1.3 Accessibility Standards for Customer Service
This e-learning module addresses the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, Ontario Regulation 429/07. In this module it will be referred to as the 'Customer Service Standard' or 'the Standard'.
The Customer Service standard outlines what businesses and other organizations in Ontario must do to make the provision of their goods and services more accessible to people with disabilities.
Requirements of the Customer Service Standard
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Policies, Practices, and Procedures: Create policies, practices and procedures on providing goods or services to people with disabilities.
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Independence, Dignity, Integration and Equality: Ensure policies, practices and procedures are consistent with the key principles of independence, dignity, integration and equality of opportunity.
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Personal Assistive Devices: Set a policy on allowing people with disabilities to use assistive devices to access goods and services.
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Communicate: Be prepared to communicate with a person with a disability in a manner that takes into account his or her disability.
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Service Animals: Allow people with disabilities to bring their service animals onto the public parts of the premises except where excluded by law.
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Support Persons: Let people with disabilities be accompanied by their support persons while accessing goods or services.
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Training: Train staff, volunteers, and contractors on serving people with disabilities. Include in the training those involved in developing customer service policies, practices, and procedures.
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Admission Fees: An admission fee or fare for the support person must be waived, if one exists.
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Notice of Service Disruption: Inform people when facilities or services regularly used by people with disabilities are temporarily unavailable.
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Feedback: Establish a process to receive and to respond to feedback on services to people with disabilities. Inform people about the feedback process.
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Documentation: Write and make public information on policies, practices, and procedures related to all the service standards. Make the information available in formats that take into account the needs of people with disabilities.
