Perley-Robertson, Hill & McDougall LLP/s.r.l. Accessibility Plan

Statement of Commitment

Perley-Robertson, Hill & McDougall LLP/s.r.l. (the “Firm”) is committed to providing services in a way that is accessible to people with disabilities.

In fulfilling our commitment, the Firm strives to provide its services in a way that respects the dignity and independence of people with disabilities. We are also committed to giving people with disabilities the same opportunity to access our services and benefit from the same services, in the same place, and in a similar way as other employees and clients.

The Firm is committed to fulfilling our requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (“AODA”). This accessibility plan outlines the steps the Firm is taking to meet those requirements and to improve opportunities for people with disabilities.

Our plan shows how the Firm will play its role in making Ontario an accessible province for all Ontarians.

Past Achievements to Remove and Prevent Barriers

This plan includes a summary of the accessibility initiatives the Firm has completed.

Customer Service

The goal of the Firm is to meet and surpass client expectations while serving clients with disabilities. Comments on our services and how well these expectations are being met are welcome and appreciated.

Feedback regarding the way the Firm provides services to people with disabilities can be made in person or by written communication (e-mail). On request, the Firm will arrange for the provision of accessible formats and communication supports to assist with the feedback process. All feedback will be directed to Human Resources. Clients can expect to hear back within seven (7) business days. Complaints will be addressed according to the Firm’s established complaint management procedures.

An adopted Accessibility Policy is available upon request. The Firm reviews this Policy regularly to meet any new requirements of the Integrated Accessibility Standards, pursuant to Ontario Regulation 191/11, under the AODA.

The Firm continually identifies and removes barriers to access for people with disabilities. To date we have done the following to achieve this goal:

1. Permit Personal Assistive Devices and the use of service animals and support persons, subject to clarifying the potential consequences with support persons for solicitor-client privileged communications.
2. Provide Assistive Devices where reasonable and necessary.
3. Train our staff on key principles and strategies for ensuring respectful and effective communication with persons with disabilities.

Information and Communications

The Firm will communicate with people with disabilities in ways that takes into account their disability.

Employment

The Firm has trained staff on how to interact and communicate with people with various types of disabilities.

The Firm’s job postings will indicate the Firm’s availability of accommodation and supports for any persons with disabilities who may be interested in working at the Firm.

Strategies and Actions

This plan outlines the initiatives the Firm will put into place to fulfill its commitment over the next five (5) years.

Customer Service

The Firm is committed to providing accessible customer service to people with disabilities. This means that we will provide services to people with disabilities with the same high quality and timeliness as others.

The Firm will continue to hold training for new staff on an ongoing basis, to comply with the Customer Service Standard. The training will take place immediately upon hire.

Information and Communications

The Firm is committed on an ongoing basis to making our information and communications accessible to people with disabilities. This includes ensuring any information is in a digital format that facilitates conversion into an accessible format.

Employment

The Firm is committed to fair and accessible employment practices, including indicating on job postings of the availability of accommodations and supports. These accommodations and supports will extend throughout the entirety of the recruitment process, hiring, performance management, career development process and re-deployment.

For employees with disabilities, we will work with them to develop an individual accommodation plan including an individualized emergency response plan, as applicable.

The Firm informs all existing and new employees of policies that support employees with disabilities. Employees will be notified as soon as possible of changes to existing policies regarding job accommodations for accessibility.

Training

The Firm is committed to providing training on the requirements of Ontario’s accessibility laws and the Ontario Human Rights Code as it applies to people with disabilities.

Training of all staff will be scheduled in the upcoming year and subsequently will take place immediately for any new hires who join the Firm thereafter.

Design of Public Spaces

The Firm will meet accessibility laws when building or making major changes to public spaces. This includes our main reception area, all entry points and common spaces. The Firm will put procedures in place to prevent service disruptions to the accessible parts of our public spaces. In the event of a service disruption, the Firm will take steps to provide notice of the disruption to the public, including the reason for the disruption and a description of alternative facilities or services, if any, that are available.

For More Information

For more information on this accessibility plan, please contact Neha D’Souza, Chief Operating Officer at 613-566-2832 or [email protected].

This accessibility plan is available in an accessible format, and free upon request. This plan will be reviewed and updated as required at least once every five (5) years.