Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)

General Accessibility Policy
Multi-year Accessibility Plan


General Accessibility Policy

Providing Goods and Services to People with Disabilities under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act

1. Our goal

At JDRF, our goal is curing type 1 diabetes (T1D) while improving the lives of people living with this disease.

2. Our commitment

In fulfilling our goal, JDRF strives at all times to ensure that our policies, practices and procedures are consistent with the principles outlined in the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, by providing our goods and services in a manner that respects the dignity and independence of people with disabilities. We are also committed to giving people with disabilities the same opportunity to access our goods and services and allowing them to benefit from the same services, in the same place and in a similar way as other Constituents.

3. Providing goods and service to people with disabilities

JDRF is committed to excellence in serving all Constituents including people with disabilities and we will carry out our functions and responsibilities in the following areas:

3.1 Communication

JDRF will communicate with people with disabilities in ways that take into account their disability.  We will communicate with members of the public in person, in writing, by e-mail and by telephone.

JDRF will train staff and volunteers who communicate with Constituents on how to interact and communicate with people with various types of disabilities.

3.2 Telephone services

JDRF is committed to providing fully accessible telephone service to our Constituents. We will train staff to communicate with Constituents over the telephone in clear and plain language and to speak clearly and slowly.

JDRF will offer to communicate with Constituents by email or in person (on JDRF premises) if telephone communication is not suitable to their communication needs or is not available.

3.3 Assistive devices

JDRF is committed to serving people with disabilities who use assistive devices to access our programs and services. People with disabilities are welcome to bring and use their own personal assistive devices and/or use available JDRF assistive devices where available. JDRF staff will be trained on any assistive devices available on our premises.

3.4 Receipting

JDRF is committed to providing accessible receipts to all of our Constituents. For this reason, receipts will be provided in the following formats upon request: large print and email. JDRF will answer any questions Constituents may have about the content of the receipt in person, by telephone or email.

4. Use of service animals and support persons

JDRF is committed to welcoming people with disabilities who are accompanied by a service animal on the parts of our premises that are open to the public and other third parties. JDRF will also ensure that all staff and volunteers who deal with the public are properly trained in how to interact with people with disabilities who are accompanied by a service animal.

JDRF is committed to welcoming people with disabilities who are accompanied by a support person. Any person with a disability who is accompanied by a support person will be allowed to enter JDRF’s premises with his or her support person. At no time will this person be prevented from having access to his or her support person while on our premises.

Support persons accompanying or assisting individuals with disabilities may be subject to applicable JDRF policies (e.g., conflict of interest, confidentiality).

5. Notice of temporary disruption

JDRF will provide Constituents with notice in the event of a planned or unexpected disruption in the facilities or services usually used by people with disabilities. This notice will include information about the reason for the disruption, its anticipated duration, and a description of alternative facilities or services, if available.

The notice of disruption will normally be posted at all public entrances and/or at or near the disrupted service on event days and depending on the nature of the disruption, notice will also be provided on outgoing telephone messages and on our website during non-event times.

6. Training for staff

JDRF will provide training to all employees and volunteers who deal with the public or other third parties on their behalf, and all those who are involved in the development and approvals of customer service policies, practices and procedures such as how to deal with constituents/volunteers who have support workers or a visual or hearing impairment, to name a few. 

Training will be provided on an ongoing basis upon changes to these policies, practices and procedures. New staff will be trained as part of their orientation upon employment and records of training will be kept.

Training will include the following:

7. Feedback process

Our goal is to meet customer expectations while serving Constituents with disabilities. Comments on our services regarding how well those expectations are being met are welcome and appreciated.

Feedback regarding the way JDRF provides goods and services to people with disabilities can be made in person, in writing or by telephone, or by e-mail as follows:

JDRF
235 Yorkland Blvd., Suite 1201 Toronto, ON  M2J 4Y7
TF:  1.877.287.3533
F: 416.491.2111
www.jdrf.ca

If either method is not suitable, individuals may request another method. Privacy will be respected and all feedback will be reviewed for possible action that can be taken to improve access to our programs and services.

All feedback received will be directed to our Human Resources Department. Constituents can expect to receive a response within a reasonable timeframe. However, some complaints may require more time to address and must be reviewed for action, possibly at a higher level. Complaints will be addressed according to complaint categories already established in our company’s complaint management procedures.

8. Modifications to this or other policies  

We are committed to developing customer service policies that respect and promote the dignity and independence of people with disabilities. Therefore, no changes will be made to this policy before considering the impact on people with disabilities. Any policy of JDRF that does not respect and promote the dignity and independence of people with disabilities will be modified or removed.

9. Questions about this policy

This policy exists to achieve service excellence to Constituents with disabilities. If anyone has a question about the policy, or if the purpose of a policy is not understood, an explanation should be provided by, or referred to Human Resources, JDRF.

Copies of documents required under the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service regulation are available upon request.


Multi-year Accessibility Plan

This accessibility plan* outlines the policies and actions that the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) will put in place to improve opportunities for people with disabilities.

*Last reviewed December 2023

Statement of Commitment

JDRF is committed to treating all people in a way that allows them to maintain their dignity and independence. We believe in integration and equal opportunity. We are 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 accessibility requirements under the Accessibility of Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

Accessible Emergency Information

JDRF is committed to providing our customers and clients with publicly available emergency information in an accessible way upon request. We will also provide employees with disabilities with individualized emergency response information when necessary.

Training

We will provide training to employees, volunteers and other staff members on Ontario’s accessibility laws and on the Human Rights Code as it relates to people with disabilities. Training will be provided in a way that best suites the duties of employees, volunteers and other staff members.

JDRF will take the following steps to ensure that employees are provided with the training needed to meet Ontario’s accessible laws by January 1, 2015.

Information and communications

JDRF is committed to meeting the communication needs of people with disabilities. We will consult with people with disabilities to determine their information and communication needs. We will take the following steps to make all new websites and content on those sites conform with WCAG 2.0, Level A.

JDRF takes the following steps to ensure that the existing feedback processes are accessible to people with disabilities, upon request.

JDRF takes the following steps to ensure that all publicly available information is made accessible upon request.

JDRF will take the following steps to make all websites and content conform to WCAG 2.0, Level AA by:

Employment

JDRF is committed to fair and accessible employment practices. We will take the following steps to notify the public and staff that, when requested, JDRF will accommodate people with disabilities during the recruitment and assessment processes and when people are hired.

We will take the following steps to develop and put in place a process for developing individual accommodation plans and return-to-work policies for employees that have been absent due to a disability.

We’ll also take the following steps to ensure that the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities are taken into account when we implement our regular performance management process, career development planning and any redeployment process.

JDRF will take the following steps to prevent and remove other accessibility barriers, if identified.

Design of Public Spaces

JDRF will meet the Accessibility Standards for the Design of Public Spaces if building or making major modifications to public spaces, although it is highly unlikely that we would engage in such activity. However public spaces include:

We will put the following procedures in place to prevent service disruptions to its accessible parts of its public spaces.

For More Information

For more information on this multi-year accessibility plan, please contact:

Christine Sibley, Chief Human Resources Officer

Phone: 416.206.2702

Email: csibley@jdrf.ca

Accessible formats of this document are available free upon request from:

general@jdrf.ca