Accessibility in Renfrew
The Town is actively working to remove barriers to people with disabilities. The Accessibility of Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA), is a law passed by the Ontario legislature that allows the government to develop specific standards of accessibility and to enforce them. The purpose of the accessibility standards is to move organizations in Ontario forward on accessibility. The standards will set requirements in several key areas and will be reviewed at least every five years. The goal of the Act is to make the Province of Ontario completely accessible by 2025.
Accessibility Standards
The Integrated Accessibility Standard was released in the summer of 2011 and was recently updated in 2016 to include the Accessible Customer Service Standard, as well as the standards for: Information and Communication, Employment, Transportation and the Design of Public Spaces. The Town of Renfrew is committed to working towards being compliant with all of the standards under the AODA as they are introduced.
Accessibility and the Town of Renfrew
The Town of Renfrew has developed an Accessible Customer Services policy.
The policy includes information on the following:
- Providing goods and services to people with disabilities
- Communication
- Use of service animals, support persons and assistive devices
- Notice of temporary disruptions
- Staff training on customer services
- Accessibility of meetings
- Feedback process
- Format of Town documents
- Notice of availability of documents
Town of Renfrew employees are required to complete training which includes:
- The purpose of the Act
- How to interact with people with various disabilities
- How to interact with people who use the assistance of a service animal or support person
- How to use assistive devices available on the premises
- What to do if a person with a disability is having difficulty accessing service
- Details on the Town of Renfrew's accessibly policy, procedures and practices
Feedback
The Town of Renfrew welcomes public input. It helps identify areas where changes need to be considered and ways in which we can improve the delivery of accessible goods and services. Feedback may be provided by telephone, in person, in writing, or by e-mail.
Additional Information
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)
The purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act is to benefit all Ontarians by:
(a) developing, implementing and enforcing accessibility standards in order to achieve accessibility for Ontarians with disabilities with respect to goods, services, facilities, accommodation, employment, buildings, structures and premises on or before January 1, 2025; and
(b) providing for the involvement of persons with disabilities, of the Government of Ontario and of representatives of industries and of various sectors of the economy in the development of the accessibility standards.
Accessibility Laws
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) is intended to reduce and remove barriers for people with disabilities so that Ontario can become more accessible and inclusive for everyone. Collaboration among businesses, organizations, communities and all levels of government is key to reaching this goal. Learn about Ontario’s AODA laws and standards, our action plan and progress in becoming accessible for people with disabilities by 2025.
Accessible Design of Public Spaces
The Town of Renfrew is committed to eliminating barriers (where possible) and improving accessibility, for persons with disabilities, in a manner that respects dignity, independence, integration and equal opportunity.
The Town recognizes the diverse needs of our residents and customers and will continue to make every effort to provide the same access and rights to municipal services as all other members of our community, for those persons with disabilities.
For this reason, the Town is committed to modifying service delivery, programming, and other workplace processes, policies, and procedures to ensure equal access for all of our residents and customers.
The Town of Renfrew will meet accessibility laws when building or making major changes to public spaces.
Accessibility Customer Service Standards Policy
The Town of Renfrew strives to provide goods and services in a way that respects the dignity and independence of persons with disabilities. The Town is committed to ensuring all residents with disabilities in the Town of Renfrew and surrounding areas receive accessible goods and services of the same quality and timeliness as others do and ensure the dignity, independence and the equal opportunity of persons with disabilities.
Town of Renfrew Accessibility Customer Service Standards Policy
Procurement Accessibility
The Town has added accessibility to the Purchasing and Tendering Policy to meet the regulations, promote, and incorporate, wherever possible, the requirements of the Accessibility of Ontarians with Disabilities Act, in procurement activities of the Town, and in cases where it is deemed not practicable to incorporate accessibility criteria features in procurement activities, an explanation shall be provided upon request.
Service Animals and Support Persons
The Town of Renfrew adopted the Customer Service Policy that allows people with disabilities to be accompanied by their guide dog or service animal on the premises they own or operate that are open to the public, unless the animal is excluded by another law. If a service animal is excluded by law, the Town will use other measures to provide services to the person with a disability.
The Town will permit people with disabilities who use a support person to bring that person with them while accessing goods or services in premises open to the public or third parties. Where admission fees are charged, the Town of Renfrew will provide notice ahead of time on what admission, if any, would be charged for a support person of a person with a disability.
Accessible Employment
The Town of Renfrew notifies employees, job applicants and the public that accommodations can be made during recruitment and hiring. We notify job applicants when they are individually selected to participate in an assessment or selection process that accommodations are available upon request. We consult with the applicants and provide or arrange for suitable accommodation. We notify successful applicants of policies for accommodating employees with disabilities when making offers of employment. We notify staff that supports are available for those with disabilities as soon as practicable after they begin their employment. We provide updated information to employees whenever there is a change to existing policies on the provision of job accommodation that take into account an employee’s accessibility needs due to a disability. We will consult with employees when arranging for the provision of suitable accommodation in a manner that takes into account the accessibility needs due to disability.
We will consult with the person making the request in determining the suitability of an accessible format or communication supports specifically for:
- Information that is needed in order to perform the employee’s job; and
- Information that is generally available to employees in the workplace
Where needed, we will also provide customized emergency information to help an employee with a disability during an emergency. With the employee’s consent, we will provide workplace emergency information to a designated person who is providing assistance to that employee during an emergency. We will provide the information as soon as practicable after we become aware of the need for accommodation due to the employee’s disability.
We will review the individualized workplace emergency response information:
- When the employee moves to a different location in the organization;
- When the employee’s overall accommodations needs or plans are reviewed.
- When the employer reviews its general emergency response policies.
The Town of Renfrew has a written process to develop individual accommodation plans for employees. We have a written process for employees who have been absent from work due to a disability and require disability-related accommodations in order to return to work. Our performance management, career development and redeployment processes take into account the accessibility needs of all employees.
A copy of the Town of Renfrew Accessible Employment Policy is available upon request.
Formatting of Documents
The Town of Renfrew will provide documents in an accessible format or with communication support, on request. We will consult with the person making the request to determine the suitability of the format or communication support. We will provide the information in an accessible format in a timely manner and, at no additional cost.
Biennial Accessibility Compliance Reports
The purpose of a biennial accessibility compliance report is to confirm the submitting organization has met current accessibility requirements under the AODA.
As defined under the AODA, designated public sector organizations such as the Town of Renfrew must file an accessibility compliance report with the province every two years. The last report was filed in compliance with the December 31, 2023 deadline.
The latest report can be viewed here: 2023 Accessibility Compliance Report ACR 98338.