MULTI-YEAR ACCESSIBILITY PLAN
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)
Updated November 2023
Overview
This accessibility plan outlines measures that The Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County will take to identify, remove and prevent barriers to people with disabilities, including our employees and those who use our services. It will also detail our strategy to ensure compliance with accessibility legislation.
STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT
The Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County 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. We are committed to meeting the needs of people with disabilities in a timely manner, and will do so by preventing and removing barriers to accessibility and meeting accessibility requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.
Definitions
For the purpose of this document a “barrier” refers to anything that prevents a person with a disability from fully participating in all aspects of society because of his or her disability.
A “disability” refers to 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 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
- an injury or disability for which benefits were claimed or received under the insurance plan established under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997; (“handicap”)
Areas Relevant to the MCC
CUSTOMER SERVICE STANDARD
Accessible Customer Service Policy and Procedures
Develop, implement and maintain policies and procedures on providing goods and services to persons with disabilities.
Policies will address: Permitting the use of assistive devices; Respectful communication practices; Permitting service animals; Permitting support persons; Notice of Service Disruptions; Ongoing Training; Feedback processes
ACCESSIBLE EMERGENCY INFORMATION
The Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County is committed to providing the customers and clients with publicly available emergency information in an accessible way upon request. The MCC will also provide employees with disabilities with individualized emergency response information when necessary.
Employee with a disability, who requires assistance with their customized workplace emergency response information, will be assigned someone, from the MCC, to provide the employee with assistance. In addition, if an employee with disability requires changes in accommodation; their customized workplace emergency plan will be reviewed, to include the changes in the employees needs.
TRAINING
The Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County provides training to all employees, volunteers and other staff members on Ontario’s accessibility laws and on the Human Rights Code as it relates to people with disabilities. Training is provided in a way that best suits the duties of employees, volunteers and other staff members. In addition, training will also be provided in respect to any change to policies with respects to the Integrated Standards on an ongoing basis.
Additionally, The Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County will continue to ensure training, in compliance with the requirements of accessibility standards and the Human Rights Code as it relates to people with disabilities is provided to:
- Employees who participate in developing MCC policies
- All other personnel who participate in developing MCC policies (i.e. board members)
- All personnel who provide goods or services on behalf of the MCC
The Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County will keep record of the training provided
FEEDBACK
The Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County is striving to ensure that clients are aware that the processes for receiving and responding to feedback are available in an accessible format, upon request. In addition, the Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County will notify the public that the accessible formats of the feedback process are available, upon request.
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION
Accessible Formats and Communications Supports
The Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County is striving to meet the communication needs of people with disabilities. As such, the MCC offers accessible formats and communications supports for persons with disabilities in a timely manner that takes into account the person’s accessibility needs, upon request.
Accessible Websites and Web Content
The Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County has taken the proper measures to ensure that the organizational website and contents, comply with the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content (WCAG) 2.0 Level A, as applicable. Services such as audio of written content, and resizing of text, is available for users of the organization website to utilize, as needed.
The Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County is working towards ensuring that the organizational website and its content is in compliance with WCAG 2.0 Level AA
Accessible Formats and Communication Supports
The Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County has established protocols, to ensure that necessary information is made accessible to clients with disabilities, upon request.
EMPLOYMENT
Recruitment
The Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County is an equal opportunity employer is committed to be fair and equitable in its recruitment process. As such, individuals with disabilities during the recruitment, assessment, and selection processes will be accommodated, upon request. In addition, if a selected applicant requires accommodation, the Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County will coordinate with the applicant, to ensure that necessary accommodation is made available, to reflect the applicant’s accessibility needs.
Performance Management, Career Development, and Job Changes
The Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County is striving to ensure to that employees with disability are accommodated during performance management, career development, ad job changes. Such accommodations include
- Ensuring that performance management systems are accessible in how content is provided
- Providing necessary accommodation, upon request during career development opportunities to ensure effective learning environment for employees with disability.
- Developing proper environment and opportunities to ensure employees with disabilities can succeed in other positions.
Return to Work Plan
The Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County is in the process of developing return to work plans for employees returning to work with disability that require accommodation.
OTHER FORMATS OF THE MULTICULTURAL COUNCILL OF WINDSOR AND ESSEX COUNTY MULTI-YEAR ACCESIBILITY PLAN ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
THE MULTICULTURAL COUNCIL OF WINDSOR AND ESSEX COUNTY MULTI-YEAR ACCESSIBILITY PLAN IS REVIEWED AT LEAST ONCE EVERY FIVE YEARS AS PER THE ACCESSIBILITY ONTARIANS WITH DIABAILITY ACT REGULATION