AODA: The Employment Standard

The Employment Standard requires an organization to be proactive in the identification, removal and prevention of barriers hindering the full participation in employment of persons with disabilities. It also requires that organizations have policies and procedures for establishing individual accommodation plans where barriers cannot be removed proactively, shifting the onus from the individual who needs the accommodation to the person who provides it.
Moreover, the employment standard will require organizations to provide accessibility for persons with disabilities throughout the employment life cycle (i.e., recruitment, retention etc). The employment accessibility standard will apply to all employers in Ontario, provided that they employ at least one paid employee including full-time, part-time, or apprenticeships. Note that this standard does not apply in respect of volunteers and other unpaid individuals (e.g., co-op placements, high school work experience placements).
To meet their obligations under the law, employers will have to develop an organizational accessible employment policy statement. Employers will also be required to develop, adopt, document and maintain policies that support the implementation of the commitments in the policy statement, including:

• Prevention, identification and removal of barriers throughout the entire employment cycle
• Inclusive design of employment systems and processes
• Support of persons with disabilities from recruitment through hiring
• Individual accommodation plans
• Respect for privacy of information related to accommodation
• Provision of information in accessible formats and methods
• Provision of disability awareness training to employees

Recruitment, selection, hiring process and employment cycle
Employers must focus on disability-related issues through the recruitment and hiring stages of the employment relationship.
This means employers would have to notify employees and the public about the availability of accommodation for applicants with disabilities in their recruitment, selection and hiring processes.
What does this mean in practical terms? Employers need to make sure that applicants with disabilities can find and compete for jobs just like everyone else. To do that, employers need to make sure that their entire recruitment process ― advertising, application, selection and interviewing — is accessible to ensure that people with disabilities are treated the same as every other applicant. In addition, employees who become disabled during employment must be able to retain their jobs, if they can still perform the essential duties of the job.
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Workplace emergency response information
By January 1, 2012, every obligated employer must provide individualized workplace emergency response information to employees who have a disability, if the disability is such that the individualized information is necessary and the employer is aware of the need for accommodation due to the employee’s disability. The individualized workplace emergency response information must be reviewed:

• When the employee moves to a different location in the organization
• When the employee’s overall accommodations needs or plans are reviewed, and
• When the employer reviews its general emergency response policies

What does this mean in practical terms? This obligation to provide information in an accessible format will apply to your violence and harassment policies, your pandemic plans, your fire emergency procedures and your first aid plan, among other emergency response procedures.

How is your organization being proactive with the Employment Standard of the Integrated Accessibility 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.caThe Employment Standard requires an organization to be proactive in the identification, removal and prevention of barriers hindering the full participation in employment of persons with disabilities. It also requires that organizations have policies and procedures for establishing individual accommodation plans where barriers cannot be removed proactively, shifting the onus from the individual who needs the accommodation to the person who provides it.

Moreover, the employment standard will require organizations to provide accessibility for persons with disabilities throughout the employment life cycle (i.e., recruitment, retention etc). The employment accessibility standard will apply to all employers in Ontario, provided that they employ at least one paid employee including full-time, part-time, or apprenticeships. Note that this standard does not apply in respect of volunteers and other unpaid individuals (e.g., co-op placements, high school work experience placements).
To meet their obligations under the law, employers will have to develop an organizational accessible employment policy statement. Employers will also be required to develop, adopt, document and maintain policies that support the implementation of the commitments in the policy statement, including:

• Prevention, identification and removal of barriers throughout the entire employment cycle
• Inclusive design of employment systems and processes
• Support of persons with disabilities from recruitment through hiring
• Individual accommodation plans
• Respect for privacy of information related to accommodation
• Provision of information in accessible formats and methods
• Provision of disability awareness training to employees

Recruitment, selection, hiring process and employment cycle
Employers must focus on disability-related issues through the recruitment and hiring stages of the employment relationship.
This means employers would have to notify employees and the public about the availability of accommodation for applicants with disabilities in their recruitment, selection and hiring processes.
What does this mean in practical terms? Employers need to make sure that applicants with disabilities can find and compete for jobs just like everyone else. To do that, employers need to make sure that their entire recruitment process ― advertising, application, selection and interviewing — is accessible to ensure that people with disabilities are treated the same as every other applicant. In addition, employees who become disabled during employment must be able to retain their jobs, if they can still perform the essential duties of the job.
:
Workplace emergency response information
By January 1, 2012, every obligated employer must provide individualized workplace emergency response information to employees who have a disability, if the disability is such that the individualized information is necessary and the employer is aware of the need for accommodation due to the employee’s disability. The individualized workplace emergency response information must be reviewed:

• When the employee moves to a different location in the organization
• When the employee’s overall accommodations needs or plans are reviewed, and
• When the employer reviews its general emergency response policies

What does this mean in practical terms? This obligation to provide information in an accessible format will apply to your violence and harassment policies, your pandemic plans, your fire emergency procedures and your first aid plan, among other emergency response procedures.

How is your organization being proactive with the Employment Standard of the Integrated Accessibility 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