Oxfam Canada is committed to providing a barrier-free environment for anyone who seeks to enter Oxfam Canada’s offices, interact with Oxfam Canada staff in Canada, or access our information and services. We are committed to making every reasonable effort to ensure that people with disabilities are treated with dignity and respect, and to providing people with disabilities with the same opportunities to access our services and opportunities for employment, retention and promotion.
This policy is intended to meet the requirements of Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, Ontario Regulation 429/07 under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, and applies to all of Oxfam Canada’s operations in Canada.
POLICY STATEMENT
Oxfam Canada will accommodate a person with a disability to the point of undue hardship, as per the requirements of the Ontario Human Rights Act. Oxfam Canada will:
- Ensure that all people are treated equally and with dignity and respect;
- Ensure that persons with disabilities are able to access and experience any of Oxfam’s activities, services and information;
- Ensure that persons with disabilities receive the same value and quality of activities, services and information;
- Allow people with disabilities to do things their own way, at their own pace when participating in activities and accessing information and services, as long as this does not present a safety risk;
- Use alternate methods to ensure that people with disabilities have access to the same activities, services and information and in a similar manner;
- Accommodate individual needs when providing activities, services and information;
- Communicate in a manner that takes into account the person’s disability;
- Accommodate employees so that they are able to fulfill their work requirements.
SCOPE
This policy applies to all Oxfam Canada employees, interns, volunteers, tenants, contractors or visitors who are required to enter Oxfam Canada property or interact with people in-person in Canada for the purposes of completing their objectives, as directed by Oxfam Canada.
Feedback Process
Oxfam Canada strives to center the rights, dignity and inclusion of people with disabilities in our activities, information and services.
Oxfam Canada will provide an opportunity for people with disabilities to provide feedback, verbally or in writing, on our activities, information and services. Feedback forms can be submitted to:
Manager, Human Resources
39 McArthur Avenue,
Ottawa, Ontario K1L 8L7
Email:
Phone: (613) 237-5236
Definitions
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA):
The AODA was designed to make Ontario more accessible by identifying, removing and preventing barriers for persons with disabilities. Through the AODA, five standards have been developed: Customer Service, Information and Communication, Employment, Transportation, and Built Environment. The goal is to make Ontario barrier-free by 2025.
Disability:
As defined by the AODA and the Human Rights Code, refers to any degree of physical disability, infirmity, malformation, or disfigurement that is caused by bodily injury, birth defect or illness. It includes both present and past conditions, instances where a person is perceived or “seen” to have a disability, as well as a perception that a person may develop a disability in the future. A disability may be the result of a physical limitation, an ailment, a perceived limitation or a combination of all these factors. The focus is on the effects of the distinction, preference or exclusion experienced by the person and not on proof of physical limitations or the presence of an ailment. Even minor illnesses or infirmities can be “disabilities” if a person can show that they were treated unfairly because of the perception of a disability.
- Disabilities that are not obvious to the average observer (also known as non-evidential disabilities) are also protected. Examples of non-evident disabilities include chronic fatigue syndrome, back pain, and certain forms of mental illness.
- Other disabilities may remain hidden because they only flare up occasionally (such as epilepsy or environmental sensitivities).
Assistive Device:
A technical aid, communication device or other instrument used to maintain or improve the functional abilities of people with disabilities. Personal assistive devices are typically devices that people use such as a wheelchair, walker, or a personal oxygen tank that might assist in hearing, seeing, communicating, moving, breathing, remembering and/or reading.
Goods and Services:
Includes communication and interactions with the public, recruitment services, brochures, pamphlets, and electronic job postings and application forms.
Guide Dog:
A highly trained working dog that has been trained at one of the facilities listed under the Blind Persons’ Rights Act, to provide mobility, safety and increased independence for people who are blind.
Service Animal:
An animal used by a person with a disability if:
- It is apparent that the animal is used by the person for reasons relating to her or his disability; or
- It is apparent that the animal is used by the person for reasons relating to her or his disability; or
- If the person provides a letter from a physician or nurse confirming that the person requires the animal for reasons relating to the disability.
Support Person:
A person who accompanies a person with a disability in order to help with communication, mobility, personal care, medical needs or access to goods and services.
Application of this Policy/Procedure
Assistive Devices
Persons with disabilities may use their own assistive devices as required when participating in activities and accessing information and services from Oxfam Canada.
In cases where the assistive device presents a safety concern or where accessibility might be an issue, other reasonable measures will be used to ensure access; for example, open flames and oxygen tanks cannot be near one another, therefore, the accommodation of a person with an oxygen tank may involve ensuring the person is in a safe location. Oxfam Canada commits to holding all in-person activities in locations that are accessible for persons with disabilities who may require assistive devices.
Guide Dog
A person with a disability that is accompanied by a guide dog or service animal can access Oxfam Canada offices. They are responsible for caring for and controlling the service animal.
Support Person
If a person with a disability is accompanied by a support person, Oxfam Canada will ensure that both persons have access to the premises together and that the person with the disability is not prevented from having access to the support person.
In situations where confidential information might be discussed in the presence of a support person, consent will be obtained from the person with the disability, prior to any conversation occurring.
Information and Communication
Oxfam Canada is committed to meeting the communication needs of persons with disabilities. We encourage them to disclose any relevant information that may be helpful in accommodating their unique information and communication needs. Additionally, we will communicate with persons with disabilities in ways that take their disability into account and will ensure that Oxfam Canada staff are trained on how to interact and communicate appropriately. Oxfam Canada’s website and all its contents will comply with WCAG2.0, Level A by March 31, 2023.
Oxfam Canada is committed to providing fully accessible communication with persons with disabilities. Oxfam Canada will encourage our staff to communicate verbally in clear, plain language and to speak clearly and slowly. Oxfam Canada will offer to communicate with persons with disabilities by alternative formats if verbal conversation is not suitable for their needs.
Accessible Emergency Information
Oxfam Canada is committed to providing building safety information in an accessible way, upon request. We will also provide employees with disabilities with individualized emergency response information during onboarding.
Training
Oxfam Canada will provide training to all employees, interns, volunteers and contract staff who interact with the public in Canada. Refresher training will be provided on an annual basis as appropriate.
Training will cover the following:
- A review of the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005;
- Instructions on how to interact and communicate with people with various types of disabilities;
- Instructions on how to interact with people with disabilities who use assistive devices or require the assistance of a service animal or support person.
Record of Training
Oxfam Canada will keep a record of training that includes the date training was provided and who was trained.
Documents
- Oxfam Canada Accessibility Plan 2023 - 2028
- Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Policy & Procedure
- Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Customer Feedback Form
All of our resources, documents and publications are available upon request, including Oxfam’s emergency response information.
For more information, visit the AODA website here: Ontario.ca/AccessON