Disabilities Act set to come into effect
Posted Sep 29, 2011 06:42:42 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Ontario businesses are required to provide accessible customer service and as of this January, the first of five standards under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities act will come into effect.
The Independent Living Centre of Waterloo Region wants to help with the transition. The agency is offering training sessions on the new standards, which aim to make Ontario businesses fully accessible by 2025.
Paula Saunders with the agency says employers will be required to lead their staff through training, “if you are working with a person with a mobility issue, a sensory issue, an intellectual issue, just giving some advice and some tips on how you would work with them if they came in as a customer.”
Taposhi Batabyal uses a wheelchair and says accessibility has come a long way but there is still a lot of work to be done. “Many places have steps or stairs…and for someone who is using a wheelchair, even one step is too much,” she explains.
Batabyal says that when it comes to customer service, people often assume that someone with a disability is not completely independent, “so people tend to talk to the person that is with you.”
She says she’s happy about the new standards but, whether they’ll succeed in making Ontario fully accessible, remains to be seen.
Businesses interested in training on accessible customer service can contact Vanessa Henrichs at the Independent Living Centre of Waterloo Region at vanessa@ilcwr.org or call 519-571-6788 ext. 7474.
