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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. a.) 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. b.) A condition of mental impairment or a developmental disability;
  3. c.) A learning disability, or a dysfunction in one or more of the processes involved in understanding or using symbols or spoken language;
  4. d.) A mental disorder; or
  5. e.) 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.

Impres Inc. will take the following steps to ensure employees are provided with the training needed to meet Ontario’s accessible laws by January 1, 2015:

  • Current employees will be trained on all appropriate policies, practices, and procedures that affect the way in which goods and services are provided to persons with disabilities. This will include how to interact with people with disabilities using an assistive device or requiring the assistance of a service animal or support person.
  • New employees will receive accessibility training as part of Orientation.
  • Employees will be re-trained when changes are made to Impres' Accessibility policies, practices, and procedures.

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.

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: aodacompliance@imprespharma.ca

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.

Website
Impres' new or significantly updated websites and web content will conform to WCAG 2.0 Level A. Impres Inc. will ensure that all of its websites comply with WCAG Level AA by 2021 by incorporating compliance into all website project management.

Employment

By January 1, 2016 in Ontario, and as soon as practicable nationally, accessibility will be integrated into Impres' employment-related practices, as follows:

Recruitment
Planned Action:

  • Review and, as necessary, modify existing recruitment, assessment, and selection procedures and processes;
  • Notify all job applicants and the public that accommodation is available during the recruitment process on request, by specifying same in job postings and on the careers section of the corporate website;
  • Specify that accommodation is available for applicants with disabilities in recruitment-related materials and during scheduling of interviews and assessments;
  • If an applicant requests accommodation, consult with the applicant and arrange for the provision of suitable accommodation that takes into account the applicant’s needs due to disability;
  • When making offers of employment, notify the successful applicant of Impres' policies for accommodating employees with disabilities; and
  • Develop and provide appropriate training to employees responsible for recruitment, assessment, selection and on-boarding to ensure these planned actions are delivered, and accommodation requests are fulfilled in an effective and timely manner.

Workplace
Planned Action:

  • Review and, as necessary, modify existing orientation and on-boarding processes to ensure new employees are provided information about Impres' accessibility policies as soon as practicable after employment commences
  • Develop a procedure, to advise employees whenever there is a change to exisiting policies on the provision of workplace accommodations;
  • Develop and integrate procedures for documenting and updating, as required, documented individual accommodation plans, which will provide for the method(s) by which requesting employees will be assessed and represented, how they can participate in the plan’s development, and the method by which a copy of the plan will be provided to the employee in a format that takes his or her accessibility needs into account;
  • Develop and provide appropriate training to managers responsible for supporting the individualized accommodation plan process, and a training schedule that will ensure the efficacy of the process on a continuing basis.

Return to work from Disability-Related Leaves
Planned Action:

  • Review and, as necessary, modify and document existing return to work processes for employees who have been absent from work due to a disability and require accommodation in order to return to work;
  • Ensure documented individual accommodation plans comprise part of the return to work process;
  • Develop and provide appropriate training to managers responsible for supporting the return to work process for employees who require accommodation in order to return to work, and a training schedule for same that will ensure effective execution of the return to work process on a continuous basis.

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.

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