Portal Village Retirement Home Commitment
Portal Village is committed to meeting its current and ongoing obligations under the Ontario Human Rights Code respecting non-discrimination.
Portal Village is committed to providing a barrier-free environment for our residents, employees, volunteers/students, customers, job applicants, suppliers, visitors, and other stakeholders who enter our premises, access our information, or use our transportation services. As an organization, we respect, uphold and comply with the requirements set forth under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (2005), the Ontario Human Rights Code, Customer Service Standard, and the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation for Information and Communications, Employment, and Transportation, and eventually, for the Design of Public Spaces. Portal Village is committed to properly assessing and accommodating the needs that may arise in our retirement community.
Portal Village realizes that providing accessible and barrier-free environments for everyone is a shared effort. As a community, all businesses and services must work together to make accessibility happen. For more detailed information on our accessibility policies, plans, and training programs, please contact the Human Resources Manager.
Policy Statements:
In accordance with the IASR, Portal Village is committed to accommodating employees with the following:
Assistive Devices
Portal Village permits the use of personal assistive devices while on Portal Village premises.
Service Animals and Support Persons
Portal Village welcomes the support persons and service animals in its premises for those whose disability requires the assistance.
Notice of Temporary Disruption
Portal Village will ensure to communicate appropriately with those with disabilities in the event of a planned or unplanned disruption to services of facilities (including fire drill, emergency evacuation, etc.). The communication will be provided in accessible formats and posted in public areas.
EMPLOYEE SERVICES
Recruitment, Assessment and Selection
Portal Village must notify employees and the public about the availability of accommodation, including materials or processes, for job applicants who have disabilities. Applicants must be informed that these accommodations are available, upon request, for the interview process and other candidate selection methods. Portal Village must notify the successful applicant of their policies and supports for accommodating people with disabilities during the training period.
If a selected applicant requests an accommodation, Portal Village will consult with the applicant and provide, or arrange for the provision of, a suitable accommodation in a manner that takes into account the applicant’s accessibility needs due to their disability.
Scope of Work/Job Requirements
Portal Village will consider and make accommodations to the task and job functions.
Portal Village will create an Individual Accessibility Plan with the employee, which will outline the tasks, job functions, accommodations and strategies, to successfully accommodate actions needed for accommodation and any other applicable information, in order for Portal Village to ensure the employee’s job is accessible. Portal Village will review the plan with the employee on an ongoing basis to ensure the employee is set up for success.
Informing Employees of Supports
Portal Village will continue to inform its employees of its policies, and of any change to its policies, which are used to support employees with disabilities, including policies on the provision of job accommodations that take into account accessibility needs. This information will be provided to new employees during the training period and whenever there are new changes to existing policies.
Accessible Formats and Communication Supports for Employees
Portal Village will consult with an employee with a disability in order to provide, or arrange for the provision of, accessible formats and communication supports for information that is needed to perform the employee’s job and for information that is generally available to other employees in the workplace. Portal Village will consult with the employee to determine the suitability of an accessible format or communication support.
Training
Portal Village will provide accessible customer service training to:
- all employees and volunteers
- anyone involved in developing our policiesStaff will be trained on accessible customer service as soon as possible after being hired.
Training will include:
- purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and the requirements of the customer service standard
- Portal Village policies related to the customer service standard
- how to interact and communicate with people with various types of disabilities
- types of barriers that exist for people with disabilities
- how to interact with people with disabilities who use an assistive device or require theassistance of a service animal or a support person
- designs of public spaces including accessible parking, service in public spaces, andmaintenance
- how to use the equipment or devices available on-site or otherwise that may help withproviding goods, services or facilities to people with disabilities
- what to do if a person with a disability is having difficulty in accessing Portal VillageRetirement Community’s goods, services or facilities Training will be provided as legislation is updated or amended.
Redeployment
Portal Village will take into account any accommodations and accessibility needs of employees with disabilities and what they will require if they are redeployed or transferred to another job or department, in addition to any individual accommodation plans. Portal Village will work with the employee to determine whether similar accommodations or new accommodations will be needed or if the employee many no longer need certain accommodations.
Procedure:
Employees requiring accommodation or assistance for any program, duty or services are to contact Portal Village Human Resources by phone or email (contact provided below).
Feedback
Portal Village always welcomes and requests feedback from all employees, volunteers and residents regarding the effectiveness of the accessibility initiatives. This can be provided by email, mail, phone, and fax to the Human Resources contact below.
Workplace Emergency Response Information
Portal Village will provide individualized workplace emergency response information to employees with disabilities and to persons designated by Portal Village Retirement Communities to provide emergency assistance to such employees, where required. The individualized workplace emergency response information must be provided, and will be reviewed, as soon as practicable after the employer becomes aware of the need for accommodation due to the employee’s disability. Portal Village will review the individualized workplace emergency response plan when a disabled employee moves to a different location in the organization, their accommodation needs or plans are reviewed, and/or the employer reviews its general emergency response policies.
Documented Individual Accommodation Plan
Portal Village will maintain a written process for the development of documented individual accommodation plans for employees with disabilities.
Portal Village will include the following elements in the development of documented individual accommodation plans:
- the manner in which an employee requesting accommodation can participate in the development of the individual accommodation plan
- the means by which the employee is assessed on an individual basis
- the manner in which the employer can request an evaluation by an outside medical or other expert, at the employer’s expense, to determine if and how accommodation can be achieved
- the manner in which the employee can request the participation of a representative from their bargaining agent, where the employee is represented by a bargaining agent, or other representative from the workplace, where the employee is not represented by a bargaining agent, in the development of the accommodation plan
- the steps taken to protect the privacy of the employee’s personal information
- the frequency with which the individual accommodation plan will be reviewed and updated and the manner in which it will be done
- if an individual accommodation plan is denied, the manner in which the reasons for the denial will be provided to the employee
- the means of providing the individual accommodation plan in a format that considers the employee’s accessibility needs due to disability.
If requested, Portal Village will ensure that individual accommodation plans will:
- include any information regarding accessible formats and communications supports provided
- if required, include individualized workplace emergency response information identify any other accommodation that is to be provided.
Performance Management
Portal Village considers the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities in addition to individual accommodation plans regarding ongoing employee performance management.
Career Development and Advancement
Portal Village considers the accessibility needs of your employees with disabilities, as well as any individual accommodation plans regarding career development and advancement of employees.
Contact
If you have any questions or concerns about this policy or its related procedures, please contact:
- Anna Oakes, Human Resources Manager
- T: 905-834-0322 extension 6018
- F: 905-834-9989
- 300 Elgin St, Port Colborne, ON L3K 6A3
- annaoakes@lookoutridge.ca
- www.portalvillage.com Modifications to This or Other Policies
Portal Village is dedicated to ensuring all policies and procedures respect the rights and dignity of all individuals with disabilities. This policy and its related procedures will be reviewed as required in the event of legislative changes.
