Accessibility

While reading the Accessibility Policies, it is important to know that certain terms

have very specific definitions.  Within the policies, words that may require explanation are emphasized, and these terms are defined below.

Assistive Devices are aids for communication, cognition, personal mobility or medical aids. These can include (but are not limited to) crutches, walkers, canes, wheelchairs, hearing aids and portable oxygen units.

Class “E” Compressed Oxygen cylinders are approximately 25” in length and weighs 6kg.

Class “D” Compressed Oxygen cylinders are approximately 16” in length and weighs 5kg.

Disability per the Human Rights Code:  any degree of physical infirmity, malformation or disfigurement that is caused by injury, birth defect or illness. These can include (but are not limited to) diabetes, epilepsy, visual or hearing impairment, mental impairment or disorder, learning disability, or any disability for which benefits were claimed under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act.

Mental or Cognitive Disabilities per the Human Rights Code includes, but is not limited to, any condition of mental impairment or developmental disability, a learning disability or dysfunction in one or more of the processes involved in communication, a mental disorder, or an illness or injury affecting mental and/or cognitive functions.

Service Animals are animals specifically trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability.  The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directedly related to the individual’s disability.  It could be readily apparent that the animal is used for the purpose of assistance with a disability.  It is understood that a person presenting a service animal may be asked for documentation from a physician or nurse confirming the service animal status.

Support Persons are any persons, whether a paid professional, volunteer, family member or friend, who accompany a person with a disability in order to help with communication, mobility, personal care or medical needs.

TTY is Telephone Teletype: TTY is a special device that lets people who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech-impaired use the telephone to communicate by allowing them to type text messages. Unlike text messaging, it is designed for synchronous conversation, like a text version of a phone call.

WCAG is an acronym for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.  WCAG 2.0 is an internationally accepted standard for web accessibility developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), an international team of experts. Following these guidelines should make it easier for everyone to access web-sites and content.

Web Content refers to any information found on a web page or web application, including text, images, forms and sounds.

Wrench style opening of a compressed oxygen cylinder is required as this style makes it harder to open the cylinder by accident or upon contact.  The flap opening style cannot be accommodated on the moving coach.

POLICY #1: Providing Goods and Services to People with Disabilities

We are committed to excellence in serving all customers, including those with disabilities.  Reasonable efforts will made to ensure that:

1. Goods and services are provided in a manner that respects the dignity and independence of people with disabilities.

2. The goods and services provided to those with disabilities are the same as those provided to others, unless an alternative measure is necessary to allow a person with a disability to benefit; the alternative measure may be temporary or permanent. 

3. Communication is conducted in a manner that takes the person’s disability into account.

4. People with disabilities may use assistive devices, service animals and support persons as is necessary to access our services, unless superseded by other legislation.

5. Persons with disabilities are provided equal opportunity to access, use and benefit from our goods and services, in a same or similar way, unless superseded by other legislation. 

POLICY #2: Communication

We are committed to communicating in ways that take into account a person’s disability. Reasonable efforts will made to ensure that:

• We will train staff to communicate with customers who have various types of disabilities and/or assistive devices, using as a source the Accessibility Standard for Customer Service training materials. 
• We are committed to offering fully accessible telephone service and will train staff to speak clearly and slowly when necessary for understanding.
• We will offer to communicate with customers in person, by email, TTY or through a travel advisor if telephone communication is not suitable or is not available.
• We have all tour information on our web-site, and the text size can be adjusted to suit the needs of the visually impaired.
• Invoices and other tour information can be provided as a hard copy by mail or as an email, and we are happy to answer questions in person, by telephone, by email or through a travel advisor.  

PROCEDURE

1.  Communicating in person: The office headquarters is not accessible to those requiring mobility aids such as walkers, wheelchairs or scooters. Those with disabilities that require mobility aids are encouraged to contact our office by telephone or by email. However, in the event that they come to our office, staff will be pleased to serve people at the front door foyer or in their vehicle when possible. A notice with this information and our phone number has been posted at the door.

2.  Telephone Communication: Most telephones are equipped with volume control that may assist those with hearing impairment. If the volume levels are not adequate, customers are encouraged to use the help of a support person to relay information, or facilitate service through the use of a travel advisor. We are also able to receive operator assisted TTY calls.

3.  Email Communication: Each customer service agent and office staff member have an email address that can be used to answer questions directly with customers. Tour information and invoices can also be sent via email.  

4.  Communicating by mail: Staff will be pleased to send information by mail and will maintain a written dialogue should other mediums not be viable.

5.  Obtaining Services through a Travel Advisor: Those who require communication in person but are unable to visit our office, are encouraged to seek the service of a Travel Advisor who will act as an intermediary between us and the customer. Once a travel advisor has been acquired, we are limited in our direct communication with the customer as per Travel Industry practice.

POLICY #3: Assistive Devices

We are committed to welcoming people with disabilities who use assistive devices to obtain, use or benefit from our services where applicable. Reasonable efforts will made to ensure that:

• We will train staff and ensure that they are familiar with various assistive devices that may be used by our customers while they are accessing our services. These devices include (but are not limited to) mobility aids such as walkers, wheelchairs and scooters, hearing and vision aids, portable oxygen units and CPAP machines.
• We will communicate the limitations of our services to those with disabilities in our brochures, on our web-site and through our telephone conversations with customers who contact us. These limitations result from legislation that supersedes the AODA.
• We will communicate the physical demands of each tour on all tour descriptions in our brochure and on our web-site.

PROCEDURE

Policies have been developed for serving customers with mobility aids, hearing and vision aids, oxygen and mental and cognitive disabilities, as these seem to be the most common disabilities of those who currently access our services. Reasonable efforts will made to ensure that those with other assistive devices may access our services where appropriate, and where our services are not superseded by other legislation.

1. Limitations of Services: For their own protection, our staff is not permitted to provide assistance in lifting scooters or guests. They are also unable to provide individual assistance to a customer for walking, dining, getting on or off the motorcoach, or other personal needs. The coaches we own are not equipped to board wheelchairs and current legislation allows this limitation. If customers require special assistance that cannot be provided by a support person accompanying them, we may be unable to offer services. Customers are advised to communicate any special needs they may have in their initial conversation with us, in order to determine if our services are appropriate for their needs or if any alternate arrangements are required. 

2. Mobility Aids: Customers must advise us if they are travelling with mobility aids such as a walker, wheelchair or scooter so that safe arrangements can be made in accordance with transportation legislation. Currently, our motorcoaches are only equipped to carry one scooter at a time, and customers are served on a first come first served basis.

Long Stay Destinations: Please be advised that all mobility aids must be stored in the lower storage areas of activity buses. Full dimensions of this compartment are 18” high, 48” wide and 24” deep. If the item cannot fit into this compartment, it cannot be taken along on daily outings.

3. Vision or Hearing Aids: Customers should advise staff in advance of any hearing or vision disabilities. Onboard information and entertainment systems are individually volume controlled to assist those with hearing impairment. Should volume levels be inadequate, customers should make staff aware so alternative arrangements can be made to share information, such as providing written materials or offering one-on-one conversations. The coaches we own are equipped with AC adapters at each pair of seats to allow devices to be recharged if needed. 

4. Support Animals: Guide dogs are permitted, but customers must notify us in advance so that we can contact other passengers to ensure that the dog will not cause undo harm (such as allergies) to other customers. All policies and procedures regarding support animals are documented in Policy 4 - Support Persons and Service Animals. 

5. Oxygen: Customers carrying oxygen must advise us when they purchase any services.  Oxygen safety and storage measures are determined by the Ministry of Transportation and the Canadian Border Service Agency, and take precedent over the Accessibility Standard for Customer Service. For safety reasons, only one passenger using or transporting oxygen can be accommodated. Oxygen use and transportation measures are documented in Policy 5 - Oxygen Use and Transportation.

6. Mental or Cognitive Disabilities: Customers should advise us of any mental or cognitive disabilities before purchasing service to determine if any adjustments or alternative measures need to made. Our staff cannot provide extended individual assistance to a customer for orientation and/or personal needs. If customers require special assistance that cannot be provided by a support person accompanying them, we may be unable to offer services.

POLICY #4: Support Persons & Service Animals

We are committed to serving people with disabilities who require support people or service animals to obtain, use or benefit from our services. Reasonable efforts will made to ensure that:

• We welcome people with disabilities and their service animals. Service animals are allowed in the areas of our premises that are open to the public.
• A person with a disability accompanied by a support person is welcome to have that person remain with them while visiting our office.

PROCEDURE

1. Limitations of Services: Our staff cannot provide individual assistance to a customer for walking, dining, getting on or off the motorcoach, or other personal needs. If customers require special assistance that cannot be provided by a support person accompanying them, we may be unable to offer services. Customers are advised to communicate any special needs they may have in their initial conversation with us, in order to determine if our services are appropriate for their needs or if any alternative measures are required.

2. Support Animals: Guide dogs and disability-related service animals are permitted at all of our facilities that are open to the public. However, due to the enclosed and limited space onboard our coaches, customers are advised to notify us in advance of the presence of a service animal. We will then notify each passenger to ensure that another person’s health and safety will not be seriously impacted by the presence of a service animal. Should another customer be affected, reasonable efforts will be made to develop an alternative. In the event that an alternative is not viable, services will not be offered to one of the customers. Since our services are sold on a first come, first served basis, the needs of the first customer to purchase our services will be addressed ahead of the second.

3. Support Persons: We welcomes those with a disability who are accompanied by a support person. A Support Person must purchase our services at the full rate.  

4. The Requirement for a Support Person: Customers who have purchased our services in the past and were deemed by our staff to have affected another customer’s health or safety, or that were deemed to require individual assistance for mobility, dining, or any personal and/or medical needs, will be required to have a support person accompany them for services provided by us in the future. Should a support person not be obtained, we may not be able to offer our services.

POLICY #5: Oxygen Use & Transportation

We are committed to serving people with disabilities who require oxygen to obtain, use or benefit from our services. Reasonable efforts will made to ensure that:

• We will accommodate the needs of those who require oxygen, safely and securely, and while working in accordance with other legislation.
• Storage and safety measures determined by the Ministry of Transportation and the Canadian Border Service Agency are complied with, in recognition that the regulations of these agencies take precedent over the Accessibility Standard for Customer Service.

PROCEDURE

1. Limitations of Services: Our coaches may only carry compressed oxygen (no liquid oxygen), in designated Class D or Class E cylinders, and they must have the ‘wrench style’ of opening. The total weight of all cylinders being transported cannot exceed 75kg which is approximately 12 cylinders. For safety reasons, only one passenger using oxygen can be accommodated, per coach. Services will be sold on a first come, first served basis. Customers are advised to communicate any special needs they may have in their initial conversation with us, in order to determine if services are appropriate for their needs or if any alternative measures are required. 

2. Oxygen on board: The customer’s oxygen cylinder will be secured under their assigned seat. A carry-on style (over the shoulder) oxygen unit cannot be used onboard the motorcoach; however, customers may bring this unit and it will be safely stored in the luggage bay. Customers are asked to advise staff at scheduled stops if the cylinder is low or if they require the carry-on unit for outside of the coach. There are electrical outlets at each pair of seats that allow guests to recharge devices when needed.

3. Transporting Oxygen: We will place a secure box in the luggage bay to hold the oxygen cylinders. Our staff will ensure that cylinders are safely handled between the coach bay and the customer’s seat. Customers should not pack any oxygen in their suitcase, as it is required that our staff be aware of any gases they may be transporting. For the safety and convenience of themselves and other customers, those transporting oxygen are advised to have their extra cylinders transported to our office prior to departure. 

4. Transporting Oxygen into the United States: In order to transport oxygen into the United States, customers must bring the proper documentation to present to Border Service Agency officials. This documentation must include information from the oxygen supplier regarding the size of the tanks, how many cylinders they are transporting, and a copy of the customer’s prescription that outlines their usage requirements and why it is needed.

POLICY #6: Notice of Temporary Disruption

We are committed to serving people with disabilities as they seek to obtain, use or benefit from our services. Reasonable efforts will made to ensure that:

• We will provide customers with notice in the event of a planned or unexpected disruption in the facilities or services usually used by people with disabilities.

PROCEDURE

1. Content of Notice: In the event of a planned or temporary disruption in our facilities or services usually accessed by people with disabilities, a notice will be posted advising of the disruption. This notice shall include information about the reason for the disruption, its anticipated duration and a description of alternative measures that will be taken to serve people with disabilities, if available.

2. Where Notice will be found: Notice will be placed at the public entrance to our office and on our web-site.

POLICY #7: Feedback

We are committed to serving people with disabilities as they seek to obtain, use or benefit from our services. Reasonable efforts will made to ensure that:

• We will provide customers with a way to offer feedback regarding the way we provide services to those with disabilities.
• We are committed to developing customer service policies that respect and promote the dignity and independence of people with disabilities. If we discover or are made aware of a policy that is contrary to this commitment, efforts will be made to modify or remove this policy, unless superseded by other legislation.

PROCEDURE

1. Avenues for Feedback: Customers who wish to provide feedback regarding the way we provide services to people with disabilities can contact us by telephone/TTY, mail, email and in person at our office.

2. Complaint Process: All feedback will be directed to our Guest Relations department, and customers can expect to receive a response within fourteen (14) days after we receive the feedback, by phone, email, or mail (less any delivery time by Canada Post).  Complaints will be addressed using our usual complaint management process.

3. Questions about this policy: Our Accessibility policies exist to help us achieve service excellence to customers with disabilities. If the purpose of this policy is not understood, or if there are any questions about this policy, people should contact Guest Relations, Leighanne Hallett.

POLICY #8: Training

We are committed to serving people with disabilities as they seek to obtain, use or benefit from our services. Reasonable efforts will made to ensure that:

• We will provide training for all employees that deal with the public, and all those involved in the development and approval of customer service policies.

PROCEDURE

1. Positions to Receive Training: the following employees will receive training: all office staff, tour directors and drivers. 

2. When Training will take place: This training will be provided within 1 year from the employee’s hire date. Training will also take place on an ongoing basis when changes are made to the company’s Accessibility policies.

3. Training will Include: 

• the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disability Act 
• the requirements of the Customer Service Standard
• how to interact and communicate with people with various types of disabilities 
• familiarization of common assistive devices used by customers 
• how to interact with people who use support people or service animals
• how to use onsite equipment that may help those with disabilities
• what to do if a customer is having difficulty accessing our services
• education on all components of our Accessibility policies 

4. Record Keeping: We will maintain accurate records of training delivered to our staff and make these records available for inspection as may be required.

POLICY #9: Public Access to Accessibility Policies

We are committed to serving people with disabilities as they seek to obtain, use or benefit from our services. Reasonable efforts will made to ensure that:

• All components of our Accessibility Polices are available to the public, upon request or via our web-site.

PROCEDURE

1. Providing Access to the Plan: A written or emailed copy of our Accessibility Polices can be obtained by contacting Guest Relations, Leighanne Hallett.  In addition, a document of all these policies is available for download from our web-site, by clicking on the word ‘Accessibility’ located at the bottom of each web-site page, on the left.

2. Formats: Upon request, this plan is available in large print, or by email.

POLICY #10: Employment Practices

We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all candidates, including people

with disabilities, in our hiring and employment practices.  Reasonable efforts will made to ensure that:

• Employment opportunities are available for all individuals, including those with disabilities. 
• Workplace info specific to job functions, general information distributed to employees and employee emergency info/plans will be provided in an accessible format that meets the needs of the employee’s disability, upon request from the employee.
• Upon request from the employee and in coordination with them, appropriate accommodations that meet the needs of the employee’s disability will be developed and implemented to ensure the employee will have what is required to complete their job functions, participate in job performance reviews and be in consideration for advancement opportunities within the company.  
• The Accessibility components of our employment practices are reviewed with newly hired and all other staff members on an ongoing basis. 

PROCEDURE

1. Hiring Practices: Employees and the public will be notified that equal employment opportunities are available for all candidates via a notice posted on the company web-site and placed in all job postings.

2. Workplace Info and Emergency Info/Plans:  Upon request by a staff member, the following information will be provided in an accessible format that accommodates the employee’s concern or disability: 

• Any workplace info required for the completion of the employee’s job function.
• All general information provided to employees (e.g., company newsletters, Health and Safety information).
• Any emergency information/plans distributed for staff. 

3. Job Performance: As periodic job performance reviews occur, upon request from the employee to their supervisor, the following components will be addressed:

• Provision of documentation in an accessible format that meets the needs of the employee’s disability.
• Provision of feedback and coaching that meets the needs of the employee’s disability.
• Development and implementation of accommodations for an employee with a disability, in coordination with the employee, that would allow enhancement of their skill level for new responsibilities or the potential for advancement to an alternate employment position.

4. Communication: Accessibility polices are reviewed with both current staff and new hires on an ongoing basis including during the onboarding process for new hires, internal memos and newsletters, and staff meetings.  A copy of Accessibility Policies is also available for review on the company web-site. 

POLICY #11: Web Content

We are committed to serving people with disabilities as they endeavour to obtain, use or benefit from our services. 

Web-sites and web content under our control will meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA standards, with the exception of criteria 1.2.4 (live captions) and 1.2.5 (pre-recorded audio descriptions).

For further review of WCAG 2.0 details, see Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 (w3.org) 

PROCEDURE

1. WCAG 2.0 Level AA standards were developed to provide options to all users, including individuals with disabilities, for easier access and consumption of web-site content. Adherence to these guidelines will make it easier for everyone to access web-sites and content. 

2. We will ensure all web-site changes and new content meet the WCAG 2.0 guidelines and will periodically review the guidelines for upgrades and changes.