INTRODUCTION:
In 2005, the Ontario Government passed the Accessibility for Ontarian with Disabilities Act (AODA), which requires that Ontario be an accessible province by 2025. It has introduced a phased-in approach to the implementation of requirements through regulations under AODA. To help public, private and not-for-profit organizations identify, prevent and remove barriers to accessibility, the AODA sets out specific accessibility standards in five areas; Customer Service, Information and Communications, Employment, Transportation, and Built Environment (which is still in draft form).
This Five-year Accessibility Plan builds on past planning and consultation. The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit will continue to build on and develop operational policies and guidelines for employees as outlined in this plan. It is a living document that outlines our goals and objectives. This plan shall be posted on our website and will be made available in alternative formats on request.
OUR COMMITMENT:
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) 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 and are committed to meeting the needs of people with disabilities in a timely manner. We will do so by preventing and removing barriers to accessibility and meeting accessibility requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (“AODA”).
MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO:
The WECHU strives to meet the needs of its employees and clients with disabilities and is working hard to remove and prevent barriers to accessibility. Our plan shows how we will play our role in making Ontario an accessible province for all Ontarians.
Dr. Ken Blanchette
MULTI-YEAR ACCESSIBILITY PLAN:
Category: General Requirements
| Component | Requirement | Action(s) | References | |
| 1. | Establishment of Accessibility Policies |
Sec. 3(2) Shall include a statement of organizational commitment to meet the accessibility needs of persons with disabilities Sec. 3(3) Prepare one or more written documents describing its policies |
The Accessibility Policies are efforts to achieve compliance with AODA requirements and establishes the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit’s core accessibility principles. The Policy’s statement of commitment affirms the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit’s commitment to meet the accessibility needs of all people. Both the Accessible Client Service policy is posted on the company website and available in accessible formats upon request. | Accessible Client Service Policy |
| 2. | Accessibility Plans | Sec. 4(1) Large organizations shall establish, implement, maintain and document a multi-year accessibility plan, which outlines the organization’s strategy to prevent and remove barriers and meet its requirement under this Regulation. | The 2023-2028 Multi-Year Accessibility plan outlines the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit’s accessibility planning and strategy to remove barriers and meet AODA requirements. Approved by the CEO, posted to the website and available in accessible formats upon request. | Multi-Year Accessibility Policy |
| 3. | Training | Sec. 7 Every obligated organization shall ensure training is provided on the requirements of the accessibility standards referred to in the regulation and on the Human Rights Code as it pertains to person with disabilities. | The AODA & Ontario Rights Code training modules were developed consolidating all required accessibility training content for all staff and students. The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit will continue to provide ongoing training about the requirements when a new employee(s) starts or when the policy and/or legislation changes. | |
| 4. | Accessibility Report | Sec. 86.1 Organizations shall file the accessibility report according to the following schedule: every three years in case of large organizations, due date December 31, 2014 | Submission of the Accessibility Compliance report to the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario will continue according to submission requirements. | |
Category: Information & Communication
| Component | Requirement | Action(s) | Reference | |
| 1. | Feedback from Customers & Employees | Sec. 11 Receiving and providing feedback in an accessible format | Under the Customer Service Standard, a feedback process was established for receiving and responding to feedback specifically about the manner in which the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit provides accessible goods or services to people with disabilities. Formally solicit feedback – in person and online. If you would like to provide feedback in person, please notify the clerk at switchboard. If feedback is elicited from employees, a variety of methods will be available, and employees will be notified that if they require an accessible format to notify the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit of their requirement for an accessible format. | |
| 2. | Accessible Formats and Communication Supports | Sec. 12 Information about their goods and services or facilities | The majority of Windsor-Essex County Health Unit documents and/or information are in an electronic or digital format which will facilitate the conversion into an accessible format. This will minimize the amount of time a customer/client will have to wait for an accessible document. The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit shall provide or arrange for the provision of accessible formats and communication supports for persons with disabilities upon request. However, brochures produced outside the control of the corporation are not available in an accessible format at this time. This includes automobile manuals. | |
| Sec. 12 Communication Supports | Accessible formats and communication supports will be provided in a timely manner which considers the person's needs. The cost to provide this service shall not be incurred by the customer/client. The customer/client will be consulted with to determine the suitability of an accessible format or communication support. A list of local service providers will be on site to facilitate this process. Information about goods, services or facilities is available on the company website. If the customer/client requires additional supports, accessible formats of the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit materials is available upon request and will be handled by the CRD department. | |||
| 3. | Unconvertible Information | Sec. 12 Examples: blueprints or x-rays | The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit does create/produce most of their own brochures, manuals, etc. As a result, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit is responsible for providing accessible formats for these items. Brochures from other services providers or the Ministry are not available in an accessible format. | |
| 4. | Meeting requests in a timely manner | Sec. 12 HTML, MS Word, accessible electronic formats | In some cases, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit will be able to provide the information or communications quickly. In other cases, we will require more time due to the complexity of the document/drawing and resources or internal capacity of the organization. At most, customers/clients will receive accessible documents within 10 business days. | |
| 5. | Posting Requirements | Sec. 12 Public must be notified about accessible formats & communication supports | The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit will notify the public about the availability of accessible formats and communication supports via the company website and binder at reception. | |
| 6. | Emergency Procedures / Plan or Public Safety Information | Sec. 13 If publicly available must also provide in an accessible format. i.e.: evacuation procedures, floor plans, Health & Safety information | The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit provides health and safety information (Violence, Harassment and Health and Safety Policies/Floor plans) in a binder in the reception area. This information will be available upon request in an accessible format. The format is dependent upon the request of the individual. The service staff will be trained on how to accommodate any requests received. | Preventing workplace Violence Policy |
| 7. | Accessible Websites & Web Content |
Sec. 14 Applies to new internet websites & content WCAG20 (World Wide Web Consortium web content accessibility guidelines at Level AA) |
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit corporate website was created to be W3C WCAG 2.0 Level AA standard compliant. We continually strive to reach that standard whenever new content is posted to the site. The site is managed and hosted internally. | |
| Sec. 14 All internet websites and web content | All new websites developed will be WCAG 2.0 Level AA. | |||
Category: Employment
| Component | Requirement | Action(s) | Reference | |
|
1.
|
Recruitment, Assessment and Selection | Sec. 22 Notify employees and public about availability of accommodation(s) for applicants in the recruitment process |
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit utilizes some in-house resources for recruitment. Positions being filled internally/recruited in-house will be emailed to all employees. The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit will ensure we are meeting the requirements under the AODA's Employment Standard in regard to availability of accommodation(s) for applicants in the recruitment process. External postings are done through the Dayforce portal. All postings include information noting that accommodations are available throughout the recruitment process. |
If you require accommodation to participate in the recruitment process, please email resume@wechu.org or phone the human resources department. |
| Sec. 24 Offers of Employment - notify successful applicant of policies for accommodating employees with disabilities | The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit will notify the successful applicant(s) of their policies for accommodating employees with disabilities. Notification may take a variety of forms such as in writing, verbal and as part of the orientation process. | |||
| Sec. 25 Informing Employees of Supports - all employees must be informed of polices used to support employees with disabilities (existing employees, new hires and when there is a change to the policy) | The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit will inform all employees of their policies for supporting employees with disabilities. Notification may take several forms such as a Dynamic Policy, newsletter, email, staff memo or staff meetings. All new hires will be informed upon hire. Existing employees will be informed when there is a change to the policy for supporting employees with disabilities. | |||
| 2. | Accessible formats and communication support for employees | Sec. 26 Must provide in an accessible format information needed to perform the job and information which is generally available to employees in the workplace | The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit will, upon request, consult with an employee with a disability to determine which accessible formats or communications supports they require to perform the duties of their job. An individual accommodation plan will be completed and the accessible formats and/or communication supports that will be provided to the employee will be noted in the plan. | |
| 3. | Workplace emergency response information | Sec. 27 Provide individualized workplace emergency response information; prepare for the specific needs employees with disabilities may have in emergency situations | The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit will create an individualized workplace emergency response form for employees who have a disability and require accommodation(s)/supports to evacuate their workplace in an emergency. With the employee's consent, the person designated to provide assistance to the employee will be provided with the necessary information to assist the employee with the disability. | |
| 4. | Documented individual accommodation plans | Sec. 28 Develop and document individual accommodation plans for employees with disabilities; employee involvement, outside medical or expert evaluation; review frequency | The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit will create an individual accommodation plan for any employee for which they have been made aware has a disability. There may be times when the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit will initiate a dialogue to offer assistance and accommodation for employees who are clearly unwell or perceived to have a disability. The employee will be included in the development of the plan. The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit may seek outside medical or other expert evaluations in order to provide appropriate supports. The plan will be reviewed when there is a change in the employee’s disability or job. | |
| 5. | Return to Work process | Sec. 29 Develop and have in place a RTW process for employees who have been absent from work due to a disability and require disability-related accommodations to return to work | The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit shall develop and have in place a return-to-work process for its employees who have been absent from work due to a disability and require disability-related accommodations in order to return to work. The return-to-work process will be documented. If an individual's injury is covered by the return-to-work provisions of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, then that Act's return to work process would apply. | Early and Safe Return to Work |
| 6. | Performance Management |
Sec. 30 Take into account the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities, as well as individual accommodation plans, during the performance management process in respect to employees with disabilities |
Under the AODA, the term performance management means activities related to assessing and improving employee performance, productivity and effectiveness with the goal of facilitating employee success. The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit will consider the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities in the area of performance management. | |
| 7. | Career Development and Advancement | Sec. 31 Includes providing additional responsibilities within an employee's current position and the movement of an employee from one job to another in an org. that may be higher in pay, provide greater responsibility or be at a higher level in the org. or any combination of them and, for both additional responsibilities and employee movement, is usually based on merit or seniority, or a combination of them | The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit will take into account what accommodations employees with disabilities may need to succeed elsewhere in the organizations or to take on new responsibilities in their current position. If the employee has an individual accommodation plan in place, the plan must be updated to reflect the changes in their new responsibilities. | |
| 8. | Redeployment | Sec. 32 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 | In the event that the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit will employ a redeployment process, it will consider the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities when moving them to other positions within the organization. If the employee has an individual accommodation plan, the plan will be reviewed and updated to reflect the changes in their new responsibilities | |
For more information:
For more information about our accessibility plan, please contact resume@wechu.org or 519-258-2146 and ask for the HR department.
Our accessibility plan is publicly posted at wechu.org. Standard and accessible formats of this document are free on request.