Accessibility Plan: What does it mean?
The new Accessibility Standard requires
that every large organization file an Accessibility Plan by January 1,
2013. This Plan has to cover a 5 year
plan and must be reviewed and updated regularly. Each plan has to include your company’s
strategy to prevent and remove barriers for anybody with a disability. This definition of disability includes
visible and invisible disabilities and also temporary, episodic and permanent
disabilities.
The prevention of barriers means that there
are policies, practices and procedures that ensure that all people with
disabilities are included in all parts of your company.
The removal of barriers includes an
examination of all of your company’s policies and practices to ensure that none
of them are inadvertently excluding people with disabilities. This has to be done in an organized and
efficient fashion and needs to ensure that policies are examined with an
accessibility lens. To begin, each
company should examine the following sections: customer service, information
and communication, built environment and employment.
According to the Integrated Accessibility
Standard this accessibility plan needs to be available to the public and
available in accessible formats. It also
has to be reviewed and update every five years.
The Accessibility Directorate of Ontario will be examining this to
ensure that compliance is key and people with disabilities are included in all
parts of your company’s life.
What is your company
or organization’s plan for the examination, removal and prevention of barriers
for people with disabilities?
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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