We spoke with Chris Tidey, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Communications and Social Services, about the pending changes coming to Ontario and some suggestions staff and management can use when serving a guest with a  disability.

In our recent article Access Ability, Hotelier looked at what was happening in the industry when it comes to catering to disable guests. As it turns out, there is far more happening than our two pages could accommodate.

Hotelier: Are there currently any accessibility regulations that apply to hotels?

Chris Tidey, Ministry Spokesperson: In 2005, the Ontario government passed the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), the goal of which is to achieve accessibility for Ontarians with disabilities with respect to goods, services, facilities, accommodation, employment, buildings, structures and premises by developing, implementing and enforcing accessibility standards. The first area for which a proposed standard has been developed is customer service, which does apply to hotels.

The Accessibility Standards for Customer Service Standard came into force on January 1, 2008. Businesses and organizations that provide goods or services to people in Ontario are legally required to make their customer services operations accessible to people with disabilities. This will be done by identifying and removing barriers to customer service in such areas as operational practices, policies and procedures, communications, and staff training. Other accessible standards in the area of built environment, information and communications, employment and transportation, are currently in development.

Non-profit and private organizations — including hotels, need to comply with the Accessible Customer Service Standard. Businesses and organizations should inform themselves of their obligations under the standard by visiting our website at: AccessON.ca/compliance.

These resources can help businesses and other organizations comply with the standard, but there may be circumstances where legal advice will be helpful in determining how the standard applies to your business. To give businesses and other organizations time to implement the requirements of the standard, the timetable for complying and reporting for the Customer Service Standard is staggered.

• Designated public-sector organizations must comply by Jan. 1, 2010. They are required to begin filing their accessibility reports in 2010.

• All other businesses and organizations are required to comply by Jan. 1, 2012. All of these businesses and organizations with 20 or more employees are also required to begin filing accessibility reports in 2012.

• Under Ontario Regulation 430/07, businesses and organizations with fewer than 20 employees don’t have to report, but are still required to comply with the standard by Jan. 1, 2012. Remember, the standard is the law.

The Ministry of Community and Social Services is reaching out to obligated organizations to assist them in meeting the requirements of the customer service standard. A compliance assistance section on the AccessON website has been developed for organizations that are required to comply with the standards. The website provides information that explains their obligations and gives them tools and resources to help them understand their obligations and comply with the standards.

Hotelier:  Will any of the proposed standards under the AODA apply to hotels?

Accessibility standards are being developed to identify, remove and prevent barriers that limit the participation of more than 1.85 million Ontarians with disabilities in the life of our communities. These Ontarians have much to contribute, and our society is poorer both socially and economically when they are excluded. On Jan. 1, 2008, we reached a milestone with the coming into force of Ontario’s first accessibility standard, the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service Regulation.

An Accessible Built Environment Standards Development Committee is currently working on the development of the built environment standard. The Committee will not complete its work until late 2009. Once completed, we will know the impact on all buildings, including hotels.

Here are some suggestions from the Government of Ontario, on how to best serve a guest with a disability

• Treat people with disabilities with the same respect and consideration you have for everyone else.
• Patience, optimism, and a willingness to find a way to communicate are your best tools.
• Smile, relax, and keep in mind that people with disabilities are just people.
• Don’t make assumptions about what type of disability or disabilities a person has.
• Some disabilities are not visible. Take the time to get to know your customers’ needs.
• Be patient. People with some kinds of disabilities may take a little longer to understand and respond.
• If you're not sure what to do, ask your customer, "May I help you?"
• If you can’t understand what someone is saying, just politely ask again.
• Ask before you offer to help — don’t just jump in. Your customers with disabilities know if they need help and how you can
• provide it.
• Find a good way to communicate. A good start is to listen carefully.
• Look at your customer, but don’t stare. Speak directly to a person with a disability, not to their interpreter or someone who is
• with them.
• Use plain language and speak in short sentences.
• Don’t touch or address service animals — they are working and have to pay attention at all times.
• Ask permission before touching a wheelchair or a piece of equipment.
• Every business should have emergency procedures for customers with disabilities. Make sure you know what they are.