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PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE
In accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005
(the “Act”) and Ontario Regulation 429/07 (the “Customer Service
Standard”) Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association has
developed policies, practices and procedures for the provision of goods
or services to people with disabilities.
The Policy is guided by the fundamental principles underlying the
Customer Service Standard. We are committed to ensuring that the
requirements set out in the Act and the Customer Service Standard is
rigorously observed.
We recognize the importance of making goods and services accessible
to people with disabilities. We are committed to providing excellent
customer service and a respectful, welcoming and inclusive environment
to all individuals who use our goods and services.
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DEFINITIONS
“We” and “Our” means Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association.
For the purpose of the Policy, all definitions in the Act and the
Customer Service Standard will be deemed to be definitions under the
Policy.
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MISSION STATEMENT
Landscape Ontario is committed to eliminating obstacles faced by
members/ customers who have disabilities. We will make reasonable
efforts to ensure that the Policy and related practices and procedures
are consistent with the following principles as prescribed in the
Customer Service Standard:
- The Company will provide goods and services in a manner that respects the dignity and independence of people with disabilities;
- The Company will provide integrated services to people with
disabilities wherever possible and we will provide alternative measures
to provide goods and services to people with disabilities where
integration is not possible; and
- The Company will provide equal opportunity to people with disabilities to obtain, use or benefit from our goods or services.
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APPLICATION
This policy applies to all employees of Landscape Ontario and any
third party that provides goods and services on behalf of the Company
and who may interact with the public or third parties.
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PROVIDING GOODS AND SERVICES TO PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
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Communication
When communicating with a person with a disability, we will take
into account the particular individual’s needs and circumstances. Staff
members who communicate with customers or third parties have been
trained on how to interact with people with various types of
disabilities in order to ensure we provide responsive and effective
communication.
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Assistive devices
The Company will permit the use of personal assistive devices by
people with disabilities to obtain, use or benefit from our goods and
services.
Our staff is trained and familiar with various assistive devices
that may be used by people with disabilities accessing our goods and
services, so as to better provide services to these individuals. The
Company is able to provide assistive communication devices:
- Large print
- Home Delivery of printed resources and materials.
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Telephone services
In order to provide effective service to people with disabilities,
our Staff is trained to speak to customers slowly in clear and plain
language over the telephone. If the disability provides a barrier to
telephone communications, we are committed to communicate through email
or fax.
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Billing
In order to best serve people with disabilities, we provide our
invoices in the following formats upon request: hard copy, large print,
and fax or by email. Questions regarding invoices will be answered in
person, by telephone, fax or by email.
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USE OF SERVICE ANIMALS AND SUPPORT PERSONS
A person with a disability who uses the assistance of a service
animal is permitted to access all areas of our premises open to the
public or third parties with the service animal. If it is not readily
apparent that the animal is used by the person for reasons related to
his or her disability, we may ask the person to provide a letter from a
physician or nurse that confirms that the animal is required for reasons
related to disability.
Our staff has been trained on how to interact with people with disabilities who are accompanied by a service animal.
A person with a disability who requires the assistance of a support
person will be allowed to enter all areas of our premises open to the
public or third parties with the support person. The person with a
disability will not be prevented from access to the support person at
any time while on our premises.
No fees will be charged for admission to our premises, by support
persons who are enabling a person with a disability to access our
products and services. Fees will only apply if the support person is
receiving products and services for their own personal/professional
gain. Some services and events may require that a support person pay for
food and beverage costs based on a cost recovery only. This will be
determined individually.
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NOTICE OF TEMPORARY DISRUPTION
If there is a temporary disruption in the facilities or services
usually used by people with disabilities we will provide customers with
notice as soon as possible. In the notice of disruption, we will include
the following information:
- the reason for the disruption,
- the anticipated duration of the disruption, and
- a description of any alternative facilities or services, if available.
The notice will be posted on all public entrances to our premises.
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TRAINING FOR STAFF
The Company will provide training to all of its employees, relevant
volunteers and other individuals who have contact with the public or
third parties on our behalf, and all individuals who are involved in the
development of our policies, practices and procedures. Training will be
provided to each individual as soon as practical after he or she is
assigned the duties which require the need for training.
Training will be received on an ongoing basis whenever we make
changes to our policies, practices or procedures to ensure that the
Policy is properly implemented and followed at all times.
All staff including part time seasonal workers will be required to participate in the training.
Our training program consists of the following:
- An overview of the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians
with Disabilities Act, 2005 and the requirements under the Customer
Service Standard;
- Training on how to interact and communicate with persons with various types of disabilities;
- Training on 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;
- Training on how to use equipment or devices available on the
Company’s premises or otherwise provided by the Company that may help
with the provision of goods or services to a person with a disability;
- Training on what to do if a person with a particular type of
disability is having difficulty accessing the Company’s goods or
services; and
- Training on our current policies, practices and procedures relating to the Customer Service Standard.
The Company will keep records of the training provided, including
the dates on which the training was received and the number of
participants.
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FEEDBACK PROCESS
In order to properly assess the needs of people with disabilities,
the Company has created a feedback process. We welcome comments from
individuals on how effectively we are accommodating people with
disabilities in the provision of our goods and services.
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Receiving Feedback
Feedback may be provided in person, in writing, by email, by telephone or by another method.
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Responding to Complaints
The Company will address complaints that arise through the feedback
process in a timely manner and in the same method that the feedback was
received unless indicated otherwise by the person with a disability.
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NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF DOCUMENTS
The Policy and any corresponding practices and procedures will be made available to any person on request.
We post notice of the availability of these documents on all our premises to which the Policy applies and on our websites at:
- http://horttrades.com/accessibility
- https://landscapeontario.com/accessibility
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FORMAT OF DOCUMENTS
Upon request we will provide a copy of the Policy in a format that
takes into account the disability of the person submitting the request.
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MODIFICATIONS TO THE POLICY AND RELATED POLICIES
Any modifications made to the Policy and any related policies will be
for the purpose of improving our ability to provide services to people
with disabilities. Any change made to the Policy or related policies
will carefully take into account the impact on people with disabilities.
Any provision of the Policy or related policies that does not enhance
our ability to provide goods and services to people with disabilities
will be modified accordingly.
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QUESTIONS ABOUT THE POLICY
We welcome questions regarding our commitment to providing accessible
goods and services to people with disabilities. Should you have any
questions regarding our policies, please contact the following
representatives. They will be happy to assist:
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Jane Leworthy
jleworthy@landscapeontario.com
1-800-265-5656 ext.301
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Sally Harvey
sharvey@landscapeontario.com
1-800-265-5656 ext. 315
