Accessibility and the Integrated Accessibility Standard

Within in the disability community, there is a large discussion around how many organizations are not in compliance with the AODA customer service standard and have not begun planning for compliance with the Integrated Accessibility Standard.  I thought I would review each of the questions to help you ensure you are in compliance.  I am discussing the requirements for the Integrated Accessibility Standard.  Please let me know how far in compliance you are.

Requirement:   

The Government of Ontario, Legislative Assembly, designated public sector organizations and large organizations shall,

(a) establish, implement, maintain and document a multi-year accessibility plan, which outlines the organization’s strategy to prevent and remove barriers and meet its requirements under this Regulation;

(b) post the accessibility plan on their website, if any, and provide the plan in an accessible format upon request; and

(c) review and update the accessibility plan at least once every five years.

What does compliance look like for this requirement??

This requirement requires the development of a Multi-Year Accessibility Plan.  This plan will outline how your company is going to prevent and remove barriers (both visible and invisible). This plan should cover all principles of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) including independence, dignity, integration and equality of opportunity. 

This plan needs to put in a place the public can get access to it --- for example the company website. 

The company also link the policy to other policies on Accessibility (including Customer Service, Information and Communication, and Employment).  This would ensure that accessibility is a part of your everyday business.

What are you doing to ensure compliance with this individual requirement?

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