Consultation: Improving accessible customer service standards
From October 10, 2024, to February 6, 2025, we asked for your feedback to help make customer service more accessible for people with disabilities.
The public consultation period closed on February 6, 2025.
Background
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) sets out the process for developing and enforcing accessibility standards that public, private and not-for-profit organizations must follow. The goal of the standards is to identify, prevent and remove barriers for people with disabilities in all areas of daily life.
Customer service standards
The customer service standards under the AODA came into force in 2008.
The AODA requires all organizations to identify and remove barriers in order to provide customer service that is more accessible to people with disabilities.
These requirements apply to organizations that:
- serve the public or
- provide goods, services or facilities to other businesses or organizations (for example, manufacturers, wholesalers and professional services)
The first Customer Service Standards Development Committee was established in 2013 to conduct the first review of the customer service standards. Members of the committee included representatives from various sectors, including business, municipalities and people with disabilities. The committee reviewed and made recommendations on existing customer service standards. As a result, the standards were amended in 2016.
About the consultation
In summer 2023, the Minister for Seniors and Accessibility established the second Customer Service Standards Development Committee to conduct a second review of the customer service standards.
In October 2023, the committee began to review the province’s customer service standards and assess if changes are needed to the general requirements in Ontario Regulation 191/11 under the AODA.
The committee’s membership includes disability and sector representatives to ensure diversity of competencies and representation.
Based on the review, the Customer Service Standards Development Committee drafted 67 initial recommendations that focus on improving Ontario’s existing accessibility standards to further reduce and prevent accessibility barriers in customer service.
The committee’s report was launched for public consultation on October 10, 2024. The committee will review all feedback and submit their final recommendations report to the Minister for Seniors and Accessibility for consideration.
Your privacy matters
The Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility (the “Ministry”) is subject to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. F.31. The collection of personal information that you choose to provide through this survey will support the Customer Service Standards Development Committee’s (the “committee’s”) work. The committee’s work is authorized under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and the ministry’s support for the committee is consistent with the ministry’s mandate. Optional personal information that you may choose to provide (for example, demographic data that may indirectly identify you or any potentially identifying information that you choose to include in comments that you provide) and your feedback will be collected by the ministry, anonymized and shared with the committee. Your responses will be reviewed by the ministry and the committee to inform the committee's advice to the Minister for Seniors and Accessibility. Survey results may also be used in a summary report at an aggregate level.
If you have any questions about the collection, use or disclosure of your information, please send your inquiry to:
Kerrie Laskoski
Manager of Standards Development Unit
Kerrie.Laskoski@ontario.ca
If you have questions about the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, please contact:
FOI Co-ordinator
400 University Avenue
2nd Floor
Toronto, Ontario
M7A 2R9