Policies

We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer that values diversity and welcomes applicants from all cultures, religions, abilities, and sexual and gender identities, including all other grounds as specified in each provincial/territorial Human Rights Code.

Throughout the recruitment process, we will notify all candidates about our commitment to facilitating any necessary special arrangements and/or accommodations for any candidates with accessible needs.

We will make every reasonable effort to ensure employees understand the accessibility supports which are in place, through initial and ongoing training, as well as by posting the information where it can be easily accessed and in accessible formats as requested to meet individual needs.

It is the employee’s responsibility to notify us of any accessibility needs. In doing so, HR, along with the employee and their supervisor, will partner to create a documented accommodation plan which will make every reasonable effort to arrange for the provision of reasonable accommodation in a manner that takes the employee’s needs into account.

We will make adjustments to ensure adequate support and accessibility based on needs (including hidden disabilities and learning disabilities). This could mean making adaptations to the workplace, acquiring specialized equipment, flexible working arrangements and additional support. There is no absolute definition of what is reasonable so we will consider whether an adjustment is effective, practical and affordable.

In many cases, accommodation plans that enable an employee to fulfill their responsibilities can easily be addressed. There are however two (2) situations whereby the organization is not required to make an accommodation:

1. When the person cannot perform the essential duties of the position, even with accommodations.
2. The accommodation required would create what is known as “undue hardship” for us.

Supervisors will consider the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities on their teams as well as their individual accommodation plans during the performance management process and when providing career development and advancement.

A return-to-work process is in place to support employees who have been absent from work due to a disability and require disability-related accommodations to return to work. For those returning from short-term disability (STD) leave and/or long-term disability (LTD) leave, this process will be handled by the disability carrier, working in close collaboration with the employee, HR and all other relevant/required organizational and medical parties. For more information in relation to this approach, please refer to our Disability Leave guidelines. For those returning to work outside of STD and/or LTD, this process will be handled through close collaboration between the employee, HR and the guidance provided by the treating medical professional.

Training will be provided to employees, volunteers and third-party providers when they join or perform work on our behalf and will be required to be completed as soon as possible after they join our organization.

Training will be mandatory for all individuals within the province of Ontario, and optional for all others nationwide. Revised training will be provided in the event of changes to legislation, procedures and/or practices.

By the end of the training, participants will:

• Be briefed on and knowledgeable of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and all requirements under the accessibility standards.
• Understand our accessibility policy and accessibility plan.
• Know the minimal requirements of the Ontario Human Rights Code.
• Be aware of how to interact and communicate appropriately and effectively with people with various types of accessible needs.
• Understand the importance of maintaining confidentiality about an individual’s health information/diagnosis and respect the dignity of the person requesting accommodation.
• Be aware of how to appropriately and effectively interact with people with accessible needs who use an assistive device or require the assistance of a service animal or a support person.
• Be aware of how to use available assistive devices in our organization (this will vary by location).
• Know what to do if a person with a disability is having difficulty in accessing Arthritis Society Canada’s services, and know how to facilitate accommodations.
• Be knowledgeable of our feedback process and how to help individuals provide the organization with feedback on our accessibility.

We will keep a record of training that includes the names and dates of employees’ training.

We will make every reasonable effort to ensure that our policies, procedures and practices are consistent with the principles of dignity, independence, integration and equal opportunity by:

Any person with accessible needs will be permitted to use their personal assistive device(s) while accessing our services. In cases where the assistive device presents a safety concern, or where accessibility might be an issue, other reasonable measures will be used.

We welcome any individuals with accessible needs and their service animals. In rare cases where a service animal poses a health and safety concern, other reasonable measures will be used to enable access to our services.

Service disruptions may occur for reasons outside our control or knowledge. In the event of a planned or unexpected disruption to services or facilities for those with accessible needs, we will promptly notify all necessary persons with as much notice as possible. The clearly posted notice will include information about what services are unavailable, the reason for the disruption, its anticipated length of time and a description of alternative facilities or services where available. The notice will be placed at our premises’ front door, as a message on our voicemail and on our website.

Any person who wishes to provide feedback on the manner in which we provide services to individuals with accessible needs can complete and return a feedback form in-person (to 220 Bay St, Suite 300, Toronto, ON M5J 2W4), verbally via telephone (to 416-979-7228) or via email to accessibility@arthritis.ca. All feedback will be directed to HR and addressed accordingly. Individuals can expect to receive a response within five (5) business days.

Download Feedback Form

Our materials, including marketing, educational and those specifically related to accessibility standards, will be made available in various accessible formats, in a timely manner, upon request. Documents will be formatted in such a way that considers the person’s accessible needs. There will be no additional charges for accessible formats compared to other formats.

The following list of format options are available upon request:

• Hard copy paper documents.
• Soft copy documents, available with the following options:
  • Optimized for screen readers
  • Text in place of images
  • Descriptions of images
  • High contrast and color schemes
  • Ability to enlarge text
  • Line and letter spacing for maximum readability
  • Other accessible formats including:
    • Video
    • Documents read aloud, in person or over the phone

Examples of informal concerns include but are not limited to:

• Perceived failure to do something agreed upon
• Perceived errors made by a staff /volunteer
• Unfair or discourteous actions or statements by staff /volunteer
• Service not delivered properly, on time, in my preferred language
• Educational programs, forums cancelled, not done well, or poorly developed
• The Arthritis Society’s display at health fairs not being staffed by a volunteer/staff
• Requests for tax receipts
• Request for removal of from mailing lists and/or discontinuing any form of communication

Examples of Formal Complaints would include but not limited to:

• Repeated requests for tax receipts
• Repeated requests for removal of from mailing lists and/or discontinuing any form of communication
• Repeated perceived errors made by a staff /volunteer
• Repeated unfair or discourteous actions/statements by staff/volunteer

How long will it take to receive a response?

The Chief Development Officer or designate will try to respond to all formal complaints within 10 business days. However, complainants will receive an acknowledgment within the first 5 days of receipt.  If in the event that the process takes longer, we will let you know.

What we will do?

In the spirit of continuous improvement The Society will work diligently to fix problems, correct mistakes and address concerns. We will always treat you with courtesy and respect, listen to what you say, keep you informed about our progress, and finally provide you with a response.

From time to time we receive complaints that do not relate directly to something that The Arthritis Society is responsible for. We are a charity with limited resources and we must use these in the best way possible.

There may be rare occasions when we choose not to respond to a complaint. These include:

• When a complaint is about something that The Arthritis Society has no direct connection to. We may choose to reply to clear our name but we are not obliged to.
• When someone unreasonably pursues a complaint that we have already responded to. They will be given escalation points, but we may choose not to reply again and we will always inform you of our decision to do this.
• When a complainant is being obviously abusive, prejudiced or offensive in their manner.
• When a complainant is harassing a staff member.
• When a complaint is illegible.
• When a complaint has clearly been sent to us and numerous other organizations as part of a bulk mailing or email. In this instance we can choose whether it is necessary for us to reply or not.
• The Arthritis Society will not respond to complaints made anonymously. However, we will investigate the complaint and use the information to improve in any way that we can.

On behalf of Arthritis Society Canada, thank you for your continued support.

Please contact us in whichever way is most convenient to you and we will respond to you via the same method unless instructed otherwise.

Please choose one from among these three options:

1. You can call us at: 1-800-321-1433. One of our friendly staff will be ready and willing to help. Our phone lines are open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Outside of these hours, please leave us a message and a contact number and we will make every effort to return your call by the next business day.
2. You can email us at: info@arthritis.ca
3. Or you can write to us at: Arthritis Society Canada, 220 Bay St, Suite 300, Toronto, Ontario M5J 2W4

Please include your name, address and contact telephone number in your voicemail, email or letter so that we can get back in touch with you easily.

We try to respond to all complaints within 10 business days. However, you will receive an acknowledgment of your complaint within the first 5 days of receipt. If we think it will take longer, we will let you know.

We will work diligently to fix problems, correct mistakes and address concerns. We will always treat you with courtesy and respect, listen to what you say, keep you informed about our progress, and finally provide you with a response.

From time to time we receive complaints that do not relate directly to something that Arthritis Society Canada is responsible for. We are a charity with limited resources and we must use these in the best way possible.

There may be rare occasions when we choose not to respond to a complaint. These include:

• When a complaint is about something that Arthritis Society Canada has no direct connection to. We may choose to reply to clear our name but we are not obliged to.
• When someone unreasonably pursues a complaint that we have already responded to. They will be given escalation points, but we may choose not to reply again and we will always inform you of our decision to do this.
• When a complainant is being obviously abusive, prejudiced or offensive in their manner.
• When a complainant is harassing a staff member.
• When a complaint is illegible.
• When a complaint has clearly been sent to us and numerous other organizations as part of a bulk mailing or email. In this instance we can choose whether it is necessary for us to reply or not.
• Arthritis Society Canada will not respond to complaints made anonymously. However, we will investigate the complaint and use the information to improve in any way that we can.

On behalf of Arthritis Society Canada, thank you for your continued support.