Accessibility Statement

Galbraith Family Law Professional Corporation (GFL)
Ensuring Access to Goods and Services for Individuals with Disabilities Policy

Policy Statement

GFL will ensure that our disabled clients/suppliers/visitors have equal access to goods and services across our operation. This commitment includes:

• Ensuring awareness of disabilities that can potentially impact our business.
• Understanding the different assistive devices that disabled clients/suppliers/visitors may depend on and how those devices may impact their access to our premises.
• Ensuring that we behave in a manner that treats clients/suppliers/visitors with disabilities with dignity and respect.
• Ensuring all GFL Associates and Employees that deal with clients/suppliers/visitors, or are involved in the provision of GFL goods and services receive adequate training in the supporting legislation as well as in the appropriate procedures for dealing with these clients/suppliers/visitors.
• Refresher training periodically as changes occur to legislation, policies/procedures, and as individual Associate/Employee roles change.

Purpose

To ensure that Associates and Employees at GFL are aware of the various challenges surrounding clients/suppliers/visitors with disabilities, have knowledge and information surrounding different types of disabilities impacting our clients/suppliers/visitors, and do everything reasonable to ensure that our disabled clients/suppliers/visitors have equal access to goods and services across our operation.

Scope

This policy applies to all members of GFL.

Definitions

Disability

Any degree of physical disability, infirmity, malformation or disfigurement that is caused by bodily injury, birth defect or illness, including:

• diabetes, epilepsy, a brain injury, any degree of paralysis, amputation, lack of physical compensation
• blindness or visual impediment
• deafness or hearing impediment
• muteness or speech impediment
• physical reliance on a guide dog or other animal or on a wheelchair or other appliance or device

A condition of mental impairment, mental disorder, developmental disability or learning disability.

Any injury or disability for which benefits were claimed or received under a provincial insurance plan.

Barrier

Anything that keeps someone with a disability from fully participating in all aspects of society because of their disability. Barriers can involve:

• Attitude – the way people think
• Architectural / Structural - relate to design elements of a building
• Information – difficulties in receiving or conveying information
• Technology – technologies can prevent people from accessing information
• Systemic – company policies and procedures can create barriers often unknowingly

Equal Opportunity

People with disabilities have an opportunity equal to that given to others to access our goods and services.

Integration of Services

Service is provided in a way that allows the disabled person to benefit from the same services, in the same place and in the same way as other clients/suppliers/visitors.

Assistive Devices

Those devices utilized by disabled persons in order to improve their functionality. Assistive devices can include canes, wheelchairs, hearing aids, support persons, service animals, and many others.

Roles and Responsibilities

Company

It is the responsibility of GFL to ensure that:

• A policy outlining equal access to goods and services for clients/suppliers/visitors
  with disabilities exists.
• Management supports the implementation of this policy.
• The policy is reviewed and modified as required, but not less than annually.
• Ensure appropriate training is available to all Associates and Employees who have the potential to interact with clients/suppliers/visitors or are involved in the provision of goods or services.
• Ensure a process is in place to collect and respond to feedback on the manner in which GFL provides goods and services to clients/suppliers/visitors with disabilities.

Management

It is the responsibility of all Managers and Supervisors of GFL to ensure that:

• All Associates and Employees that have the potential to interact with clients/suppliers/visitors or are involved in the provision of goods or services are trained in Accessibility for Ontarians with Disability to ensure equal access for
  clients/suppliers/visitors with disability.
• The issues and challenges with respect to disabled clients/suppliers/visitors are communicated to all Associates and Employees who have the potential to interact with clients/suppliers/visitors or are involved in the provision of goods or services.
• All Associates and Employees that have the potential to interact with clients/suppliers/visitors or are involved in the provision of goods or services are made aware of this policy and reminded of it on a regular basis.
• Process is implemented to collect and respond to feedback on the manner in which GFL interacts with clients/suppliers/visitors with disabilities and that when feedback is received, it is reviewed and acted upon as required.
• Proper enforcement of this policy.

Associate/Employee

It is the responsibility of every Associate and Employee to:

• Participate in the training provided.
• Use the information supplied in this policy and in the training program to ensure that clients/suppliers/visitors with disabilities have equal access to goods and services.
• Follow all procedures outlined in this policy, and referenced in the training program.
• Determine the appropriate behaviour to best service disabled clients/suppliers/visitors so as to ensure equal access to our premises.
• Ensure all clients/suppliers/visitors are aware of the process to submit feedback on customer service, and that when feedback

General Procedures

1. Disabled persons are able to use their own assistive device, service animal or support person to access goods or services or any other measures GFL offers to enable them to access the premises.
2. All GFL Associates and Employees should communicate with a disabled person in a manner which takes into account their disability.
3. Any person with a disability will be able to bring their service animal with them into the premises, except where an animal is otherwise excluded by law from the premises.
4. GFL will provide notice when facilities or services that people with disabilities use to access the premises is disrupted.
   1. In the notice, include information about the reason for the disruption, the expected duration and a description of alternate facilities if available.
   2. Place notice in an obvious location on premises and other key mechanisms for communicating with the public.
5. GFL Associates and Employees will receive and respond to feedback about the way GFL provides goods or services to persons with the disabilities, and that feedback is taken into consideration when reviewing such policy and related programs.
6. GFL will make information about our feedback process readily available to the public. This feedback may be provided in person, by telephone, in writing, by email or otherwise. Likewise, documentation regarding this policy and procedures may be provided in a format that takes the person’s disability into account.