Businesses Need to Comply with New Standards under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act
by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, July 2006
Imagine a customer coming into your business and finding all of the shelves and counters out of their reach. Or a restaurant patron enjoying dinner out with a friend but finding they can't read the menu because the typeface is too small. What about a customer being unable to find your particular entertainment venue because the signs they're following make no sense.
These are the kinds of barriers that prevent people with mobility, visual and learning or developmental disabilities from being able to participate in many of the aspects of life that others take for granted. These are the kinds of barriers that the Ontario government is working to dismantle under its landmark Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), 2005.
The legislation requires that, between now and 2025, new standards be set to improve accessibility with respect to goods, services, buildings, employment and accommodation. Initially, proposed standards will be developed to address barriers to customer service, transportation, information and communication, the built environment and employment.
Improved accessibility won't just make life easier for people with disabilities - it also makes good business sense.
Did you know that just over 13 per cent of Ontarians have a disability? That's one in every seven Ontarians.
In fact, according to a Royal Bank estimate, across Canada, people with disabilities have consumer-spending power of about $25 billion a year. The study also confirms that customers with disabilities influence the spending decisions of 12 to 15 million other Canadians.
This is a market no business can afford to overlook. And it's a market that's growing.
As the baby boomer generation ages, businesses will have more and more customers who will need and expect some type of accommodation to enjoy the same kind of social, business and community interactions that many people take for granted. And they have the means, as well as the time, to seek out those businesses that are working to adapt.
While the goal is to make Ontario more accessible by 2025, there are a number of things that businesses can do right away to better prepare themselves for the changes ahead.
The first proposed standard expected to be ready for public consultation in the fall will cover the area of customer service.
Customer service for people with disabilities is about providing high quality service as you would for your other customers. It is about being responsive and knowledgeable about your customers' needs.
Here are some simple things that businesses can put into practice right away to provide better service to customers with disabilities:
- Don't make assumptions about what type of disability or disabilities a person has.
- Some disabilities are not visible. Take the time to get to know your customers' needs.
- Be attentive and don't rush the transaction. People with some kinds of disabilities may need a little longer to take in the information and respond.
- If you're not sure what to do, simply ask if you can help.
- If you can't understand what someone is saying, just politely ask again.
- Ask before you offer help - don't just jump in. Your customers will know if they need help and how you can provide it.
- Use plain language.
- Don't touch service animals - they are working and have to pay attention at all times.
- Ask permission before touching a wheelchair or a piece of equipment.
You can broaden your customer base by welcoming everyone to your store, restaurant or services, including customers with disabilities. In the end, accessibility isn't just the right thing to do - it's the smart thing to do.
For more information on improving accessibility in Ontario, visit the Ministry of Community and Social Services website at www.mcss.gov.on.ca
Article provided by The Ontario Chamber of Commerce (www.occ.on.ca). The OCC represents over 57,000 businesses through 160 local Chambers ofCommerce and Boards of Trade, and has been Ontario's business advocate since 1911. Its advocacy and policy initiatives focus on six areas key to the economic well-being of the province: health; education; energy; finance & taxation; transportation & infrastructure; and border issues.
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