Accessibility Standard Coming Into Force For Public Sector

Ontario is reminding public sector organizations that the province's first accessibility standard — for customer service — is coming into force January 1, 2010.

The province's ministries, hospitals, schools, municipalities and other public sector organizations must make sure their services are accessible by meeting requirements such as:

• training staff about meeting the needs of customers with a variety of disabilities
• communicating with a person in a manner that takes into account their disability
• permitting customers to bring their service animals, such as guide dogs, onto their premises.

The customer service standard is part of Ontario's plan to make the province accessible for people with disabilities by 2025.

The province's private sector will need to meet these requirements by 2012.