Accessibility Standards for Customer Service

As of January 1st, 2012 private and not-for-profit organizations must be in compliance with the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service. The WWCF adheres to the following policies, practices, and procedures for customer service set out within the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA):

Provision of Goods & Services

  • WWCF staff must ensure that policies, practices, and procedures are consistently followed with every individual with a disability. Staff must use reasonable efforts to ensure that the core principles of independence, dignity, integration, and equality of opportunity are consistently adhered to throughout the development of policies and procedures as well as practiced routinely during daily business operations.

Assistive Devices

  • The WWCF will allow any person with a disability to use their own personal assistive device(s) on premises owned or operated by the WWCF or during a WWCF sanctioned event. Examples of personal assistive devices include wheelchairs and walkers, canes, note-taking devices such as voice recorders, and personal oxygen tanks.

Communication

  • It is important the WWCF staff adapt communication approaches accordingly if an individual’s disability has been disclosed and requires an alternate relay of information in order to serve the individual in the best possible way.

Service Animals

  • WWCF staff will ensure that any person with a disability be allowed to be accompanied by their guide dog or service animal while on premises owned or operated by the WWCF or at WWCF sanctioned events. If a service animal is excluded by another law, the organization will use other measures to provide services to the person with a disability.

Support Person

  • WWCF staff will ensure that any person with a disability who uses a support person be permitted to bring that person with them while accessing goods or services while on premises owned or operated by the WWCF or at WWCF sanctioned events.

Admission Fees, Advanced Notice

  • Where admission fees are charged, the WWCF will provide advance notice of what admission, if any, would be charged for a support person of a person with a disability.

Temporary Disruption in Service

  • WWCF staff will ensure that any client with a disability that has scheduled services is notified as soon as possible when a temporary disruption in service has occurred.

Training, Interaction with the Public

  • WWCF must train staff, volunteers, contractors, and any other people who interact with the public or third parties on behalf of WWCF on a number of topics as outlined in the Customer Service Standard. This training must include instruction on how to interact with people with disabilities who use assistive devices or require the assistance of a guide dog, other service animal, or support person.

Training, Development of Policies

  • WWCF must train staff, volunteers, contractors, and any other people who are involved in developing WWCF policies, practices, and procedures on the provision of goods or services on a number of topics as outlined in the Customer Service Standard.

Feedback

  • WWCF has established a process for people to provide feedback on how staff of the WWCF provide goods or services to people with disabilities as well as how the WWCF responds and takes action to any feedback.

Areas Served: Aberfoyle, Alma, Arkell, Ariss, Ayr, Baden, Belwood, Bloomingdale, Brisbane, Breslau, Conestogo, Drayton, Eden Mills, Elmira, Elora, Ennotville, Erin, Everton, Fergus, Floradale, Glen Allen, Hawkesville, Heidelberg, Hillsburgh, Inverhaugh, Linwood, Mannheim, Marden, Maryhill, Moorefield, Morriston, New Hamburg, North Dumfries, Orton, Ospringe, Petersburg, Philipsburg, Ponsonby, Rockwood, Rothsay, Salem, St. Agatha, St. Clements, St. Jacobs, Teviotdale, Wallenstein, Wellesley, West Montrose, Wilmot and Winterbourne, Ontario Canada