| Development Date | August 2017 |
| Revision Date | September 2026 / August 2026 / December 2023 |
| Executive Director | MaryAnn McLennan |
Purpose – Accessibility Plan
Orillia Central Preschool is committed to ensuring equal access and participation for people with disabilities and to providing goods, services and facilities in a manner that respects dignity, independence, integration and equality of opportunity.
Orillia Central Preschool will identify, remove and prevent barriers to accessibility and will meet its current and ongoing obligations under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA), Ontario Regulation 191/11, and the Ontario Human Rights Code. Obligations under the AODA and its accessibility standards do not replace or limit obligations under the Human Rights Code or any other law.
Accessible Formats and Communication Supports
Orillia Central Preschool will communicate with people with disabilities in ways that take into account their disability. Upon request, Orillia Central Preschool will provide or arrange for the provision of accessible formats and communication supports for persons with disabilities.
Accessible formats and communication supports will be provided:
- in a timely manner that takes into account the person’s accessibility needs due to disability; and
- at a cost that is no more than the regular cost charged to other persons.
Orillia Central Preschool will consult with the person making the request to determine the suitability of the accessible format or communication support.
Orillia Central Preschool will notify the public about the availability of accessible formats and communication supports.
Where Orillia Central Preschool is required under the Customer Service Standard to provide a copy of a document to a person with a disability, Orillia Central Preschool will, upon request, provide or arrange for the provision of the document, or the information contained in the document, in an accessible format or with an appropriate communication support.
Accessibility Report
Orillia Central Preschool’s most recent Accessibility Report is available to the public on the Orillia Central Preschool website at orilliacentralpreschool.com.
Assistive Devices
Persons with disabilities may use personal assistive devices as required to obtain, use or benefit from Orillia Central Preschool’s goods, services or facilities. Orillia Central Preschool will ensure that staff are trained and familiar with assistive devices and with any equipment or devices available on its premises that may assist persons with disabilities.
Establishment of Policies
Orillia Central Preschool will develop, implement and maintain policies governing the provision of its goods, services and facilities to persons with disabilities and will use reasonable efforts to ensure that these policies are consistent with the following principles:
• goods, services and facilities are provided in a manner that respects the dignity and independence of persons with disabilities;
• the provision of goods, services and facilities to persons with disabilities is integrated with the provision of goods, services and facilities to others, unless an alternative measure is necessary, temporarily or permanently, to enable a person with a disability to obtain, use or benefit from them;
• persons with disabilities are given an opportunity equal to that given to others to obtain, use and benefit from Orillia Central Preschool’s goods, services and facilities; and
• when communicating with a person with a disability, Orillia Central Preschool will do so in a manner that takes into account the person’s disability.
These policies address the use of assistive devices by persons with disabilities and the availability of other measures, where applicable, that enable persons with disabilities to obtain, use or benefit from Orillia Central Preschool’s goods, services or facilities.
Orillia Central Preschool will maintain one or more documents describing its accessible customer service policies and will provide a copy to any person upon request. Orillia Central Preschool will notify persons to whom it provides goods, services or facilities that these documents are available upon request. Notice may be provided in a conspicuous location at Orillia Central Preschool premises, on its website, or by another method that is reasonable in the circumstances.
Orillia Central Preschool will modify or remove any policy that does not respect and promote the dignity and independence of persons with disabilities.
Feedback Process
Orillia Central Preschool has a process for receiving and responding to feedback about the manner in which it provides goods, services or facilities to persons with disabilities, including feedback about the accessibility of the feedback process itself.
Customers may provide feedback verbally to the Program Supervisor or by email:
- OCP Orchard Park – ocp.orchardpark@rogers.com
- OCP North – ocp.north@rogers.com
- OCP South – ocp.south@rogers.com
- OCP Uptergrove & Rama Central – ocp.schoolage@rogers.com
All feedback and complaints will be directed to the Executive Director. Orillia Central Preschool will review the concern and the circumstances giving rise to it, investigate as appropriate, determine whether corrective action or changes to practices or procedures are required, and communicate the outcome, response, or next steps to the person providing the feedback. Customers can expect to hear back within two business days.
Orillia Central Preschool will ensure that its processes for receiving and responding to feedback are accessible to persons with disabilities by providing or arranging for accessible formats and communication supports upon request. When an accessible format or communication support is requested, Orillia Central Preschool will consult with the person making the request to determine a suitable format or support.
Information about Orillia Central Preschool’s feedback process will be readily available to the public. Orillia Central Preschool will maintain a written description of the feedback process, provide a copy upon request, and notify persons to whom it provides goods, services or facilities that the document is available upon request.
Notice of the availability of the feedback process document may be provided by posting the information in a conspicuous location at Orillia Central Preschool premises, on Orillia Central Preschool’s website, or by another method that is reasonable in the circumstances.
Informing Employees of Supports
Orillia Central Preschool will inform its employees of its policies used to support employees with disabilities, including, but not limited to, policies on the provision of job accommodations that take into account an employee’s accessibility needs due to disability.
This information will be provided to new employees as soon as practicable after they begin their employment. Updated information will be provided to employees whenever there is a change to existing policies on the provision of job accommodations that take into account an employee’s accessibility needs due to disability.
Notice of Temporary Disruptions
Where there is a temporary disruption, in whole or in part, to facilities or services that persons with disabilities usually use to obtain, use or benefit from Orillia Central Preschool’s goods, services or facilities, Orillia Central Preschool will provide notice of the disruption to the public.
The notice will include:
• the reason for the disruption;
• the anticipated duration of the disruption; and
• a description of alternative facilities or services, if any, that are available.
Orillia Central Preschool will maintain a written document setting out the steps to be taken in connection with a temporary disruption and will provide a copy to any person upon request. Orillia Central Preschool will notify persons to whom it provides goods, services or facilities that this document is available upon request.
Notices regarding temporary disruptions and the availability of the temporary disruption document may be provided by posting information in a conspicuous location at the affected premises, through Lillio, on Orillia Central Preschool’s website where appropriate, or by another method that is reasonable in the circumstances.
Recruitment – General, Assessment or Selection Process
Orillia Central Preschool will notify its employees and the public about the availability of accommodation for applicants with disabilities during its recruitment processes.
During the recruitment process, Orillia Central Preschool will notify job applicants, when they are individually selected to participate in an assessment or selection process, that accommodations are available upon request in relation to the materials or processes to be used.
If a selected applicant requests an accommodation, Orillia Central Preschool will consult with the applicant and provide or arrange for the provision of a suitable accommodation in a manner that takes into account the applicant’s accessibility needs due to disability.
Notice to Successful Applicants
When making offers of employment, Orillia Central Preschool will notify successful applicants of its policies for accommodating employees with disabilities.
Training for Staff
Orillia Central Preschool will provide accessibility training to all employees and volunteers, persons who participate in developing the organization’s policies, and other persons who provide goods, services or facilities on behalf of Orillia Central Preschool. Training will be appropriate to the duties of the individuals being trained and will be provided as soon as practicable.
Training will include:
- a review of the purposes of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and the requirements of the applicable accessibility standards;
- applicable requirements of the Ontario Human Rights Code as they relate to persons with disabilities;
- how to interact and communicate with persons with various types of disabilities;
- how to interact with persons with disabilities who use assistive devices or require the assistance of a guide dog, other service animal or support person;
- how to use equipment or devices available on Orillia Central Preschool premises or otherwise provided by Orillia Central Preschool that may assist persons with disabilities; and
- what to do if a person with a disability is having difficulty accessing Orillia Central Preschool’s goods, services or facilities.
Training will be provided on an ongoing basis whenever changes are made to Orillia Central Preschool’s accessibility policies.
Orillia Central Preschool will maintain records of accessibility training as required, including the dates on which training is provided and the number of individuals trained.
Where applicable, Orillia Central Preschool will maintain documentation describing its training policy, the content of the training and when training is provided. This documentation will be provided upon request, and the public will be notified that it is available upon request.
Use of Service Animals and Support Persons
Where Orillia Central Preschool provides goods, services or facilities to members of the public or other third parties at premises owned or operated by Orillia Central Preschool and the public or third parties have access to those premises, the following provisions apply.
A person with a disability who is accompanied by a guide dog or other service animal will be permitted to enter the premises with the animal and to keep the animal with them, unless the animal is otherwise excluded by law. If a service animal is excluded by law, Orillia Central Preschool will ensure that other measures are available to enable the person with a disability to obtain, use or benefit from its goods, services or facilities.
A person with a disability who is accompanied by a support person will be permitted to enter the premises together with the support person and will not be prevented from having access to the support person while on the premises.
Orillia Central Preschool may require a person with a disability to be accompanied by a support person only after consulting with the person with a disability and considering the available evidence, and only where:
• a support person is necessary to protect the health or safety of the person with a disability or the health or safety of others on the premises; and
• there is no other reasonable way to protect the health or safety of the person with a disability or others on the premises.
Orillia Central Preschool does not charge fees to support persons. If an amount were otherwise payable for a support person’s admission to or presence on the premises, advance notice will be provided regarding the amount, if any, payable. Where Orillia Central Preschool requires a support person under the circumstances described above, any amount otherwise payable for that support person will be waived.
Orillia Central Preschool will maintain documentation describing its policies regarding service animals and support persons, provide a copy upon request, and notify persons to whom it provides goods, services or facilities that the documents are available upon request. Notice may be provided in a conspicuous location at Orillia Central Preschool premises, on its website, or by another reasonable method.
Workplace Emergency Response Information
Orillia Central Preschool will provide individualized workplace emergency response information to an employee who has a disability where the disability is such that individualized information is necessary and Orillia Central Preschool is aware of the need for accommodation due to the employee’s disability.
If an employee who receives individualized workplace emergency response information requires assistance, Orillia Central Preschool will, with the employee’s consent, provide the workplace emergency response information to the person designated by Orillia Central Preschool to provide assistance to the employee.
Individualized workplace emergency response information will be provided as soon as practicable after Orillia Central Preschool becomes aware of the need for accommodation due to the employee’s disability.
Orillia Central Preschool will review individualized workplace emergency response information:
• when the employee moves to a different location within the organization;
• when the employee’s overall accommodation needs or plans are reviewed; and
• when Orillia Central Preschool reviews its general emergency response policies.