Original: December 14, 2014
Updated: August, 2016
This 2014 -21 accessibility plan outlines the policies and actions that CarePartners will put in place to improve opportunities for people with disabilities. This plan is updated every 5 years.
CarePartners is committed to treating all people in a way that allows them to maintain their dignity and independence. We believe in integration and equal opportunity. We are committed to meeting the needs of people with disabilities in a timely manner and will do so by preventing and removing barriers to accessibility and meeting accessibility requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.
Effective January 1, 2016, CarePartners will put in place an individual accommodation plan for each employee with a disability for which we have been made aware.
In conjunction with each employee who has a permanent or temporary disability that may affect the employee’s ability to respond effectively to an emergency (e.g. fire, evacuation, power outages, security incidents) , CarePartners will develop an individual workplace emergency response plan and document this information in the employee’s Individual Accommodation Plan, if available. The individual workplace emergency response plan will be developed when the employee or the employee’s manager/supervisor identifies a need for the plan and will be reviewed if the employee’s needs change, if the employee moves to another physical location in the organization, when the employee’s overall accommodation needs are reviewed or when the manager/supervisor is reviewing general emergency response plans. The manager/supervisor and employee will collaborate to develop the plan. If the assistance of other employees is part of the emergency response, then with the consent of the employee with disability, the other employees will be given as much information about the employee with the disability that the assisting employees will need to carry out the plan but no more.
CarePartners is committed to providing our patients with publically available emergency information in an accessible way upon request. We also provide employees with disabilities with individual emergency response information when necessary.
CarePartners will provide training to employees and other staff members on Ontario’s accessibility laws and on the Human Rights Code as it relates to people with disabilities. Training will be provided in a way that best suits the duties of employees and other staff members.
CarePartners is committed to meeting the communication needs of people with disabilities. We will consult with people with disabilities to determine information and communication needs.
CarePartners will make all new website content created for its company website after January 1, 2014 conform with WAG 2.0 Level A. CarePartners will ensure all CarePartners websites and website content conform with WCAG 2.0 Level AA by January 1, 2021.
CarePartners will make sure all publically available information is made accessible upon request by January 1, 2016.
CarePartners will provide processes for receiving and responding to feedback that are accessible to people with disabilities by providing or arranging accessible formats and communications supports upon request by January 1, 2015.
CarePartners is committed to fair and accessible employment practices.
Effective January 1, 2016, CarePartners will take the following steps to notify the public and staff that, when requested, CarePartners will accommodate people with disabilities during the recruitment and assessment processes when people are hired.
Effective January 1, 2016 CarePartners, as part of making an offer of employment, will inform the successful applicant of CarePartners policies on accommodating employees with disabilities. RV August, 2016 Page 3 of 3.
Effective January 1, 2016 CarePartners will inform all employees of the supports and accommodation available to employees with disabilities. This information will be posted on a website available to all employees. Any change in policies on supporting employees with disabilities will be posted on the website.
Effective January 1, 2016, CarePartners will consult with each employee with a disability to determine which accessible formats or communication supports they require and then use that information to determine how to communicate with that employee. If the employee has an Individual Accommodation Plan then the format for communication is documented in the employee’s Individual Accommodation Plan.
CarePartners has in place processes for developing individual accommodation plans for employees that have been absent due to a disability.
We will take the following steps to ensure the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities are taken into account when CarePartners is using performance management, career development and redeployment policies.
CarePartners will take the following steps to prevent and remove other accessibility barriers identified;
CarePartners will meet the Accessibility Standards for the Design of Public Spaces when building or make major modifications to public spaces include;
CarePartners will put the following procedure in place to prevent service disruptions to its accessible parts of its public spaces.
For more information on this accessibility plan please contact:
Cathy Walker
519-357-0506
cathy.walker@carepartners.ca
Accessible formats of this document are available free upon request from Cathy Walker at the above contact information.
RV August 2016 CW