The Town is actively working to remove barriers to persons with disabilities.
The Accessibility of Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA), is a law passed by the Ontario legislature that allows the government to develop specific standards of accessibility and to enforce them. The standards are made into laws called regulations, and they provide the details to help meet the goal of the AODA. The AODA is the foundation on which the standards are built.
The purpose of the accessibility standards is to move organizations in Ontario forward on accessibility. The standards will set requirements in a number of key areas and will be reviewed at least every five years. The goal of the Act is to make the Province of Ontario completely accessible by 2025.
The Integrated Accessibility Standard was released in the summer of 2011 and was recently updated in 2016 to include the Accessible Customer Service Standard, as well as the standards for: Information and Communication, Employment, Transportation and the Design of Public Spaces. The Town of Renfrew is committed to working towards being compliant with all of the standards under the AODA as they are introduced. For more information on the AODA or accessibility in Ontario, please visit the Ministry of Economic Development, Employment & Infrastructure.
Accessibility and the Town of Renfrew
The Town of Renfrew has developed an Accessible Customer Services policy.
The policy includes information on the following:
• Providing goods and services to people with disabilities
• Use of service animals, support persons and assistive devices
• Notice of temporary disruptions
• Staff training on customer services
• Accessibility of meetings
• Feedback process
• Format of Town documents
• Notice of availability of documents
Town of Renfrew employees, contractors and vendors are required to complete training which includes:
1 The purpose of the Act
2 How to interact with people with various disabilities
3 How to interact with people who use the assistance of a service animal or support person
4 How to use assistive devices available on the premises
5 What to do if a person with a disability is having difficulty accessing service
6 Details on the Town of Renfrew's accessibly policy, procedures and practices
The Town of Renfrew welcomes public input. It helps identify areas where changes need to be considered and ways in which we can improve the delivery of accessible goods and services. Feedback may be provided by telephone, in person, in writing or by e-mail.