CFS is committed to providing an accessible environment to all people who access our facilities and services. CFS promotes accessibility as prescribed by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disability Act 2005 through our policies and procedures governing the provision of our services to people with disabilities and the identification and removal of barriers.

ACCESSIBILITY POLICY

July 12, 2016

Catholic Family Services of Hamilton (CFS), guided by Catholic values and principles exists so that quality of life of ALL individuals and families in our diverse community is improved and strengthened. Services are delivered regardless of faith, race, ethnicity, economic status, sexual orientation, gender, age, physical and/or intellectual ability.

CFS is committed to providing an accessible environment to all people who access our facilities and services. CFS promotes accessibility as prescribed by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disability Act 2005 through our policies and procedures governing the provision of our services to people with disabilities and the identification and removal of barriers.

Accommodation:

CFS will make a reasonable effort to remove any barriers and setup accommodations that will assist an individual with a disability in accessing our facilities and services.

Assistive Devices:

CFS will ensure that our employees and volunteers are trained and familiar with various assistive devices that are on site or that may be provided by people with a disability.

Communication:

CFS will communicate with people in ways that take into account their abilities. CFS will tailor our method of communication to the person’s ability and comprehension.

Service Animals:

Service animals are welcomed anywhere the person they are servicing is permitted.

If an employee cannot easily identify that the animal is a service animal, the employee can ask the person to provide documentation from a regulated health professional. The documentation must confirm that the person needs the service animal for reasons relating to their disability.

Support Person(s):

In certain cases, a person with a disability may need to be accompanied by a support person for health or safety reasons. Before making a decision, CFS may:

• Consult with the person with a disability to understand their needs
• Consider health or safety reasons based on available evidence
• Determine if there is no other reasonable way to protect the health or safety of the person or others on the premises

A person with a disability who is accompanied by a support person is welcomed to have that person accompany them on our premises.

In such a situation, the admission fee or fare for the support person, if one exists, must be waived.

The public will be notified of this via posting on our premises, website, and appropriate social media sites.

Notice of temporary disruption:

In the event of a planned or unexpected disruption to services or facilities at 447 Main Street East, Catholic Family Services Main Office and/or 500 Mohawk Road West, St. Martin’s Manor, CFS will notify the public promptly. The posted notice will include information about the reason for the disruption, its anticipated length of time, and a description of alternative facilities or services, if available.

The notice will be placed at 447 Main Street East, Catholic Family Services Main Office and/or 500 Mohawk Street West, St. Martin’s Manor. The notice will be available on Catholic Family Services website and appropriate social media websites.

CFS will provide training to employees, volunteers and others who deal with the public or other third parties on our behalf. Training will also be provided to people involved in the development of policies, plans, practices, and procedures related to the provision of our services and facilities.

Training:

All employees, volunteers, students, and stakeholders will be trained. This training will be provided during orientation to all new employees.

Training will include:

• An overview of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and the requirements of the customer service standard
• Catholic Family Services’ Accessibility Policy
• How to interact and communicate with people with various types of disabilities
• How to interact with people with disabilities who use an assistive device or require the assistance of a service animal or a support person
• How to use assistive devices
• What to do if a person with a disability is having difficulty in accessing Catholic Family Services.

Feedback Process:

Individuals, who wish to provide feedback on the accessibility of Catholic Family Services’ facilities and services can verbally express concerns, e-mail or complete a feedback card that can be left in our suggestion boxes.

All feedback, including complaints, will be reviewed by the Program Evaluator and Executive Director. Individuals can expect a response within 10 business days.

Notice of Availability:

Catholic Family Services will notify the public that our policies are available upon request by posting them on our website.

Modifications to this or other policies:

Any policy of Catholic Family Services that does not respect and promote the dignityand independence of people with disabilities will be modified or removed.