From "May I Help You?" – Welcoming Customers with Disabilities Ministry of Community and Social Services

Customer Service /Barrier Free Checklist

Question Yes No N/A Comments

Policies and Procedures

Are your training sessions and your meetings accessible to all of your internal customers (your staff)

Is the training you do offered in more than one format?

Have you examined your policies and procedures for systemic barriers. In recruitment and hiring situations, always posting in the same places may be a barrier to reaching the best qualified candidate. Do you actively include job sites or newspapers that reach specifically people with disabilities?

Are your policies and procedures around sick days and leaves flexible enough to accommodate a person with a disability?

Do you have a flexible orientation program? From "May I Help You?" – Welcoming Customers with Disabilities Ministry of Community and Social Services

Question Yes No N/A Comments

Meeting with Clients/Customers Are you flexible meeting the needs of your client/ Do you go to their home if you need to, or to a more accessible location? Some businesses like grocery stores, lawyer’s office may need to loo at accessibility in different ways and offer different types of solutions. For a grocery store, that might mean offering a delivery service. Do you ask customers to notify you in advance if they need any of the services described in the Modules? Have you asked a customer if there was an alternative service delivery that would work for them? Are staff members formally trained in the service of customers with disabilities? Do employees make a point of speaking directly to the person concerned? Do all employees use flexibility when confronted with obstacles? Are staff members using correct vocabulary/terminology? From "May I Help You?" – Welcoming Customers with Disabilities Ministry of Community and Social Services

Question Yes No N/A Comments

Communication Accommodations

Do you know how to use the telephone relay service available in this region? Bell Relay System is at 1-800- 855-0511.

Do you know where to find interpreters in your area? Are instructions given orally also available in written form for persons who are Deaf, deafened, or hard of hearing? Is information provided in clear, simple terms, diagrams, or pictograms that can be understood by people with an intellectual disability? Is written communication (safety information/instructions, menus, etc.) available in alternate formats? Large print (at least 16 pt.), Braille, cassettes/diskettes? From "May I Help You?" – Welcoming Customers with Disabilities Ministry of Community and Social Services

Question Yes No N/A Comments

Communication Accommodations continued

Is your staff prepared to communicate with customers who use different aids? Are there pads and pens available for their use? Large print versions of material? Is there a magnifying glass available? Do they know how a person with a vision impairment signs a credit card? Are they trained to ask the customer what they need?

Have you assessed the information that your company provides to clients? Your signage? This includes: print like menus and catalogues, on-line material, voice mail and answering machine messages. Some materials such as contracts and documents may need to be in alternative formats such as a computer disk, in Braille, large print or audio form.

This link will provide useful information on accessibility planning: http://www.citizenship.gov.on.ca/accessibility/english/resources.htm