MULTI-YEAR ACCESSIBILITY PLAN
STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT
Camp Ramah in Canada is committed to treating all people in a way that allows them to maintain their dignity and independence. We believe in integration and equal opportunity. We are committed to meeting the needs of people with disabilities in a timely manner, and will do so by preventing and removing barriers to accessibility and meeting accessibility requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).
ACCESSIBLE EMPLOYMENT POLICIES
NOTICE OF ACCOMMODATION FOR THE RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION PROCESS
Potential employees are interviewed at our office, located at 100 Elder Street. There are no stairs to get into our building. Washrooms are located on our floor. Any accommodations needed during the interview process will be provided, such as a quieter room, a longer time for the interview, allowing a support person to attend, and getting help to fill out any paperwork.
NOTICE OF ACCOMMODATION TO SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS
All employees receive a cover letter and a contract, indicating the details of their employment. Included in the cover letter will be the following paragraph:
“*Please note: Camp Ramah in Canada has an accommodation process in place and provides accommodations for employees with disabilities. If you require a specific accommodation because of a disability or a medical need, please contact Mitch Small, Director of Finance and Operations at 416-789-2193, ext. 2510 or by e-mail at [email protected] so that arrangements can be made for the appropriate accommodations to be in place before you begin your employment.”
INFORMING EMPLOYEES OF SUPPORTS
Camp Ramah in Canada is committed to providing accommodations for people with disabilities. Each year, every employee is provided with an electronic copy of a staff handbook before the summer session begins. In that handbook, the following paragraph will appear, letting staff members know that support is available for them.
“*Please note: Camp Ramah in Canada has an accommodation process in place and provides accommodations for employees with disabilities. If you require a specific accommodation because of a disability or a medical need, please contact Mitch Small, Director of Finance and Operations at 416-789-2193, ext. 2510 or by e-mail at [email protected] so that arrangements can be made for the appropriate accommodations to be in place before you begin your employment.”
ACCESSIBLE FORMATS AND COMMUNICATION SUPPORTS FOR EMPLOYEES
Camp Ramah in Canada will provide, upon request, accessible formats, and communication support for people with disabilities in a timely manner. This will be done in consultation with the employee.
Accessible formats and communication support for employees will be provided for any information that is needed in order to perform the employee’s job and information that is generally available to the employees in the workplace.
WORKPLACE EMERGENCY RESPONSE INFORMATION
Camp Ramah in Canada will provide individualized workplace emergency response information to employees who have a disability if that individualized information is necessary. If assistance is needed in an emergency, that will be provided, and the employee’s assistant will be given this information as well.
The individualized workplace emergency response information will be reviewed: (a) when the employee moves to a different location in the organization; (b) when the employee’s overall accommodation needs or plans are reviewed; and (c) when the employer reviews its emergency response policies.
PROCESS FOR DOCUMENTED INDIVIDUAL ACCOMMODATION PLANS
Camp Ramah is committed to providing accommodations for people with disabilities. The need for accommodation can be requested by the employee or identified by the employee’s supervisor. Our company does not require details on the nature of the employee’s disability to provide an accommodation. We need to know about the employee’s functional abilities. Any medical information regarding the employee is kept in our database (CampMinder) and is password-protected.
Once the most appropriate accommodation has been identified, the details are written down in a formal plan, which includes, where applicable, accessible formats, communication supports, workplace emergency response information, and any other accommodation that is to be provided. This plan is provided to the employee in a format that considers his/her accessibility needs due to the disability. The employee and Mitch Small will monitor and review the accommodation to ensure that it has effectively resolved the challenge, and if not, they will work together to find the best accommodation measure.
The individual accommodation plan will include the following: 1. The manner in which an employee requesting accommodation can participate in the development of the individual accommodation plan. 2. The means by which the employee is assessed on an individual basis. 3. The manner in which the employer can request an evaluation by an outside medical or other experts, at the employer’s expense, to assist the employer in determining if the accommodation can be achieved and, if so, how accommodation can be achieved. 4. The manner in which the employee can request the participation of a representative from their bargaining agent, where the employee is represented by a bargaining agent, or other representatives from the workplace, where the employee is not represented by a bargaining agency, in the development of the accommodation plan. 5. The steps are taken to protect the privacy of the employee’s personal information. 6. The frequency with which the individual accommodation plan will be reviewed and updated and the manner in which it will be done. 7. If an individual accommodation plan is denied, the manner in which the reasons for the denial will be provided to the employee. 8. The means of providing the individual accommodation plan in a format that takes into account the employee’s accessibility needs due to disability.
RETURN TO WORK PROCESS
At Camp Ramah, we are committed to supporting employees who have been absent from work due to a non-work-related disability and who require accommodation to return to work
Since we are a summer camp with an eight-week session of employment, it is possible that the employee would be unable to return to work for the remainder of the session.
In situations where the employee CAN return to work, the following Return-to-Work (RTW) process has been put in place to facilitate an employee’s safe and timely return to work.
The employee reports his/her need for a disability leave to Mitch Small, Director of Finance and Operations (416-789-2193 ext. 2510, [email protected]).
Mitch Small will maintain regular contact with the employee, providing the employee with the appropriate information, helping resolve any problems, and monitoring his/her progress until returning to work. The employee is responsible for getting and following the appropriate medical treatment, updating Mitch Small about his/her progress, and giving the health care provider the RTW information.
The employee and Mitch Small will collaborate to develop a formal RTW plan, which will be reviewed regularly until it has been completed. Modifications will be made, if necessary.
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
Activities related to assessing and improving employee performance, productivity, and effectiveness (i.e. performance management) will be designed in a way that considers the accessibility needs of the employees.
CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND ADVANCEMENT
When providing career development and advancement to employees, Camp Ramah in Canada will consider the accessibility needs of the employees.
REDEPLOYMENT
If an employee needs to be reassigned to another job because his/her job has been eliminated, that reassignment will consider the accessibility needs of the employee.
TRAINING
Camp Ramah in Canada will provide training to employees and volunteers on Ontario’s accessibility laws as it related to people with disabilities. We will provide the link to Access Forward in our staff manual, which has training modules. In addition, during staff week, we will review the accessibility laws in person with our staff at our campsite.
PLAN REVIEW
We will review our Multi-Year Accessibility Plan every five years to ensure that it is complete and comprehensive.