Accessible Customer Service Policy revised 2016

Moosonee, Ontario

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Revised and adopted by Council on June 28th, 2016 THE TOWN OF MOOSONEE CORPORATE POLICY: ACCESSIBILE CUSTOMER SERVICE POLICY STATEMENT: The Corporation of The Town of Moosonee ("The Town of Moosonee") strives to provide its goods and services in a way that respects the dignity and independence of all people. The Town of Moosonee is 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 customers. Exclusion This Accessibility Customer Service Policy shall not apply during any period where the Mayor, or the Mayor's designate has declared a "State of Emergency" as defined under the Emergency Management Act. PROCEDURE: The Town of Moosonee will provide goods and services to people with disabilities, with particular consideration to the following areas: 1) Communication: The Town of Moosonee will communicate with people with disabilities in ways that take into account their disability. Staff who communicate with members of the public will be trained on how to interact and communicate with people with various types of disabilities. a. Telephones: The Town of Moosonee is committed to providing fully accessible telephone service to our customers. Staff will be trained to communicate with customers over the telephone in clear and plain language, to speak clearly and slowly and to tailor their responses as much as possible in support of the individual. b. Email: The Town of Moosonee will offer to communicate with customers by e-mail, if telephone communication is not suitable to their communication needs or is not available. 2) Use of Assistive Devices: The Town of Moosonee is committed to serving people with disabilities who use assistive devices to obtain, use or benefit from our goods and services. Staff will be trained and become familiar with various assistive devices that may be used by people with disabilities while accessing our goods or services. The Town of Moosonee will also ensure that staff understand how to use the assistive devices which are available on our premises, including chair lifts. 3) Correspondence, invoices and other documentation: The Town of Moosonee is committed to providing accessible information to all of our residents. For this reason, correspondence, invoices and other documentation will be provided in large print or by e-mail, upon request. The Town of Moosonee may provide a document, or information contained in a document, in a format that takes into account the person's Revised and adopted by Council on June 28th, 2016 disability. The Town of Moosonee and the person with a disability may agree upon the format to be used for the document or information. Any questions customers may have about the content of a document will be answered in person, by telephone or e-mail. 4) Use of Service Animals and Support Persons a) Service Animals: The Town of Moosonee is committed to welcoming people with disabilities who are accompanied by a service animal, in the areas of our premises that are open to the public and other third parties. All staff, volunteers and others dealing with the public will be properly trained in how to interact with people with disabilities who are accompanied by a service animal. An animal is a service animal for a person with a disability:  If it is readily apparent that the animal is used by the person for reasons relating to his or her disability; or  If the person provides a letter from a physician, nurse, or regulated health professional confirming that the person requires the animal for reasons relating to the disability. b) Support Person: The Town of Moosonee 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 The Town of Moosonee's buildings with his or her support person. At no time will a person with a disability who is accompanied by a support person, be prevented from having access to his or her support person while on Township premises. A "support person" means, in relation to a person with a disability, another person who accompanies him or her in order to help with communication, mobility, personal care or medical needs or with access to goods or services. No admission will be charged to the support person for admission to The Town of Moosonee Recreation Facilities. The Town of Moosonee will recommend to groups that hold special events, as rentals from the municipality, adopt a similar policy and not charge a support person who is accompanying a person with a disability. Customers will be informed of this policy by a notice that will be posted at each publicly accessible municipal building and on The Town of Moosonee's website. Where the Town of Moosonee requires that a person with a disability be accompanied by a support person for health and safety reasons, the Town will:  Consult with the person with a disability to understand their needs;  Consider health and safety reasons based on available evidence;  Determine if there is no other reasonable way to protect the health and safety of the person or others on the premises. In such a situation, the Town will waive the admission fee or fare for the support person, if one exists. Revised and adopted by Council on June 28th, 2016 5) Notice of Disruption in Service: The Town of Moosonee will provide customers 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. Notice may be given by posting the information at a conspicuous place on premises owned or operated by The Town of Moosonee, by posting it on The Town of Moosonee's website or by such other method as is reasonable in the circumstances. 6) Training: The Town of Moosonee will provide training to:  Every person who participates in developing the policy, practices and procedures under Ontario Regulation 429/07 - Accessibility Standards for Customer Service  Every person who deals with the public on behalf of The Town of Moosonee, including 3rd parties, i.e. Council, employees, agents and volunteers Training Timelines:  In accordance with Accessible Customer Service Regulations, all members of the Town of Moosonee including employees, volunteers and others who work with customers or create policies and procedures on how to interact with people with different disabilities, will receive training on accessible customer service and how to interact with people with different disabilities, as soon as "practicable", after commencing duties.  Agents working on various projects for the municipality and who have been approved by successful tender shall be responsible for providing their own training to meet the requirements of Ontario Regulation 429/07 Training will include the following:  The purposes of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and the requirements of the customer service standard  How to interact and communicate with people with various types of disabilities  How to interact with people with disabilities who use an assistive device or require the assistance of a service animal or a support person  How to use the chair lifts at The Town of Moosonee's premises  What to do if a person with a disability is having difficulty in accessing The Town of Moosonee's goods and services  The Town of Moosonee's policies, practices and procedures relating to the customer service standard. Staff will be trained on policies, practices and procedures that affect the way goods and services are provided to people with disabilities. Staff will also be trained on an Revised and adopted by Council on June 28th, 2016 ongoing basis when changes are made to these policies, practices and procedures. Training Records: Training records shall be kept, including the dates when the training is provided, number of individuals to whom the training was provided and the signature of all those individuals trained on a particular date. Feedback Process The ultimate goal of The Town of Moosonee is to meet and surpass customer expectations while serving all people, including those with disabilities. Comments regarding how well those expectations are being met are welcome and appreciated. The Town of Moosonee will ensure that the feedback process is accessible by providing or arranging for accessible formats and communication supports, on request. Feedback regarding the way The Town of Moosonee provides goods and services to people with disabilities can be made by using a feedback form, by mail, e-mail, or verbally. All feedback should be directed to the Chief Administrative Officer. Customers can expect a response within thirty (30) days. Modifications to the Policy The Town of Moosonee is 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. Questions About This Policy This policy exists to achieve service excellence to customers with disabilities. If anyone has a question about this policy, or if the purpose of this policy is not understood, inquiries should be referred to the Chief Administrative Officer for The Town of Moosonee. Revised and adopted by Council on June 28th, 2016 ACCESSIBILE CUSTOMER SERVICE FEEDBACK FORM Feedback regarding the way The Town of Moosonee provides goods and services to people with disabilities can be made by using a feedback form, by mail, e-mail, or verbally. All feedback should be directed to the Chief Administrative Officer. Customers can expect a response within thirty (30) days. What was the date of your visit? ______________________________________ Which municipal location did you visit? _________________________________ If you wish, please identify the staff member associated with your visit: ____________________________________ On this visit, did we respond to your accessibility needs?  YES  Somewhat  NO Comments: ______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ How could our services be improved or made more accessible? ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ Your Name: _____________________________________________________ Your Mailing Address: _____________________________________________ Your Phone Number: ______________________________________________ Return to: The Town of Moosonee, 5 First Street - PO Box #727, Moosonee, ON P0L 1Y0