For 21 years we have had a provincial law
that many people are still not aware of. A service dog should not be such an
issue when discussing new rights under the Accessibility Standards for Customer
Service. What is new in the standards is that all service animals are allowed
on public places unless excluded by another law, usually for health and safety
reasons.
Blind persons already
have a legal right to pursue their complaints in court and need not wait for
businesses and other organizations to comply under the Accessibility
for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). The fines and penalties
for non-compliance under the AODA have been explained here. Ms. Nolan can use
this avenue to seek compliance, but one complaint does not trigger financial
penalties. The AODA requires three complaints against an organization before
specific actions are taken. In the interim, educating non-compliant
organization is the primary goal. But people who are not blind and require a
service animal that is not a dog are likely to meet discrimination, and can
complain using the customer service standard as their avenue to seek justice.
If you have learned about the rights of
people with disabilities to bring their service animals onto your public
premises, then please follow the regulation. A service animal is a necessity
and it trumps how we feel. I look forward to people with disabilities feeling
more secure in the public domain, and if the animal is necessary due to a
disability then I’m happy to say, get out of the house, and meet this kinder,
educated public that embraces diversity and your service animals.
How are you accommodating for service animals?
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
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