Getting to compliance

Ontario’s Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (the act) came into force in 2005 and sets out a clear goal and timeframe to make Ontario accessible by 2025.  The next few blogs will talk about how the province and your own organization can do to work towards compliance. 

• The government will be following up when organizations do not file reports or comply with the act, which includes:
• Conducting inspections.
• Issuing Notices of Proposed Order (NOPOs) advising why the organization is not in compliance with the law, and what it must do to comply and to avoid a penalty.
• Issuing Director’s Orders stating the organization must comply, including possible financial penalties.
• Court enforcement.
• Prosecution, which could include fines.

Thoughtful incorporation of AODA standards and effective AODA training can be linked to employee engagement. Corporate social responsibility (CSR), including sustainable business practices, is increasingly tied to employee expressions of engagement and alignment with the organization. Studies show that companies with high CSR values also score higher in employee engagement.

The best way to make the link between CSR and the AODA is a thoughtful and specific application of AODA standards and training to your industry.

Taking the time to identify and develop practices unique to your company, clients and processes is a way to show your employees that accessibility for Ontarians with disabilities is part of your organization's sustainable business practice. The more specific you can make your training, and the more directly you can link it to your vision and values as a company, the more value the training will have.

Has your organization been complying with all parts 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

Getting to compliance

Ontario’s Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (the act) came into force in 2005 and sets out a clear goal and timeframe to make Ontario accessible by 2025.  The next few blogs will talk about how the province and your own organization can do to work towards compliance. 

Helping organizations comply

• Supporting organizations by providing them with free web-based tools and resources, including guides, toolkits and checklists to help organizations understand and meet their requirements.
• Offering a help desk to provide assistance to organizations and the public about the act and its regulations.
• Auditing organizations to confirm they are in compliance with the act.
• Working directly with organizations that are non-compliant, to help them comply.

To meet their obligations under the Integrated Accessibility Standard, 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 employee

·       Has your organization been complying with all parts of the AODA?

·       What barriers (systemic or individual) has your organization removed to ensure compliance with 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

Getting to compliance

Ontario’s Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (the act) came into force in 2005 and sets out a clear goal and timeframe to make Ontario accessible by 2025.  The next few blogs will talk about how the province and your own organization can do to work towards compliance. 

Raising awareness

• Launching a province-wide campaign to drive awareness, and to help organizations learn about their compliance requirements.
• Engaging in outreach to businesses, associations, the broader public sector and other key groups so that organizations know their obligations under the act.
• Letting organizations know when they need to file an accessibility report.

Here are some tools that you can use in your company to help comply with the Integrated Accessibility Standard. 

• identify accessibility problems in existing facilities and understand some of the solutions that may be required to meet your obligations under the AODA (self-audit/assessment checklist);
• write your policies modelled on the needs of small or large organizations, which includes a statement of organizational commitment; and,
• Develop Key messages for all staff
• Develop resources/tools to aid toward compliance
• Engage key training initiatives

What raising awareness initiatives has your organization taken to ensure compliance with 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

Complying with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act

Ontario’s Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (the act) came into force in 2005 and sets out a clear goal and timeframe to make Ontario accessible by 2025. Ontario is the first jurisdiction in the world to enact specific legislation establishing a goal and time-frame for accessibility. Ontario is also the first jurisdiction to make accessibility reporting the law and has established standards so people living with disabilities can enjoy increased participation in their communities. To date, these include:

• Accessible customer service to ensure organizations provide goods, services or facilities in ways that take the needs of people with disabilities into account.
• Accessible transportation to make it easier for people with disabilities to travel to work and enjoy recreational, shopping and entertainment venues.
• Accessible information and communications to allow people with disabilities to access information that many of us rely on every day, including web sites, textbooks and business information.
• Accessible public spaces to remove barriers for people with disabilities when accessing recreational trails, service counters, parking lots and outdoor play spaces.
• Accessible employment to help organizations make accessibility a regular part of recruiting and supporting employees with disabilities.

Every organization with one or more employees is required to comply with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and all of its applicable standards, including customer service, transportation, information and communications, the design of public spaces and employment. The Accessibility Directorate of Ontario (the Directorate) is committed to the implementation of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and helping organizations comply with the standards by providing free tools and resources and offering support through a dedicated help desk.

Has your organization been complying with all parts 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

More companies focusing on assistive technology with Braille

For a long time, assistive technology for people with vision disabilities has mostly centered on audio options like Apple’s Siri, but a new trend is emerging of devices applying Braille.  This year’s International Technology and Persons with Disability Conference, the world’s biggest exhibition for IT products catering to people with disabilities was held in March in San Diego. It featured a number of companies with devices that incorporate refreshable Braille.  One notable product was the Orbit Reader, the most recent prototype from the U.S.-based Transforming Braille project.

The Orbit Reader is a note taker with a 20-cell, eight-dot display on which users can type. Its weight comes in at less than a pound, much lighter than readers currently on the market, and is significantly cheaper, estimated at around $500. Its launch in the market is expected to be in late 2016.

BrailleNote Touch, developed by HumanWare in partnership with Google, was another notable product introduced through the conference. The device’s most unique feature is its touchscreen. Instead of tactile keys, HumanWare’s TouchBraille calibration system determines where the users’ fingers are on the screen and figures out the dot combinations the user wishes to input. While innovative, the device is in the high price range of existing 18-cell Braille readers at around $4,000.  Korean players are also getting in on the game. Neo Access has produced a Braille reader, NeoBraille, using its own proprietary technology. The hardware is similar to existing readers but is 40 percent smaller in volume and 20 percent lighter than previous models sold in Korea. It was supported by the Korea Employment Agency for the Disabled.

“We had to import core Braille display technology from abroad until now,” said Park Seung-kyu, the agency’s president. “But our efforts to develop assistive technological devices have paid off by developing Korea’s own technology.”

Large companies are acknowledging the potential of this niche market. Industry leader Apple recently added an “Accessibility” category to its online store featuring products to assist customers with disabilities including impaired vision. Among the products offered is HumanWare’s Braille Display, which allows blind people to navigate Apple’s iOS via a Bluetooth Braille keyboard. But companies have only scratched the surface. There is a long way to go before the industry can reach a level where assistive devices are affordable for many. Braille reading devices at the moment cost anywhere from $2,000 to $15,000. 

Simply offering the devices is just the first step. Educational support will also be necessary, as the worldwide Braille illiteracy rate is over 90 percent amongst people with vision disabilities.  “A lot of times, reading information and instructions out loud to our devices interferes with our privacy,” said Park In-beom, a blind 22-year old student at Ajou University. “And at some point, there’s a limit to what you can do with hearing, so you need Braille.”

Is your company doing more for people with visual 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 orsandra_broekhof@sympatico.ca

Omni Hotels & Resorts Offers Accessibility for Guests with Disabilities

eSSENTIAL Accessibility and Omni Hotels & Resorts have partnered to launch the eSSENTIAL Accessibility app, an exciting accessibility initiative for guests with disabilities. The eSSENTIAL Accessibility app provides keyboard and mouse replacement tools that help individuals with physical, reading and age-related disabilities navigate the web. Through the app’s motion technology and voice activated controls, guests can make reservations, research destinations and take advantage of offers.

“Omni Hotels & Resorts provides each guest with a total departure from the everyday by pairing thoughtful details with unparalleled service,” says Simon Dermer, Managing Director of eSSENTIAL Accessibility. “Our app will allow them to do just that online. By adopting our solution, they are now a member of our coalition of purpose driven, disability-friendly organizations.”

Guests who click on the app icon are redirected to a dedicated Omni landing page where they can download the app, but also learn about everything Omni has to offer. For more information on the initiative, visit the eSSENTIAL Accessibility page,https://www.essentialaccessibility.com/omnihotels/.

Would you be more inclined to visit this resort?

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

Mental health or physical disabilities that deal with the duty to accommodate

Remember, the Ontario Human Rights Commission has a ton of incredibly helpful information relating to accommodation in the workplace on their website. It’s a valuable resource and is often overlooked. Another valuable resource? A really good employment lawyer!

Don’t bury your head in the sand

Pretending nothing is wrong isn’t going to help you. Turning a blind eye to patterns of behaviour that would alert a reasonable person to the fact that additional inquiries should be made will not help you. Some of the more common flags would be:

Talk to the employee. Share your observations and let them know your concerns. Ask if there’s anything the matter and whether they need help. Point them to your accommodation policies (which, depending on the size of your organization, are or will soon be required under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (“AODA”) and encourage them to come to you if they require support.

Be proactive

Once a need for accommodation has been identified, it’s important for you to understand the employee’s functional limitations. Basically, what can the employee do without help, what can the employee do with help, and what the employee can’t do. Understand what help the employee requires and how you can best provide that help. Ask how long the accommodation will be required and when you can expect the employee to be back up to 100%. Ask your employee to update this information frequently.

Park the skepticism

Employees are entitled to request accommodation. Employers must assume such requests are made in good faith and proceed on that basis. Although I appreciate that many are the times when employees request accommodation when they are being performance managed, there is no benefit to challenging the legitimacy of their request at the outset. Or at any other time during the accommodation process. Approach all requests for accommodation the same way.

What do you know about mental health and disability accommodations?

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