
Public

As of January 1, 2012, upon request, the County must
make their emergency and public safety information
accessible to people with disabilities.

They must also work with the person requesting the
information to figure out how to meet their needs, as soon
as possible.

You don’t have to have accessible formats on hand and you
don’t have to create new emergency or public safety
information. Real-time emergency information (such as
announcements and alarms) isn’t included in the standard.
Just make any existing information that is available to the
public accessible, upon request.

14. Compliance Date January, 2013
14

Integrated Accessibility Regulation

Workplace Emergency Response Information

As of January 1, 2013, any known employees with a disability
that might need help in an emergency situation are to be
provided with an Individual Emergency Plan form and the
Emergency Workplace Response Information For Employees
With Disabilities policy.

I can provide you with the County’s policy and form for
individual emergency plans.

15. Compliance Date January, 2015
15

Integrated Accessibility Regulation

Accessibility Policies

As of January 1, 2015, small private organizations must
develop, implement and maintain policies about what the
organization will do to meet the IASR requirements and
become more accessible including a statement of
commitment.

The policy must be made available to the public.

The policy statement in the Standards for Accessibility Policy
will outline your organization’s commitment to providing
services to members of the public in an accessible
manner, emphasizing the principles of
independence, dignity, integration, and equal opportunity, as
required by the IASR and the Customer Service Regulation.

16. Compliance Date January, 2015
16

Integrated Accessibility Regulation

Procurement Policies

When you procure goods, services and
facilities, you consider criteria to make
your decision, such as quality, cost and
timing. Now you need to make
accessibility design and features part of
your criteria, where possible.

Huron County Council approved new
finance policies in order to meet
Accessibility Obligations in Procurement at
its November 28, 2012 Council.

Please let me know if you would like a
copy of these policies.

17. Compliance Deadline
January, 2016
17

Training:
Training must be provided on the IASR
requirements that apply to your business and
what is mandated under the Ontario Human
Rights Code (related to disabilities).
 Small businesses must provide training to all
employees and volunteers, including paid and
unpaid positions. This also includes anyone who
is involved in developing your business’s policies
and anyone who provides goods, services or
facilities on your behalf, such as facilities
management.
 http://www.accessforward.ca/trainingResources/in
dex


18. Compliance Deadline
January, 2016
18

Feedback


When asked, you must be able to receive and respond to feedback
from your customers, your employees and members of the public
who have a disability.
Making feedback accessible may mean that instead of providing
only one method for feedback, such as hand-written letters, your
organization needs to be ready to receive feedback in other
ways, such as over the telephone or by email.

Organizations that provide customers with questionnaires or comment
cards must also provide this information in accessible formats or with
communication supports.

Examples of accessible formats and communication supports are:
•giving an employee with low vision information in large print, and
•exchanging hand-written notes to communicate with a customer who
is Deaf.

19. Compliance Deadline
January, 2017
19

Integrated Accessibility Regulation

Employment Policies:
The
following policies must be in place
by January, 2017:
 Hiring
and Selection Process
 Advertising & Posting Process
 Regular Performance Review
 Workplace Accommodation
 Early Return to Work Program
 If
you would like I can share the County of
Huron’s policies.

20. Compliance Deadline
January, 2017
20

Your organization must let your staff know
about the organization’s policies for
supporting employees with disabilities. Your
business has the flexibility to do this in a way
that best suits your culture and business
practices, such as by using:
 Newsletters
 Emails
 Memos
 Website
 Bulletin
Boards
 Staff Meetings, and
 One-on-one conversations.

21. Compliance Deadline
January, 2017
21

Making Information Accessible to Employees
When an employee with a disability ask for it, you
must work with them to make workplace
information accessible.
 Workplace information is information that
employees need to perform their jobs, and
general information available to all employees at
work.


Example, Suzy is legally blind and uses a screen reader
to read text. Her employer send her the monthly staff
newsletter in a structured word file so she can read it.

22. Compliance Deadline
January, 2018
22

Parking
 No,
you do not have to change your
organization’s parking to comply with the law. The
standard only applies when you plan to build new
or make major changes to your existing parking
spaces.
 The requirements you need to follow when
building new or redeveloping existing parking
spaces depend on the type of parking your
organization owns and/or maintains. There are
two types of parking: off-street and on-street.

23. Compliance Deadline
January, 2018
23



Off-street parking is a space where you can park your
vehicle temporarily that is not on a public road or
street. ff-street parking includes open and covered
parking lots, such as a hair salon’s customer parking
lot and an underground parking garage at a shopping
centre.
Public, private and non-profit organizations own and
maintain off-street parking. People may need to pay to
use off-street parking.
On-street parking is a space where you can park your
vehicle temporarily that is located on a common and
public highway or street and is the responsibility of
municipalities.

24. Compliance Deadline
January, 2018
24
What are the requirements?
 New and redeveloped o’ -street parking must follow certain
technical requirements. For example:

1. Off-street parking facilities must include two types of accessible
parking spaces:
 a. wider spaces for people who use mobility aids, such as
wheelchairs, and
 b. standard-width spaces for people who use mobility assistive
devices, such as canes, crutches and walkers.

2. Off-street parking facilities must include a minimum number of
each type of accessible parking space, depending on the total
number of parking spaces.

3. Accessible parking spaces must have access aisles (a space between
parking spaces) that allow people with disabilities to get in and out of their
vehicles.

25. Compliance Deadline
January, 2018
25


Accessible Counters, Entrances, Path of
Travel, Door Widths, etc.
Everything based on the Built Environment
must be in compliance by January, 2018 if
renovations are completed.

26. Compliance Deadline January, 2014
Businesses with 50+ Employees
26

Making Your Website
Accessible
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websites and their content must
meet the Web Content
Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
2.0.
This includes features such as
screen readers for those with
vision loss
Large print
Literacy levels

27. Quick Facts
27
Although you do not have to make your building
accessible unless you do renovations it only
makes good business sense to do so anyway.
 Canadians with disabilities spend $25 billion every
year and influence the spending decisions of 12 to
15 million other consumers.
 More than 1.85 million Ontarians have a disability
and this number is quickly rising as the population
ages.
 By 2017, for the first time, Ontarians aged 65 and
over will account for a larger share of the
population than children aged 0-14.

28. AODA Wizards
28

Here is the link to the
Wizard.

Very helpful tool.

https://www.appacats.mcss
.gov.on.ca/eadvisor/start.a
ction

29. Questions
29