TORONTO — Ontario companies will soon have to offer accessibility training to all staff rather than simply those who deal directly with the public.
The new rule goes into effect on July 1 and comes about as a result of the government's long-awaited review of the customer service section of the Access for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.
The review, undertaken in 2013 and only released on Monday, was intended to see if the province's customer service practices were in line with the goal of making the province accessible to all by 2025.
The new rules say all employees and volunteers with an organization must be trained on how to provide accessible service, and tightens regulations on providing accessible documents to those who request them.
The government has also expanded the list of professionals authorized to vouch for the validity of a service animal.
Doctors and nurses were originally the only ones allowed to provide documents validating the need, but the list now includes psychologists, psychotherapists, chiropractors and optometrists.
