Deighton Associates Ltd.

Multi-Year Accessibility Plan

Introduction

Deighton Associates Ltd. is committed to providing excellent service to all customers, including persons with disabilities. Our goal is to focus on identifying, removing, and preventing barriers for persons with disabilities. This plan complies with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA).

Deighton Associates Ltd. will strive to ensure that its policies, practices and procedures are consistent with the core principles as outlined in the AODA.

Plan Overview and Content

This plan outlines the policies, achievements, and steps we are taking to meet these requirements and improve accessibility for people with disabilities. Through our commitment to this plan, we are playing an important role in shaping Ontario into an accessible province for all Ontarians.

This plan will be in effect from 2022-2027. We will review and update this plan at least once every five years.

Our accessibility plan is posted and accessible to the public at: https://www.deighton.com/

For more information on Deighton Associates Ltd.’s accessibility plan, please contact: AODA@deighton.com

This plan covers the following:

1. Statement of Commitment

2. Strategies and Action Plan

  • Accessible Emergency Information
  • Customer Service
  • Information and Communications
  • Employment
  • Training
  • Design of Public Spaces
  • Transportation

Comments and feedback about the delivery of services to persons with disabilities are welcome, as it may help identify areas that require change and assist in continuous improvement. Such feedback can be made by reaching out to our AODA@deighton.com. Feedback will be addressed in a timely manner.

To request accessible formats of this document, please contact: AODA@deighton.com

Statement of Commitment

Deighton Associates Ltd. is committed to providing exceptional and accessible service to its customers. Goods and services will be provided in a manner that respects the dignity and independence of all customers. The provision of services to persons with disabilities will be integrated wherever possible. Persons with disabilities will be given an opportunity equal to that given to others, to obtain, use or benefit from the goods and services provided by and on behalf of Deighton Associates Ltd.

Guiding Principles

These principles guide our everyday behaviours so that we can uphold this policy:

  1. Dignity - ensure persons with disabilities are provided with services in a manner that will allow them to maintain self-respect and the respect of others.

  2. Independence – ensure persons with disabilities have the right to work on their own and are able to do things in their own way.

  3. Integration – ensure persons with disabilities fully benefit from the same goods and services, in the same place and in the same or similar manner as others. This may require alternative formats and flexible approaches. It means complete and full participation.

  4. Equal Opportunity – ensure persons with disabilities have the same chances, options, benefits, and results as others.

Deighton Associates Ltd. will meet the information and communication needs of people with disabilities by providing, upon request, information, and communications materials in accessible formats or with communication support(s).

Strategies and Action Plan

Below details our current strategies or action plan to ensure we achieve our statement of commitment in the following areas:

  • Accessible Emergency Information

    We will provide employees with disabilities individualized emergency response information as needed and as soon as practicable. We will ask all existing employees working in-office to let management know if they require any special accommodations should there be an emergency by July 1st, 2022. We will provide public safety information to members of the public who access our facilities as required in an accessible format upon request.

  • Customer Service

    Deighton Associates Ltd. is committed to providing accessible customer service to people with disabilities. This means that we will provide goods and services to people with disabilities with the same quality and timeliness as others. We will work with people with disabilities to ensure that their needs are met in a manner that respects their dignity and independence.

    Deighton Associates Ltd. will undertake the following actions with respect to customer service:

    • All Deighton Associates Ltd. employees and applicable personnel have been trained on accessible customer service.

    • All new Deighton Associates Ltd. employees and applicable personnel will receive training as soon as practicable after hire.

    • All existing employees and applicable personnel will be re-trained upon any changes to the customer service policy or procedures as soon as practicable.

    • Deighton Associates Ltd.’s Accessibility Policy, including the company’s statement of commitment, will be reviewed and updated in August, 2022.

    • Deighton Associates Ltd. will post update our Accessibility policy on the company website by August 31st, 2022.

    • Let customers know when accessible services are not available by contacting the individual via email.

    • Welcome feedback on our programs and services through our designated feedback channel and ensure that all feedback is reviewed by Human Resources.

    • Our feedback process will be posted on the company website by August 31st, 2022.

    • Welcome assistive devices, service animals and support persons in the workplace.

    • Report on our compliance and progress by filing an accessibility report as required by law. Our last compliance report was filed on May 2021.

    • Consider a person’s disability when communicating with them and provide an accessible format upon request.

    • The multi-year accessibility plan will be posted on the company website by April 30th, 2022 and made available upon request in accessible formats.

    • The multi-year accessibility plan will be reviewed once every 5 years, with the next scheduled review set for 2027.

  • Information and Communications

    Information and clear and effective communication is important to us. Deighton Associates Ltd. is committed to making our information and communications accessible to people with disabilities. As such, we are committed to the following actions:

    • Deighton Associates Ltd. has developed a feedback process established in multiple formats (phone, in person, fax, email), which will be listed on the company website by August 31st, 2022.

    • Consult with people requesting alternative formats of communications.

    • All employees and required personnel have been trained on the Integrated Accessibility Standard and Human Rights in support of AODA.

    • All new Deighton Associates Ltd. employees and applicable personnel will receive training on the Integrated Accessibility Standard and Human Rights as soon as practicable after hire.

    • Work towards meeting the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Level 2.0 AA by December 31st, 2025.

    • Work towards ensuring our published web content is in an accessible format where possible.

  • Employment

    Deighton Associates Ltd. is committed to fair, equitable and accessible employment practices. To demonstrate our commitment, we have described our goals for recruitment and employment below.

    • Recruitment:

      • Review our recruitment processes and policies as required to ensure that they are fair and accessible to all.

      • Advise job applicants through our job postings and recruitment communication that accommodations are available upon request.

      • Incorporate into offer letters or onboarding that accommodations are available.

    • Employment:

      • Inform new employees and remind existing employees of our policies for supporting employees with disabilities.

      • Develop a workplace accommodation policy and return to work program designed to facilitate the integration of employees returning to work from illness or injury by August 31st, 2022.

      • Provide accessible formats and communication supports for information needed to perform job duties and information generally available to employees in the workplace, upon request.

      • Consult with employees with disabilities to determine which accessible formats or communication supports they require.

      • Developed an Individual Accommodation Plan guide that considers individual needs.

      • Individual Accommodation Plans will be documented and reviewed as required.

      • Consider the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities during our performance management process.

      • Consider the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities when providing career and advancement opportunities.

      • Consider the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities when redeploying them to other positions, so that their accommodation needs are continuing to be met.

  • Training

    Deighton Associates Ltd. Is committed to providing training as required under Ontario’s accessibility laws and the Ontario Human Rights Code as it applies to people with disabilities.

    • All employees have been trained on AODA as it relates to their position.

    • All new hires will be trained as soon as practicable after hire.

    • HR maintains a record of training participants names, the training topic received and dates of completion.

    • Training will be provided in accessible formats that consider the accessibility needs of a person with a disability.

  • Design of Public Spaces

    Deighton Associates Ltd. will meet accessibility laws when building or making major changes to public spaces as required by law. Relevant public spaces include service-related elements including waiting areas and front entrance.

    Deighton Associates Ltd has put procedures in place to prevent service disruptions to the accessible parts of our public spaces.

  • Transportation

    Deighton Associates Ltd. does not have specific requirements under the Transportation section at this time.