Proposed Ontario Changes to Accessibility Regulations

The Ministry of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure has proposed changes to the Customer Service Standard and Integrated Accessibility Standards regulations under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). If approved, the changes will be enacted on July 1, 2016, and take immediate effect.

This proposal includes incorporating the Customer Service Standard into the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation and making changes to requirements of the Customer Service Standard.

·       Proposed customer service standard changes include:

·       Regarding training, the proposed changes clarify who must be trained and when training must be provided to:

·       All employees and volunteers

·       All people who participate in developing the organization’s policies

·       All other people who provide goods, services or facilities on behalf of the organization

Every person must be trained as soon as practicable. Organizations must provide training on any changes to its accessibility policies on an ongoing basis.

·       Regarding the customer service feedback process, it is proposed that the title of the section be changed to “Feedback Process on the Accessible Provision of Goods or Services” and to make changes to the requirements to match the language in the Information and Communications Standard, which specifies that:

Obligated organizations must ensure that their feedback process is accessible to persons with disabilities by providing or arranging for the provision of accessible formats and communication supports upon request.

It is proposed that an organization be required to provide accessible formats and communication supports upon request to a person with a disability. These must be provided in a timely manner and at a cost that is no more than the regular cost charged. It is also proposed that the current provision that organizations and people with disabilities “agree upon” an accessible format be replaced with the following requirement: Organizations must consult with the person making the request to determine the suitability of an accessible format or communication support.

·       How does this change your organization’s implementation of the AODA? 

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 orsandra_broekhof@sympatico.ca