In our last article, we discussed how the leaders of an organization may be held responsible for any discrimination or poisoned environments within the organization. In this article, we explore how organizational leaders can educate themselves about avoiding discrimination on the basis of disability.
Avoiding Discrimination on the Basis of Disability
Organizational leaders must create an environment that respects the dignity and equality of all workers, tenants, and clients. For example, an organization’s leaders should create, implement, and enforce strong anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies. Moreover, they must also follow the AODA mandate to create and implement policies and plans to remove and prevent accessibility barriers. In addition, organizational leaders should educate themselves, and the workers they supervise, about forms of discrimination and harassment that people may experience. These policies, plans, and training experiences should help all workers recognize and avoid behaviours that discriminate against someone or poison their environment.
Preventing and Removing Accessibility Barriers
Under the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR), organizations must create and implement multi-year accessibility plans. This requirement applies to large private sector organizations, as well as small and large public sector organizations. An organization’s plan must outline the steps it will take to:
- Identify, prevent, and remove accessibility barriers, including:
- Meet other requirements under the IASR, such as:
- The Information and Communications Standards
- The Employment Standards
- The Transportation Standards
- The Design of Public Spaces Standards
- The Customer Service Standards
Organizations must review and update their plans at least every five (5) years.
In addition, when public sector organizations develop their plans, they must consult people with disabilities. Organizations with accessibility advisory committees must consult those committees when developing accessibility plans.
Consulting People with Disabilities
To create these plans, organizational leaders must first identify accessibility barriers within their organizations. Similarly, to develop anti-discrimination or anti-harassment policies, leaders must learn about the forms of discrimination that people with disabilities face. Leaders can accomplish both these goals by consulting with people who have lived experience with disability.
For example, organizations can request anonymous feedback from workers, tenants, or customers who have experienced barriers. For instance, they can ask people to describe any instances of discrimination that impacted their dealings with the organization, including:
In addition, organizations could enter short-term or on-going contracts with people who have disabilities, who could find and point out barriers in their structures or services. Alternatively, organizational leaders could request the services of professional companies that specialize in assessing accessibility. In either case, an accessibility assessor with lived experience of disability could give organizational leaders valuable experience interacting with people who have disabilities. In turn, this interaction could dispel common myths or stereotypes about people with disabilities. As leaders learn more about the real capabilities and needs of people with disabilities, they may become more committed to preventing discrimination and accessibility barriers.
In our next article, we will explore how organizational leaders can educate their workers about preventing discrimination and providing accessibility.