Accessibility Plan and Policies for Santé Circle Health (SCH) Ontario

This accessibility plan outlines the policies and actions that SCH will put in place to improve opportunities for people with disabilities.

Statement of Commitment

SCH is committed to creating an inclusive environment where the dignity, independence and worth of all persons is respected.  We strive towards meeting the needs of persons with disabilities by proactively eliminating or minimizing  barriers, providing support, facilitating accommodations, and delivering our services in a way that fosters integration and equal opportunity.

SCH seeks to provide an environment where everyone has equitable access to our services. To ensure this, we will meet or exceed the requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (Ontario) (the AODA).

SCH reviews our accessibility policies regularly to ensure alignment with the requirements of the Customer Service Standard and Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulations under the AODA.

SCH works diligently to eliminate or minimize barriers to access for people with disabilities.  We do the following to achieve this goal:

• Permit personal assistive devices, such as wheelchairs, walkers and portable oxygen tanks,  along with the  use of service animals and support persons. While on our premises, persons with disability are permitted to have access to their support person at all times. Unless there are overriding health and safety concerns, the person with a disability may choose not to be accompanied by their support person.

• We will communicate with people with disabilities in a way that takes their disabilities into consideration.

In the event of a planned or unexpected disruption to our services or facilities for clients with disabilities, SCH will take reasonable steps to advise clients with disabilities whom the disruption might affect.  Wherever possible, we will provide information on the cause and expected duration of the disruption, along with alternative services.

SCH will provide training to our employees in Ontario on key principles and strategies for ensuring respectful and effective communication with persons with disabilities. Training will include:

• An overview of the AODA and the requirements of the customer service standard;

• How to use equipment or various assistive devices that may be used by clients with disabilities while accessing our services;

• How to interact and communicate with persons with various types of disabilities;

• How to interact with persons with disabilities who use an assistive device or require the assistance of a service animal or support person;

• What to do if a person with a disability is having difficulty in accessing SCH’s services.

SCH welcomes feedback on how we provide our services to people with disabilities. Clients or others who wish to provide feedback on the way SCH provides services to persons with disabilities can provide their feedback directly to the personnel from whom they received services. Alternatively, we can receive feedback by any of these following methods:

By telephone:   +1 (833) 783-8088

By facsimile:   +1 (647) 243-5947

By email:    info@santecirclehealth.com

By regular mail:   Santé Circle Health

                                       4711 Yonge Street, 10th Floor,

                                       Toronto, Ontario, M2N 6K8

                                       Attention: Director of Disability Services

All feedback will be directed to SCH’s Director of Disability Services. We will make every effort to respond to the feedback in a timely and effective manner.  Any complaints about services provided to persons with disabilities will be addressed according to SCH’s regular complaints procedures.

SCH makes our accessibility policy and all related documents available upon request.

SCH is committed to providing clients with publicly available information in an accessible way upon request. We provide our employees with disabilities with individualized emergency response information when necessary, based on their known accommodation needs.

In addition to the training we provide to our employees under the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service (Ontario Regulation 429/0), SCH will provide training to our employees and volunteers on the requirements of the Integrated Accessibility Standards (Ontario Regulation 191/11) and on the Human Rights Code as it relates to people with disabilities. Training will be provided in a way that best suits the actual duties of our employees and volunteers.

SCH is committed to meeting the communication needs of people with disabilities. When requested, we will consult with persons with disabilities to determine their information and communication needs.

SCH has taken the following steps to make its internet websites and content posted on those sites to conform with WCAG 2.0, Level AA, other than exclusions as set out in the IASR, as of January 1, 2021. All websites and content will be audited for Level AA compliance and we will implement the necessary changes to bring the websites and web content into conformance with all applicable Level AA standards.

SCH will:

• Provide or arrange for accessible formats and communication supports for persons with disabilities, upon request and where practicable, and in a timely manner that accounts for the person’s disability at no additional cost to the person;

• Consult with the person making the request to determine the appropriate accessible format or communication support; and

• Ensure through our public website that accessible formats and communication supports are available.

SCH is an equal opportunity employer and we are committed to maintaining fair and accessible employment practices. Accommodations are available upon request for people with disabilities during the recruitment, application and assessment processes, along with the onboarding and transfer processes.

On learning of an employee’s accommodation needs, SCH works with the employee to create an individualized emergency response plan. With consent, we share this information with those responsible for helping in emergencies. We review individualized emergency response plans whenever the employee’s accommodation needs change or they move to a different location.  Our general emergency response policies are also reviewed regularly.

In recruiting new employees, SCH notifies potential applicants that we accommodate applicants with disabilities. On request, we will provide accommodation appropriate to the applicants’ accessibility needs.

SCH has developed and implemented a return-to-work process for employees that have been absent due to a disability and need accommodations to return to work. The process outlines the steps we will take to facilitate the employee’s return to work.

SCH has also developed and implemented an accommodation process for employees who need accommodations to stay at work.  This process outlines the steps we will take to support the employee with disability in remaining at work.

When undertaking any performance management, career development and redeployment processes, SCH will ensure that the accessibility needs of its employees with disabilities are taken into account. This includes a review of any individual accommodation plans which may be in place.

Where any employee, client or other person identifies any accessibility barriers, SCH will take steps to remove or minimize the identified barriers.  SCH will also undertake periodic audits to determine whether other accessibility barriers may be present, and if so, we will take steps to remove or minimize them.

SCH will meet the Accessibility Standards for the Design of Public Spaces when building or making major modifications to our corporately owned spaces.

SCH will endeavour to prevent service disruptions to the accessible parts of our corporately owned spaces. To reduce the risk of service disruptions, SCH will periodically inspect the accessible portions of our corporately owned spaces. When any deficiencies are noted that might impact on accessibility, SCH will take steps to correct or mitigate the deficiency within a reasonable time frame.

In the event of a service disruption, we will notify the public of the service disruption and alternatives available.

For more information on this accessibility plan, or for a copy of this plan in an accessible format, please contact SCH by any of the following methods:

By telephone:   +1 (833) 783-8088

By facsimile:   +1 (647) 243-5947

By email:    info@santecirclehealth.com

By regular mail:   Santé Circle Health

                                       4711 Yonge Street, 10th Floor,

                                       Toronto, Ontario, M2N 6K8

                                       Attention: Director of Disability Services