Service Standards for Persons with Disabilities

Context & Rationale

Persons with disabilities can encounter poor treatment and barriers that impede their full access to services offered to the public.

The Board believes that fairness and equity require that people with disabilities have such access to services as produces as nearly as possible equality of outcome.

The Board policy on Legislated Means enjoins the Executive Director from failing to implement policies and procedures required by statute except with the approval of the Board.

Policy Statement

Service offered by the Press to a person with a disability shall be consistent with the principles of independence, dignity, integration and equality of opportunity.

Definitions

'Disability' means (1) any degree of physical disability, infirmity, malformation or disfigurement caused by bodily injury, birth defect or illness or (2) a condition of mental impairment, mental disorder, developmental disability, learning disability or a dysfunction in one or more of the processes involved in understanding language or using symbols or spoken language.

'The principle of independence' entails allowing the person to make their own decisions and to complete tasks at their own speed and in their own way.

'The principle of dignity' entails treating the person as valuable and deserving.

'The principle of integration' entails providing services to the person in the same fashion as it is provided to others.

'The principle of equality of opportunity' entails offering the person the same opportunities, benefits, options, chances and results as are offered to others.

Procedures: Accessible Customer Service Plan

Pink Triangle Press is committed to equality of outcome in serving all customers, including people with disabilities.

Please see our "Accessible Customer Service Plan" for further information.

Background Information

The Government of Ontario promulgated the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act in 2008 and subsequently issued Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, which were to come into effect for organizations like the Press on 1 January 2012. These standards apply only to activities in Ontario, but in view of the Board's interest in fairness and equity, in anticipation of similar legislation in other jurisdictions and to achieve uniformity and ease of application, the Executive Director has decided to apply those standards to Press activities everywhere.