Accessibility Plan
RNS Health Care is to committed to compliance and accessibility standards as outlined in The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and as outlined in our Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation Employment Policy. For questions, concerns or feedback RNS Health Care Services Inc’s AODA Policy, please contact: Christina Polsinello, Office Support Manager at cpolsinello@rnshc.com or 289-841-7150 ext 2235.
Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulations Employment Policy
Policy
This policy is intended to meet the requirements of the Integrated Accessibility Standards, Ontario Regulation 191/11 for the Employment Standard set forth under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. This policy applies to the provision of accessible employment services for persons with disabilities. All employment services provided by RNS Health Care Services Inc. shall follow the principles of dignity, independence, integration and equal opportunity.
All employment services provided by RNS Health Care Services Inc. shall follow the principles of dignity, independence, integration and equal opportunity.
Definitions
Accessible Formats– Include but are not limited to large print, recorded audio and electronic formats, braille and other formats usable by persons with disabilities.
Communication Supports – Include but are not limited to captioning, alternative and augmentative communication supports, plain language, sign language and other supports that facilitate effective communications.
Performance Management – Activities related to assessing and improving employee performance, productivity and effectiveness with the goal of facilitating employee success.
Redeployment – The reassignment of employees to other departments or jobs within the organization as an alternative to layoff, when a particular job or department has been eliminated by the organization.
General Principles
In accordance with the Integrated Accessibility Standards, Ontario Regulation 191/11, this policy addresses the following:
A. General Requirements
B. Recruitment, Assessment and Selection
C. Accessible Formats and Communication Supports for Employees
D. Workplace Emergency Response Information
E. Documented Individual Accommodation Plans
F. Performance Management and Career Development and Advancement
G. Return to Work
H. Redeployment
I. Review
A. General Requirements
General requirements that apply across all of the five (5) standards (information and communication, employment, transportation, design of public spaces, and customer service) are outlined as follows.
Establishment of Accessibility Policies and Plans
RNS Health Care Services Inc. will develop, implement and maintain policies governing how it will achieve accessibility through these requirements.
RNS Health Care Services Inc. will include a statement of its commitment to meeting the accessibility needs of persons with disabilities in a timely manner in its policies. These documents will be made publicly available in an accessible format, upon request.
RNS Health Care Services Inc. will establish, implement, maintain and document a multi-year accessibility plan outlining its strategy to prevent and remove barriers and meet its requirements under the IASR. Accessibility plans will be made available in an accessible format, upon request, and will be posted on our website.
RNS Health Care Services Inc. will review and update its accessibility plan once every five (5) years and will establish, review and update our accessibility plans in consultation with persons with disabilities or an advisory committee. Annual status reports will be prepared that will report on the progress of the steps taken to implement RNS Health Care Services Inc.'s accessibility plan. This status report will be posted on our website. If requested, the report shall be created in an accessible format.
Training Requirements
RNS Health Care Services Inc. will provide training for its employees and volunteers regarding the IASR and the Ontario Human Rights Code as they pertain to individuals with disabilities. Training will also be Page 2 of 5 provided to individuals who are responsible for developing RNS Health Care Services Inc.'s policies, and all other persons who provide goods, services or facilities on behalf of RNS Health Care Services Inc..
Training will be provided as soon as is reasonably practicable, but no later than (Insert Compliance Deadline). Training will be provided on an ongoing basis to new employees and as changes to RNS Health Care Services Inc.'s accessibility policies occur.
Records
RNS Health Care Services Inc. will maintain records on the training provided, when it was provided and the number of employees that were trained.
B. Recruitment, Assessment and Selection
RNS Health Care Services Inc. will notify employees and the public about the availability of accommodation for job applicants who have disabilities. Applicants will be informed that these accommodations are available, upon request, for the interview process and for other candidate selection methods. Where an accommodation is requested, RNS Health Care Services Inc. will consult with the applicant and provide or arrange for suitable accommodation.
Successful applicants will be made aware of RNS Health Care Services Inc.'s policies and supports for accommodating people with disabilities.
C. Accessible Formats and Communication Supports for Employees
RNS Health Care Services Inc. will ensure that employees are aware of our policies for employees with disabilities and any changes to these policies as they occur.
If an employee with a disability requests it, RNS Health Care Services Inc. will provide or arrange for the provision of accessible formats and communication supports for the following:
- Information needed in order to perform his/her job; and
- Information that is generally available to all employees in the workplace.
RNS Health Care Services Inc. will consult with the employee making the request to determine the best way to provide the accessible format or communication support.
D. Workplace Emergency Response Information
Where required, RNS Health Care Services Inc. will create individual workplace emergency response information for employees with disabilities. This information will take into account the unique challenges created by the individual's disability and the physical nature of the workplace, and will be created in consultation with the employee.
This information will be reviewed when:
- The employee moves to a different physical location in the organization;
- The employee's overall accommodation needs or plans are reviewed; and/or
- RNS Health Care Services Inc. reviews general emergency response policies.
E. Documented Individual Accommodation Plans
RNS Health Care Services Inc. will ensure that our website and all web content published after January 1, 2012, conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 and will refer to the schedule set out in the IASR for specific compliance deadlines.
RNS Health Care Services Inc. must also develop and have in place written processes for documenting individual accommodation plans for employees with disabilities. The process for the development of these accommodation plans should include specific elements, including:
- The ways in which the employee can participate in the development of the plan;
- The means by which the employee is assessed on an individual basis;
- The ways that an employer can request an evaluation by an outside medical expert, or other experts (at the employer's expense) to determine if accommodation can be achieved, or how it can be achieved;
- The ways that an employee can request the participation of a representative from their bargaining agent or other representative from the workplace (if the employee is not represented by a bargaining agent) for the creation of the accommodation plan;
- The steps taken to protect the privacy of the employee's personal information;
- The frequency with which the individual accommodation plan should be reviewed or updated and how it should be done;
- The way in which the reasons for the denial of an individual accommodation plan will be provided to the employee; and
- The means of providing the accommodation plan in an accessible format, based on the employee's accessibility needs.
The individual accommodation will also:
- Include information regarding accessible formats and communication supports upon request;
- Where needed, include individualized workplace emergency response information; and
- Outline all other accommodation provided.
F. Performance Management and Career Development and Advancement
RNS Health Care Services Inc. will consider the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities when implementing performance management processes, or when offering career development or advancement opportunities.
Individual accommodation plans will be consulted, as required.
G. Return to Work
RNS Health Care Services Inc. will develop and implement return to work processes for employees who are absent from work due to a disability and require disability-related accommodation(s) in order to return to work.
The return to work process will outline the steps RNS Health Care Services Inc. will take to facilitate the employee's return to work and shall use documented individual accommodation plans (as described in section 28 of the regulation).
H. Redeployment
The accessibility needs of employees with disabilities will be taken into account in the event of redeployment.
Individual accommodation plans will be consulted, as required.
I. Review
This policy will be reviewed regularly to ensure that it is reflective of RNS Health Care Services Inc.'s current practices as well as legislative requirements.