AODA COMPLIANCE

Statement of Commitment              

Impres Inc. is committed to excellence in serving all customers, including people with disabilities, and will carry out its functions and responsibilities in an appropriate manner to accommodate such individuals.

Impres Inc. is also dedicated to giving people with disabilities the same opportunity to access our goods and services, and allowing them to benefit from the same services, in the same place, and in a similar way as other customers.

Impres Inc. will strive to ensure that its policies, practices and procedures are consistent with the following core principles as outlined in the AODA.

Dignity – services are provided in a manner that is respectful to persons with a disability and does not diminish the person’s importance.

Independence – Accommodating a person’s disability means respecting their right to do for themselves and to choose the way they wish to receive services.

Integration – Wherever possible, services will be provided in a manner that enables people with disabilities to fully benefit from the same services, in the same place and in the same or similar way as other customers. This may require alternative formats and flexible approaches. It means inclusiveness and full participation. This is a fundamental human right.

Equal Opportunity – Service is provided to persons with disabilities in a way that their opportunity to access goods and services is equal to that given to others.

Definitions

Disability

In accordance with human rights legislation, a disability is defined as follows:

1. Any degree of physical disability, infirmity, malformation or disfiguration caused by bodily injury, birth defect or illness and includes but is not limited to:
   • Diabetes mellitus;
   • Epilepsy;
   • A brain injury;
   • Any degree of paralysis;
   • Amputation;
   • Lack of physical coordination;
   • Blindness or visual impediment;
   • Deafness or hearing impediment;
   • Muteness or speech impediment; and
   • Physical reliance of a guide dog or other animal, or on a wheelchair or other remedial appliance or device
2. A condition of mental impairment or a developmental disability;
3. A learning disability, or a dysfunction in one or more of the processes involved in understanding or using symbols or spoken language;
4. A mental disorder; or
5. An injury or disability for which benefits were claimed or received under a provincial insurance plan.

Barrier

A barrier is anything that prevents a person with a disability from fully taking part in society because of that disability. Some barriers include:

                 
• Physical barriers (e.g. a step at the entrance to the building or a door that is too heavy to be opened by an individual with limited upper body mobility and strength);
• Architectural barriers (e.g. a hallway or door that is too narrow for a wheelchair or scooter);
• Information or communication barriers (e.g. a publication that is not available in large print);
• Attitudinal barriers (e.g. assuming people with a disability cannot perform a certain task when in fact they can or ignoring a customer in a wheelchair);
• Technological barriers (e.g. a website that is not accessible for people who require the use of screen readers); and
• Barriers created by policies or practices (e.g. not allowing animals on the premises, excluding or removing individuals who require the use of service animals).

Workplace Emergency Response Information

Alternative emergency preparedness plans are created and updated, as required and as soon as practicable, for employees who Impres is aware are unable to follow the standard emergency plan at the Cambridge office, as the result of a permanent or temporary disability. The employee and, if the employee consents, any designated assistant(s) are provided with the alternative emergency preparedness plan. Alternative emergency plans are stored with the standard Emergency Plan.

Training

Impres Inc. will provide training to new employees on Ontario’s accessibility laws and on the Human Rights Code as it relates to people with disabilities. Training will be provided in a way that best suits the duties of employees in conjunction with training in other aspects of their new role.

Design of Public Spaces

Impres Inc. commits to meeting Accessibility Standards for the Design of Public Spaces when building or making modifications to public spaces. We will notify the public of any service disruption, should they occur, and provide available alternatives.

Information and Communications

Impres Inc. is committed to meeting the communication needs of people with disabilities. We will ensure that proper consideration is provided to employees, customers, and candidates with regard to determining their information and communication needs. We will ensure that all publicly available information is accessible upon request.     

Website

• Impres' new or significantly updated websites and web content will conform to WCAG 2.2 Level A.  This means adhering to the four principles of accessibility for web content:
  • Perceivable - Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in a way they can perceive. This means that users must be able to perceive the information being presented (it can't be invisible to all of their senses).
  • Operable - User interface components and navigation must be operable. This means that users must be able to operate the interface (the interface cannot require interaction that a user cannot perform).
  • Understandable - Information and the operation of user interface must be understandable. This means that users must be able to understand the information as well as the operation of the user interface (the content or operation cannot be beyond their understanding).‍
  • Robust - Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies. This means that users must be able to access the content as technologies advance (as technologies and user agents evolve, the content should remain accessible).

Feedback

Customers who wish to provide feedback on the way Impres Inc. provides services to people with disabilities may do so by directing their comments to:

Human Resources
Unit J, 1165 Franklin Blvd.,
Cambridge, ON
N1R 8E1              

Telephone: 1.866.781.0491

Email: aoda@impres.com

If necessary, Impres Inc. will retain a third party service provider to convert communications and documents to alternate formats as is required by the customer.