Accessibility Policy

Rationale: To ensure that CJI provides accessibility for persons with disabilities in compliance with the applicable legislative requirements; Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and Accessibility Standards for Customer Service Regulation.

Policy: CJI is committed to improving accessibility and seeks to remove barriers to accessing CJI services for persons with disabilities. CJI will provide services in ways that support the independence and dignity of all persons and ensures that persons with disabilities receive the highest quality and equitable level of service.

Procedure:

1. CJI recognizes the importance of assistive devices used by people with disabilities. Staff will be trained regarding assistive devices and clients are responsible for ensuring that the assistive device is operated in a safe manner.

2. CJI welcomes persons with disabilities to be accompanied by their service animal when accessing services and clients are responsible for ensuring that their service animal is kept under control.

3. A person with a disability is welcome to be accompanied by a support person. The person with a disability will not prevented from having access to the support person while accessing CJI services. If there is confidential information to be disclosed, consent must be received from the person with the disability. When there is fee for service, no fee will be charged for the support person.

4. In the event of a service disruption to systems relied upon by persons with disabilities to access CJI services, notice of the disruption shall be provided with as advance notice as possible. The notice will include the reasons for the disruption, how long the disruption is anticipated to last and alternative locations/services that may be available. The notice will be posted publicly at the front entrance to CJI.

5. All CJI employees and volunteers will be trained regarding best client service for people with disabilities. Training will include review of applicable legislation and requirements, how to interact with persons with disabilities who require assistive devices, services animals and/or support persons, and how to help when a person with disabilities is having trouble accessing CJI services. Training will be updated whenever changes are made to the policies, procedures and facilities.

6. CJI has a process for clients with disabilities to comment upon how CJI provides accessibility services. CJI welcomes feedback on our accessibility policies and procedures. Feedback should be directed to the Executive Director in person, by telephone, in writing, by email or otherwise. The telephone number is 519-744-6549 extension 103; the address is 49 Queen Street North, 4th Floor, Kitchener, Ontario N2H 2G9; and the website address is www.cjiwr.com. The feedback and action taken, if any, to respond to the feedback will be compiled for reporting purposes. The feedback will be kept confidential and will be used to improve services. It may be appropriate to respond to the feedback and when contact information is provided and a response is deemed appropriate, CJI employees will contact the client.

7. CJI will track when employees/volunteers have received Accessibility Training. This policy will continue to be reviewed as changes occur to the facilities and services of CJI.

8. CJI will continually review the hiring and human resource procedures to ensure that barriers to employment at CJI for persons with disabilities are minimized and/or removed.

9. CJI will ensure that all new facilities being rented meet the standards for barrier-free design as identified in legislative requirements.

10.Clients will be informed of this policy by posting the policy in our reception area.