How assistive devices can make workers or customers with a disability more productive

Assistive technology provided by rehabilitation engineers can also play a major role in realizing the goals of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), which is to make Ontario accessible for people with disabilities by 2025. Accessibility standards are the rules that businesses and organizations in Ontario have to follow to identify, remove and prevent barriers to accessibility in the areas of customer service, employment, information and communication, transportation and the built environment (the latter is not yet law).

Under the AODA, assistive technology can impact how you provide accessible formats and communication supports to a person with a disability, and can also impact reasonable/individualized accommodation for students and employees with disabilities.

What is an assistive device?

Assistive technology includes devices and services that help people in their daily lives at home, work, school and the community. It includes:

• Hearing aids
• Ramps and platforms that help people get in and around buildings more easily
• Wheelchairs
• Computer modifications to increase accessibility
• Electronic devices that make communication possible
• Modified or customized job equipment
• Voice recognition remote devices that turn appliances, computers, lights, radio, etc., on and off
• Magnifiers, talking books, closed circuit television
• Braille note-taking computers
• Speech recognition devices

For the workplace, it is any device that can assist an individual with a disability to succeed on the job.

How can assistive technology help employers and other organizations?

For the purpose of the AODA, the Customer Service Standard requires that all providers of goods or services develop a policy on allowing people to use their own personal assistive devices to access the goods and services provided and on any situations where such use may not be permitted. The policy should also address any measures the organization offers to enable people with disabilities to access its goods and use its services. This may include assistive devices, services or methods offered such as alternative document formats, or assistance by a staff person.

Alternative formats, addressed under the Customer Service, Information and Communication Standards of the AODA, allow users to communicate and access information and library and educational resources. People interact, learn and communicate in diverse ways. Learning opportunities are increased when flexible ways of engaging with learning materials are provided. Considering how people communicate is important for knowledge to be exchanged. Alternative formats take into account these diverse ways of exchanging information.

In addition, the Information and Communication Standard requires that educational institutions and their employees know how to produce accessible or conversion-ready versions of textbooks and printed material and be knowledgeable at interacting and communicating with people with disabilities who may use alternative formats and devices.

In the library context, assistive technologies are used primarily to provide or increase access to library-related goods and services for people with disabilities. Examples include magnification and amplification devices, page-turners, enhancements to computer workstations, text-to-speech software, etc.

The Accessibility Standard for Employment will help Ontario businesses and organizations make accessibility a regular part of finding, hiring and supporting employees with disabilities. This includes knowing what processes will be modified to individually accommodate applicants and employees with disabilities

So it is important to try to understand assistive technology and the services that rehabilitation engineers can provide to meet the needs of your customers, applicants and employees with a disability.

I hope this brief overview on assistive technology has given you something to think about to make your organization or workplace accessible. And maybe you will reconsider passing up on that applicant or employee who has a disability but much ability for lack of understanding.

Please share some thoughts on Assistive Technology.

If you are interested in learning more about Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) or how to make accessibility a natural part of your business through the application of Corporate Social Responsibility, please contact Sandra Broekhof @ 416-579-1035 or sandra_broekhof@sympatico.ca or visit www.accessibilitycompliance.ca

Required training under the AODA customer service standard

As the compliance date for the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) comes closer companies have to consider that several requirements have to be in place January 1, 2012. These include:

• Establishing policies and procedures relating to the provision of goods and services to persons with disabilities, including persons using service animals or accompanied by a support person
• Developing alternative modes of communication with persons with disabilities
• Developing a process to notify customers of a disruption in service
• Providing training to all staff who participate in the development of customer service policies and procedures or deal with members of the public pertaining to the AODA and its requirements, including how to use assistive devices on the premises, what to do if a person with a disability is having difficulty accessing goods or services and how to interact with persons with disabilities who use assistive devices, support persons and service animals
• Developing a process for receiving and responding to feedback about the manner in which the organization provides goods and services to persons with disabilities
• Where the employer or organization has more than 20 employees, documenting actions related to the standards and filing an accessibility report with the Government of Ontario

Failure to meet these requirements by January 1, 2012, may result in significant monetary penalties.

What we gathered at our most recent AODA seminar is that employers are very concerned about the training aspect of the customer service obligations.

Customer service training must include:

• The purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and Regulations
• The purpose and requirements of the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service
• How to interact and communicate with people with various types of disabilities
• How to interact with people with disabilities who use an assistive device or require the assistance of a service animal or support person
• How to use the assistive devices available or made available at your organization for use by people with disabilities
• What to do if a person with a disability is having difficulty accessing your organization’s goods and services, including asking the person how he or she can be accommodated and what alternative methods of service provision would be more accessible
• Your organization’s policies, practices and procedures relating to the provision and access of goods and services to the public and other third parties

Training must be provided to all current and new staff that deal with members of the public or other third parties, whether the person is an employee, agent, volunteer or otherwise. Organizations should further ensure that every person who participates in developing the organization’s policies, practices and procedures governing the provision of goods or services to members of the public or other third parties receives training.

Training must be ongoing, for example, when there are changes to your policies, practices and procedures dealing with the provision and access of goods and services, including changes to the law.

Every designated public sector organization and every other provider of goods or services that has at least 20 employees in Ontario shall keep records of the training provided, including the dates on which the training is provided and the number of individuals to whom it is provided.

We recommend that all organizations (no matter the size) keep records of training that include the training occurrence dates for each staff member and the number of people receiving training. Organizations are responsible to ensure all new staff members are trained and to monitor compliance with training requirements under the AODA.

Please share some ways you are training for the Customer Service Standard.

If you are interested in learning more about Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) or how to make accessibility a natural part of your business through the application of Corporate Social Responsibility, please contact Sandra Broekhof @ 416-579-1035 or sandra_broekhof@sympatico.ca or visit www.accessibilitycompliance.ca 

Standard for Customer Service

December 31, 2012, AODA: Accessibility reporting deadline fast approaching

Ontario’s Accessibility Standard for Customer Service came into effect on January 1, 2008 for all businesses and not-for-profits in the province with more than one employee. If you have more than 20 employees, you must file an online report by December 31, 2012 to demonstrate to the government that you have achieved accessibility under the Customer Service Standard.

The government requires you to use the Accessibility Compliance Reporting tool to file your report online. The reporting tool is on ServiceOntario’s ONe-Source for Business website.

All qualified organizations should have followed these steps to ensure they are in compliance with the customer service standard:

• Create and introduce a plan, policies, practices and procedures to implement accessibility features which include: considering the needs of persons with disabilities when communicating with them; allowing assistive devices, service animals and support persons in your premises; having a feedback process in place; having a process in place to let customers know when there is a disruption in service
• Train employees on your plan, policies, practices and procedures; let them know what is going on and what they can do to help
• If your organization has 20 or more employees, put your plan on paper; record the efforts (plan details and timeline, training logs) you put toward your projects, and make the plan available for your employees to read
• If you are an organization with 20 or more employees, let the Ministry of Community and Social Services know how you are doing! You are required to fill out a report on or before December 31, to show your progress in achieving accessibility under the customer service standard
• If you are an organization with 20 or more employees, let your customers know what your plan is and that you can provide them with a copy in an accessible format

The AODA accessibility reporting deadline is fast approaching, don’t be the last one to comply!

Please share some ways you are complying with the Customer Service Standard.

If you are interested in learning more about Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) or how to make accessibility a natural part of your business through the application of Corporate Social Responsibility, please contact Sandra Broekhof @ 416-503-1035 or sandra_broekhof@sympatico.ca or visit www.accessibilitycompliance.ca