THE EMPLOYERS' EDGE
New Accessibility Toolkit Available for Employers Dealing with AODA's Integrated Accessibility Standard
As all employers (should) know, the employment aspects of Ontario’s Integrated Accessibility Standard will start to take effect for large public sector employers for next year (2014), and be implemented for all employers by 2017. Even for a small private employer whose obligations commence at the end of this implementation period, we know from experience that designing and implementing new policies effectively cannot be done overnight – especially when it requires the buy-in and participation of staff. Accordingly, it is important to start thinking about your bligations as an employer with respect to the Integrated Accessibility Standard, regardless of whether your implementation date is next year or three years from now.
This, however, is often easier said than done. As we saw with the implementation of the Customer Service Standard for Accessibility, although the obligations are imposed broadly based on the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (“AODA”), there was a lot of ambiguity and uncertainty with respect to how to properly satisfy those obligations. Fortunately, employers dealing with the employment aspects of the Integrated Accessibility Standard will have some help and more focused guidance: the Conference Board of Canada, in conjunction with the Ontario government’s EnAbling Change Program, has developed and published an Employers’ Toolkit to help employers understand their obligations and how to satisfy them. The Toolkit is also intended to help employers tap into the underused labour pool of people with disabilities; this may become increasingly important, as pundits are predicting labour shortages by the end of this decade.
One of the significant elements of the employment related obligations of the Integrated Accessibility Standard is the requirement for employers to “be accessible” throughout the employment process, from recruitment through to long-term retention. The Toolkit recognizes this and provides guidance at each stage. Highlights of the Toolkit include:
How to recruit and make your application/selection process accessible and welcoming for people with disabilities;
An overview of the accommodation process;
How to deal with an employee’s Return to Work;
How to manage performance and aid in career development and advancement for people with disabilities; and
Numerous checklists, sample forms and templates.
The Toolkit is free, requiring only that you create an e-Library account with the Conference Board of Canada in order to access the document. While we think it is a great tool to help you bring your AODA policies online, the lawyers at CCP are also able and happy to assist you in dealing with the more complex legal aspects of AODA implementation, especially and including the interaction between AODA obligations and the duty to accommodate under the Human Rights Code.
Please Note: This blog has been prepared as an informational service for our clients and other interested parties. It is not intended to constitute legal advice, a complete statement of the law or opinion on any subject. Although we endeavour to ensure the accuracy of the content, no one should act upon the information provided without a thorough examination of the law after the facts of a specific situation are fully considered.