Whether you’re a participant in our programs, a donor, or a member of our staff or volunteer team, CNIB and its operating entities, including Vision Loss Rehabilitation Canada and CNIB Deafblind Community Services, are committed to being accessible and inclusive to everyone and ensuring that our policies, practices and procedures are consistent with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.
What is the AODA?
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) is an Ontario law mandating that organizations must follow standards to become more accessible to people with disabilities. The goal for the province is to be fully accessible by 2025. All levels of government, private sectors, and non-profits must comply with this legislation.
Source: What is the AODA?
Commitment Statement
Under the AODA, the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR), establishes accessibility standards specific to customer service and the provision of goods and services to the public. CNIB and its operating entities, including Vision Loss Rehabilitation Canada and CNIB Deafblind Community Services, are required to meet the requirements of accessibility standards established by the AODA. This policy applies to all employees, volunteers, and third-party contractors who provide goods and services on our behalf.
Policies, practices, and procedures
Customer Service Standard
We will continue to promote accessibility and lead the way to a more inclusive society by ensuring full compliance with the Customer Service Standard under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. This commitment will be carried out through the following actions:
- We will ensure our goods and services are readily accessible to all customers.
- We will use reasonable efforts to ensure our policies, practices and procedures are consistent with the core principles of independence, dignity, integration and equality of opportunity.
- We welcome people with assistive devices to access our goods and services that are made available to the public.
- We will communicate with a person with a disability in a manner that takes into account their disability.
- We will allow people with disabilities to be accompanied by their guide dog or service animal.
- We will permit people to be assisted by a support person while accessing our goods or services.
- We will provide notice ahead of time on what admission fee, if any, would be charged for a support person of a person with a disability.
- We will provide notice when facilities or services that people with disabilities rely on to access or use our goods or services are temporarily disrupted.
- We will train staff and volunteers who are involved in the provision of our goods or services to demonstrate leadership in Accessible Customer Service.
- We offer opportunities for people to give feedback on how we provide goods or services to people with disabilities. We have a mechanism in place to address the complainant’s concern.
Accessible Formats and Communication Supports
We are committed to meeting the communication needs of persons with disabilities. In accordance with the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR), we will provide or arrange for publicly available information to be made available in accessible formats and/or with communication supports for persons with disabilities.
The accessible format will be provided:
- Upon request in a timely manner that takes into account the person’s accessibility needs due to a disability.
- At a cost that is no more than the regular cost charged to other persons.
- In consultation with the person making the request and determine the suitability of an accessible format or communication support.
We will also notify the public about the availability of accessible formats and communication supports for persons with disabilities.
CNIB Beyond Print
CNIB Beyond Print is one of Canada’s oldest and most experienced producers of accessible materials, with over a century of lived experience through CNIB. We are global industry experts in the leading accessible literacy formats and keep the needs of the print disabled community at the forefront of our work. We produce braille, electronic publications and audiobook materials for individuals and organizations across Canada. Visit CNIB Beyond Print for more information.
Websites and web content
We are committed to making our public websites and web content published on our public websites after February 2024 conform with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Level A.
Use of Service Animals and Support Persons
Human rights legislation prohibits discriminating against a person with a disability who is working with a service animal. Discrimination includes denial of access to any premises where the public would normally have access. This includes the rights of tenants.
- Blind Persons' Rights Act
Under Ontario’s Blind Persons’ Rights Act, no one can deny accommodations, services or facilities offered to the public “for the reason that he or she is a blind person accompanied by a guide dog”
- Ontario Human Rights Code
Every person has a right to equal treatment with respect to services, goods and facilities, without discrimination because of disability – this includes physical reliance on a guide dog or other animal.
- AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act)
If a person with a disability is accompanied by a guide dog or other service animal, the provider of goods or services shall ensure that the person is permitted to enter the premises with the animal and to keep the animal with him or her unless the animal is otherwise excluded by law from the premises.
Notice of Temporary Disruptions
We make reasonable efforts to provide notice in the event of a planned or unexpected disruption in the facilities or services that people with disabilities rely on to access or use our goods or services are temporarily disrupted. This notice will include information about the reasons for the disruption, its anticipated duration, and a description of alternative facilities or services, if available located on our website as an emergency messaging strip.
Training on Customer Service Standard
We are committed to meeting accessibility requirements and taking steps to improve its policies, practices, and procedures to comply with the AODA and its regulations.
We will ensure that all employees, volunteers, third-party contractors who provide goods and services on our behalf, and those who develop our policies, receive training on accessibility standards requirements referred to in the Regulation and on the Human Rights Code as it pertains to persons with disabilities. If any changes are made to this policy or the requirements, additional training will be provided. We will maintain a record of dates when training is provided and the number of individuals to whom it was provided.
Feedback Process
We will ensure our policy and process for receiving and responding to feedback is accessible to persons with disabilities. We will provide or arrange for accessible formats or communication supports upon request. We will consult with the person to determine the suitability of the accessible format and/or communication support required.