Camp Shalom Accessibility Policy
This policy applies to all employees of Camp Shalom, agents, volunteers, and contracted third party staff.
Commitment
Camp Shalom is committed to maintaining a relatively small camper population in order to attend to the needs of all our campers, including those with disabilities. With the guidance of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (2005), the Camp has established policies and procedures to support persons with disabilities so that its offering respects dignity, integration, and equal opportunity. Any policy of Camp Shalom that does not respect and promote the dignity and independence of people with disabilities will be revised or removed.
Definitions
Disability is defined by the Act and includes any degree of physical infirmity, malformation or disfigurement and includes for example diabetes mellitus, epilepsy, brain injury, any degree of paralysis, amputation, lack of physical coordination, blindness or visual impairment, deafness or hearing impediment, muteness or speech impediment, physical reliance on a guide dog, or other animal, or on a wheelchair or other remedial appliance or device. It also includes mental impairment, development disability, learning disability, or mental disorder. Also included is where benefits were claimed or received under 1997 workplace Safety and Insurance Act. Accessible means goods and services are provided to people in a manner that is easy to understand and/or obtain.
Employment
Camp Shalom values the diversity of people. We welcome and encourage employment applications from people with disabilities. We are committed to having recruitment and assessment processes which are both fair and accessible.
Support
We understand that people with disabilities may require the use of assistive devices, service animals and support persons. We do allow assistive devices, but we are unable to provide them. Service animals will be allowed. The law does not permit service animals in certain areas (i.e., kitchen). Where a service animal is excluded by law, the Camp will ensure that other measures are available to enable the person with a disability to obtain, use and benefit from the Camp’s goods and services. Support persons will be allowed to accompany a person with a disability. In such cases, it is recommended to contact us to discuss.
There are situations involving safety or physical limitations where certain facilities or programs cannot be accessible to people with certain disabilities. Camp Shalom will provide best efforts to accommodate individual staff and campers who have disabilities with appropriate care and communication.
Training
We are committed to training our staff in accordance with the AODA requirements and standards ensuring their familiarity with assistive devices, service animals and/or support persons. Pre-camp training will also include the ability to communicate and interact with people with various disabilities as well as what to do should a person with a disability be having difficulty accessing goods and services. Additional training will take place during the camp session when material changes are made related to accessibility.
Current accessibility training includes, but is not limited to the following:
- The purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act
- 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 service animal or support person
- How to use equipment made available by the camp to help people with disabilities to access goods and services
- What to do if a person with a disability is having difficulty accessing services
- Encourage the use of common sense and good judgement and ask for help when appropriate.
Facility Design
Camp Shalom is committed to meeting the Accessibility Standards for the Design of Public Spaces when building or making major modifications to facilities and public spaces, including recreational trails, outdoor play areas, outdoor paths of travel and stairs, and service-related elements like counters and waiting areas.
Feedback
Camp Shalom is committed to identifying, preventing, and removing accessibility barriers and we continuously evaluate the services offered to all its campers and staff. Feedback from campers, camp staff, families and other stakeholders are welcomed. Please call us at 705.687.4442 or email us at info@campshalom.ca.
Multi-Year Accessibility Plan:
The Multi-Year Accessibility Plan will be reviewed and updated by our Leadership Team at least once every 2 years and will be posted on our website.
2021 Priority Actions for Accessibility:
- Updated Emergency and Safety Procedures
- Developed an Accessibility Policy
- Submitted the government accessibility report
- Updated website to include Accessibility Policy
- Provided staff training at pre-camp and ongoing
- Accommodate people during recruitment and post hiring for people who have disabilities
2022/3 Priorities for Accessibility:
- Continue to ensure that we make new or redeveloped spaces accessible
- Update Multi-Year Accessibility Plan
- Submit the government accessibility report
- Continue to remove gaps to enhance accessibility
- Upgrade website content to conform with WCAG 2.0 level AA
Documents
Camp Shalom will provide the public notice of the availability of the documents in a timely manner, required by the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service (O. Reg 429/07) upon request. If Camp Shalom is required to give a copy of document to a person with a disability, the camp will take into account the person’s ability to access the information and will provide the document or information contained in the document in a format that meets those needs as agreed upon with the person.
Updated: June 26, 2021
