Camp Manitou Accessibility Policy

Purpose and Application:

Under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, all municipalities must meet the requirements of accessibility standards established by regulation.  This policy establishes the accessibility standards for customer service for Camp Manitou  in accordance with Ontario Regulation 429/07.  This policy applies to all full time or relevant employees of Camp Manitou.

Definitions:

Accessible means customer service is provided in  a manner that is capable of being easily understood or appreciated, easy to get at and capable of being reached, or entered; obtainable.

Disability is defined by the Act and includes any degree of physical infirmity, malformation or disfigurement and includes for example diabetes mellitus, epilepsy, brain injury, any degree of paralysis, amputation , lack of physical coordination , blindness or visual impairment, deafness or hearing impediment, muteness or speech impediment, physical reliance on a  guide dog, or other animal , or on a wheelchair or other remedial appliance or device. It also includes mental impairment, development disability, learning disability ,or mental disorder .  Also included is where benefits were claimed or received under 1997 workplace Safety and Insurance Act.

Guide Dog means a dog trained for a blind person pursuant to the Blind Persons’ Rights Act.

Service Animal is an animal for a person with a disability and it is readily apparent such animal sis used by the person or the person provides a letter from a physician or medical personnel confirming the person requires such animal relating to the disability.

Policy Statement:

Camp Manitou Inc is committed to providing exceptional and accessible service to its customers in terms of dealing with parents and guardians of children who wish to send their children to Manitou.  Additionally Camp Manitou is committed to providing accessible services to all of  those that interact with the Camp in a manner that respects dignity and the independence of its customers.  For example, parents with disabilities will be given an opportunity equal to that given to others to obtain, use or benefit from the goods and services provided by and on behalf of Camp Manitou. We welcome people with disabilities as well as their service animals, or support people, assistive devices  and the like.

For safety reasons or physical limitations some of our facilities or services or programs may not be accessible  to all people.  Clients may communicate  with us to find out which programs or facilities are or are not accessible to people with specific disabilities.  We will also communicate  with people with disabilities  in ways that take into account their specific disability.

Camp Manitou is committed to excellence in serving all customers including people with disabilities. We wish every person whether with a disability or not to be treated with independence, integrity, have equal opportunity and dignity.

Training:

Every person who deals with members of the public which is our full time four staff team, or who is involved in developing our policies and practices around the provision of goods and services to the public  will receive training regarding the  good and services to persons with disabilities. This could involve summer office staff or contractors for example  and includes camp staff, volunteers, agents, contractors and others who provide service on behalf of the camp.

Training will include the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, how to interact and communicate with persons with various types of disabilities; specific knowledge of how to interact with persons who use an assistive device or require the assistance of a service animal or a support person or how to use equipment either being provided by that person or the Camp  to help people with disabilities and of course what to di of a person with a disability is having difficulty accessing services.

Such Training will be provided to each person according to his or her needs and duties and as soon as practicable on an ongoing basis in connection with changes to policies, practices and procedures governing the provision of goods and services to persons with disabilities.

Current Training involved for example providing the following information:

If you need to have a lengthy conversation with someone who uses a wheelchair or scooter consider sitting so you can make eye contact at the same level.

Do not touch other people’s equipment such as canes or wheelchairs without permission  and don’t leave such items in an awkward or dangerous or even undignified position.

If someone has vision loss don’t assume they are completely blind.  Make sure you identify yourself  when you approach the person and speak directly to the customer.  Offer if they would like any material read or printedout loud for them. Offer you elbow to guide them if they require it.

If someone has hearing loss  make sure you are in  a well lit area where they can see your face and read your lips.  IF your customer uses a hearing made try to reduce background noise or move to a quieter area. If necessary ask the best way to communicate with them,, for example using a pen and paper.

IF someone has a speech impairment don’t assume they have any other disability. Use simple questions so they can answer in a yes or no.  Don’t finish the person’s sentences and be patient. Remember that people with certain learning disabilities take longer to process information.

If someone has mental health disabilities  be sure to treat that person with the same respect and consideration as anyone else, be confident calm and reassuring and if a customer appears to be in crisis ask them to tell you the best way you can help them.

With respect to specific assistive devices remember  not to handle another person’s without their permission  and never move them out of their reach.  Let your customer know about any  accessible features that are closely by  such as phones, accessible washrooms, etc.

When dealing with a service animal  remember this is not a pet so avoid touching or addressing them. If you are not sure if this is a pet or service animal ask the customer.

At Camp Manitou we always welcome support people to the workplace.  Make sure they know they are permitted and can join in any meals for no charge.  Remember to deal directly with the customer and not just the support person.

Likely the greatest training is common sense – that is always ask the customer how can I help you?

Camp Forms:

At Manitou if a parent or customer requires information in  a bigger font or another language we will provide this if requested. We will also train our staff to read out information in person and  help fill out any applications if the customer can not.  One of the reasons we try to do home visits to many families is also to make sure we can get communicated to us as much information as necessary about the camper- and doing this in person is often the best way if a person has a disability that may limit their ability to communicate in writing.

If Camp Manitou is required to give a copy of document to a person with a disability the camp will take in to account the person’s ability  to access the information and will provide the document or information contained in the document in a format that meets those needs as agreed upon with the person.

Visitors Day:

All camp staff even prior to this act were trained on providing golf carts to people who need mobility assistance on site- Manitou will provide golf carts to any people who can not walk on site.  Also for those that park far away golf carts and other vehicles will be used to transport people to the camp so that they do not have to walk as far.

Feedback Process:

Camp Manitou  accepts feedback from the public in a variety of methods including by phone, in person, by fax,  and email.  All feedback is reviewed by the Directors and any complaints will be investigated and follow up will be provided to the customer if requested.

Use of Service Animals:

IF a person with a disability is accompanied by a guide dog or other service animal, Camp Manitou  will ensure that the person is permitted to enter the camp  with the animal and to keep the animal with him or her.  Where a service animal is excluded by law, Camp Manitou will ensure that other measures are taken to enable the person with a disability to obtain , use and benefit from the Camp’s goods and services. The service animal must be under the care and control of the individual at all times.

Support people:

IF a person with a disability is accompanied by a support person, Camp Manitou  will ensure that both persons are permitted to enter the camp facilities and that the person with the disability is not prevented from having access to such support person.  In fact Camp Manitou may  require a person with a disability to be accompanied by a support person  when in a camp facility if it is necessary to protect the health and safety of the person with the disability or of others in the facility. IF there is a charge for such support person  Camp Manitou will ensure notice is given in advance about the amount of such charge.

Notice of Temporary Disruptions:

Camp Manitou shall provide notice  of disruption of services to the public  explaining the reason for the disruption, the anticipated duration and alternative  facilities or services if available. Such notice will be provided at the site with a notice physically posted, and if necessary in the camp web site.

Notice of availability of documents:

Camp Manitou will provide the public notice of availability of the documents required by the Accessibility Standards for Customers Service  upon request.  Notice of availability will be provided on the Camp Manitou web site or through other printed methods.

Camp Manitou’s Multi-Year Accessibility Plan

Camp Manitou is committed to providing an exceptional and accessible outdoor overnight summer camp experience to all members of its community, including persons with disabilities. We are committed to meeting the accessibility needs of such persons in a timely manner and will do so by preventing and removing barriers to accessibility and meeting accessibility requirements. Camp Manitou’s Accessibility Policies are developed to break down barriers and increase accessibility for persons with disabilities in the areas of customer service, information and communications as well as employment. Camp Manitou is committed to putting these policies into practice as required by the Accessibility for Ontarians Disability Act, 2005 and Regulation 191/11 (the “Regulation”). These policies apply to all members of the Camp Manitou community including campers, families, employees, agents, volunteers and contracted service staff.

Camp Manitou is committed to developing, maintaining and documenting a Multi-Year Accessibility Plan outlining the strategy that improves opportunities for persons with disabilities, and prevents and removes barriers.

The Multi-Year Accessibility Plan will be reviewed and updated by our Leadership Team at least once every 5 years and will be posted on our website. Upon request, Camp Manitou will provide a copy of the Accessibility Plan in an accessible format.

Part 1: We have committed to and plan to do the follow at the indicated times:

2012:

• Reviewed and updated our emergency and public safety information so that it is accessible to the public, as well as developed a process for responding to requests and supports;
• When necessary, we provided and continue to provide individual plans to help employees who have disabilities during an emergency, or emergency information that is formatted so an employee who has a disability can understand it.
  • We continue to review our emergency information; each summer we determine which employees require this help; we are prepared and ready to provide this information to these employees in an accessible format if required; and have systems in place to follow up with these employees periodically to ensure that their needs are being met with respect to accessing this emergency information in the accessible format that they would benefit from.

2014:

• Created policies and procedures for each standard (which included developing a statement of commitment, assessing our current accessibility policies and identify and address any gaps and update any policies accordingly);
• Created a Multi-Year Accessibility Plan which is to be updated at least every 5 years;
• Completed and submitted the government accessibility report;
• Reviewed with our website developers and ensured that all new internet websites and web content on those sites conformed to WCAG 2.0 Level A.

2015:

• Trained all staff, and continue to do so, on what they have to do under the IASR and on aspects of the Human Rights Code that relate to accessibility (these trainings take place during our senior staff training at pre-camp training which takes place in June each summer as well as during planned in-services throughout the summer);
• Made our feedback processes, like surveys, more accessible for those that required and requested the accessible format;

2016:

• Made information about our camp’s goods, services and facilities accessible and available for those that requested it in the accessible format;
• We put in place systems that notify employees, potential hires and the public that accommodations can be made during recruitment, assessment and selection processes for people who have disabilities;
• We put in place systems that notify new hires and staff of policies for accommodating employees with disabilities;
• We have in place a written process to develop individual accommodation plans for employees with a disability;
• We take the needs of our employees with disabilities into account with our performance review processes to help with performance management.

2017:

• Completed and submitted the government accessibility report;
• We continue to ensure that we make new or redeveloped spaces accessible.

2019:

• Reviewed and Updated our Multi-Year Accessibility Plan.

2020:

• Completed and submitted the government accessibility report;
• We continue to identify strategies to prevent and remove additional barriers in our camp setting/programming.

2021:

• Working towards ensuring that by 2021 we will have all internet website content to conform with WCAG 2.0 level AA (excluding live captioning and audio description). This has been a challenge as we have numerous photos but the most important parts of our site will be achieved.

2023:

• Complete and submit the government accessibility report.

Part 2:  Camp Manitou’s strategy to prevent and remove additional barriers:

• We are committed to ensuring that we review and update our Multi-Year Accessibility Plan at least every 5 years.
• We will work with our IT support team to ensure that by 2021 we will have all of our internet website content conforming with WCAG 2.0 level AA (excluding live captioning and audio description unless time/finances allow us the ability to address these areas too).
• We will complete and submit our next government accessibility report in 2023.
• We will continue to assess our programs/site/communication and customer service to identify and address/prevent any additional barriers that may arise.
• We will continue to consult with our families/staff/campers/alumni and others with and without disabilities to ensure that our Accessibility Policies and Plans are relevant and meet the needs of all. Any policy of Camp Manitou’s that does not respect and promote the dignity and independence of people with disabilities will be modified or removed.

For more information on this accessibility plan and/or to provide feedback, please contact Mark Diamond mark@manitocamp.com

Accessible formats of this document are available for free upon request by contacting jen white jen@manitoucamp.com.