Accessibility

Hydro Ottawa is committed to accessibility and demonstrates that commitment by preventing, identifying and removing barriers that impede accessibility for people with disabilities, and by providing goods and services in a manner that respects the principles of dignity, independence, integration and equality of opportunity.

This policy applies to all employees of Hydro Ottawa who interact in any way with customers and/or are involved in the development, design and implementation of policies, programs, processes, procedures and practices affecting customers.

To ensure that Hydro Ottawa meets its objectives and legal obligations in regards to accessibility, we;

• Use reasonable efforts to establish policies, practices and procedures that follow the principles of dignity, independence, equality of opportunity and integration;
• Provide alternate methods, temporarily or permanently, to enable customers with disabilities to obtain, use or benefit from Hydro Ottawa’s goods and services;
• Communicate with customers with disabilities in a way that takes into account their disability, including providing a document or information contained in a document in a format that meets the needs of a customer with a disability;
• Allow customers with disabilities to use and benefit from assistive devices, service animals and/or support persons, at any premise where customers are welcome;
• Provide customers with notice in the event of a planned or unexpected temporary disruption in the facilities or services typically used by persons with disabilities. This notice is to include a description of the reason for the disruption, its anticipated duration and any available alternative facilities or services, and it is to be placed at all Hydro Ottawa public entrances and service counters;
• Provide, through corporate websites and printed methods, public notice of documents that are available upon request, where those documents are required by Ontario Regulation 429/07, Customer Service Standard;
• Communicate, through multiple methods and in conspicuous places, how stakeholders may provide feedback to Hydro Ottawa on how we provide goods and services to people with disabilities. Our communication regarding this feedback is to specify multiple methods that can be used to provide feedback, what information is required for the stakeholder to allow Hydro Ottawa to address the concern, who will receive the feedback and how and when Hydro Ottawa will respond; and
• Modify or remove any policy or related procedure that does not respect and promote the principles of dignity, independence, integration and equality of opportunity.
   

Employees who interact with customers in any way or who participate in the development, design and implementation of Hydro Ottawa policies, programs, processes, procedures and practices that are relevant to customers are to receive training about the provision of goods and services to persons with disabilities, including ongoing training when changes are made. A record of how many individuals have been trained, and when, is to be retained. Hydro Ottawa is to advise any agents or contractors who communicate with customers on behalf of Hydro Ottawa that we require their compliance with accessibility legislation applicable to Hydro Ottawa, including training of their staff.

Employee training includes the following topics:

• The purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and the requirements of Customer Service Standard (Ontario Regulation 429/07);
• Which disabilities are covered in the Act;
• How to interact with people with various types of disabilities, including how to speak in clear and plain language at a pace suitable to the listener;
• How to interact with people with disabilities who use an assistive device, service animal or support person;
• What to do if a customer with a disability is having trouble accessing our goods and services;
  and
• Any Hydro Ottawa policies, programs, processes, procedures or practices which address accessibility for customers with disabilities, including all those required by Ontario Regulation 429/07, Customer Service Standard.