Is your business ready for mandatory compliance?

NEWS RELEASE

ACCESSIBILITY NORTH

*************************
A.O.D.A, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) is law in Ontario with mandatory compliance for businesses and not-for-profits in Ontario.

These accessibility standards are NOT about physical accessibility.

They are about how we provide service, interact, and provide information to our customers and employees with barriers.

The AODA includes two sets of standards that businesses must comply with:

• Accessibility Customer Service Standard requires companies with 20 employees or more to e-file reports confirming how they will accommodate customers with disabilities, train staff in disability awareness and receive customer feedback about their Accessible Customer Service. The plans had to be filed with the government by December 31, 2012 with a second report due this December, 2014.
• The Integrated Accessibility Standard, the second piece of accessibility legislation, includes new requirements in employment that insures accessibility is a regular part of finding, hiring and supporting employees with disabilities.

With approximately 70 percent of businesses in Ontario not in compliance, the Province is conducting compliance audits to ensure companies are carrying out their customer service plans. 

At least one local business has already faced a Provincial fine for noncompliance in Sault Ste Marie.

Accessibility North, a locally owned and operated business, helps businesses with compliance with a free one-hour session to see where the company is at and where they need to be in compliance.

The company offers one-on-one consulting, training and 'train the trainer' workshops.

Accessibility North is offering full day “mini train the trainer” workshops that support business owners, managers, and HR professionals to implement the A.O.D.A requirements into their organizations.

When: December 4, 2014
Where: Accessibility North, 875 Queen St. East
Time: 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.

Through hands-on learning, real life examples, and practical solutions, participants are able to increase their knowledge, skills, and build their “disability confidence” to implement these standards and use accessibility as a marketing tool to increase their business share of 15 percent of the population with disabilities.

Please call to register for the workshops.

For more information contact Dawna Kinnunen at 705-254-1005 or [email protected], www.accessibilitynorth.ca.

With over 30 years experience in accessibility and disability support, you can be confident you will receive the-best-of-the-best!

All workshops and training designed by Accessibility North are created to engage adult learners in a fun and active learning environment.

*************************