This Accessible Customer Service Policy (hereinafter “the Policy”) establishes the accessibility standards implemented by AGA Benefit Solutions for the provision of insurance products and financial services to persons with disabilities1.
This Policy was developed in accordance with Ontario Regulation 191/11: Integrated Accessibility Standards, pursuant to the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. It applies to all employees, agents or contractors who deal with members of the public or other parties in Ontario on behalf of AGA Benefit Solutions.
*For the purposes hereof, terms such as “the Company”, “we”, “our”, or “us” refer to AGA Benefit Solutions.
Our Commitment to Accessibility
At AGA Benefit Solutions, our mission is Caring differently about people, without any form of discrimination. This is why we are determined to provide our products and services to the public in a way that respects the dignity and independence of persons with disabilities.
Our objective is to guarantee that persons with disabilities have equal access to our products and services, in a setting comparable to what is offered to our other clients.
We are committed to ensure that our policies, practices and procedures are consistent with the following principles:
- We will integrate the way in which we provide our insurance products and financial services to persons with disabilities in our standard processes, unless a temporary or permanent alternate measure is necessary to enable a person with a disability to benefit from a particular product or service.
- We will give persons with disabilities the same opportunity to obtain, use or benefit from our products and services as other members of the public.
Our Service Delivery to Persons with Disabilities
We demonstrate our commitment to serving persons with disabilities in the following ways:
Adapted Communication
We will communicate with persons with disabilities in a manner that takes their disabilities into account.
We guarantee that staff members and third parties acting on our behalf will receive appropriate training on how to interact and communicate with persons with various types of disabilities.
Customized Telephone Service
We will train staff members to communicate efficiently with persons with disabilities over the telephone in clear and plain language and to speak clearly and slowly.
We will also offer persons with disabilities the opportunity to communicate with us using assistive telephone devices (where available) or by email.
Use of Assistive Devices
We will authorize persons with disabilities to use their own assistive devices to access our products and services, unless the use of such devices could present a health, safety or security risk to such persons, the Company or others. In these cases, we will strive to find other reasonable arrangements to enable persons with disabilities to benefit from our products and services.
Assistive devices may include such devices as communication, cognition, and mobility aids.
Accessible Billing
We will provide accessible invoices to all our clients. Upon request, invoices will be provided in hard copy, large print format or by email.
We will answer any questions our clients may have about the content of their invoices, in person, by telephone or email.
Access for Service Animals and Support Persons
We will ensure that any persons with a disability may be accompanied by a guide dog or service animal on our premises open to the public and third parties, unless forbidden by law.
If a service animal is excluded by law from our premises, we will take reasonable measures to enable a person with a disability to obtain, use or benefit from our products and services.
At no time will persons with a disability who are accompanied by a support person be prevented from having access to their support person while on our premises.
We may require a person with a disability to be accompanied by a support person when on our premises, but only if a support person is necessary to protect the health and safety of the person with a disability or of others on the premises.
In appropriate circumstances, we may require persons with a disability to provide their consent before we disclose confidential information in the presence of their support person.
Temporary Disruption Notices
We will provide the public with notice in the event of a temporary disruption in our facilities or services usually used by persons with disabilities.
The notice will include specific information about the reason for the disruption, its anticipated duration and a description of any alternative facilities or services. The notice will be posted at all public entrances and service counters on our premises, or it will be given by such other method that we consider reasonable in the circumstances.
Employee Training for Improved Accessibility
We attach the utmost importance to accessibility training to ensure that our products and services are accessible to all, including persons with disabilities. This training concerns our employees, agents and others who deal with the public or act on our behalf, along with persons who participate in the development of our customer service policies, practices and procedures.
We will train each person as soon as is practicable after they are assigned their duties. Training will include the following:
- Understanding the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and Ontario Regulation 429/07: Accessibility Standards for Customer Service.
- Skills required to interact efficiently with persons with disabilities.
- Proficient knowledge of interactions with persons with disabilities who use assistive devices.
- Adequate use of the devices we provide to foster accessibility.
- Protocols to be followed if a person with a disability is experiencing difficulties accessing our products or services.
We will provide updated training to efficiently meet the evolving needs of our clients with disabilities. Our goal is to create an accessible environment for all our clients.
Feedback
Our ultimate goal is to exceed the expectations of our clients with specific accessibility needs. Your feedback on our performance in this respect is deeply appreciated. Do not hesitate to share your comments by contacting François Ponton, Director, Human Resources, at francois.ponton@aga.ca.
1 According to the Government of Canada, disability “means any impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment, or a functional limitation, whether permanent, temporary or episodic in nature, or evident or not, that, in interaction with a barrier, hinders a person’s full and equal participation in society.” (Government of Canada, 2019)
Would you like to learn more about our products and services?