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Recalls and Field Safety Notices

Accessibility Policy


Canadian Home Healthcare Inc.

Corporate Policy

 

 

SUBJECT: Accessibility Standards for Customer Service

PURPOSE:

This policy establishes the requirements for accessibility standards for customer service in accordance with the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service (Ontario Regulation 429/07) as set out within the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).

The AODA was enacted for the purpose of developing, implementing and enforcing accessibility standards to ensure that customer service is available to everyone, including persons with disabilities.

APPLICATION AND SCOPE:

This policy applies to:

    1. All Canadian Home Healthcare Inc. (CHH) employees including, but not limited to temporary staff, volunteers, contractors and third party service providers.

POLICY STATEMENT:

CHH is committed to the provision of goods and services to all persons we serve, including persons with disabilities. This commitment will be reflected in CHH’s policies, practices and procedures.

DEFINITIONS:

Disability: (Source: Guide to the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, Ontario Regulation 429/07). The following definition is the same as the definition of disability in the Ontario Human Rights Code and applies to the customer service standard of the AODA.

a)      any degree of physical disability, infirmity, malformation or disfigurement that is caused by bodily injury, birth defect or illness and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, includes diabetes mellitus, epilepsy, a brain injury, any degree of paralysis, amputation, lack of physical coordination, blindness or visual impediment, deafness or hearing impairment, muteness or speech impediment, or physical reliance on a guide dog or other animal or on a wheelchair or other remedial appliance or device,

 b)      a condition of mental impairment or a development disability,

 c)       a learning disability, or a dysfunction in one or more of the processes involved in understanding or using symbols or spoken language,

 d)      a mental disorder, or

 e)      an injury or disability for which benefits were claimed or received under the insurance plan established under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act 1997.

The definition includes disabilities of different severity, visible as well as non-visible disabilities, and disabilities with effects that may come and go.

Personal Assisted Devices: (Source: Guide to the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, Ontario Regulation 429/07) Products or services that can help an individual carry out daily activities with greater ease and independence, such as a walker, a personal oxygen tank, TTY (Telephone Teletype), or amplification systems.

Service Animal: (Source: guide to the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, Ontario Regulation 429/07) An animal is a service animal when it is readily apparent that the animal is used for reasons relating to a disability or the person with a disability has a letter from a regulated health professional that states the animal is required for disability related reasons.

Support Person: (Source: Guide to the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, Ontario Regulation 429/07) A person who accompanies an individual with a disability to assist with communication, mobility, personal care of medical needs or with access to goods or services. The support person could be a paid personal support worker, a volunteer, a friend or a family member.

REQUIREMENTS:

1.  General Principles

a. CHH will use reasonable efforts to ensure that policies, practices and procedures are  documented and consistent with the following core principles of the standard:

 i.      Dignity – Respect the dignity of a person with a disability. Treat them as customers and clients who are as valued and as deserving of effective and full service as any other customer.

 ii.      Independence – People who may move or speak more slowly should not be denied an opportunity to participate in a program or service because of this factor. A CHH employee should not hurry them or take over a task for them if they prefer to do it themselves in their own way.

 iii.      Integration – Allow people with disabilities to fully benefit from the same services, in the same place and in the same or similar way as other customers. Sometimes, integration does not serve the needs of all people with disabilities. In the case of services, it means that people with disabilities have the same opportunity to benefit from the way you provide goods or services as others. They should not have to make significantly more effort to access or obtain service. They should also not have to accept lesser quality or more inconvenience.

2.  Communication and Documentation

a. When communicating with a person with a disability, employees will do so in a manner that takes into account the person’s disability

b. When providing a copy of a document to a person with a disability CHH shall give the person the document, or the information contained in the document, in a format that takes into account the person’s disability.

3.  Personal Assistive Devices

CHH permits customers with disabilities to use their own personal assistive devices providing the assistive device does not jeopardize or interfere with the integrity, assets of the organization and safety of other customers or employees.

4.  CHH Assistance Provided

CHH may offer a person with a disability other reasonable measures to assist the person in obtaining, using or benefiting from CHH’s goods and services. Where CHH provides assisted services they must be documented in policies, practices and procedures.

5.  Support Persons

a. CHH ensures entry of customers with disabilities accompanied by a personal support person into CHH premises.

b. In the event that CHH requires a support person to be present for health or safety reasons, CHH will:

       i. Consult with the person with a disability to understand their needs

      ii. Consider health or safety reasons based on available evidence

      iii. Determine if there is no other reasonable way to protect the health or safety of the person or others on the premises

c. No additional fees are incurred; the support person will receive access free of charge.

6.  Service Animals

a. A person with a disability may enter CHH premises accompanied by their guide dog or service animal in areas of the premises that are open to the public, unless the animal is excluded by another law or for safety considerations. If a service animal is excluded by law or for safety considerations, other measures to provide service to the person with a disability may be used.

7.   Notice of Disruption in Service

a. CHH will make reasonable efforts to provide notice to customers, when possible, if services are unavailable.

b. When a disruption occurs unexpectedly, notice shall conspicuously be posted as soon as possible.

8.  Feedback

a. CHH will acknowledge feedback in a timely manner that takes into account the customer’s disability.

b. CHH will ensure that the feedback process is accessible by providing or arranging for accessible formats and communication supports, on request.

c. CHH will capture and track customer feedback

9.  Training

a. All persons to whom this policy applies will receive training as required by the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, including contractors, third parties and volunteers.

b. Accessible Customer Service training will be provided to all CHH employees.

c. Records of training will be kept by the V.P. Operations, including the dates that training was provided and the number of individuals who received the training.

d. Training information will be available to customers upon request while maintaining personnel privacy considerations.

10.  Availability of CHH Accessibility Policy

a. Public access to the CHH Accessibility Policy will be available in alternative formats upon request to info@canadianhomehealthcare.ca

11.  Reporting

a. Annual reporting to CHH’s V.P. Operations.

b. CHH’s Accessibility compliance reports are available to the public upon request.