Multi-year Accessibility Plan
Our Statement of Commitment
SDI Marketing is committed to treating every person in a way that allows them to maintain their dignity and independence. We believe in integration and equal opportunity, and are committed to meeting the needs of people with disabilities consistently and in a timely manner. It is our aim to design our processes, policies and procedures to prevent and remove barriers, thereby facilitating compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), 2005.
About SDI
SDI Marketing has been helping individuals meet, experience and fall in love with brands since 1988. Its passion and investment into experiential development and execution lets us leverage the latest platforms of connection whether face-to-face, online, in-store or on the street. From a history of passion and commitment to excellence, to a future through creativity and innovation, SDI is fortunate to be the preferred activation partner of many iconic brands.
At SDI, we believe in a workplace that is accessible to all persons, and in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. We believe in integration and equal opportunity and are committed to meeting the needs of people with disabilities.
While SDI is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, we have offices in the United States and the Middle East. In Ontario, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) requires businesses to meet accessibility requirements in a number of standards. Given the nature of SDI’s business activities, some standards will not apply and as such will not be addressed within this plan. As an example, the Transportation Standard which is aimed at making it easier for everyone to travel through the province, is not a business activity SDI is engaged in, and is not included in this plan.
About our Plan
Through 2021-2026, SDI Marketing will continue to comply with the Ontario Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, Information & Communications, Employment and Design of Public Spaces (the Built Environment). As it pertains to Public Spaces/Built Environment, SDI will ensure any events we design and execute for our clients will have accessibility requirements built-in.
This plan includes a summary of the initiatives that SDI Marketing has implemented on or before January 1st, 2021, and will continue to implement through 2021-2026.
For more Information
If you would like to obtain more information about this plan, if you would like to obtain a standard or accessible format document, or if you have questions or concerns, we invite you to contact us using one of the methods below. Similarly, we encourage any individual interested in providing feedback to also do so by any of the following means:
You may reach out to us for questions or concerns, and/or send us the feedback form as an email attachment to: feedback@sdimktg.com OR cdn.hr@sdimktg.com
Telephone
You may call us at: 647-725-7840 OR 416-674-9010 (please ask to speak to the AODA Program Manager).
In Writing
To reach us via regular mail, please use the following address: SDI AODA Program, 202-175 Galaxy Blvd., Toronto ON, M9W 0C9
In Person
To speak to us in person, please attend our main office and request to speak with the AODA Program Manager. Our address is: 202-175 Galaxy Blvd., Toronto ON, M9W 0C9
Customer Service Standard
https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/110191#BK149
The aim of this Standard is to ensure services are more accessible to those with a disability and that employees are trained on how to serve those with a disability. To achieve this goal, the Standard speaks to policy establishment, use of service animals and/or support personnel, notice of temporary disruptions, staff training and feedback processes.
In the first five years, SDI has met our AODA obligations by implementing the following:
Establishing our statement of commitment, policies and procedures for Accessible Customer Service.
Developing and implementing our corporate multi-year accessibility plan.
Rolling out AODA education to all employees, introducing everyone to the purpose behind the legislation, what it requires of SDI and how SDI is implementing accessibility into its processes
Ensuring persons with disabilities and their service animals are accommodated in all aspects of service provision.
Developing a process for providing Notice of Temporary Disruption in the event of a planned or unexpected disruption to services or facilities for customers with disabilities.
Providing accessibility awareness, AODA, and customer service training at time of onboarding to all employees and volunteers who interact or may interact with persons with disabilities.
Creating a Feedback Process and policy for customers and employees who wish to provide feedback on the way SDI Marketing provides goods and services to people with disabilities.
Providing a Notice of Availability of documents in accessible or alternative formats via SDI’s website.
Ensuring that any request for accessible information and/or communication support is addressed timely.
Completing and submitting regulatory Compliance reports by required deadlines.
Through 2021-2026, SDI will be implementing the following initiatives to continue to meet AODA requirements:
Annual review and maintenance of our Accessibility Policy. This policy is owned by our HR team and can be located on our website.
Ensuring our multi-year accessibility plan is reviewed annually in conjunction with our Accessibility Policy, this ensures any changes are carried through all our AODA program documents
Ensuring our employees review our policy and refresh their AODA on an annual basis to keep knowledge and awareness top of mind
Continue to ensure that persons with disabilities and their service animals or support persons are accommodated in all aspects of service provision.
Monitoring the effectiveness of our Notice Temporary Disruption process, making revisions if/when gaps are identified. Any revisions will be incorporated into our policies and processes which will be updated on our website.
Ensuring that all employees complete an online AODA training course within their first week of employment. All employees will be required to provide certificate of completion to be included in the employee profile on the internal HRIS system.
Monitoring the effectiveness of our Feedback process, ensuring all submissions are responded to timely and that identified accessibility issues are addressed and remediated in a timely manner.
SDI will continue to ensure that all documents (new or revised) and the information within them, are in accessible formats and/or available with supports. The process for requesting accessible information and/or supports is posted on our website.
SDI will continue to monitor for reporting requirements, and deadlines, ensuring that all regulatory reports are completed and submitted as required.
Feedback
Specific to SDI’s feedback process, SDI is committed to maintain and ‘open door’ like policy, encouraging all those that wish to provide feedback to do so using various methods. SDI is committed to reviewing all feedback, evaluating what gaps or issues are identified, and making changes to enhance and improve upon our processes.
Our ongoing activities include:
ensuring that the feedback processes remain accessible regardless of changes to our processes, website etc.
ensuring communication supports are available upon request
consulting with the individual making the request to determine the best way we can accommodate their needs
ensuring the public and our employees are aware of the availability of accessible formats and communication supports by ensuring notices are available at all times
ensuring our employees have appropriate training for receiving and addressing received feedback; this training will be provided at time of hire and ongoing thereafter to ensure it remains top of mind
Information and Communications Standard
https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/110191#BK9
The aim of this Standard is to ensure our employees and the public know that our information will be made accessible and/or with communication supports upon request. To achieve this goal, the Standard speaks to accessible formats, accessible websites and web content as well as communication supports.
In the first five years, SDI has met our AODA obligations by implementing the following:
Ensuring our information is available in various formats to promote accessibility.
Ensuring we speak with the individual to determine how best to address their needs.
Ensuring our website and other social media platforms let persons know that information and/or communication supports are available upon request.
Ensuring that any request for accessible information and/or communication support is addressed timely.
Ensuring our website and web content meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA requirements.
Through 2021-2026, SDI will be implementing the following initiatives to continue to meet AODA requirements:
Continue to work with our developers to ensure any changes to web accessibility guidelines are incorporated by compliance deadlines.
Have regular touchpoints with our developers to ensure any new content proposed for the website meets/has met accessibility requirements.
Provide training/knowledge sessions for developers and our Creative teams to ensure they are aware of, and continue to built content that meets WCAG 2.0 Level AA requirements, whether it is for SDI or our clients.
Workplace Emergency Response Information
Specific to SDI’s emergency response information, SDI is committed to providing individuals with publicly available emergency information in an accessible format or with communication supports upon request. Additionally, SDI will work with an employee who has a disability to create an individualized emergency response plan upon request.
Our ongoing activities include:
creating as/when needed individualized plans to assist employees with disabilities during an emergency, providing that plan in a format that the employee can understand its content/directions
obtaining consent from employees with individualized plans to disclose emergency response or evacuations plans to the person responsible for assisting the employee in situations where the plan requires the assistance of a colleague
ensuring all plans are reviewed if/when the employee moves to a different location, if/when the employee’s needs change and when SDI reviews its general emergency response policies
ensuring individuals plans are also shared with SDI’s internal emergency response personnel (e.g. those that manage fire evacuations) and with local front line response as needed (e.g. Fire or Police Services, EMS)
Employment Standard
https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/110191#BK21
The aim of this Standard is to ensure our employment practices are accessible to meet the needs of employees and job applicants with disabilities. To achieve this goal, an organization like SDI must meet accessibility requirements for the following: hiring, workplace information, performance management, communication of policies, accommodation plans and return to work processes.
Accessible Recruitment Process
SDI reviews its policies and procedures on an annual basis. This ensures the content remains accurate and current, but also ensures those responsible for recruiting identify any barriers and implement actions to remove those.
Our ongoing activities include:
ensuring our careers section on the corporate website maintains a notice that accommodation is available upon request
ensuring our candidates are kept informed about the availability of accommodations: i) when contacted for an interview, ii) during the selection process, and iii) when offered a job (during the employee onboarding stage)
providing training to all employees involved with the recruitment and selection process, including when processes and/or accessibility requirements change
Support Information for Employees
As it pertains to providing support information to our employees, SDI assesses its policies and procedures on a regular basis, and especially when accessibility requirements change. Of note, support information would also include information needed to perform a specific role, and information generally available to all employees.
Our ongoing activities include:
informing current employees and new hires of SDI policies supporting employees with disabilities, including but not limited to policies on the provision of job accommodations that take into account an employee’s accessibility needs due to disability
ensuring new hires are provided this information within the first week of their employment
ensuring employees are kept up to date on policy changes via emails, company announcements, team meetings etc.
providing accessible formats and communication supports to any employee upon request, consulting with the employee to determine the best method to accommodate their needs
Documented Individualized Accommodation Plans
As it pertains to our return to work and accommodation plans, SDI has developed and documented a process such that we have a consistent approach to evaluation, documentation and execution of these plans.
Our ongoing activities include:
ensuring the employee requesting accommodation understands how they participate in the development of the plan
ensuring the plan documents how the employee is assessed on an individual basis
providing an individualized accommodation plan in writing (or other requested format) to any employee with a disability upon request
providing an individualized return-to-work plan in writing (or other requested format) for any employee who has been absent from work due to disability and requires disability-related accommodations to return to work
ensuring the personal information of the employee handled according to SDI’s Privacy Policy at all times
outlining the frequency in which the individual accommodation plans will be reviewed and updated and the manner in which it will be done
including any individualized workplace emergency response information
identifying any other accommodation that is to be provided to the employee
Performance Management, Professional Development, and Redeployment
As it pertains to our performance management, employee development and redeployment processes, SDI has developed and documented these processes such that we have a consistent approach to evaluation, documentation and execution.
Our ongoing activities include:
taking the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities and their individualized accommodation plans into account
reviewing, and where necessary, revising its performance review policies or procedures
taking into account the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities when providing professional development and advancement to its employees with disabilities
taking into account the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities when redeploying employees
Design of Public Spaces Standard
https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/110191#BK93
The aim of this Standard is to ensure public spaces used by SDI for our own purposes or for client activations are accessible. To achieve this goal, the Standard speaks to trails, parking, service counters and fixed waiting areas, eating areas, play spaces and paths of travel.
Buildings
As it pertains to buildings, SDI offices are not a stand-alone space, rather a shared tenancy location. While we cannot control other locations of the building, we can control how we meet accessibility needs inside our office space. In those circumstances where we cannot control the physical space, we will work with building owners or managers to ensure accessibility requirements are addressed.
We have implemented the following in our office space:
ensuring entrance doors have wheelchair accessibility (wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair)
ensuring doors can be opened either with a wheelchair button, or that handles can be manipulated with ease
ensuring office lighting is bright enough to provide increased visibility
Through 2021-2026, SDI plans to:
ensure all in office room signage (meeting rooms, offices) are braille equipped
ensure other office signage such as emergency exits are braille equipped
Design of Public Spaces
As SDI designs and executes public spaces for client programs and events, it incorporates accessibility requirements into its project proposals and design documents. These designs are reviewed with and approved by the client, and with the owners/managers of the spaces. If changes cannot be accommodated, SDI will work with the property owner/manager and client to determine how to meet accessibility obligations within the confines of the space using the requirements within the specific standard.
For example, if SDI is designing an event that includes an outdoor eating area, SDI will refer to the Standard, specifically to the sections that speak to outdoor easting areas to guide discussions and development plans.