HF Care is not a crisis service. If you or someone you know is in a crisis, please call 911 or visit an emergency room.

Integrated Accessibility Standards

Policy

HF Care is committed to treating all people in a way that allows them to maintain their dignity and independence. In keeping the standards of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act for Ontarians 2005 (AODA) and Ontario Human Rights Code, HF Care will strive to continuously improve the accessibility of services and meet the needs of people with disabilities. HF Care will do so by preventing and eliminating barriers including physical, architectural, attitudinal, information, communications, technological, and systemic that may prevent the full participation of people with disabilities in its programs and activities.

Definition

a) Disability: Ontario Human Rights Code defines disability as follows:

– any degree of physical disability, infirmity, malformation or disfigurement that is caused by bodily injury, birth defect or illness and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, includes diabetes mellitus, epilepsy, a brain injury, any degree of paralysis, amputation, lack of physical co-ordination, blindness or visual impediment, deafness or hearing impediment, muteness or speech impediment, or physical reliance on a guide dog or other animal or on a wheelchair or other remedial appliance or device,

– a condition of mental impairment or a developmental disability,

– a learning disability, or a dysfunction in one or more of the processes involved in understanding or using symbols or spoken language,

– a mental disorder,

– or an injury or disability for which benefits were claimed or received under the insurance plan established under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997.

b) AODA Standards: The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act has mandated accessibility standards to remove barriers in important areas of everyday living for persons with disabilities. The vision behind the act is to achieve accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities by 2025. The AODA Standards include: customer service, transportation, information, communication, employment and physical environments.

c) Client, Consumer, Visitor: A person who enquires about our services, accesses our services, or does business with us.

d) Staff: An employee, student, volunteer or contracted agent.

e) Barrier: Anything that prevents a person with disabilities from fully participating in all aspects of society because of his or her disability, including physical, architectural, information, communications, attitudinal, technological and/or systemic barriers. This may also include barriers created by organizational policies and procedures.

f) Assistive Device: Any device that persons bring with them such as canes, walkers, vision aids such as binocular or monocular, magnifiers or oxygen tanks, or hearing aids. Assistive devices also include Assistive Communication Devices such as communication aids or software like test readers, amplifiers, screen magnifiers and voice boxes.

g) Service Animal: An animal is qualified to be a service animal if it is readily apparent the animal is used by the person for reasons relating to his or her disability, or the person provides a letter from physician or nurse confirming the use of the animal for reasons relating to the disability.

Procedure

1. Accessible Emergency Information: HF Care is committed to providing the customers and clients with publicly available emergency information in an accessible way upon request.

a) If or when HF Care experiences a temporary disruption of service or access to facilities that people with disabilities may rely on, notices will be placed conspicuously:

  • At the service location experiencing the disruption, by the applicable Site Manager;
  • The alternate phone message will be recorded by Manager, Operations; and,
  • On the HF Care’s website as provided by Executive Director or his/her designate.

Such notices will include the reason for the disruption, the expected duration of the disruption and suggested alternatives that may be available to persons with disabilities.

b) We will also provide employees with disabilities with individualized emergency response information when necessary.

2. Training: HF Care will provide training to all staff members on Ontario’s accessibility laws and on the Human Rights Code as it relates to people with disabilities. Training will be provided in a way that best suits the duties of employees, volunteers and other staff members.

HF Care will take the following steps to ensure employees are provided with the training needed to meet Ontario’s accessible laws by January 1, 2015.

  • All management and key staff trained as AODA champions by November 2014.
  • Have all existing staff, volunteers and Board members trained on AODA in the manner best suits their duties by January 1, 2015, and new staff within their first three months of employment and volunteer placement.

3. Information and communications

a) Website: HF Care is committed to meeting the communication needs of people with disabilities. We will consult with people with disabilities to determine their information and communication needs. If and when HF Care revamps its current website or create new websites, the content on those sites conform to WCAG 2.0, Level A.

b) Visible Signs Display: HF Care will post the AODA policy and information at a noticeable place at all sites.

c) Feedback Process: HF Care welcomes feedback about how accessible our customer service approaches are and how our steps to comply with AODA meet the needs of people living with various types of disabilities.

Feedback about how to improve accessibility may be provided in the following ways:

  • By regular mail addressed to Director, Operations at 1751 Sheppard Avenue East, Ground Floor, North York, ON, M2J 0A4
  • By telephone: 416-493-4242
  • By email: info@hfcare.ca

d) HF Care will take the following steps to ensure existing feedback processes are accessible to people with disabilities upon request by January 1, 2015.

  • Communicate clearly on our website how to provide feedback.
  • Post methods for providing feedback on the display board in all office.
  • Staff will inform all new clients verbally methods for providing feedback.

If a person would like to register a complaint about the HF Care’s accessibility to persons with disabilities, we request that the complaint be made in writing (by e-mail or letter) wherever possible. All written complaints will be treated as formal complaints and will receive follow-up as outlined in the HF Care’s Clients and Public Complaints policy.

Instructions on how to register a formal complaint is posted on our website will be provided upon request.

e) Employment: HF Care is committed to fair, non-discriminatory and accessible employment practices. We will take the appropriate steps to notify the public and staff that, when requested, will accommodate people with disabilities during the recruitment and assessment processes and when people are hired:

  • During employment, employees may submit requests for accommodation to their direct supervisor. Based on the specific request and the bona fide occupation requirements of the position, the supervisor will develop an Individual Accommodation Plan in consultation with the applicable Program Manager, Director, Operations, the employee, and where necessary, their health care provider/s. Such plans may be requested for ongoing disabilities, or where the disability is temporary, such as a Modified Work Program for employees returning from a health related leave.
  • If an employee’s disability is such that workplace emergency response plan is necessary and HF Care is aware of the need for accommodation, the direct supervisor will work with the employee to develop an Individualized Workplace Emergency Plan. This information shall be provided, with the employee’s consent, to individuals designated to provide assistance. The information shall undergo review when the employee moves to a different location, when the employee’s overall accommodation needs are reviewed and when HF Care reviews its Emergency Preparedness Plan.
  • HF Care will coordinate dissemination of the plan with the staff and manager, ensuring confidentiality as much as possible.
  • HF Care will take the appropriate steps to ensure the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities are taken into account within the performance management, career development and redeployment processes.
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