Ontario is reminding public sector organizations that the province’s first accessibility standard – for customer service – came into force Jan. 1.
The province’s ministries, hospitals, schools, municipalities and other public sector organizations must make sure their services are accessible by meeting requirements such as:
– training staff about meeting the needs of customers with a variety of disabilities communicating with a person in a manner that takes into account their disability; and
– permitting customers to bring their service animals, such as guide dogs, onto their premises. The customer service standard is part of Ontario’s plan to make the province accessible for people with disabilities by 2025.
The province’s private sector will need to meet these requirements by 2012.
“Accessible customer service is about learning how to communicate with someone who has a disability and, most importantly, it is about being willing to help,” said Madeleine Meilleur, Minister of Community and Social Services.
By 2017, for the first time, Ontarians aged 65 and over will account for a larger share of the population than children 14 years old or younger.
