AODA Customer Service Policy

October, 2009

Our Mission

King’s University College is committed to the ongoing creation of a vital academic community animated by a Christian love of learning and the pursuit of truth. The College strives to foster an environment based on open inquiry, Christian values and service to the larger community.

King’s encourages its members to be of service to those in need, it ensures that all individuals are treated fairly and equitably, and it expects all members of the College to interact with one another in a manner which is collegial, respectful, honest and non-discriminatory.
Our Commitment

King’s University College strives to offer quality service to each member of the community and to always provide in a way that respects the dignity and independence of people with disabilities. The College is committed to open communication and to ensuring that persons with disabilities have an equal opportunity access.
The purpose of this policy is to provide a framework through which King’s can achieve service excellence for people with disabilities and the building of a fully inclusive community.
Providing Goods and Services to People with Disabilities

King’s respects and celebrates the diversity of people who make up our community. We are committed to excellence in serving our diverse community, including persons with disabilities, and we will carry out our service goals in the following areas:
1. Communication
  King’s University College will communicate with people with disabilities in ways that take into account their individual rquirements. We will train our employees how to effectively interact and communicate with people who have various disabilities.
2. Telephone Services
  King’s University College is committed to providing fully accessible telephone services including access to appropriate assistive technologies. We will train employees to communicate over the telephone in clear and plain language and to speak clearly and slowly. We will make our employees familiar with telephone technologies intended for people with disabilities.
3. Assistive Devices
  King’s welcomes persons with disabilities to use assistive devices to obtain, use or benefit from our services. We will ensure that our employees are trained in the use of the various assistive devices and alternate to print materials available on the premises.
  
  The Committee will continue our consulting relationship with the College’s Services for Students with Disabilities Office to provide accessible services to our community.
4. Billing
  King’s is committed to providing accessible invoices and, upon request, our invoices will be provided in alternative formats.
Use of Service Animals and Support Persons
1. The College welcomes persons who are accompanied by a service animal on the parts of our premises that are open to the public and other third parties.
2. The College welcomes persons who are accompanied by a support person. Any person with a disability who is accompanied by a support person will be allowed to enter the College’s premises with his or her support person. At no time will a person who is accompanied by a support person be prevented from having access to his or her support person, provided that the interaction between the person and his/her support person does not compromise academic integrity by removing or otherwise undermining essential requirements of courses or academic programs.
3. In the case where a fee will be charged for the admission of a support person, the fee will be communicated and posted accordingly by the unit/department through their website, brochure or other public method.
Notice of Temporary Disruption
The College will provide notice in the event of a planned or unexpected disruption in the facilities or services usually used by people with disabilities to access the College’s goods or services. Although the College cannot provide the same guarantee in emergency temporary disruption situations, every reasonable effort will be made to give adequate notice.

A notice regarding a temporary disruption will include information about the reason for the disruption, its anticipated duration, and a description of alternative facilities or services, if available. The notice will be placed in relevant conspicuous locations on our premises and, when appropriate shall be placed on the College’s accessibility website at www.kings.uwo.ca/aoda/.
Training for Staff
The College will provide training about accessible goods and services to faculty and staff members, contractors, volunteers and others who interact with members of the public who wish to obtain, use or benefit from services provided by the College. In addition, training will be provided to employees as part of the orientation training for new employees, and on an ongoing basis whenever changes are made to relevant policies, procedures and practices. The training will be provided as soon as practicable after the new employee is assigned his/her duties.

Training will include a review of the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, the requirements of the Customer Service standard, and information about the following:
- How to interact and communicate with people with various types of disabilities
- The College’s policies, practices and procedures relating to the provision of services to persons with disabilities
- How to interact with persons with disabilities who use an assistive device or require the assistance of a service animal or a support person
- How to use equipment or devices available at the College that may help with the provision of services to a person with a disability
- What to do if a person with a disability is having difficulty accessing the College’s services
The College will keep records of the training provided, including the dates of the training and the number of people trained. Further information regarding training may be found at http://www.kings.uwo.ca/index.cfm/aoda .
Feedback Process
The College welcomes feedback regarding the way in which the College provides services to persons with disabilities. Information regarding the College’s feedback process may be found at: www.kings.uwo.ca/index.cfm/aoda/feedback/
Modifications to this or other policies
King’s University College is committed to developing accessibility policies that respect and promote the dignity and independence of all persons. Therefore, no change will be made to this policy before considering the impact on people with disabilities. Any King’s policy that does not respect and promote the dignity and independence of people will be addressed by the committee and adjustments will be made in a timely fashion.
Questions about this policy
If anyone has questions about this policy, please contact:

King’s AODA Committee
c/o Human Resources
Tel. 519-433-3491, ext. 4470
Fax. 519-433-6058
Email: kuc-aoda@uwo.ca

For further information about our guiding principles and related information, please see also:
• http://www.kings.uwo.ca/index.cfm/aoda
• Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA, 2005)
• Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, Ontario Regulation 429/07
• Ministry of Community and Social Services