POLICY

OSCR is committed to removing any barriers in employment faced by employees with disabilities. As such, OSCR provides a working environment which complies with the requirements of the Employment Standards Act (ESA) in the Integrated Accessibility Standards, Ontario Regulation 191/11, and as established under the Accessibility of Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. It is important to OSCR that all employees with disabilities (including applicants) find our workplace to be welcoming and supportive and that every person is treated with dignity and respect.

GENERAL RECRUITMENT

OSCR shall notify its employee’s about the availability of accommodation for applicants with disabilities in its recruitment process.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS

During a recruitment process OSCR shall 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 used.

If a selected applicant requests an accommodation, OSCR shall 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.

NOTICE TO SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS

OSCR shall, when making offers of employment, notify the successful applicant of its policies for accommodating employees with disabilities.

INFORMING EMPLOYEES OF SUPPORTS

OSCR shall inform its employees of its policies used to support its 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.

OSCR shall provide the information required under this section to new employees as soon as practicable after they begin their employment.

OSCR shall provide updated information to its employees whenever there is a change to existing policies on the provision of job accommodations that take into account an employee’s accessibility needs due to disability.

ACCESSIBLE FORMATS AND COMMUNICATION SUPPORTS

Where an employee with a disability so requests it, OSCR shall consult with the employee to provide or arrange for the provision of accessible formats and communication supports for,

1. information that is needed in order to perform the employee’s job; and information that is generally available to employees in the workplace.

OSCR shall consult with the employee making the request in determining the suitability of an accessible format or communication support.

WORKPLACE EMERGENCY RESPONSE INFORMATION

OSCR shall provide individualized workplace emergency response information to employees who have a disability, if the disability is such that the individualized information is necessary and the employer is aware of the need for accommodation due to the employee’s disability.

If an employee who receives individualized workplace emergency response information requires assistance and with the employee’s consent, OSCR shall provide the workplace emergency response information to the person designated by the employer to provide assistance to the employee.

OSCR shall provide the information required under this section as soon as practicable after the employer becomes aware of the need for accommodation due to the employee’s disability.

OSCR shall review the individualized workplace emergency response information,

1. when the employee moves to a different location in the organization; when the employee’s overall accommodations needs or plans are reviewed; and when the OSCR reviews its general emergency response policies.

DOCUMENTED INDIVIDUAL ACCOMMODATION PLANS (IAP’s)

If an employee requires reasonable accommodation in the workplace due to a disability, OSCR will work with the employee to prepare an IAP outlining, among other things, any accommodation measures that will be implemented.

The IAP process is as follows:

1. The employee advises their Manager or Human Resources or the Quality and Safety Manager that they require an accommodation due to a disability. If the employee advises their Manager, the Manager is responsible for contacting Human Resources to engage in the IAP process. The employee participates in the development of the IAP with Human Resources. The employee may make a request to Human Resources to have one (1) representative from the workplace to participate in this process with the employee. The employee provides Human Resources with information and documentation regarding their functional limitations and advises how OSCR may be able to accommodate the disability. OSCR will consider the employee’s proposal, however OSCR will determine what, if any, reasonable accommodations will be provided, based on the documentation submitted by the employee and OSCR operational needs. OSCR can, at its discretion, request an evaluation by an outside medical or other expert, at OSCR’s expense, to assist in assessing potential options to accommodate the employee. Human Resources will document the accommodation(s) requirements to the IAP, including any workplace emergency response information that may be required. Within five (5) business days of finalizing the IAP, OSCR will provide the employee with a copy of the IAP in a format which takes into account the individual’s disability. A copy is placed in the employee’s personnel file and a copy is provided tot eh employee’s Manager. Human Resources takes responsibility for ensuring that the plan of action outlined in the IAP is in place. Each IAP is reviewed annually or when OSCR receives information suggesting that the employee’s disability-related needs have changed.

If OSCR determines that accommodation is not required or OSCR cannot accommodate the employee without undue hardship, the employee will be provided with the reasons for the decision.

RETURN TO WORK PROCESS

After an employee has been absent from work due to disability, OSCR works with the relevant parties to successfully re-integrate the employee back to work.

OSCR will:

1. develop and have in place a return to work process for its employees who have been absent from work due to a disability and require disability-related accommodations in order to return to work; and document the process.

The return to work process will:

1. outline the steps the employer will take to facilitate the return to work of employees who were absent because their disability required them to be away from work; and use documented individual accommodation plans, as described in section 28 of the Act, as part of the process.

The return to work process referenced in this section does not replace or override any other return to work process created by or under any other statute.

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

An employer that uses performance management in respect of its employees shall take into account the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities, as well as individual accommodation plans, when using its performance management process in respect of employees with disabilities.

In this section, “performance management” means activities related to assessing and improving employee performance, productivity and effectiveness, with the goal of facilitating employee success.

CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND ADVANCEMENT

OSCR tries to provide career development and advancement opportunities to its employees and shall take into account the accessibility needs of its employees with disabilities as well as any individual accommodation plans, when providing career development and advancement to its employees with disabilities.

In this section, “career development and advancement” includes providing additional responsibilities within an employee’s current position and the movement of an employee from one job to another in an organization that may be higher in pay, provide greater responsibility or be at a higher level in the organization or any combination of them and, for both additional responsibilities and employee movement, is usually based on merit or seniority, or a combination of them.

REDEPLOYMENT

OSCR shall take into account the accessibility needs of its employees with disabilities, as well as individual accommodation plans, when redeploying employees with disabilities.

In this section, “redeployment” means the reassignment of employees to other departments or jobs within the organization as an alternative to layoff, when a particular job or department has been eliminated by the organization.