One in seven people in Ontario have a disability. Over the next 20 years, this is expected to increase as our population ages. The following outlines the policies and actions that Foremost Staffing Solutions Inc. (“Foremost Staffing”) has in place to improve opportunities for people with disabilities as well as meet our obligations under the Integrated Accessibility Standards of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (“AODA”).
Throughout the Accessibility Policy, references to “staff” should be understood to include all Foremost Staffing regular employees, temporary workers, assigned resources, co-operative students, interns and volunteers.
OUR COMMITMENT
We are committed to providing our services in a manner that is accessible to people with disabilities, and to providing a safe, dignified and welcoming environment for everyone. We are further 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 the accessibility requirements under the AODA.
TRAINING
Training is provided to all staff and volunteers on the requirements of the accessibility standards of Ont. Reg. 191/11 Integrated Accessibility Standards, Ont. Reg. 429/07 Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, as well as the Ontario Human Rights Code as it relates to people with disabilities. This is so that everyone who provides goods or services on our behalf understands all regulations in Ontario as they pertain to people with disabilities.
COMMUNICATIONS
Our commitment to meeting the communication needs of our clients, candidates, employees, job applicants, suppliers, visitors and other stakeholders who have disabilities is paramount. We make our website and web content accessible according to the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. For example, videos posted on our website are captioned for people with hearing loss. We provide accessible formats, communications, and feedback supports as soon as possible and at no additional cost when a person with a disability asks for them. For example, for people with visual disabilities we provide text-only formats so that they may use screen reading software. Upon requests, we always consult with the person with disabilities to determine his or her information and communication needs.
RECRUITMENT, ASSESSMENT AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT
We ensure that our recruitment, assessment and career development processes are accessible to applicants, candidates, and staff with disabilities. We let job applicants, candidates, and staff know that recruitment, hiring, assessment and career development processes will be modified to accommodate their disabilities, if requested. For example, a recruit with dyslexia may need more time reading information and we accommodate this. We always consult with potential recruits to ensure any accommodation is suitable to their needs.
HUMAN RESOURCES
We build our accessibility needs of employees into our human resources practices. For example, an employee with arthritis may find it difficult to use a conventional keyboard for long periods of time. We look for keyboards that will meet this need.
We will create a written process developing and documenting individual accommodation plans for employees with disabilities by January 1, 2016.
EMERGENCY RESPONSE
We help employees stay safe in an emergency by providing them with individualized emergency response information when necessary and will ensure it meets AODA Ont. Reg. 191/11 as well as the Ontario Human Rights Code by January 1, 2016. For example, an employee with a mental health disability who gets anxious in crowds may need an alternate evacuation route.
CLIENT SERVICE
In all communications and upon request, we accommodate for our clients’ communication needs. An example of such is providing large print documents upon request.
Assistive devices, service animals and support persons are welcome and encouraged for our customers to utilize in order to ensure that they have equal access to our services.
FEEDBACK
Foremost Staffing is committed to providing equitable services to all members of the public. Feedback is encouraged so that we may recognize areas where improvements are possible and/or changes are necessary.
Feedback from a member of the public regarding our service to clients with disabilities may be given by telephone by calling Deborah Hatten at (905) 595-6815 or by emailing dhatten@foremoststaffing.com. Foremost Staffing will investigate and respond to any complaints in a timely manner.
