Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)

Ottawa-Carleton Lifeskills (OCL) is a charitable agency with a mission to serve developmentally disabled adults with residential and day programs.

We aim to provide individuals who are developmentally disabled with encouragement, opportunities and experiences in friendly and supportive environments that will promote self-development and foster interdependent relationships with other members of the community. It is the philosophy of OCL that those we support have the same fundamental rights as all Canadian citizens and these rights are to be respected and protected.

Communication

OCL will communicate with people with disabilities in ways that take into account their disability.  We will communicate with members of the public in person, in writing, by e-mail and by telephone.

We are committed to communicating in ways that accommodate accessibility needs and upon request will provide accessible formats and communication supports to persons with disabilities in a timely manner that take into account their needs and at a cost that is no more than the regular costs charged to other persons (if applicable).

OCL will train staff and volunteers who communicate with participants on how to interact and communicate with people with various types of disabilities.

Please find our Information, Communication and Publication policy here (PDF).

Assistive Devices

Persons with disabilities may use their own assistive devices as required when accessing goods or services provided by OCL. We will ensure that our staff are trained and familiar with assistive devices that may be used by program participants, their family or other individuals while accessing our goods or services.

All our programs and services will respect the independence and dignity of people with disabilities and offer services that include the use of assistive devices to assist in the provision of services and access. These could include phone service, telephones with large numbers or amplifiers, wheelchairs, lifts, etc. This could also include assistive services such as sign language interpretation, oral interpretation, real-time captioning and/or alternative service methods such as assistance of a staff person to complete a transaction.

Please find our Assistive Devices policy here (PDF).

Guide Dogs, Service Animals and Service Dogs

A participant/visitor with a disability who is accompanied by a guide dog, service animal or service dog will be allowed access to premises that are open to the public, unless otherwise excluded by law. “No pet” policies do not apply to guide dogs, service animals and/or service dogs.

Please find our Service Animals and Support Persons policy here (PDF).

Support Persons

If an individual with a disability is accompanied by a support person, OCL will ensure that both persons are allowed to enter the premises together and that the individual is not prevented from having access to the support person. In situations where confidential information might be discussed, consent will be obtained from the participant or his or her parent/guardian prior to any conversation where confidential information might be discussed.

Please find our Service Animals and Support Persons policy here (PDF).

Notice of Disruptions in Service

Service disruptions may occur due to reasons that may or may not be within the control or knowledge of OCL. In the event of any temporary disruptions to facilities or services that participants with disabilities rely on to access or use OCL’s goods or services, OCL will take reasonable steps to report such disruption in a timely manner through appropriate information channels. Every reasonable effort will be made to provide advance notice. In some circumstances such as in the situation of unplanned temporary disruptions, advance notice may not be possible.

Please find our Disruption of Services and Emergencies policy here (PDF).

Feedback Process

Feedback about the delivery of our services to persons with disabilities is welcomed, as it may identify areas that require change and assist in continuous service improvement. OCL shall provide customers with the opportunity to provide feedback on the service provided to customers with disabilities. Such feedback may be by telephone, in person, in writing or by delivering an electronic text via email. OCL will make every effort to provide a response in the same format in which the feedback was received. Feedback forms along with alternate methods of providing feedback such as verbally (in person or by telephone) or written (hand written, delivered, website or email), will be available upon request.

Please find our Feedback policy here (PDF).

Submitting Feedback

Feedback can be submitted to:

inquiry@ocl.ca

Training

Training will be provided to:

  1. All current employees, volunteers, contractors who deal with the public and our members on behalf of the OCL
  2. New employees will be provide such training as part of their orientation
  3. Those who are involved in the development and approval of customer service policies, practices and procedures

Please find our Training policy here (PDF).

Modifications to this or other policies

We are committed to developing customer service policies that respect and promote the dignity and independence of people with disabilities. Any policy of OCL that does not respect and promote the dignity and independence of people with disabilities will be modified or removed.

Additional policies

Accessibility Compliance Report

Please find our Accessibility Compliance Report here (PDF).