Accessibility Plan and Policies for The Wallaceburg and Area Parent and Preschool Program (The Family Centre)

This 2022-2027 accessibility plan outlines the policies and actions that The Family Centre will put in place to improve opportunities for people with disabilities.

Statement of Commitment

The Family Centre is committed to excellence in providing services for all clients including people with disabilities. The Family Centre will employ persons with disabilities within the guidelines of standard as set out in our licensing requirements.

The Family Centre will be mindful in its dealings with persons with disabilities in regards to independence, dignity, integration and equal opportunity.

Accessible Emergency Information

The Family Centre is committed to providing the customers and clients with publicly available emergency information in an accessible way upon request. We will also provide employees with disabilities with individualized emergency response information when necessary.

Customer Service Accessibility

The Family Centre is committed to excellence in serving all families (customers) including people with disabilities. The Family Centre has put into place a Customer Service Accessibility Policy as required by the AODA.

The Family Centre has developed and put into place an Accessibility Standard for Customer Service Plan that:

• Allows assistive devices in the workplace
• Considers a person’s disability when communicating
• Allows service animals in areas of the premises that are open to the public
• Welcomes support persons
• Informs the public when accessible services are not available
• Welcomes feedback by telephone, writing, email or in person

The Family Centre has made the Accessibility Standard for Customer Service Plan available to the public and staff by posting it in our board minutes and website. The Policy is also available inaccessible format upon request. The Family Centre has trained employees that deal with the public on the policy and will train all new employees.

Training

As of October 1, 2015, The Family Centre will provide training on Ontario’s accessibility laws and on the Human Rights Code as it relates to people with disabilities, to all staff, volunteers and students. The training will include the new policies, watching the YouTube video –How Can I Help You? https://youtu.be/bARpvRDwiGc, which was produced by the Ministry of Community and Social Services of Ontario for training staff etc. After the initial training at a staff meeting, all new staff/students and volunteers will be trained within the first week of employment or placement and annually thereafter.

Information and Communication

As of January 1, 2015, The Family Centre will inform and communicate with people with disabilities in ways that take into consideration their disability. When in doubt as to what method of communication to use we will consult with the person with the disability as to their preference for communication. We will ensure that as of January 1, 2018 that all new websites and content on our existing website will conform to WCAG 2.0 Level A.

Employment

The Family Centre is committed to fair and accessible employment practises.

We will take the following steps to notify the public and staff that, when requested, The Family Centre will accommodate people with disabilities during the recruitment and assessment processes and when people are hired:

• When an applicant requests accommodation, we will consult with them to make arrangements to accommodate their needs
• We will notify new hires of our policies for accommodating employees with disabilities

The Family Centre will take the following steps to develop and put into place a process for developing individual accommodation plans and return- to –work polices for employees that have been absent due to a disability:

• We will develop individual accommodation and return to work plans for employees that are returning to work after being absent due to a disability
• We will develop individual accommodation plans if the returning employee requires some form of disability-related accommodation

We will take the following steps to ensure the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities needs are taken into account when considering performance management, career development and redeployment:

• Make performance management accessible by reviewing an employee’s accommodation plan to understand their needs
• Provide documents in accessible formats, such as large print
• Consider what accommodations the employee will need and how to help employees with disabilities when considering career developments
• Consider how to help employees with disabilities succeed in our organization

Design of Public Spaces

The Family Centre will meet the Accessibility Standards for the Design of Public Spaces when building or making major modifications to public spaces. Public spaces include:

• Outdoor play spaces
• Outdoor paths of travel, like sidewalks, ramps etc
• Accessible off street parking

The Family Centre will put the following procedures in place to prevent service disruptions to its accessible parts of its public spaces.

In the event of a service disruption, we will notify the public of the disruptions and alternatives available.

Feedback

Clients who wish to provide feedback on the way that The Family Centre provides service to persons with disabilities can do so verbally, by email or written. The Director/Supervisor will reply to all feedback within 2 business days.

For more information

For more information on this accessibility plan, please contact Karen McDowell at:

• Phone: 519-627-1605
• Email : karenmcdowell@wallaceburgfamilycentre.ca2022-2027