بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Assalamu Alaikum

0

MILLION

Ontarians live with a disability

in

1 in 4

That's roughly 27% of Canadians aged 15+

In a Madressah classroom
of 20 students...

5 are navigating

some form of disability

The AODA Timeline

The AODA applies to every nonprofit in Ontario with 1+ paid employees.

  • ISIJ
  • Madressah
  • JSSTC

How To Count Employees

INCLUDE

  • Full-time employees
  • Part-time employees
  • Seasonal workers
  • Contract workers

EXCLUDE

  • Volunteers
  • Independent contractors
  • Out-of-province staff

Two Laws Apply

AODA

Systemic Standards

OHRC

Individual Rights

Both apply simultaneously to your organization

The Five Standards

Scenario

Thursday Night

at the Centre

Press Space or Arrow to reveal

A parent in a wheelchair arrives.

The elevator is out of service.

No signage. No alternative.

The volunteer isn't trained.

Customer Service Standard

A parent in a wheelchair arrives. The elevator is out of service. No signage. No alternative. The volunteer isn't trained. This relates to the Customer Service Standard.

Scenario

Muharram

Online

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A deaf community member requests captions.

You don't have captioning in place.

The programming is already underway.

Information & Communications Standard

A deaf community member requests captions. You don't have captioning in place. The programming is already underway. This relates to the Information and Communications Standard.

Scenario

The New

Hire

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A qualified candidate discloses a visual impairment.

They request large print interview materials.

No accommodation process exists.

Employment Standard

A qualified candidate discloses a visual impairment. They request large print interview materials. No accommodation process exists. This relates to the Employment Standard.

What About Our 400+ Volunteers?

Obligation Staff Volunteers
AODA Training ✓ ✓
Customer Service Standard ✓ ✓
Employment Standard ✓ ✗*
Count Toward Tier ✓ ✗

*Covered by Ontario Human Rights Code

Your Obligations by Size

Requirement 1-19 20-49 50+
Accessibility Policies
Multi-Year Plan
Training
Training Records
Compliance Report
Required Recommended N/A

Who Is Responsible?

BOARD

Fiduciary Responsibility

ACCESSIBILITY LEAD

Operational Ownership

Personal Liability

Directors & Officers

$0

per day

Organization

$0

per day

What Does Compliance Cost?

FREE

  • • AODA Training (OHRC)
  • • Policy templates
  • • Compliance report filing
  • • Feedback mechanism

The question is not
"what does compliance cost?"

The question is
"what does NON-compliance cost?"

30 Days - URGENT

  1. Determine employee count and tier
  2. File compliance report (if 20+ and not filed)
  3. Designate an accessibility lead
  4. Begin AODA training (free at ohrc.on.ca)

90 Days - PRIORITY

  1. Develop written accessibility policy
  2. Establish feedback mechanism
  3. Complete self-assessment checklist
  4. Review hiring practices

Year 1 - STRATEGIC

  1. Website accessibility audit (WCAG 2.0 AA)
  2. Build captioning capacity
  3. Multi-year accessibility plan (if 50+)
  4. Make accessibility a standing board agenda item
"Compliance is the floor.
Dignity is the ceiling."

The AODA is the legal minimum.
Our faith calls us higher.

وَعَلَيْكُمْ ٱلسَّلَامُ