AODA Accessible Standards – Effective January 2017, employers must meet additional obligations under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).

What is the AODA?

In 2005, the provincial government passed the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act with the goal of making Ontario accessible by 2025. People with disabilities face obstacles that make it difficult, sometimes impossible, to do the things most of us take for granted. Things like going shopping, working, or taking public transit; organizations can remove some of these barriers by doing things differently.

Ontario Employers must implement Accessible Standards

The purpose of the AODA is to involve Ontario employers in the development and implementation of accessibility standards in their workplaces in key areas that impact daily living. The AODA has 5 components:

• Customer Service
• Communication
• Employment
• Transportation
• Built Environment (public spaces)

Does the AODA apply to all Ontario Employers?

Employers with 1 or more employee must implement AODA standards. Accessible standards, requirements and implementation deadlines vary depending on the organization size and for private, non-profit or public sector organizations.

2017 Implementation Requirements for Private Sector Companies

January 2017 – Employers with 50 or more employees are required to create accessible public spaces such as waiting areas, service counters, walkways and parking. This only applies to new or major renovations to existing public spaces. Changes to other building spaces will be implemented through changes to the Ontario building code.

January 2017 – Employers with fewer than 50 employees are required to implement accessibility across all stages of the employment relationship (hiring, training, promotion, return to work after illness or injury, and more) and provide accessible formats and communication supports about goods, services or facilities, on request.

Compliance Report Due December 31, 2017

All employers with 20 or more employees must file an AODA compliance report by December 31, 2017.

Where can I learn more about AODA Accessible Standards?

A list of past implementation deadlines for private sector companies is available here:

Managers guide to accessibility large organizations

Managers guide to accessibility small organizations

Learn more about accessibility in Ontario and the AODA.

As we reach the last stretch of 2016, there is no time like the present to plan for success in 2017 and beyond. At Fusion, our goal is to help clients in any way we can to ensure their success when it comes to hiring and retaining talented employees. As a complement to our full service offering, Fusion has a library of valuable, free people management resources.

Our people management resources will help managers pave the way for the retention of happy and engaged employees. Below is an overview of the resources in our library, and how you can use them to help position your 2017 for success.

Build Your Team

This series of guides are the first step in creating a team that works for you and your business. From tips to get you started on workforce planning for 2017 to on-boarding new staff in a manner that is useful and constructive. This group of guides will give you actionable tools to create a team that is equipped with the knowledge needed to propel your company forward.

• Managers’ guide to workforce planning
• Managers’ guide to hiring
• Managers’ guide to on-boarding

Know about Workplace Legislation

Having a good understanding of Ontario workplace legislation is important for every manager, in every industry. The provincial government has set workplace regulations that cover the rights and obligations within an employee/employer relationship. Our checklists and worksheets help managers with issues involving compliance and accessibility, that are relatable to a variety of organizations and industries.

• Compliance checklist
• Managers’ guide to posting
• Managers’ guide to accessibility large organizations
• Managers’ guide to accessibility small organizations

Manage Your People

Once you’ve hired new staff, the next step is to prepare them for what’s to come and to give them an understanding of how things work in your organization. Preparing an employee handbook that documents everything such as your dress code, code of conduct, benefits and payday – will go a long way into making sure your new employee feels prepared and ready to perform their job well.

• Managers’ guide to handbook
• Managers’ guide to leaves
• Managers’ guide to accommodation

Manage Workplace Issues

Managing workplace issues such as investigations, discipline and possible termination are not top of mind when hiring a new employee, but guidelines and strategies to handle these setbacks should be prepared in advance. Our guides outline some of the key best practices for initiating an investigation, coaching, and measuring performance.

• Managers’ guide to workplace investigations
• Managers’ guide to performance
• Managers’ guide to discipline
• Managers’ guide to termination

Manage Safety in the Workplace

Safety in the workplace is a very important issue that some companies tend to gloss over – and they shouldn’t. Every people manager should have more than a general understanding of workplace safety and the process to undergo if someone is injured, harassed or placed in a violent situation while on the job. 

• Managers’ guide to Health & Safety at work
• Injury management
• Managers’ guide to workplace violence and harassment prevention

The information shared in these guides delivers a good overview that will help organizations develop unique strategies that fit their operations and corporate culture – for today, and to build for a successful 2017. You can access all the people management resources on the Fusion Career Services website under the Client – Industry Resources Page.