AODA Customer Service Standards
for Support Staff

Barrier

A "barrier" is anything that stops a person with a disability from fully taking part in society because of that disability, including a physical barrier, an architectural barrier, an information or communications barrier, an attitudinal barrier, a technological barrier, a policy or a practice.

Bipolar Disorder

Also known as manic depression, is a mental illness involving episodes of serious mania and depression.

Cerebral Palsy

A life-long condition caused by damage to the brain during pregnancy, labor or shortly following birth.

Closed Circuit TV Magnifier (CCTV)

A unit consisting of a television camera that views printed text or other materials, and a television monitor that displays the image in enlarged form.

DAISY

DAISY stands for Digital Accessible Information System. It is a nonproprietary format for electronic text that allows for the pairing of text with an MP3 file.

Developmental Disability

A long lasting cognitive disability occurring before age 22 that limits one or more major life activities (self-care, independent living, learning, mobility, etc), and is likely to continue indefinitely.

Depression

Strong feelings of sadness, hopelessness, pessimism and a general loss of interest in life, combined with a sense of reduced emotional well-being. Clinical depression is the most common of the psychiatric illnesses with 10 to 15% of the population effected from it at some time in their lives.

Diabetes

A disorder caused by insufficient or absent production of the hormone insulin by the pancreas.

Disability

“Disability” covers a broad range and degree of conditions, some visible and others not. A disability may have been present from birth, caused by an accident, or developed over time. It includes physical, mental, and learning disabilities, mental disorders, hearing or vision disabilities, epilepsy, drug and alcohol dependencies, environmental sensitivities, as well as other conditions.

Fibromyalgia

A common, chronic condition, which causes widespread pain and profound fatigue, as well as a variety of other symptoms such as: sleep disturbance; stiffness; increased headaches or facial pain.

HIV

HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, is the virus that causes AIDS. HIV is most commonly transmitted through sexual contact and intravenous drug use.

Hearing Aid

Sound is received and amplified with a hearing aid. All sounds, including background noise, are amplified with the same intensity.

Inclusion

"Inclusion" is a term used by people with disabilities and other disability rights advocates for the idea that all people should freely, openly and without pity accommodate any person with a disability without restrictions or limitations of any kind.

Interpreter

Sign language interpreters and oral interpreters are professionals who assist individuals who are deaf with communication.

Intervenor

Professionals who assist individuals who are deafblind with communication.

Learning Disability

"Learning Disabilities" refer to a number of disorders which may affect the acquisition, organization, retention, understanding or use of verbal or nonverbal information. These disorders affect learning in individuals who otherwise demonstrate at least average abilities essential for thinking and/or reasoning. As such, learning disabilities are distinct from global intellectual deficiency.

Macular Degeneration

Deterioration of the macula or that part of the retina, which provides sharp, clear, colour vision. If the macula deteriorates, the centre of the person's field of vision blurs, and the ability to see detail is lost.

Multiple Sclerosis

One of the most common chronic progressive neurological diseases, characterized by demylination in certain portions of the nervous system.

Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

Allows images to be converted to computer-editable text. By analyzing an image, this software defines characters to produce editable text. After OCR, this text can be exported to a variety of spreadsheet, word-processing, and page lay-out applications.

Screen Magnification

Software such as ZoomText enlarges the view on the screen by any factor chosen, allowing those with low vision to use computers.

Screen Reader

A software/hardware system that allows a person with a visual or print impairment to attain access to printed material on a computer screen.

Speech Impairment

A communication disorder characterized by impaired articulation, language impairment or voice impairment (e.g. Dysfluency, Stuttering).

Sound Amplification Systems

Provides personal amplification in a classroom setting for students who are hard of hearing. The FM System and Infra Red System are most common.

TTY (Telecommunication Device for the Deaf)

A device that allows two people who are deaf to communicate over the phone by typing back and forth using a typewriter keyboard.

Voice Recognition System

An electronic software/hardware system that can be trained to recognize an individual’s voice patterns to allow for an alternative means of computer input replacing the keyboard.