ACCESSIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE POLICY
Purpose
To outline procedures and practices in place to help identify and remove barriers that would impede anyone with a disability from accessing Company products and services.
Scope
Customer service employees.
Policy
The Aylmer Express is committed to preventing, identifying and removing any barriers that could impede the ability of persons with disabilities to access care and services. More specifically, the Aylmer
Express will use every reasonable effort to ensure that its policies, practices and procedures are consistent with the following principles:
- That goods or services must be provided in a manner that respects the dignity and independence of persons with disabilities.
- That the provision of goods or services to persons with disabilities and others must be integrated unless an alternate measure is necessary, whether temporarily or on a permanent basis, to enable a person with a disability to obtain, use or benefit from the goods or services.
- That persons with disabilities must be given an opportunity equal to that given to others to obtain, use and benefit from the goods or services.
- When communicating with a person with a disability, all employees shall do so in a manner that takes into account the person’s disability.
- Every effort will be made by employees to accommodate and assist a person with a disability in the use of any form of assistive device or service, including the use of service animals and support persons, so that the person will be able to obtain, use or benefit from the Aylmer Express’s goods or services.
Definitions:
Assistive Devices: A device used by a person with a disability used to carry out activities or in accessing goods and services. Examples include wheelchairs, canes, crutches, hearing aids, and real-time captioning services (on-screen typing of what speakers are saying).
Disability: As defined under the Ontario Human Rights Code, as follows:
(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
co-ordination, blindness or visual impediment, deafness or hearing impediment, 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 developmental 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; (“handicap”).
Service Animal: any animal used by a person with a disability for reasons relating to the disability where
a) it is readily apparent that the animal is used by the person for reasons relating to his or her disability; or
b) where the person provides a letter from a physician or nurse confirming that he or she requires the animal for reasons relating to his or her disability; or
c) a valid identification card signed by the Attorney General of Canada or a certificate of training from a recognized guide dog or service animal training school.
Support Person: in relation to a person with a disability, another person who accompanies him or her in order to help with communications, mobility, personal care or medical needs or with access to goods or
services.
Use of Service Animals
Service animals are permitted access to all areas of the Aylmer Express’s facilities open to the public, unless specifically prohibited by law. If a service animal is excluded by law from the premises, every effort will be made to provide the person with a disability with the ability to obtain, use or benefit from access to goods or services through another means.
Use of Support Persons
If a person with a disability is accompanied by a support person, both persons are permitted to enter the Aylmer Express’s public areas together and shall not be prevented from having access to each other while on the premises.
If deemed necessary by the Aylmer Express for the protection of the health and safety of the person with a disability or the health and safety of others on the premises, a support person may be required for the person with a disability while on the premises.
Notice of Disruptions
From time to time, the facilities used by persons with a disability to access the Aylmer Express’s goods or services, may not be available for utilization. Examples include a closed entrance with a Wheelchair ramp, an elevator, and accessible washrooms. When this occurs, either on a planned or unplanned basis, notice shall be posted at a conspicuous place on the premises. Such notice shall include the reason for the disruption, its anticipated duration and a description of alternative facilities or services, if any, that are available.
Training
The Aylmer Express shall ensure, on an ongoing basis, that every employee, agent, volunteer or other who provides goods or services to the public on behalf of the company, and every person who participates in developing the company’s policies, practices and procedures governing the provision of goods and services to the public, shall receive training about the provision of its goods or services to persons with disabilities.
Training shall be provided to each person as soon as practicable after he or she is assigned the applicable duties, and shall be provided on an ongoing basis in connection with changes to the policies, practices and procedures governing the provision of goods or services to persons with disabilities.
The training provided shall include:
- How to interact and communicate with persons with various types of disability.
- How to interact with persons with disabilities who use an assistive device or require the assistance of a guide dog or other service animal or the assistance of a support person.
- How to use equipment or devices available on the Aylmer Express’s premises or otherwise provided by the company that may help with the provision of goods or services to a person with a disability.
- What to do if a person with a particular type of disability is having difficulty accessing the company’s goods or services.
A detailed record will be kept by the Aylmer Express of the content, dates offered and attendance at its training sessions.
Feedback Process
In order to ensure that the Aylmer Express is receiving and responding to feedback from the public about the manner in which it provides goods and services to persons with disabilities, the public is encouraged to contact the Aylmer Express as follows:
In Person: Please address your concerns to Brett Hueston.
By Telephone: Please address your concerns to Brett Hueston.
By E-mail: Please address your concerns to Brett Hueston bhueston@aylmerexpress.ca
By Mail: Please address your concerns to
Brett Hueston c/o The Aylmer Express Limited
390 Talbot Street East
Aylmer, ON N5H 1J5
By diskette or other: Please address your concerns to Brett Hueston. All feedback will be reviewed and a written reply, by mail or e-mail, will be sent to the person(s) providing the feedback.
Documentation
A copy of this Policy will be given to any person upon request, in a format that takes into consideration the person’s disability, if any. A notice to this effect will be placed in a conspicuous place in the premises and on the Aylmer Express’s website.
January 1, 2024