Accessibility Standards for Customer Service - Are You Ready?

Accessibility Standards for Customer Service - Are You Ready?

By:  Wendy Timpano, General Manager, Orillia Area CDC

I had an interesting conversation with a small business owner a couple of months ago that left me wondering, how many organizations out there aren't sure where to start when it comes to the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service.

This business owner employs six people and provides a valuable service in our community.  When I asked him about his progress around complying with the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, his response was "we have been thinking about renovating to make our office more accessible but just haven't been able to yet."

For those of you who have taken the right steps to comply with this particular standard, you will already know that the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service is not about building ramps.  It's about providing great customer service to people with disabilities.

Since that conversation, I have continued to ask that same question of other organizations.  While many have taken the appropriate steps to create their plan for accessible customer service, there are still a number of organizations who do not realize that this affects them and that they will need to comply with these standards. 

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) was passed by the Ontario legislature in 2005.  The AODA allows the government to create specific standards of accessibility.  One of these standards is the Accessibility Standard for Customer Service.

It applies to people or organizations who provide goods or services and have one or more employees.  The public sector has already been required to comply with this standard and all people and organizations in the private and non-profit sectors are required to comply by January 1, 2012.

Compliance will involve putting a plan in place that will aim to give people with disabilities great customer service.  Training staff on accessible customer service is also a key component and depending on the number of individuals employed, your organization may be required to track and report your progress.  There are a number of resources available to assist organizations through the process of developing the necessary plan and training programs.

If you haven't thought about how this legislation may apply to you, I encourange you to contact our office to learn about upcoming training seminars on this topic.  The CDC has partnered with a number of organizations to present workshops to train both management and employees on the next steps around compliance with the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service.  The Management Workshops will be held during Small Business Week (Oct. 19 & 21) and the Employee Training Workshops will be held on November 3.

For more information, please contact the CDC at info@orilliacdc.com or 705.325.4903.

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