HOW BUSINESSES CAN COMPLY WITH CUSTOMER SERVICE STANDARD 

Who has to comply? 

The AODA applies to all businesses and organizations that operate in Ontario and provide goods or services to the public or other organizations and have at least one employee. 

The AODA does not apply to sole-proprietor operations without any employees. 

Who is considered an employee?

Under the standard, employees are staff members who are full-time, part-time and/or working under contract.  Volunteers and independent contractors should not be included when counting employees.

When do businesses have to comply?

• Public sector organizations named in the standard (see definitions of key terms / frequently asked questions) must have complied by January 1, 2010.
• Private organizations with 20 or more employees are required to comply by January 1, 2012 and will begin filling accessibility reports in 2012.
• Private organizations with fewer than 20 employees are not required to file reports, but must still comply with the requirements of the standard by January 1, 2012.

Checklist:  Requirements for Compliance 

Here’s a quick checklist of the things every organization will need to do:

a)     Policies, Procedures, and Practices

• Establish policies, practices, and procedures on how your organization will provide goods and services to people with disabilities or
• Review your existing policies and identify any gaps between your policies, practices and procedures and what people with disabilities might need in order to be able to access your goods or services.
• Make reasonable efforts to ensure that your organization’s policies, procedures, and practices are consistent with the standard’s core principles of independence, dignity, integration, and equality of opportunity.

• Establish a policy on how people can use assistive devices to access your goods and services, or how they may use any other measures that your organization provides to help them access your goods or services.

b)     Training

Your training program should include the following:

• Training on how to serve people with disabilities to staff, volunteers, contractors, and anyone else who interacts with the public, or other third parties on your behalf, as well as those involved developing customer service policies, practices and procedures.
• A review of the purposes and objectives of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) 2005, and of the requirements of the customer-service standard.
• How to interact and communicate with people who have various types of disabilities.
• How to interact with people who have a disability who use an assistive device, service animal, or support person.
• How to use equipment or assistive devices that you provide, whether on your premises or otherwise, that may help you provide goods or services to people who have a disability.
• What to do if a person who has a disability is having trouble accessing your goods or services.
• Your customer service policies, practices, and procedures concerning how your organization provides goods or services to people who have a disability.

c)   Establish a Feedback Process

• Set up and implement a process for receiving and responding to feedback about the way you provide goods or services to people who have a disability.   
• Make sure your process allows people to provide feedback in as many different ways as possible, such as in person, by telephone, in writing, by e-mail, through a website, on disk or another method. 
• Make sure that your feedback process specifies certain actions that you or your staff will take when a complaint is received. 
• Let people know about it.  Make information about your feedback process readily available to the public.

For more information:

See Customer Service:  Tools to help you comply at AccessON.ca