Accessibility Policy
Statement of Commitment:
Pinchin is committed to ensuring equal access and participation for people with disabilities. We are committed to treating people with disabilities in a way that allows them to maintain their dignity and independence.
We believe in integration, and we are committed to meeting the needs of people with disabilities in a timely manner. We will do so by removing and preventing barriers to accessibility and by meeting our accessibility requirements under Ontario’s accessibility laws.
Definition
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) has been developed to create mandatory accessibility standards that identify, remove, and prevent barriers for people with disabilities. These standards apply to all private and public sector organizations across Ontario.
Responsibilities
Pinchin’s commitment is to:
- Provide practices and procedures for all staff to provide services to people with disabilities;
- Provide training on how to serve and interact with people with disabilities;
- Make our buildings, workspaces, and meeting places accessible to visitors and employees with disabilities and;
- Make information about Pinchin’s services, policies, and procedures accessible to everyone.
Providing Services To People With Disabilities
Pinchin is committed to excellence in serving all customers including people with disabilities and we will carry out our functions and responsibilities in the following areas:
Communication
Pinchin will communicate with people with disabilities in ways that take into account their disability. We will train staff who communicate with customers on how to interact and communicate with people with various types of disabilities.
Telephone Services
We will train staff to communicate with customers over the phone in clear and plain language. We will offer to communicate with customers by email or via their support person if telephone communication is not suitable to their communication needs.
Assistive Devices
Pinchin will ensure that staff are trained and familiar with various assistive devices that may be used by customers with disabilities while accessing our services.
Documents and Information Sharing
Pinchin will provide accessible proposals, reports, pre-bills, invoices, etc. to all of our customers. For this reason, invoices will be available by email or in large print format upon request.
Use of Animals and Support Persons
Service Animals
Pinchin welcomes people with disabilities who are accompanied by a service animal to the parts of our premises that are open to the public and other third parties. Pinchin will ensure that all staff are properly trained on how to interact with people who are accompanied by a service animal.
Support Persons
Pinchin welcomes people with disabilities who are accompanied by a support person. Pinchin will not prevent a person with a disability who is accompanied by a support person from having access to the support person while on our premises.
Applicable fees will not be charged for the support person to attend seminars, training sessions, or any other paid event. Customers will be informed of this at the time of registration.
Notice of Temporary Disruption
Pinchin will provide customers with notice in the event of a planned or unexpected disruption in the devices used by people with disabilities. Notice will include the reason for disruption, the anticipated duration, and a description of alternate measures if available. This notice will be placed at all public entrances.
Training for Staff
Pinchin will provide training to all employees and will include the following points:
- The purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act,, 2005 and the requirements of the customer service standard;
- How to interact and communicate with people with various types of disabilities;
- How to interact with people with disabilities who use an assistive device or require the assistance of a service animal or support person;
- What to do if a person with a disability is having difficulty accessing Pinchin’s services;
- Pinchin’s policies, practices, and procedures relating to the customer service standard.
Training will be provided to new staff within 90 days of commencing their duties. Staff will also receive a training update when changes are made to policies, practices, and procedures.
Feedback Process
Feedback regarding the way Pinchin provides services to people with disabilities can be made verbally in person or over the phone, in writing via email or letter sent to the head office address, or by filling out the feedback form found on Pinchin’s website. All feedback will be directed to the President and customers can expect to hear back within 7 days of receiving the feedback.
Monitoring and Review
This policy will be monitored and reviewed on a regular basis along with other Pinchin Staff Policies to ensure that the dignity and independence of people with disabilities is respected. No changes will be made to this policy before considering the impact on people with disabilities. Any policy of Pinchin that does not respect the dignity and independence of people with disabilities will be modified or removed.
Confidentiality
Any information given or collected about a person with a disability will be kept strictly confidential, unless otherwise agreed to by the person(s) involved.
