Services Offered to Persons with Disabilities and Persons who cannot Effectively Communicate in English or French

Introduction
The Ontario Human Rights Commission (the ”Commission”) is committed to increasing the quality of service it provides to the public, to speed up access to its services, to simplify the complaint process, and to provide better quality of service to the public. In honour of these commitments, the Commission has prepared this Fact Sheet to guide staff of the Commission when serving persons, who require accommodation because of a disability or persons who cannot effectively communicate in English nor French, either orally or in written form.

Accommodation Persons with Disabilities

The duty to accommodate persons with disabilities means accommodation must be provided in a manner that most respects the dignity of the person, if to do so does not create undue hardship. The essence of accommodating persons with disabilities is individualization. Each person with a disability must be considered, assessed and accommodated individually.

The Commission provides the services below to persons who identify an accommodation need under the Human Rights Code, R.S.O. 1990 C.H.19 (the “Code”) because of a disability:

Direct assistance to, or draft complaints for individuals who experience difficulty with drafting complaints because of a disability.
Staff spends extra time with persons with a learning disability or persons who have an intellectual disability to ensure that they understand the complaint process and the roles staff play at various stages of that process.
Staff also takes time to ensure that persons with a learning disability or persons who have an intellectual disability understand the timelines and expectations during the complaint process.
When necessary, staff meets with persons at a location or place (e.g. their home or a location close to their home) that most appropriately accommodates their specific disability.
Persons who are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing may contact the Commission through its dedicated TTY telephone line at 416-314-6526 or 1-800-308-5561.
Upon request, the Commission engages and pays for the services of a professional interpreter or captionist (e.g. sign language or oral interpretation or text translation services such as real-time captioning) for persons who are deaf, deafened or hard-of-hearing during the complaint process and during any subsequent hearing into the matter.
Upon request, the Commission engages and pays for the services of a note taker, when necessary, during the complaint process and during any subsequent hearing into the matter, to accommodate persons who are not able to write because of a disability.
Upon request, complaint materials are available in electronic text, large print, Braille, or audio format.
The Commission’s head office is fully accessible.
The Commission conducts all case-related meetings (e.g. Mediations, Investigation Interviews) with persons with disabilities in accessible buildings, offices, rooms, as necessary.

Serving Persons who cannot effectively communicate in neither English nor French.

The Commission’s services are available to the public in English and French, the two official languages of Canada. However, the Commission also provides services to persons who identify a legitimate need for service in a language that is neither English nor French:

Please note that these services refer to verbal interactions only. All written submissions must be made in English or French.

First Approach: Invite the client to bring a friend or family member to translate.

Upon learning that a person has difficulty speaking or understanding English or French, staff obtains and records the person’s language of preference in the Commission’s case management database.
Parties are advised that staff of the Commission does not provide official interpretation services.
Commission staff explains to parties the importance of having an interpreter who is fully conversant in both English or French and the language of preference identified.
A party to a complaint may make contact with the Commission through a friend or family member and Commission staff will facilitate the party's inquiry.

Second approach: Refer the person to a Community Organization that Provides Interpretation Services

Commission staff may refer a party to a community organization that offers translation services in the party’s spoken language on a voluntary basis or for a nominal fee.
Commission staff explains to the party that the Commission does not endorse the organization nor can it guarantee the quality of service. The party is responsible for determining which organization(s) will be able to meet his/her translation or interpretation needs.
Commission staff records the party’s name and provide his/her name so that the party and/or his/her interpreter will have a familiar point of contact.

Third approach: Engage the services of a professional translator

If a party cannot find suitable assistance from a family member, friend, or community organization, the Commission will engage and pay for the services of a professional translator.
When necessary, Commission staff will draft complaints for individuals who experience difficulty with drafting complaints because of a language

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