Frequently Asked Questions

1. How long is the on-line training?

The course consists of three (3) modules and will take on average one hour and a half (1:30 min) to complete. You may complete all three modules in one sitting or you may bookmark and return where you left off completing them at a later time.

2. I don’t like the word “customers”. My students are not customers and I am not employed in a “customer service” role.

Under the Ontario Human Rights Code, education is considered a service. By extension, Ontario universities are service providers. The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), 2005 models its regulations to the extent that is possible upon language contained in the Code.
Granted, the word “customer” does not translate as completely in a university setting as it does in other settings. However, in crafting a standard that applies to every Ontario organization with one employee or more, the standard development committee decided on language that would encompass as many different public types as possible: students, clients, patients, investors, patrons, etc. For the purposes of the University’s compliance with the AODA, our students are customers.

3. I don’t have any contact with the public in the work I do at Ottawa U. Am I still required to do this training?

“Interacting and communicating with the public” involves not only face-to-face interaction. It also includes the many other everyday activities: email, telephone, interaction through the web, etc. At one time or another, all U of O’s employees will be required to interact with persons with disabilities through their work with colleagues and co-workers, providing way finding directions to a student or visitor with a disability or participating in a meeting or conference that includes persons with disabilities. To ensure we achieve the most welcoming environment for persons with disabilities, every U of O employee should complete training in accessible customer service.

4. I’ve already taken this training at another organization. Do I need to do this again?

The Council on Ontario Universities designed this online course especially for Ontario universities. They took the content as set out in the regulation and crafted a course specific to the university setting. The scenarios and supplemental information were all contributed by Disability Services Offices and other university groups. All of the examples and scenarios are based on real situations that have occurred on Ontario university campuses and reflect many of the frustrations students with disabilities have raised over the years.

That being said, we definitely do not want to frustrate our faculty and staff who struggle to find time to do this course within already extremely busy schedules. If you think the training you have already completed prepares you sufficiently for meeting the accessible customer service needs of our students and other members of the University’s community with disabilities, then this will satisfy the training requirement. Please send a brief description of the training along with completion verification to Marie-Claude Lanouette by e-mail to mlanouet@uottawa.ca.
Once we receive this information, we will enter your completion into our system.

5. I completed the training in less than 30 minutes and the system won’t allow me to get to the completion page. Do I need to do the training all over again?

Our testing before the launch showed that, on average, learners take one hour to complete the course while most learners will take up to one and a half hours. The system does not grant access to the completion page until the learner has spent a specified period of time in the modules pages.

6. We have quite a few employees in our department who do not have regular access to a computer. Can we book an in-person session for these employees?

Absolutely, the training session gives you the option of using a computer at the Centre for Organizational Development and Learning (TBT012D). This option is perfect for you if you work in an open space area or if you provide front line client service and are unable to isolate yourself during the training. Another option is offered by contacting Marie-Claude Lanouette by e-mail to mlanouet@uottawa.ca to arrange a personalized training session for your department.

7. Do I have to complete all the modules at the same time or can I come back to it where I left off?

You can take as long as you need to complete three modules. Please use your browser to bookmark the place in the module where you left off.

8. What is the section from the Ont. Reg. 429/07 that stipulates the requirements for the training for all institutions in Ontario?

From Section 6(1) of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Customer Service Standard (Ontario Regulation 429/07), training is required as follows:

  • 6. (1) Every provider of goods or services shall ensure that the following persons receive training about the provision of its goods or services to persons with disabilities:
  • 1. Every person who deals with members of the public or other third parties on behalf of the provider, whether the person does so as an employee, agent, volunteer or otherwise.
  • 2. Every person who participates in developing the provider’s policies, practices and procedures governing the provision of goods or services to members of the public or other third parties.