February 25, 2010

Industry groups prepare members for new disability training requirements

PATRICIA WILLIAMS

staff writer

Associations in the province’s design and construction sector are alerting their members to a pending provincial requirement to train staff to meet the needs of customers with disabilities.

That requirement is part of an accessibility standard for customer service that came into force in January for government ministries and other public sector organizations, part of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

While the private sector generally is not required to comply with the training requirement until January 2012, firms providing goods and services to certain government agencies must be in compliance by the end of March.

These include some buyers of design and construction services.

Clive Thurston, president of the Ontario General Contractors Association, said the requirement came to light in some recent contracts.

“As far as we know, this is an across-the-board requirement.”

To bring its members up to speed, OGCA is hosting a seminar March 9 in collaboration with the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario, which operates under the wing of the Ministry of Community and Social Services.

The association also is encouraging its members to download information on the requirements at the ministry’s web site. The address is: www.AccessON.ca/compliance

“We’re working with the ministry to ensure the message gets out,” Thurston said.

The customer service standard requires government ministries, hospitals, schools, municipalities and other public sector organizations to 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.

• Permitting customers to bring their service animals, such as guide dogs, onto their premises.

The customer service standard is part of the province’s long-term plan to make the province accessible for people with disabilities by 2025.

The matter has also come to the attention of the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA).

In a bulletin to its members, the OAA said the requirement to comply with the customer service training standard has been contained in some recent requests for proposals, ahead of the 2012 deadline.

“Members who have brought this requirement to our attention have noted that in some cases, it is not clear as to what constitutes compliance with the training requirements,” the OAA said.

Pending clarification, and in an effort to ensure compliance by architectural practices, the OAA is encouraging its members to review the requirements “and if appropriate, obtain the necessary training in advance of the deadline.”

The association said it is its understanding that training requirements can be fulfilled by completing an e-learning course on the ministry’s web site.

While Consulting Engineers of Ontario has not been contacted by any members about the customer service standard, president Barry Steinberg said the association nevertheless will make firms aware of the upcoming OGCA seminar “and encourage them to take part if they feel this has an impact on their operations.”

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