Cognition+ is committed to accessibility
Cognition+ Inc. is committed to achieving barrier free accessibility for persons with disabilities visiting and working at Cognition+. To help provide the best experience to all members of the Cognition+ community (staff, shareholders, clients, and visitors), this website offers information on accessibility-related resources available at Cognition+.
Accessibility Policy
Cognition+ Inc. is committed to recognizing the dignity and independence of all staff, shareholders, clients and visitors and seeks to ensure that persons with disabilities have genuine, open and unhindered access to Cognition+’s goods, services, facilities, accommodation, employment, buildings, structures and premises.
Cognition+ will comply with all applicable Federal, Provincial and Municipal legislation concerning accessibility and will implement the standards specified under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (“AODA, 2005”).
Guideline for accessible goods and services
Cognition+ Inc. is committed to providing goods and services in a manner that respects the dignity and independence of persons with disabilities. This Guideline is in accordance with the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, Ont. Reg. 429/07, developed under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005.
Duty to Accommodate Guidelines
Cognition+’s Duty to Accommodate Guidelines affirm the Company’s commitment to eliminate disadvantage to employees, prospective employees or clients resulting from a rule, practice, or physical barrier that has or may have an adverse impact on individuals or groups protected under the Ontario Human Rights Code, or identified as a designated group under the Employment Equity Act (including persons with disabilities, women, visible minorities, and Aboriginal persons).
Guideline for Accessible Goods and Services
This Guideline is in accordance with the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, Ont. Reg. 429/07, developed under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005.
Introduction
Cognition+ Inc. is committed to providing goods and services in a manner that respects the dignity and independence of persons with disabilities.
Cognition+ is committed to ensuring that persons with disabilities have an equal opportunity to access goods and services. Cognition+ will integrate the provision of goods and services to persons with disabilities into its practices and procedures unless an alternative, separate measure is necessary to enable persons with disabilities to obtain, use and benefit from the provided goods and services.
Cognition+ encourages open communication with persons with disabilities to ensure that its goods and services are accessible.
Without limiting the requirements or expectations for accessibility, specific consideration shall be given to the following:
Assistive Devices
Cognition+ welcomes persons with disabilities to use assistive devices to obtain, use or benefit from our goods and services.
Service Animals
Cognition+ welcomes persons with disabilities who are accompanied by a service animal onto the parts of our premises that are open to the public and commits to finding alternatives to the use of service animals if the service is provided in a location in which animals are prohibited by law (e.g. health or safety reasons).
Support Persons
Cognition+ welcomes persons with disabilities who are accompanied by a support person. Any person with a disability who is accompanied by a support person will be allowed to enter Cognition+’s premises with his or her support person. At no time will a person with a disability who is accompanied by a support person be prevented from having access to his or her support person, provided that the interaction between the person and his/her support person.
In the case where a fee will be charged for the admission of a support person, the fee will be communicated and posted accordingly through their website, notification, brochure, or other public methods.
Temporary Disruptions to Service
Cognition+ will provide notice in the event of a planned or unexpected disruption in the facilities or services usually used by people with disabilities to access Cognition+’s goods and services.
A notice regarding a temporary disruption will include information about the reason for the disruption, its anticipated duration, and a description of alternative facilities or services, if available. The notice will be placed in relevant conspicuous locations on our premises and, when appropriate, shall be placed on Cognition+’s Accessibility website.
Training
Cognition+ will provide training about accessible goods and services to staff members, contractors, volunteers, and others who interact with members of the public who wish to obtain, use or benefit from goods and services provided by Cognition+. Members of the public include, but are not limited to, clients, shareholders, students, visitors, and employees of Cognition+ when acting in the role of a student, visitor, etc. Training will also be provided to every person involved in the development of policies, practices and procedures regarding the provision of goods and services.
Training will occur on an ongoing basis and whenever changes are made to relevant policies, practices and procedures. Training will be provided to each person as soon as practicable after he or she is assigned applicable duties.
Training will include a review of the purposes of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, the requirements of the Customer Service standard, and information about the following matters:
- How to interact and communicate with people with various types of disabilities.
- Cognition+’s policies, practices and procedures relating to the provision of goods and services to persons with disabilities.
- How to interact with persons with disabilities who use an assistive device or require the assistance of a service animal or a support person.
- How to use equipment or devices available at Cognition+ that may help with the provision of goods or services to a person with a disability.
- What to do if a person with a disability is having difficulty accessing Cognition+’s goods and services.
Cognition+ will keep records of the training provided, including dates on which training is provided and the number of individuals to whom it is provided.
Duty to Accommodate Guidelines
Introduction
The duty to accommodate refers to the obligation of an employer, service provider, or union to take steps to eliminate disadvantage to employees, prospective employees or clients resulting from a rule, practice, or physical barrier that has or may have an adverse impact on individuals or groups protected under the Ontario Human Rights Code (the “Code”), or identified as a designated group under the Employment Equity Act (women, visible minorities, Aboriginal peoples or persons with disabilities). The duty to accommodate recognizes that true equality means respect for people’s different needs. Needs that must be accommodated result from factors related to disability, sex, age, family status, ethnic or national origin, and religious belief. Accommodation helps ensure that the opportunities of all individuals are not limited for discriminatory reasons. The Supreme Court of Canada has stated that employers and others who set standards must build conceptions of equality into the workplace. However, the courts have also recognized that the duty to accommodate is not open-ended. It may not be required if it can be shown that providing accommodation would cause “undue hardship” to the organization.
Cognition+ is proud of the diversity of its workforce, recognizes the value and dignity of each individual and is committed to ensuring that all employees are able to effectively and efficiently use their skills and experience to contribute to the organization’s performance, production and service delivery. Cognition+ has committed itself to ensuring that each individual will have genuine, open and unhindered access to employment opportunities, free from systemic or other barriers.
Definitions:
“Disability”
Human Resource Development Canada defines a disability as “a functional limitation or restriction of an individual’s ability to perform an activity”; in addition, the Supreme Court of Canada has made it clear that “disability” must be interpreted to include a subjective component as well, as discrimination may be based as much on perceptions, myths and stereotypes as on the existence of actual functional limitations.
“Undue hardship”
The employer bears the burden of proving that the accommodation of an employee would result in undue hardship. Under the Human Rights Code only three conditions will be assessed in deciding whether the employer has met the burden, namely: 1) cost; 2) outside sources of funding if needed; and 3) health and safety requirements, if needed.
“Accommodation”
Refers to the design and adaptation of the work environment to the needs of as many types of persons as possible and, according to the Supreme Court of Canada, refers to what is required in the circumstances of each case to avoid discrimination.
“Constructive discrimination”
An individual’s rights are infringed where a requirement or qualification exists that, while not discrimination under the Code on its own, results in the exclusion or preference of a group of individuals who are identified by a prohibited ground under the Code. However, it is not constructive discrimination if the requirement or qualification is reasonable and bona fide in the circumstances and cannot be accommodated short of undue hardship. For example, a requirement that all employees work on Friday evenings appears neutral on its face, but could result in the exclusion from that workplace of all individuals whose religion requires them to observe the Sabbath from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday.
Cognition+ recognizes the following general principles in its duty to accommodate:
- Respect for the dignity of each individual in accommodating his or her needs
- Individual consultation, as each person has unique needs which must be understood to be accommodated
- Integration and participation for persons with disabilities
- Design by inclusion, meaning up front barrier-free design wherever possible to fully integrate persons with disabilities
- Removal of other barriers beyond the physical ones, including attitudinal and systemic
Cognition+ is committed to ensuring that the following activities are reviewed to remove any discriminatory effect:
- all employment-related policies including recruitment, selection, training, promotion, retention and alternative work;
- purchase and management of information technology systems;
- purchase and management of communications systems;
- development and management of information services; and
- purchase of internal fittings (chairs, desks, lights, carpets, etc.).
Cognition+ is responsible for advising employees about their right to accommodation. Upon request, Cognition+ will assist the employee in identifying the most suitable means of accommodation. In consultation with the individual employee, Cognition+ will accept and act on a request for accommodation made by a third party (family member, caregiver, trade union or bargaining agent, advocate or other representative). Such a request will not be accepted without the consent of the employee. Any concerns regarding the implementation should be brought forward to the President and CEO.
Accessibility Feedback
We welcome your feedback about accessibility at Cognition+ and invite your comments or questions.
Suggested steps:
- Approach the Cognition+ Accessibility Officer directly to provide feedback or seek assistance.
- If necessary, further feedback can be directed to:
Mail: Cognition+ c/o Accessibility Officer
Westmount Shopping Centre
785 Wonderland Road South, Suite 253
London, Ontario, N6K 1M6
E-Mail: aoda@gocognition.com
Phone: 519-432-8553 x362
We may need to contact you to provide further information. Please include:
- Your name
- Contact information (telephone and/or email)
- A brief summary of your feedback
All feedback will be reviewed and forwarded to an appropriate individual at Cognition+.
