Version 1.0
11.19.2021
Introduction
AODA is Ontario’s roadmap to become barrier-free and includes accessibility standards in:
- Customer Service
- Information and Communications
- Employment
- Transportation
- Design of Public Spaces
Under AODA, Ontario organizations, including ICTC, are required to develop multi-year accessibility plans in support of making Ontario accessible by 2025.
ICTC’s Multi-Year Accessibility Plan (“Accessibility Plan”) outlines its compliance with AODA, including the requirements set by the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulations. ICTC is committed to fulfilling its obligations under AODA and making its premises and services accessible to all Ontarians.
This Accessibility Plan is available to all ICTC employees and the public via our external website and can be requested in an accessible format at no charge using the contact information at the end of this document.
Statement of Commitment
At ICTC, we are committed to doing all we can to respect the core principles of accessibility legislation: dignity, independence, integration, and equal opportunity. We will incorporate these principles into our policies, procedures, training, and best practices. Our aim is to allow all Ontarians access to our services and information when and in the form that they need them, regardless of their abilities or disabilities.
Ensuring our operations are accessible and barrier-free is a shared effort. As an organization, we are dedicated to working with the people of Ontario to make accessibility for everyone a reality.
Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (“IASR”) Requirements
Accessibility Policies and Plans
| Item | Action | Status |
| Establishment of accessibility policies. | Policy posted on ICTC website and in the Employee Handbook. | Complete |
| Create a multi-year plan outlining ICTC strategy to removing barriers. | Version 1.0 posted on our website. | Planned completion by Q4 2024 |
Accessibility Training
| Item | Action | Status |
| Ensure all employees are trained on “AODA: Customer Service Standards Training”. | Annual training completed by all staff every Q1. | Planned completion by Q4 2024 |
| Ensure all employees are trained on “Accessibility in Tech Course: How to Be an Accessible Ally”. | Plans in place to modify the course for ICTC employees. | Planning completion and roll out Q4 2023 |
| Maintain records of training, including dates and people trained. | ICTC training software tracks time and date completed and quiz results. | Planned completion by Q4 2024 |
Procurement
| Item | Action | Status |
| When assessing vendors, include accessible design. | ICTC will incorporate accessibility design/features when procuring goods and services, except where it is impracticable. | ICTC will incorporate accessibility into our procurement policy by Q1 2022 |
Information and Communication Standards
Feedback
| Item | Action | Status |
| Have a process for receiving and responding to feedback that is accessible to persons with disabilities by accommodating requests for accessible formats. | See our website and Employee Handbook for our feedback process. | Planned completion by Q4 2024 |
Accessible Formats and Communication Supports
| Item | Action | Status |
| When requested, provide information in accessible formats and/or communication support for persons with disabilities in a timely manner and at no extra cost to and in consultation with the person making the request. | ICTC accommodates requests for accessible formats and communication support and notifies the public on our website. | Planned completion by Q4 2024 |
Accessible Website and Web Content
| Item | Action | Status |
| All new websites and web content comply with WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) 2.0 Level AA. | Planned completion by Q4 2024 | |
| All current websites and web content comply with WCAG 2.0 Level AA. | Planned completion by Q4 2024 | |
| All websites and web content to be WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 AA compliant depending on the status of guideline developments. | Requires a redesign and new functionality. Would also comply with AAA wherever possible. | Planned completion by Q4 2024 |
| All videos/vlogs will offer either close captioning or transcript option for those with hearing a disability pending funder approval. | ICTC will be ensuring all videos offer close captioning or transcripts. | Planned completion by Q4 2024 |
| All social media posts are WCAG 2.0 Level AA, with auto caption generator for videos on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (pending site accommodation). | ICTC will be ensuring that descriptive test is used for social media posts when the images do not reflect the captions text. | Planned completion by Q4 2024 |
Employment Standards
Recruitment
| Item | Action | Status |
| Letting internal and external applicants know what accommodation is available upon request. | ICTC will update all job postings to include information about accessibility accommodations. | Complete |
| Successful applicants are notified about the organization’s policies for accommodating employees with disabilities. | ICTC Employee Handbook outlines the process for requesting accommodation and reading the Employee Handbook is a mandatory onboarding task. | Complete |
| Informing Employees of Supports ICTC policies for supporting employees with disabilities. | Informing employees about Employees are required to review all policies during onboarding. | Planned completion by Q4 2024 |
| All employees are updated whenever there is a change to the existing policies on the provision of job accommodation. | New and/or updated polices are assigned to all employees for review and acknowledgement. | Planned completion by Q4 2024 |
Accessible Formats and Communication Supports
| Item | Action | Status |
| Consult with employees who have disclosed they need accommodation for a disability and provide them with the accessible formats and communication support they require to do their jobs effectively. | ICTC will provide accommodation as required. | Planned completion by Q4 2024 |
Workplace Emergency Response Information
| Item | Action | Status |
| ICTC is a remote workforce, however, for collaborative hybrid spaces that employees have the option of using, ICTC will provide individual workplace emergency response information for staff with disabilities where necessary. | Individual accommodation plans for employees with disabilities include individual emergency response requirements. | Planned completion, once ICTC has a collaborative hybrid office space Q4 2022 |
Return to Work
| Item | Action | Status |
| ICTC has a process/outline of steps that will be taken to help employees return to work after an absence. | ICTC will update its current process to enable those with a disability to be accommodated. | Planned completion Q4 2022 |
Performance Management and Career Development
| Item | Action | Status |
| Performance management processes account for the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities as well as individual accommodation plans for employees with disabilities. | ICTC’s annual review/performance management process will be updated to include a statement about accommodating disability requests. | Planned completed by Q4 2022 |
| Consider the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities, as well as any individual accommodation plans, when providing career development and advancement to its employees with disabilities. | ICTC will update its internal posting process, stating we will provide accommodation to people with disabilities. | Planned completed by Q3 2022 |
Tools
| Item | Action | Status |
| Employee Training | ICTC purchased an online training tool that provides captions for training videos, summarizes the narrator’s comments, and offers video training transcripts upon request to all ICTC employees. | Complete |
| HRIS | ICTC purchased an HRIS that is WCAG 2.0 compatible and enables Google Chrome’s accessibility features for all staff and external job site and candidate applications. | Complete |
Equipment
| Item | Action | Status |
| To enable working from home, ICTC provides its employees with the equipment they need to do their job: laptops, external keyboards, mouse, large screen monitors, headphones/microphones, sit/stand desks adapter. | Planned completion by Q4 2024 |
Design of Public Spaces
| Item | Action | Status |
| ICTC is committed to providing accessible spaces. ICTC is fully remote company. | ICTC anticipates opening a collaboration space in Ottawa, Ontario, in January 2022. This collaboration space will be in a wheelchair-accessible building and have a collaboration desk space that can accommodate sit/standing capabilities. | Planned completed by Q4 2022 |
Customer Service
| Item | Action | Status |
| Establish and maintain a policy governing the provision of goods and services to persons with disabilities, including the use of assistive devices, service animals and support persons, notice of temporary disruptions, etc. | ICTC’s customer service policy is part of the AODA policy. | Planned completion by Q4 2024 |
| Maintain records of training, including dates and number of people trained. | ICTC tracks all training by date, employee, test results and course. | Planned completion by Q4 2024 |
| Develop a process to receive and respond to feedback about customer service that is accessible to persons with disabilities, including specifying actions that will be taken to address complaints. Notify the public about the feedback process. | ICTC included details about its feedback process on our website. | Complete |
| Upon request, provide or arrange for information in accessible formats and/or communication supports for persons with disabilities, in a timely manner and at no extra cost, and in consultation with the person making the request. | ICTC accommodates requests for accessible formats and communication supports, and notifies the public via its website. | Planned completion by Q4 2024 |
| Notify the public about the availability of accessible formats and communication supports. In the event of a planned or unexpected disruption in services used by persons with disabilities, provide notice that includes information about the reason for the disruption, expected duration of disruption, and a description of any alternative facilities or services available (if any). Post on website. | Posted on ICTC’s website and in the Employee Handbook as part of the AODA policy. | Planned completion by Q4 2024 |
| All new customer training modules are WCAG 2.0 Level AA compliant. | ICTC training modules since 2020 have been WCAG 2.0 Level AA compliant. | Planned completion by Q4 2024 |
For more information on ICTC’s Accessibility Plan, please contact Human Resources at @email, 613-237-8551 Our Accessibility Plan is publicly posted at https://www.ictc-ctic.ca/legal/aoda-multi-year-accessibility-plan Standard and accessible formats of this document are free upon request from Human Resources, @email 613-237-8551.
