Guidelines on accessible goods and services
These guidelines comply with the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, Ont. Reg. 429/07, developed under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005.
Preamble
The University of Ottawa is committed to providing goods and services in a manner that respects the dignity and independence of persons with disabilities.
The University is also committed to ensuring that persons with disabilities have an equal opportunity to access its goods and services. The University integrates the provision of goods and services to persons with disabilities into its practices and procedures unless an alternative, separate measure is necessary to enable persons with disabilities to obtain or use these goods and services.
The University encourages open communication with persons with disabilities to ensure that its goods and services are accessible.
Without limiting the requirements or expectations for accessibility, specific consideration will be given to the following:
- Assistive devices
- 1. The University welcomes persons with disabilities to use assistive devices to obtain or use our goods and services.
- Service animals
- 2. The University welcomes persons with disabilities who are accompanied by a service animal onto the parts of our premises that are open to the public, and it commits to finding alternatives to the use of service animals if they are prohibited by law in a particular location (ex. health or safety reasons).
- Support persons
- 3. The University welcomes persons with disabilities who are accompanied by a support person. Any person with a disability who is accompanied by a support person can enter the University’s premises with his or her support person. At no time must a person with a disability who is accompanied by a support person be prevented from having access to that person, provided that their interaction does not compromise academic integrity, for instance by removing or otherwise undermining essential requirements of courses or programs.
- 4. When a fee applies for the admission of a support person, the fee must be communicated and posted by the unit or department through its website, brochures or other public channels.
- Notice of Service interruption
- 5. The University provides notice of Service interruption in the event of a planned or unexpected disruption in the facilities or services typically used by people with disabilities to access campus goods and services.
- 6. Notices of service interruption include the reason for the disruption, the anticipated duration, a description of alternate facilities or services (if available), as well as accessible routes for making one’s way to these alternate facilities and services. The notice is placed in conspicuous campus locations and, when appropriate, on Physical Resources Service Web site.
- Training
- 7. The University provides training on accessible goods and services to faculty and staff members, contractors, volunteers and others who interact with members of the public wishing to obtain or use University goods and services, Members of the public include students, alumni, retirees and visitors, as well as employees of the University who may also be students, alumni, visitors, etc. Training is also provided to every person involved in developing policies, practices and procedures for the provision of goods and services.
- 8. Training takes place regularly and whenever changes are made to relevant policies, practices and procedures. Training is provided to each person as soon as possible after he or she is assigned applicable duties.
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9. Training includes a review of the purposes of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act,
2005, the requirements of the Customer Service Standard, and information about the following:
- a. how to interact and communicate with people with various disabilities;
- b. University policies, practices and procedures that govern the provision of goods and services to persons with disabilities;
- c. how to interact with persons with disabilities who either use an assistive device or need the help of a service animal or a support person;
- d. how to use equipment or devices at the University that may help provide goods or services to a person with a disability;
- e. what to do if a person with a disability is having trouble accessing University goods and services.
- 10. The University keeps records of the training it provides, including the training dates and the number of individuals trained.
- 11. The training session called Service excellence includes Accessibility can be found on the Training on Accessibility for Customer Services webpage.
- Feedback
- 12. The University welcomes feedback on how it provides goods and services to persons with disabilities. For information on the University’s feedback process, go to Comments and suggestions on accessibility.
