Accessibility Plan

Multi-Year Accessibility Plan for

Woolwich Community Health Centre

This accessibility plan outlines the policies and actions that Woolwich Community Health Centre (WCHC) has put in place to improve opportunities for people with disabilities.

Statement of Commitment

WCHC is committed to treating all people in a way that allows them to maintain their dignity and independence. We believe in integration and equal opportunity.  We are committed to meeting the needs of people with disabilities in a timely manner, and will do so by preventing and removing barriers to accessibility and meeting accessibility requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

WCHC formalized this commitment by developing comprehensive organizational policies on ACCESSIBILITY FOR CLIENTS WITH DISABILITIES, which were approved by the WCHC Board of Directors in June 2011. These policies are available in large print format at all of the health centre sites, and are also available on our website.

Accessible Emergency Information

 

WCHC is committed to providing our clients with publicly available emergency information in an accessible way upon request. We will also provide employees with disabilities with individualized emergency response information when necessary.

Training

 

WCHC provides training to employees, volunteers and other staff members on Ontario’s accessibility laws and on the Human Rights Code as it relates to people with disabilities. Training will be provided in a way that best suits the duties of employees, volunteers and other staff members.

WCHC has taken the following steps to ensure employees are provided with the training needed to meet Ontario’s accessible laws by January 1, 2015:

  • All current employees, volunteers and students were trained on WCHC’s new Accessibility policies, as well as the AODA requirements, in November 2011 and annually thereafter. A record of the training completion is retained via the on-line platform used to deliver the training.
  • Since November 2011, training on the AODA and WCHC’s accessibility policies has been incorporated/implemented into all new employee, student, and volunteer orientation.

Information and communications

WCHC is committed to meeting the communication needs of people with disabilities. We will continue to consult with people with disabilities to determine their information and communication needs on a regular and ad hoc basis as public communications are developed or improvements identified.

WCHC has taken the following steps to make sure existing feedback processes are accessible to people with disabilities upon request by January 1, 2015:

  • Since the development of our comprehensive organizational policies on accessibility in June 2011, we modified our existing client feedback policy and practices to enable and encourage clients with disabilities to use whichever means best suits them, in order to relay feedback and complaints. This policy is posted, in large print format, at all of the health centre sites.

WCHC has taken the following steps to make sure all publicly available information is made accessible upon request by January 1, 2016;

  • Developed and implemented a new policy on “Communicating with People with Disabilities”, in June 2011, which commits to providing communication aids (e.g., print magnifiers, pocket talkers) and/or alternate forms of communication (e.g., large print, Braille). This policy is posted, in large print format, at all of the health centre sites.

WCHC ensures the website and content conform with WCAG 2.0, Level AA since January 1, 2021:

Employment

 

WCHC is committed to fair and accessible employment practices. We have taken the following steps to notify the public and staff that, when requested, WCHC will accommodate people with disabilities during the recruitment and assessment processes and when people are hired.

  • As of October 2013, we revised our standard internal and external job posting format, to include the phrases noted in italics: Woolwich Community Health Centre is committed to employment equity and providing equal opportunity for people with disabilities. We encourage applications from people representing the diverse communities we serve, and if requested, we modify our recruitment and hiring processes to make accommodations that are responsive to applicants’ needs.

WCHC takes the following steps to develop and put in place a process for developing individual accommodation plans and return-to-work policies for employees that have been absent due to a disability.

  • Between December 2013 and September 2014, our Board’s Human Resources Committee (which includes three employee representatives) conducted a thorough review of all of the organizations Human Resources Policies. During this review, policies/procedures on accommodation plans and return-to-work policies were revised, to ensure that they address all AODA requirements regarding employees that have been absent due to disability.

WCHC takes the following steps to ensure the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities are taken into account if WCHC is using performance management, career development and redeployment processes.

  • Between December 2013 and September 2014, our Board’s Human Resources Committee (which includes three employee representatives) conducted a thorough review of all of our Human Resources Policies. During this review, the current policies/procedures related to performance reviews/management, professional/career development, and redeployment were revised, to ensure that they address all AODA requirements regarding employees with a disability.

Accessibility

WCHC will also take the following steps to prevent and remove other accessibility barriers identified:

  • Seek out opportunities to support additional modifications to as many physical structures as possible/feasible, in order to make them more accessible to clients using wheelchairs or who have mobility challenges (e.g., modifying more internal public use entrances to have an automatic door opener, replace more stationary exam beds with exam beds that have a motorized lift to raise/lower the bed).

For More Information:

For more information on this accessibility plan and for accessible formats of this document, please contact:

Rosslyn Bentley, Chief Executive Officer

Phone        519-664-3534, ext. 225

Email:        [email protected]

December 29th 2023