Dunrite Rubber’s Multi-Year Accessibility Plan

Contents

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act 2

Regulations Under the Authority of the AODA 2

Regulation 191/11, Integrated Accessibility Standards 2

January 1, 2014: 2

December 31, 2014: 3

January 1, 2015: 3

January 1, 2016: 3

January 1, 2017: 3

January 1, 2021: 3

Multi-Year Accessibility Plan 3

Accessibility Reports 3

Dunrite Rubber Commitment 3

Accessible Emergency Information 4

Training 4

Information and Communications 5

Employment Standards 5

Accessibility Policy for Employment Standards 5

Individual Accommodation Plans 5

Return to Work Policy 6

Design of Public Spaces 6

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act 

• The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) became law in Ontario in June, 2005. Its purpose is to make Ontario barrier-free by 2025 by developing, implementing and enforcing standards for accessibility related to goods, services, facilities, employment, accommodation, and buildings.

• The organizations subject to the AODA include “any agency, board, commission, authority, corporation or other entity established under an Act”. As a result, the AODA and its subsequent regulations apply to Dunrite Rubber & Plastic (2021) Limited (Dunrite Rubber). 

Regulations Under the Authority of the AODA

The government identified five areas to develop accessibility standards in the form of regulations under the AODA. These five areas are:

1. Customer Service

2. Employment

3. Transportation

4. Information and Communications

5. Built Environment (refers to access to, from and within buildings, and outdoor street spaces such as pedestrian access routes and signal systems).

• Regulation 429/07, Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, was enacted in July 2007 under the AODA to focus on the first area, customer service. The Dunrite Rubber met the compliance obligations as required under this regulation ahead of the January 1, 2012 deadline.

• Regulation 191/11, Integrated Accessibility Standards was enacted under the AODA in June 2011 and addresses the remaining areas noted above. There are staggered compliance obligations impacting Dunrite Rubber through to 2021.

Regulation 191/11, Integrated Accessibility Standards

• Regulation 191/11 establishes the accessibility standards for each area: information and communications, employment, transportation and public spaces. The transportation standards are not applicable to Dunrite Rubber.

• The standards set out in this regulation are not a replacement or a substitution for the requirements established under the Human Rights Code.

• Under Regulation 191/11, Dunrite Rubber is required to establish, implement, maintain and document a Multi-Year Accessibility Plan which outlines Dunrite Rubber’s strategy to prevent and remove barriers and meet its obligations under the regulation.

Regulation 191/11 outlines compliance requirements related to the following areas by the noted deadlines:

January 1, 2014:

1. establishment of accessibility policies and plans

2. ensuring website and web content is accessible to (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) WCAG 2.0, level A

December 31, 2014:

3. filing deadline for Dunrite Rubber’s first accessibility report as required under the AODA, with subsequent reports required every three years

January 1, 2015:

4. providing training to employees on the accessibility standards in Regulation 191/11 and on the Human Rights Code as it pertains to people with disabilities

5. ensuring that processes for receiving and responding to feedback are accessible

January 1, 2016:

6. ensuring accessible employment standards are in place including notification of accommodation and disability supports during the recruitment process, processes for developing individual accommodation plans, return to work processes and professional development opportunities that take into account the accessibility needs of employees

7. ensuring accessible formats and communication supports are available for the public upon request

January 1, 2017:

8. ensuring that any newly constructed or redeveloped public spaces conform to the accessibility standards for the built environment, for example, building side-walks and service counters

January 1, 2021:

9. ensuring website and web content is accessible to WCAG 2.0, level AA

Multi-Year Accessibility Plan

• This Multi-Year Accessibility Plan, established to meet Ontario’s accessible laws by January 1, 2014, outlines the related policies and actions Dunrite Rubber has or will have in place to benefit the full range of persons with disabilities by the above-noted deadlines.

• Whether an individual’s disability is apparent or not, everyone will continue to be treated with courtesy and respect when they interact with Dunrite Rubber.

• This plan is available on Dunrite Rubber’s website, staff intranet and in an accessible format upon request.

• Dunrite Rubber will review this multi-year accessibility plan on a five-year cycle to ensure its ongoing relevance.

Accessibility Reports

• Dunrite Rubber submits accessibility reports in accordance with the AODA. These reports outline Dunrite Rubber’s compliance with relevant accessibility standards in the Act and regulations. The first report was provided in December 2014, then in December 2017, with subsequent reports filed every three years afterwards.

Dunrite Rubber Commitment

• Dunrite Rubber supports the full integration and inclusion of persons with disabilities as outlined in the AODA and supports the Ontario government’s goal to make the province barrier-free by 2025.

• Dunrite Rubber is committed to full compliance with the regulations established under the AODA, including Regulation 429/07, Accessibility Standards for Customer Service and Regulation 191/11, Integrated Accessibility Standards.

• Dunrite Rubber will comply with the requirements of Regulation 191/11, Integrated Accessibility Standards by preventing and removing barriers to accessibility and meeting accessibility requirements before or by the noted deadlines as is required by law.

• Dunrite Rubber is a professional organization committed to providing high quality service to its employees and to the public. Dunrite Rubber will continue to treat every person with courtesy and respect.

• Dunrite Rubber Employees will engage with the public in a manner that acknowledges the nature of an individual’s disability and respects a person’s desire for independence, dignity, and equal opportunity.

Accessible Emergency Information

• Dunrite Rubber is committed to providing employees, volunteers and clients with publicly available emergency information in an accessible way upon request. Emergency information includes prepared emergency procedures, plans or public safety information.

• The following measures are in place to ensure emergency information is available to all persons at Dunrite Rubber:

• Emergency information and procedures have been posted on emergency exit doorways. It is also available in an accessible format upon request.

• Dunrite Rubber’s Health and Safety Policy for employees agrees to ensure that legislated measures and best practices prescribed by federal, provincial and municipal legislation, along with the safe work practices and protocols set forth by Dunrite Rubber, are adhered to at all times. This policy is available upon request. 

Training

Dunrite Rubber provides training on the requirements of the accessibility standards in Regulation 191/11 and on the Human Rights Code as it relates to people with disabilities to:

• all employees

• all persons who participate in developing the organization’s policies

• all other persons who provide goods, services or facilities on behalf of the organization.

Training is provided in a way that best suits the duties of employees and other individuals.

As of January 1, 2015, Dunrite Rubber took the following steps to ensure employees are provided with the training needed to meet Ontario’s accessibility standards and human rights code:

• seeking providers to offer training compliant with the requirements in several formats to employees based on their roles and duties

• offering online or in-person training to all employees, highlighting changes to Dunrite Rubber policies and procedures as a result of Regulation 191/11

• recording completion of the mandatory training on all company employee files

• developing a protocol to ensure that all staff who begin employment with Dunrite Rubber after the training has occurred have the opportunity to participate in this training at a future date 

• In 2013, 2017 and 2018, employees involved in document creation received training to learn more about the background and theory of accessibility and how it affects document creation. The training explored Microsoft Word PowerPoint, Excel and PDF features and how to design for those with vision, motor and cognitive impairments. 

Information and Communications

The Dunrite Rubber is committed to meeting the communication needs of people with disabilities. We consult with people with disabilities, where appropriate, to determine their information and communication needs.

Employment Standards

Dunrite Rubber is committed to fair and accessible employment practices for its employees. As of January 1, 2016, Dunrite Rubber practices reflect accessible employment standards to meet Ontario’s accessible laws.

Dunrite Rubber adopted two policies to identify, remove and prevent barriers and increase accessibility for persons with disabilities: the Accessibility Policy for Employment Standards (which includes the Individual Accommodation Plan) and the Return-to-Work Policy.

Accessibility Policy for Employment Standards

Upon request, Dunrite Rubber will accommodate people with disabilities during recruitment and assessment processes, and when people are hired, by:

• posting employment opportunities internally and externally to reflect Dunrite Rubber’s commitment to the AODA and the availability of accommodation for applicants with disabilities in the recruitment process

• offering accommodation to applicants selected for participation in an assessment or selection process, upon request, in relation to the materials and processes used. Dunrite Rubber consults with the applicant to provide or arrange for the provision of a suitable accommodation commensurate with their accessibility needs due to disability.

• updating the signed employment agreement between a new employee and Dunrite Rubber to include Dunrite Rubber’s commitment to the AODA principles and reference Dunrite Rubber’s policies for accommodating employees with disabilities

• updating Dunrite Rubber’s Employee Handbook, given to all new employees, to include accommodation policies for employees with disabilities. Dunrite employees are advised of changes to the Employee Handbook through morning meetings.

Individual Accommodation Plans

Dunrite Rubber introduced a written process to develop documented individual accommodation plans for employees with disabilities:

• Dunrite Rubber policy for developing individual accommodation plans reflects a participatory process involving the employee requesting accommodation and if required, external medical evaluations.

• The Individual Accommodation Plan Policy includes information involving required accessible formats and communications supports for information that is needed to perform that employee’s job and information that is generally available to employees in the workplace, individualized emergency response information if required, and any other accommodation provided under the plan.

• Dunrite Rubber will provide individualized emergency response information to employees who have a disability as required, and where Dunrite Rubber is aware of the need for accommodation. This information may be shared with a person designated to provide assistance to the employee during an emergency situation.

• Dunrite Rubber’s Health and Emergency Planning Policy provides alternatives for employees with disabilities during emergency evacuation situations.

• The Individual Accommodation Plan Policy includes the steps taken to protect the employee’s personal information and the frequency with which the individual accommodation plan will be reviewed.

Return to Work Policy

The Dunrite Rubber developed a written return-to-work process for employees who have been absent from work due to disability and require disability-related accommodation to return to work. The Return-to-Work Policy:

• outlines the steps to be taken to facilitate the return of employees who were absent because their disability required them to be away from work

• includes the use of individual accommodation plans.

Design of Public Spaces

Dunrite Rubber will meet the Accessibility Standards for the Design of Public Spaces when building or making major modifications to public spaces. As applicable to Dunrite Rubber, public spaces include:

• outdoor paths of travel, like sidewalks, ramps, curb ramps designed for pedestrian travel and not covered under Regulation 350/06 made under the Building Code Act

• service-related elements like service counters and waiting areas.

• Dunrite Rubber requires that any contract entered into after January 1, 2013 to newly construct or redevelop outdoor paths of travel or service- related elements reflect the requirements of Regulation 191/11.