Accessibility

In accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, Accessibility Standard for Customer Service, the Granite Club is dedicated to ensuring that our services are accessible and offer the same opportunity and benefit to all Members and Guests. We are also committed to ensuring that our services are provided in a manner that respects the dignity and independence of people with disabilities.

Documents outlining the Granite Club's Accessibility Standards for Customer Service including policies, practices and procedures, are available upon request with the Member Services Duty Manager.

The Granite Club will communicate with people with disabilities in ways that take into account their disability. We understand that communication styles vary and that not all persons with the same disability use the same communication modalities. The Granite Club makes every effort to ensure that our employees take this into consideration and, when not sure, to always ask our Members and Guests how best to communicate with them.

In addition, we train employees to communicate over the telephone in clear and plain language and to speak slowly. We will offer to communicate by email if telephone communication is not suitable to their communication needs or is not available.

The Granite Club is committed to welcoming people with disabilities who are accompanied by a service animal on the parts of our premises that are open to the public. We ensure that all employees are properly trained in how to interact with people with disabilities who are accompanied by a service animal.

The Granite Club is also committed to welcoming people with disabilities who are accompanied by a support person. Any Member or Guest with a disability who is accompanied by a support person will be allowed to enter the Granite Club’s premises with his or her support person. At no time will a Member or Guest with a disability who is accompanied by a support person be prevented from having access to his or her support person while on our premises.

The Granite Club is committed to serving Members and Guests with disabilities who use assistive devices to obtain, use or benefit from our services. We ensure our employees are trained and familiar with various assistive devices such as canes, wheelchairs, etc. that may be used by Members and Guests with disabilities while accessing our services.

The Granite Club will provide Members and Guests with notice in the event of a planned or unexpected disruption in the facilities or services usually used by people with disabilities. This notice will include information about the reason for the disruption, its anticipated duration, and a description of alternative facilities or services, if available.

To make certain that our provision for services are accessible, the Granite Club provides training to employees and others who deal with our Members and Guests. The training includes the following:

• The purposes of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, and the requirements of the customer service standard
• How to interact and communicate with people with various types of disabilities
• How to interact with people who use an assistive device or require the assistance of a service animal or a support person
• What to do if a person with a disability is having difficulty in accessing our services and The Granite Club’s policies, practices, and procedures relating to the AODA customer service standard

The Granite Club is committed to exceeding expectations while serving Members and Guests with disabilities. Comments on our services are welcome and appreciated. Members and Guests can submit feedback to:

Contact: Mary Elizabeth Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer
Address: 2350 Bayview Avenue, Toronto ON M2L 1E4
Phone: 416-510-6663
Email: [email protected]
Website: GraniteClub.com

Members or Guests who wish to provide feedback can complete an onsite Member feedback form or speak with the Manager on Duty.

Members or Guests who provide formal feedback will receive acknowledgement of their feedback, along with any resulting actions based on concerns or complaints that were submitted.

The following policy has been established by the Granite Club to govern the provision of services with Regulation 191/11, “Integrated Accessibility Standards” (“Regulation”) under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005.

These standards are developed to break down barriers and increase accessibility for persons with disabilities in the areas of information and communications and employment.

The Granite Club is governed by this policy as well as the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service Policy and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 in meeting the accessibility needs of persons with disabilities.

The Granite Club 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 persons 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.

This policy will be implemented in accordance with the time frames established by the Regulation.

(This plan can be found below under "INTEGRATED ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS MULTI-YEAR PLAN," below.)

The Granite Club will develop, maintain and document an Accessibility Plan outlining the Club’s strategy to prevent and remove barriers from its workplace and to improve opportunities for persons with disabilities.

The Accessibility Plan will be reviewed and updated at least once every five years, and will be posted on the Club’s website. Upon request, the Granite Club will provide a copy of the Accessibility Plan in an accessible format.

The Granite Club will have consideration for accessibility when designing, procuring or acquiring our self-serve kiosks to better serve persons with disabilities. Self-service kiosks are not offered at the Club.

The Granite Club will ensure that training is provided on the requirements of the accessibility standards referred to in the Regulation and continue to provide training on the Human Rights Code as it pertains to persons with disabilities, to:

• all its Employees;
• all persons who participate in developing Granite Club’s policies; and,
• all other persons who provide goods, services or facilities on behalf of the Club

The training will be appropriate to the duties of the Employees and other persons.

Employees will be trained when changes are made to the accessibility policy. New Employees will be trained during New Employee Orientation. The Granite Club will keep a record of the training it provides.

The Granite Club will continue to ensure that its process for receiving and responding to feedback is accessible to persons with disabilities by providing, or arranging for the provision of, accessible formats and communications supports, upon request

Upon request, the Granite Club will provide, or will arrange for the provision of accessible formats and communication supports for persons with disabilities in a timely manner that takes into account the person’s accessibility needs due to disability.

The Granite Club will consult with the person making the request in determining the suitability of an accessible format or communication support.

The Granite Club will also notify the public about the availability of accessible formats and communication supports.

The Granite Club will ensure that our Internet websites, including web content, conform to the World Wide Web Consortium Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, at Level AA except where this is impracticable.

The Granite Club will notify its Employees and the public about the availability of accommodation for applicants with disabilities in its recruitment process.

The Granite Club will notify job applicants, when they are individually selected to participate further 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, the Granite Club 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.

When making offers of employment, the Granite Club will notify the successful applicant of its policies for accommodating Employees with disabilities.

The Granite Club will continue to inform its Employees of its policies (and any updates to those policies) used to support Employees with disabilities, including 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 commencing employment.

Upon the request of an Employee with a disability, the Granite Club will consult with the Employee to provide, or arrange for the provision of, accessible formats and communication supports for information that is needed to perform his/her job, and information that is generally available to other Employees.

In determining the suitability of an accessible format or communication support, the Granite Club will consult with the Employee making the request.

The Granite Club will provide individualized workplace emergency response information to Employees who have a disability, if the disability is such that the individualized information is necessary, and if the Granite Club is aware of the need for accommodation due to the Employee’s disability. The Granite Club will provide this information as soon as practicable after becoming aware of the need for accommodation.

Where the Employee requires assistance, the Granite Club will, with the consent of the Employee, provide the workplace emergency response information to the person designated by the Granite Club to provide assistance to the Employee.

The Granite Club will review the individualized workplace emergency response information when the Employee moves to a different location in the organization, when the Employee’s overall accommodation needs or plans are reviewed.

The Granite Club will maintain a written process for the development of documented individual accommodation plans for Employees with disabilities.

If requested, information regarding accessible formats and communications supports provided will also be included in individual accommodation plans.

In addition, the plans will include individualized workplace emergency response information (where required), and will identify any other accommodation that is to be provided.

The Granite Club maintains a documented return to work process for its Employees who have been absent from work due to a disability and who require disability-related accommodations in order to return to work.

The return to work process outlines the steps the Granite Club will take to facilitate the return to work and will include documented individual accommodation plans as part of the process.

This return to work process will not replace or override any other return to work process created by or under any other statute (ie., the Workplace Safety Insurance Act, 1997).

The Granite Club will take into account the accessibility needs of Employees with disabilities, as well as individual accommodation plans, when conducting performance management, providing career development and advancement to Employees, or when redeploying Employees.

This policy has been developed to break down barriers and increase accessibility for persons with disabilities in the areas of information and communications and employment. If anyone has a question about the policy, or if the purpose of a policy is not understood, an explanation will be provided by:

Contact: Mary Elizabeth Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer
Address: 2350 Bayview Avenue, Toronto ON M2L 1E4
Phone: 416-510-6663
Email: [email protected]