Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)

Accessibility Standards for Persons with Disabilities

The Accessibility Standards for Customer Service regulation, made pursuant to the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, requires that all organizations and Ministries within the Ontario government provide accessible services to persons with a disability. 

"Disability" means:

1.  any degree of physical disability, infirmity, malformation or disfigurement that is caused by bodily injury, birth defect or illness and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, includes diabetes mellitus, epilepsy, a brain injury, any degree of paralysis, amputation, lack of physical co-ordination, blindness or visual impediment, deafness or hearing impediment, muteness or speech impediment, or physical reliance on a guide dog or other animal or on a wheelchair or other remedial appliance or device,
2. a condition of mental impairment or a developmental disability,
3. a learning disability, or a dysfunction in one or more of the processes involved in understanding or using symbols or spoken language,
4. a mental disorder, or
5. an injury or disability for which benefits were claimed or received under the insurance plan established under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997.

OPGT Policy

To ensure that the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee’s (OPGT) services are accessible to persons with a disability, the following policies are in effect as of January 1, 2010:

Service Animals: OPGT staff will permit the use of a service animal (such as a seeing eye dog or service dog) by a person with a disability who is a client, an individual assisting a client or a member of the public seeking the OPGT’s services.  If necessary, OPGT staff will facilitate the entry of the person with a disability and his or her service animal to the building in which an OPGT office is located.

Support Individuals: OPGT clients and other members of the public with a disability who wish to be accompanied to a meeting with OPGT staff by a support person, whether or not in the OPGT’s office, will be permitted to do so.*  For these purposes, a support person is defined as another person who accompanies the person with a disability in order to help with communication, mobility, personal care or medical needs or with access to goods or services. 

Assistive Devices: Persons with a disability who wish to use an assistive device when accessing OPGT services will be permitted to do so.  This includes use of a tape recorder, Braille recorder or other device, when communicating with OPGT staff.* 

* Where individuals accompany clients during solicitor-client interviews, legal counsel must discuss the impact of third party disclosure with the client, at the commencement of the solicitor-client discussion.

OPGT Feedback Process

The Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee (OPGT)  is committed to improving accessibility for our clients with disabilities.  We welcome feedback about the manner in which we provide service to persons with disabilities.

Method of providing Feedback

Feedback may be provided in person, at any one of the OPGT’s local offices, by telephone, in writing, or by delivering an electronic text by email or on diskette or otherwise.   Contact information is contained below.

Review Process

All feedback will be reviewed by an OPGT staff member.  Feedback is tracked and analyzed to facilitate continuous improvement in the way we provide service to persons with disabilities. 

Complaints

If the feedback constitutes a complaint about the accessibility of service to persons with disabilities, an attempt will be made to resolve it immediately.  If this cannot be achieved, the complaint  will be forwarded to the manager of the applicable OPGT business unit and responded to within ten business days using the same means of communication that was used to provide the feedback.  All reasonable efforts will be made to resolve the complaint.

Contact Information:

The Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee authorized under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, sections 38(2) and 41(1)(b), to collect and use the information provided in your complaint about the Public Guardian and Trustee’s programs and services.   We do this to make sure we are providing the best customer service possible.  Some of the information which you provide may be your personal information. We will use this information only to review, investigate and respond to your complaint.  We care about protecting your privacy. If you have any questions about the complaint process, please contact:

Program Coordinator
Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee
595 Bay Street, 8th Floor
Toronto  ON  M5G 2M6
Telephone: 416-314-2761
TTY:  416-314-2687
Fax: 416-326-1366