Accessibility

Nucleus’ Accessibility Policy Statement

Nucleus is committed to creating an environment that is accessible to all persons and that treats all members of the community with respect and dignity. As such, and in keeping with the Customer Services standards of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) and the Ontario Human Right Code, Nucleus will strive to continuously improve the way in which we recognize and meet the needs of individuals with disabilities in our community, so that they may benefit from improved access to our services.

To explain the procedures for Accessibility Standards for Customer Service.

Nucleus will work to reduce and/or eliminate barriers, including physical, environmental, attitudinal, communication, technological and systemic that may prevent the full participation of persons with disabilities in Nucleus’s services, in accordance with the AODA.

The achievement of the Nucleus’s goal relating to accessibility depends on the participation of each and every person participating at Nucleus, including employees, interns, facilitators and contracted agents. Everyone has a role in creating an equitable and inclusive environment, as well as in the accommodation process and the identification, removal, and/or reduction of accessibility barriers.

All Nucleus employees and volunteers are required to take a person’s disability into account when communicating with a person who has a disability.

In keeping with the principles of independence, dignity and integration, Nucleus supports the right of a person with a disability to:

• Use their own assistive devices to access our services, if needed
• Use the support of a support person to access our services, where needed
• Use service animals in our location

In keeping with our commitment to provide excellent services to all clients including persons with disabilities, Nucleus will:

• Train all employees so that they may understand the Accessible Customer Service Regulation of AODA. This training will include an overview of any applicable Nucleus procedures as well as Accessible Customer Service Tips which will provide guidance on:
• How to interact and communicate with persons with various types of disabilities
• How to interact with persons with disabilities who use assistive devices or require the assistance of a guide dog or other service animal or the assistance of a support person
• How to use any Nucleus equipment, services or devices that the organization may acquire that would assist people with disabilities to be able to better access our services
• What to do if a person with a particular type of disability is having difficulty accessing our location
• What to do in the event of a planned or unexpected disruption in the facilities or services usually used by people with disabilities.
• This training will be provided to employees as a component of general Nucleus orientation within the first 2 months of commencement of duties

If/when Nucleus experiences a temporary disruption of service or access to facilities that people with disabilities may rely on, notices will be placed conspicuously:

• At the location experiencing the disruption, by the manager/supervisor
• On Nucleus’s website when deemed appropriate



Such notices will include the reason for the disruption, the expected duration of the disruption and suggested alternatives that may be available to the person with the disability.

Nucleus welcomes feedback about how accessible our customer service approaches are in meeting the needs of people living with various types of disabilities. Any feedback about how to improve the accessibility of our customer services is important to us. This feedback may be provided in the following ways:

• By regular mail addressed to Nucleus’s Executive Director
• By e-mail to the Executive Director
• By telephone: 905 829 4499

Instructions on how to provide feedback about the accessibility of our customer services will be posted on our website. Responses will be provided within seven (7) business days of the receipt of the feedback.

If a person would like to register a complaint about Nucleus’s accessibility to persons with disabilities, it is request that the complaint be made in writing wherever possible.

All written complaints will be treated as formal complaints and will receive written follow- up within seven (7) business days of the receipt of the complaint. Instructions on how to register a formal complaint will be posted on our website.

Nucleus’s Accessibility Plan encompasses ten (10) types of barriers.

Architectural – any physical factor that makes accessibility difficult for an individual. This may include narrow doorways, steps without ramps, types of flooring (carpet, ceramic), multilevel buildings without elevators, bathrooms, alarms that are not seen/heard by individuals with hearing impairments, counters too high, door knobs difficult to grasp for people with arthritis, narrow parking spaces, telephones not equipped with telecommunication devices for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, or even location of furniture.

Environmental – any items that compromises service delivery or productivity. Items may include flickering lights, noise levels, fragrances, poor signage.

Attitude – a preconceived (usually negative) attitude toward persons served or discrimination. Examples of this may include assumptions based on age, ethnic background, socioeconomic status, stereotypes, religious practices, or cultures.

Financial – anything that may result in a service or purchase or improvement being restricted, delayed or not implemented due to a lack of sufficient financial resources. Financial barriers may exist at the organizational level, or may be specific to a program or a person served.

Employment – the workplace does not provide sufficient flexibility or equipment to ensure a productive and satisfying workplace for employees. Language or strong accents, written skills due to English being a second language for foreign workers, shortages of qualified employees, the requirement for access to a vehicle and the need to drive versus taking public transport due to the nature of the service.

Communication – this looks at anything that inhibits information from being accessible and understandable to all. Examples may include lack of translation of materials into formats that are appropriate for stakeholders to understand, insufficient training for personnel on diversity issues, lack of assistive technology to augment communication, lack of hearing amplification equipment in the community settings that persons served use.

Transportation – speaks to situations in which persons served are unable to reach or participate fully in services because of the lack of suitable and available transportation. This can include limited accessible public transport, price of gasoline, and limited number of vehicles that accept various physical assistive devices.

Community Integration – any barrier that keeps a person served from returning to full participation in their community; or a lack of opportunities to engage with community organizations such as those pertaining to religion, education, social and volunteer activities; or where accommodate may be necessary for the person served to return to a previous activity {i.e.: a senior who volunteers at a food bank may need interventions (cane, walker) after a health issue (hip replacement) to return to volunteering).

Technology – barriers occur when a technology cannot be modified to support various assistive devices, such as a website that does not support screen-reading software.

Other – any other barriers identified by persons served, personnel, or other stakeholders not previously categorized.

If you wish to report an accessibility issue, have any questions or need assistance, please contact Nucleus Customer Support as follows:

Email: info@nucleusonline.ca

Phone: 1 (905) 829-4499