NHS Accessibility Plan - 2009-2010
Executive Summary
The purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) is to improve opportunities for people with disabilities and to provide for their involvement in the identification, removal and prevention of barriers to enable their full participation in the life of the province. To this end, the Act requires each hospital to prepare an annual accessibility plan; to consult with persons of disabilities in the preparation of the plan; and to make the plan public.
The AODA builds on the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001 by defining the standards and enforcement measures to realize full accessibility in Ontario by 2025. The first standard under this legislation that requires hospital compliance is the Customer Service Standard, by January 1, 2010. The Niagara Health System (NHS) Advisory Structure will address the compliance requirements in the 2009/2010 plan.
The NHS is committed to continual improvement, between 2003 – 2009, of access to hospital facilities, policies, programs, and services for patients, employees, volunteers, physicians, agents/contractors and members of the community. This plan reviews the ongoing activities, over the period 2007 – 2009, of the hospital to remove and prevent barriers to accessibility, as well as the plans for the coming year. It also establishes the requirement to review by-laws, policies, programs, and services to identify improvements necessary to meet the developing standards. The NHS will make the accessibility plan available on its website along with contact information for any questions related to the plan or availability in accessible formats.
The NHS is Ontario’s largest multi-site hospital system and has established an Action Team to address the Customer Service Standards compliance plan. In addition to this the advisory structure includes an Executive Sponsor (Terry McMahon, VP Human Resources) and the Senior Executive Team that provides oversight to ongoing activities. The plan summarizes the five accessibility standards in various stages of review and submission to the government for consideration as law. This plan for 2009/2010 will focus on strategies to address the Customer Service Standard.
Aim
This 2009/2010 plan continues the work of the NHS, building on the measures that have been addressed in past years. Included is a status report of the activities undertaken to identify, remove and prevent barriers to people with disabilities who live, work in or use our facilities and access our hospital services. The 2009/2010 plan details measures to be taken in the coming year to identify and address further barriers.
Objectives
This plan:
- Identifies the activities that have been completed to remove and prevent barriers to accessibility within the NHS, and plans for the coming year;
- Identifies the by-laws, polices, programs and services we are required to review to make improvements necessary for equal access to people with disabilities to our health care services;
- Describes how the NHS will make the accessibility plan available to the public.