INTEGRATED ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS REGULATION: STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT, POLICY AND MULT-YEAR PLAN
This policy and plan formalizes La Senza’s commitment to accessibility, and outlines those steps that La Senza has taken and will take to remove barriers and improve opportunities for people with disabilities through compliance with the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (the “Integrated Standard”).
STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT:
La Senza is committed to treating all people in a way that allows them to maintain their dignity and independence. La Senza believes in integration and equal opportunity, is committed to meeting the needs of people with disabilities in a timely manner and will do so by preventing and removing barriers to accessibility and meeting the accessibility requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005.
POLICY AND PLAN:
General:
La Senza will provide training on the requirements of the Integrated Standard and on the Ontario Human Rights Code as it relates to people with disabilities. La Senza will take the following steps to ensure that training is provided to all of our employees, volunteers and those persons who develop our policies and provide goods, services of facilities on our behalf (as implemented as of January 1, 2015) by:
- developing and consolidating training materials that address the requirements of the Integrated Standard, including information about achieving accessibility by 2025 and on the disability-related regulations obligations under the Human Rights Code;
- reviewing the duties of those individuals that require training, and tailoring the training to be appropriate for such duties;
- scheduling and delivering the training (implemented as of January 1, 2015 and on an on-going basis as new employees/volunteers join the company);
- delivering the training via a method that is appropriate for the audience and the needs La Senza;
- keeping a record detailing those employees that were trained and when; and
- ensuring that new employees/volunteers are trained as soon as practicable after being hired and when La Senza’s accessibility policies change.
At this time, La Senza does not utilize kiosks. However, should the use of kiosks become a part of La Senza’s business in the future, we will ensure that our employees consider the needs of people with disabilities when designing, procuring or acquiring self-service kiosks.
Information and Communication:
La Senza is committed to meeting the communication needs of people with disabilities.
La Senza ensures that our existing processes for receiving and responding to feedback are accessible to people with disabilities upon request.
La Senza ensures that, upon request, we will provide or arrange for the provision of publicly available information that is in respect of our goods, services or facilities in an accessible format and at a cost that is not more than that charged to others by:
- consulting with the person making the request to determine the most appropriate accessible format or communication support, given the needs of the person, whether the content is convertible and La Senza’s capability;
- providing the accessible format or communication support in a timely manner and at no additional cost; and
- notifying the public about the availability of accessible formats and communication supports.
La Senza has enacted a process to provide its customers and clients with publicly available emergency procedures, plans or public safety information in an accessible way, as soon as practicable upon request.
La Senza is committed to meeting the communication needs of people with disabilities and will ensure that all of its new websites and new web content on those sites conform with WCAG 2.0, Level AA, except where this is impracticable.
Employment:
La Senza is committed to fair and accessible employment practices and will:
notify the public and our staff that we will accommodate people with disabilities during the recruitment process, either through our website, via a recruiter or the applicable job posting, as applicable;
- 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 utilized;
- consult with job applicants who request accommodation to support them through the recruitment, selection and/or assessment process and take into account their needs, so that the accommodations provided are effective; an
- notify the successful applicant of La Senza’s policies for accommodating our employees with disabilities.
Employment:
La Senza will inform our employees of the 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, by:
- consulting with our employees with disabilities to determine those accessible formats or communication supports that may be of assistance, and how such accommodation may be provided; and
- providing the information as soon as practicable after commencement of employment, and updates whenever there is a change to the policies
La Senza provides individualized workplace emergency response information to our employees with disabilities, if the disability is such that individualized information is necessary and La Senza is aware of the need for accommodation.
La Senza maintains a process for the creation of individual accommodation plans for those employees that have been absent from work due to a disability, upon request. This process includes:
- considering how employees with disabilities will participate in the development of their accommodation plan and what the plans may include;
- establishing where the plans will be stored and what steps will be taken to protect the privacy of employee information; and
- determining when and how the individual accommodation plans will be reviewed and updated.
La Senza maintains a documented return to work process for those employees that have been absent from work due to a disability and require disability-related accommodation in order to return to work. This process outlines the steps that La Senza will take to facilitate the return to work of the applicable employees and the use of individual documented accommodation plans.
La Senza ensures that it takes into account the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities (as well as their individual accommodation plans) when implementing its performance management process. This is achieved by
- reviewing an individual’s accommodation plan to understand their needs and determine whether it should be adjusted to improve job performance;
- providing performance-management related documents in accessible formats; and
- providing informal and formal coaching and feedback in a manner that takes in account an employee’s disability.
La Senza takes into account the accessibility needs of its employees with disabilities (as well as their individual accommodation plans) when providing career development, advancement, or redeployment. This may occur through the consideration of what accommodations employees with disabilities may need to succeed elsewhere within our organization, to take on new responsibilities in a current role, or when redeployment has become necessary.
Customer Service
La Senza is committed to excellence in serving all customers including people with disabilities. La Senza complied with the Customer Service Standards with the following initiatives:
- An accessibility policy was put in place so La Senza’s employees, volunteers and customers can know what to expect.
- La Senza’s staff and volunteers are trained to serve customers of all abilities.
- A written record of accessibility training provided by La Senza is maintained.
- Service animals and support persons are welcomed on all La Senza premises
- Accessible ways for people to provide feedback on how La Senza provides goods and services to people with disabilities was made available.
Design of Public Space
La Senza will meet the Design of Public Spaces Standard when building or making major modifications to public spaces.
Procedures for preventative and emergency maintenance of the accessible elements of public spaces are included in the multi-year plan.
Going Forward:
La Senza will endeavour to identify and remove accessibility barriers going forward. This plan will be reviewed once every five years.
For more information on this accessibility policy and plan, please contact Human Resources: HRconnect@lasenzastores.com
