Providing goods, services or facilities to people with disabilities
TechSoup Canada understands that obligations under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) and its accessibility standards do not substitute or limit its obligations under the Ontario Human Rights Code or obligations to people with disabilities under any other law.
TechSoup Canada is committed to complying with both the Ontario Human Rights Code and the AODA.
TechSoup Canada is committed to excellence in serving all customers, including people with disabilities.
Our accessible customer service policies are consistent with the principles of independence, dignity, integration and equality of opportunity for people with disabilities.
Assistive devices
People with disabilities may use their personal assistive devices when accessing our services.
In cases where the assistive device presents a significant and unavoidable health or safety concern or may not be permitted for other reasons, other measures will be used to ensure the person with a disability can access our goods, services or facilities.
We will ensure that our staff is trained and familiar with various assistive devices that may be used by customers while accessing our goods, services or facilities.
Our team will share a document to report cases of talking with a customer with disabilities (ex: a hearing disability) in an effort to continually improve the way Account Managers at TechSoup deal with this kind of situation.
Situations of interacting with customers who utilize assistive devices will be incorporated into our training materials for staff. The objective being to train our staff to provide quality service to customers who utilize assistive devices.
Communication
We will communicate with people with disabilities in ways that take into account their disability. This may include the following:
- When speaking on the phone:
- Speak clearly enough to be understood
- Speaking with a support person or interpreter
- Following the communications preferences outlined by our customers
- Write emails in large, easy to read font with high contrast
- Invite customers to notify us if they need emails to be written in a more legible way
- Keep in mind that some of our customers may have learning disabilities. We will do our best to communicate in a clear and understandable way.
Support persons
TechSoup Canada will provide service to customers who utilize support persons in a way that is effective and maintains the respect and dignity of all parties involved.
The main channels of TechSoup Canada’s customer service are email correspondence and phone calls.
As a result, the situation where support persons are most likely to be involved is when supporting customers over the phone. Not only is TechSoup Canada open to talking to support persons, but we are also committed to improving our service in these situations. To do so, we will train our staff in communication by phone when a support person is involved, and collect feedback for improvements, in an attempt to make these conversations as positive as possible.
Training
TechSoup Canada being a program of the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI), all TechSoup Canada’s employees are required to take part to an accessible customer service training.
Staff will be trained in conducting accessible customer service within 6 months after being hired.
Training will include:
- Purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and the requirements of the customer service standard
- Centre for Social Innovation and TechSoup Canada’s policies related to the customer service standard
- How to interact and communicate with people with various types of disabilities
- How to interact with people with disabilities who use an assistive device or require the assistance of a service animal or a support person
- How to use the equipment or devices available on-site or otherwise that may help with providing goods, services or facilities to people with disabilities. These include:
- What to do if a person with a disability is having difficulty in accessing CSI and TechSoup Canada’s goods, services or facilities
Staff will also be trained when changes are made to our accessible customer service policies.
Feedback process
TechSoup Canada welcomes feedback on how we provide accessible customer service. Customer feedback will help us identify barriers and respond to concerns.
Customers will be notified of how to provide feedback in the following ways:
- A note on the Contact Us page - ‘‘We welcome your feedback on how we could make our service more accessible‘‘
Customers who wish to provide feedback on the way TechSoup Canada provides services to people with disabilities can provide feedback in the following way(s):
- Answering our annual survey
“Have you ever experienced any barriers in accessibility when contacting customer service or using our website? If so, what was your experience?” - Writing to our team of Account Managers at customerservice@techsoupcanada.ca
- Calling our team of Account Managers at 1.855.281.5499
All feedback, including complaints, will be handled in the following manner:
Feedback will be communicated to the staff responsible for accessibility in the relevant area of business. Our team will then decide upon actions that can be taken to avoid a recurrence of the same issue or to generally improve our services.
Customers can expect to hear back in 7 to 10 business days.
TechSoup Canada will make sure our feedback process is accessible to people with disabilities by providing or arranging for accessible formats and communication supports, on request.
Notice of availability of documents
TechSoup Canada will notify the public that documents related to accessible customer service, are available upon request by posting a notice in the following location(s)/way(s):
- TechSoup Canada’s website (Contact Us page)
TechSoup Canada will provide this document in an accessible format or with communication support, on request. We will consult with the person making the request to determine the suitability of the format or communication support. We will provide the accessible format in a timely manner and, at no additional cost.
Modifications to this or other policies
Any policies of TechSoup Canada that do not respect and promote the principles of dignity, independence, integration and equal opportunity for people with disabilities will be modified or removed.
Questions about this policy
This policy exists to achieve service excellence to customers with disabilities. If anyone has a question about the policy, or if the purpose of a policy is not understood, an explanation should be provided by, or referred to any Account Manager at TechSoup Canada.
Contact:
e: customerservice@techsoupcanada.ca
t: 1-855-281-5499 (toll free)
f: 1-855-231-1310 (toll free)
10am - 4pm EST Monday - Thursday
TechSoup Canada
192 Spadina Avenue, Suite 203
Toronto, ON M5T 2C2
