Posted by Shane Holten on Thu, May 16, 2013 @ 05:49 PM
AODA and Small business: Severe penalties for lack of accessibility for the disabled
AODA stands for the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. Many business owners are unaware of the law that requires the filing of a compliance report. They are also unaware of the onerous penalty for non-compliance.
By: Rona Birenbaum Special to The Star, Published on Wed May 15 2013
The AODA’s deadline for providers of goods and services with 20 or more employees to file a Customer Service Accessibility Compliance Report was December 31, 2012.
AODA stands for the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. Many business owners are unaware of the law that requires the filing of a compliance report. They are also unaware of the onerous penalty for non-compliance.
Employment lawyer Doug MacLeod tells the story of a client of his that received a non-compliance letter from the Ontario government. Her organization was given 15 business days to comply with AODA. Thereafter, the organization would be subject to a fine of $50,000 for each day the organization did not comply with AODA.
“The government has provided fairly user friendly tools to assist employers fulfill their obligations under the act” MacLeod says. There is a detailed package that provides directions on compliance reporting. MacLeod suggests not waiting until you receive a letter from the government to develop an accessibility policy and file the compliance report. “It appears that employers are being given very short deadlines for compliance. It is prudent to file the report now, even though the deadline has passed.”
Businesses with fewer than 20 employees don’t need to file the compliance report, but they are still have obligations under the Customer Standard of AODA. Such obligations include: establishing policies, practices and procedures on providing goods or services to people with disabilities; providing people with disabilities with notice of a temporary disruption in facilities or services; and providing training to certain persons about the provision of its goods or services to persons with disabilities.
The Ontario government provides a range of online resources to help business owners fulfill their obligations under the Act.
• For every provider of goods and services (except sole proprietors) there is a an accessible customer service policy template .
• For every provider of goods and services (except sole proprietors) there is a 45-minute online training course for employees.
• For every provider of goods and services with 20 or more employees there aredirections on compliance reporting.
These resources, along with advice from your employment lawyer, are all that you need to become compliant with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.
Rona Birenbaum has worked in financial services for over 20 years within the Credit Union, full-service brokerage and independent Financial Planning industries. She is an Honours graduate of York University's Business School, a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), and fully licensed Insurance and Investment Advisor.
Email: rona@caringforclients.com
Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/ronabirenbaum
Twitter: @Caring4Clients
Website: www.caringforclients.com
If your business needs help achieving AODA compliance, contact Shane Holten, President of SPH Planning & Consulting Ltd. by email at sholten@sph-planning-consulting or by phone at 647-931-4021 extension 1.
Posted by Shane Holten on Fri, Mar 30, 2012 @ 03:12 PM
Want to go out for dinner, but aren’t sure which restaurants can accommodate your mobility aid? Or maybe you’re looking for a theatre that offers assisted listening devices? Several new online tools have been launched in the past year that can help.
The Rick Hansen Global Accessibility Map (GAM) allows anyone to submit reviews and rate restaurants, theatres, stores, workplaces, and other buildings and public places, in a similar manner as travel websites like Yelp and Trip Advisor. The key difference with GAM is that users can rate these places on a scale of 1 to 5 from a perspective of mobility, hearing or sight. These reviews and ratings are plotted onto an easy to use map and can then be searched for based on location, categories such as restaurants, hotels, or museums, or by accessibility type (mobility, sight and hearing). While the GAM currently features ratings and reviews primarily from Canada, selected ratings are also available from attractions around the world such as the London Eye and the Louvre. Traditional web and mobile device versions of the GAM are available.
Another alternative is Wheelmap, which features 216657 places at the time of writing. In contrast to the GAM, however, Wheelmap currently focuses entirely on wheelchair accessible places. Users can rate accessibility based on three simple levels: yes, limited, or no, and can perform searches in a similar manner as the GAM. One particularly useful Wheelmap feature for public transit riders is the availability of accessibility ratings for public transit stops and stations. Wheelmap can be used through their website or through Android and iPhone apps.
A third site is Rollsquare, which is similar to Wheelmap and also focuses on wheelchair users. While Rollsquare currently only contains reviews for several (mostly) European cities, the developers of Rollsquare have indicated they are open to adding new cities in the future.
Do you know of any other innovative accessible web apps like these? Follow us on Twitter @SPHAccess and let us know!
Posted by Shane Holten on Thu, Sep 01, 2011 @ 10:05 AM
As the new Customer Service, Information and Communication, and Employment Standards come into effect under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), businesses will be obligated to accommodate employees and customers with disabilities wherever possible. With the advent of new technologies, it has become increasingly possible to provide this accommodation in many areas. For example, new web technologies and standards have made it possible for websites to become accessible to everyone, regardless of ability.
Indeed, accessible websites will become the norm for Ontario-based businesses in the coming years, as mandated by the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation under the AODA. Designated large public sector organizations (e.g., large municipalities, school boards, colleges and universities, hospitals, and public transport organizations), as well as private sector businesses with more than 50 employees will need to comply with the WCAG 2.0 Level A Guidelines and provide any new content on their websites in accessible formats by January 1, 2012. New websites created by these organizations and businesses will be required to meet the WCAG 2.0 guidelines in 2014, while more advanced website accessibility requirements (Level AA) will need to be implemented by 2021. Small busineses will not be affected by these website requirements.
Accessible websites generally allow for flexibility for all users. Typical features of accessible websites include providing a easy method for users to change the size of text, and allowing users to change the amount of colour contrast for easier reading. Accessible websites are also typically designed to accommodate screen readers for people with visual disabilities, such as providing alternate text for images and providing and easy way to skip past repetitive website headers and menus.
For more information on accessible websites, including guidelines and training on how to make your websites accessible, visit the Web Accessibility Initiative.