Accessibility Policy

Purpose

Konrad is committed to maintaining an accessible environment for persons with disabilities, including our team members, clients, employment candidates, and partners. We are committed to treating all people in a way that allows them to maintain their dignity and independence. We believe in integration and equal opportunity. We are committed to meeting the needs of persons with disabilities in a timely manner, and will do so by preventing, removing, or overcoming barriers to accessibility and meeting accessibility requirements under applicable laws and regulations and common practice. We are committed to making every reasonable effort to accommodate people with disabilities, provided such accommodation does not cause Konrad undue hardship.

We will use reasonable efforts to ensure that our policies, practices and procedures governing employment and the provision of our services to persons with disabilities are consistent with the following principles:

Employment opportunities and services are provided in a way that respects the dignity and independence of persons with disabilities;
Persons with disabilities are able to benefit from the same services and opportunities, in the same place and/or in a similar way as others; and
Persons with disabilities have opportunities equal to others to obtain, use and benefit from Konrad’s goods or services.

This Policy applies to all Konrad companies and operating divisions and worldwide offices, including BrainStation Inc., Techvibes Inc. and Quantum Coffee Corporation. This Policy shall be read and applied with regard to any applicable local laws, regulations, and practices.

Definitions

For the purposes of this policy: "Disability" means:

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;
A condition of mental impairment or a developmental disability;
A learning disability, or a dysfunction in one or more of the processes involved in understanding or using symbols or spoken language;
A mental disorder; or
An injury or disability for which benefits were claimed or received under the insurance plan established under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997.

"Service animal" means an animal accompanying a person with disabilities where it is readily apparent that the animal is used by the person for reasons relating to his or her disability or where the person provides a letter from a physician or nurse confirming that he or she requires the animal for reasons relating to the disability. This definition includes guide dogs used by the blind or visually impaired.

Support person means, in relation a person with disabilities, another person who accompanies him or her in order to help with communication, mobility, personal care or medical needs or with access to goods and services.

Providing Goods and Services to Persons with Disabilities

We are committed to excellence in serving all visitors, including persons with disabilities, and will carry out our functions and responsibilities by:

Communicating with persons with disabilities in ways that take into account their disability.
Serving persons with disabilities who use assistive devices. Ensuring that persons with disabilities who are accompanied by their guide dog or other service animals are permitted to enter the premises of Konrad Group with the animal and to keep the animal with them, unless the animal is excluded by law from the premises.
Ensuring that persons with disabilities who are accompanied by a support person are permitted to enter Konrad’s premises with their support person. At no time will persons with disabilities who are accompanied by their support person be prevented from having access to their support person while on Konrad premises.

Support Persons

Person with disabilities may enter Konrad’s premises with a support person and have access to the support person while on the premises. In certain circumstances, Konrad may require persons with disabilities to be accompanied by a support person when on the premises, but only if a support person is necessary to protect the health and safety of the person with disabilities or the health or safety of others on the premises.

Service Animals

A person with disabilities may be accompanied by a guide dog or other service animal when on Konrad’s premises. In the event that service animals are excluded by law from the premises or a part thereof (e.g. an area where food is being prepared), Konrad will provide other resources or support to enable the person with disabilities to access the services and goods offered by Konrad.

Notice of temporary disruption

Konrad will notify the public in the event of a planned or unexpected disruption in the facilities or services usually used by persons with disabilities. This notice will include information about its anticipated duration, and a description of alternative facilities or services, if available. Notice will be posted on the doors of the device (i.e. elevator door), or communicated by such method as is reasonable in the circumstances.

Training for staff

Konrad will train its staff and other individuals who provide services to the public on Konrad’s behalf on the provision of its services to persons with disabilities. This policy will also be shared as soon as practicable with new hires. Konrad’s training will include the following:

The purposes of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and the requirements of the customer service standard;
How to interact and communicate with persons with various types of disabilities;
How to interact with persons with disabilities who use an assistive device or require the assistance of a guide dog, service animal or a support person;
How to use or access the equipment or devices available on Konrad’s premises or otherwise that may help with the provision of services to persons with disabilities;
What to do if a person with a particular type of disability is having difficulty in accessing Konrad’s goods and services; and
This policy.

Konrad will provide training on an ongoing basis when changes are made to Konrad’s policies, practices and procedures governing employment and the provision of services to persons with disabilities.

Accessibility Policy

Purpose

Definitions

Application of Policy

Providing Goods and Services to Persons with Disabilities

Support Persons

Service Animals

Notice of temporary disruption

Training for staff

Communication

Accessibility Plan

Feedback Process

Modifications to this policy

Requests for AODA Compliance Documents