AODA Customer Service and Training Protocol
A. STATEMENT
1. In keeping with its mission of "caring, growing, innovative ", the Corporation of the County of Lambton is committed to providing accessible, quality services and goods to persons with disabilities in a manner that promotes dignity, independence, integration and equal opportunity.
2. The County shall at all times make available its services and goods to persons with disabilities in accordance with the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service prescribed under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, as amended.
B. POLICY
3. To this end, the Corporation has adopted a written policy entitled Accessibility Standards for Customer Service (Section 500, Policy 515) (hereinafter, "Policy").
4. All employees, agents, contractors and any other person or entity, including council members, providing services or goods for or on behalf of the County (hereinafter, "County Service Providers") shall do so in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Policy.
5. Management and supervisory staff shall be responsible for ensuring that all services within their department(s), division(s) or service area are provided in accordance with the Policy and this Protocol.
6. The County Clerk shall maintain a copy of the Policy in the offices of the County Clerk and shall cause to have the Policy reviewed and revised from time to time to maintain it current with the prescribed Accessibility Standards for Customer Service.
C. PUBLIC AWARENESS
7. The County shall post a copy of the document attached hereto as Appendix A (being a summary of the Policy) as amended from to time to time, in a conspicuous location where it will come to the attention of members of the public at each of its facilities where County services and/or goods are offered to members of the public.
D. TRAINING
8. To create awareness and to ensure compliance with the Policy and the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, the County shall ensure that all County Service Providers receives training as soon as practicable on the Policy and the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service and on an ongoing basis as changes occur to the Policy and/or to the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service.
9. To this end, the County has developed written training materials (hereinafter, "Training Materials") in the form attached as Appendix B which set out its practices and procedures in its provision of services to persons with disabilities. The County Clerk shall maintain a copy of the Training Materials in the offices of the County Clerk and shall cause to have the Training Materials reviewed and revised from time to time to maintain them current with current best practices and with the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service.
10. All County Service Providers shall receive training on the Policy, which shall include receiving a copy of the Training Materials and completing the test/quiz contained therein prior to the end of the calendar year 2009.
11. New County Service Providers hired and/or otherwise retained after 2009 shall receive training on the Policy, including receiving a copy of the Training Materials, as soon as is practicable given their duties and responsibilities.
12. Without limiting the generality of paragraphs 10 and 11 above, the training contemplated herein shall include:
a. a review of the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005;
b. a review of the requirements of the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service as prescribed under the Act;
c. instructions on the County Policy and its procedures and practices pertaining to the provision of goods and services to persons with disabilities, as set out in the Training Materials;
d. how to interact and communicate with persons with various types of disabilities;
e. what to do if a person with a disability is having difficulty accessing the County's goods and services;
f. how to interact with persons with disabilities who use assistive devices or who require the assistance of a support person or service animal; and
g. information about equipment or devices available on County premises that may help with the provisions of goods and services to persons with disabilities.
13. The County Clerk shall cause written training records to be maintained, indicating the date on which training was provided, the type of training and the name of attendees.
E. COMMUNICATIONS AND AVAILABILITY OF DOCUMENTS
14. All documents required under the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, including the County's Policy, Training Materials, training records, notices, feedback records and this Protocol, shall be made available to members of the public upon written request.
15. When providing any documentation to a person with a disability, the County shall do so in a manner and a format that takes into account the person's disability.
16. Materials and publications produced by the County should include a statement indicating that the material and/or publication "is available in an alternative format upon request."
17. If requested, an alternate format shall be provided in a manner in which is agreed upon between the requester and the County, and which takes into account the person's disability (e.g. Braille, audio recordings, electronic copies). All requests for alternative formats shall be immediately communicated in writing to the General Manager of the division and to the County Clerk. Management of the department and/or division shall be responsible for providing alternative formats, when requested, to a person with a disability.
F. FEEDBACK
18. The County is committed to continuous improvement. To this end, anyone who wishes to provide any feedback about how to provide goods or services to a person with a disability and/or improve the Policy, Training Materials and/or this Protocol (including its Appendices) may do so by contacting the County Clerk at the addresses noted in paragraph 19 below or completing the feedback form online at www.lambtononline.on.ca.
19. All feedback shall be acknowledged by the County Clerk, in writing. Any action taken as a result of a feedback should be communicated to the person as soon as possible.
G. QUESTIONS, COMPLIMENTS OR COMPLAINTS
20. Anyone with compliment, complaint, question or concern about the Policy, Training Materials or Protocol may contact the County Clerk in person, in writing, by e-mail, by telephone or online ( at www.lambtononline.on.ca)
County Clerk
The Corporation of the County of Lambton
789 Broadway Street, Box 3000
Wyoming, Ontario N0N 1T0
Telephone: 519 845.5402
Fax: 519 845.0818
e-mail: clerk@county-lambton.on.ca
The County will acknowledge your questions, concerns, compliments and complaints and will provide a written response, together with its findings, within fourteen (14) business days of receiving your correspondence.
21. This Protocol is available in an alternative format, upon request, to accommodate a person with a disability.
POLICY_-_Accessibility_Standards_for_Customer_Service.pdf