ACCESSIBILITY

The Avid Group - Accessibility for Everyone

Purpose

At Avid Apparel, we believe great workplaces are built for everyone. We're committed to creating an inclusive, accessible environment where employees, applicants, customers, and visitors can participate with dignity, independence, integration, and equal opportunity. This policy outlines our commitment to meeting the requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) and the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR).

Our Commitment

Avid Apparel is committed to identifying, removing, and preventing barriers to accessibility in our workplace and in the services we provide. Therefore part of our standard practice includes:

  • Treat every person with dignity and respect.
  • Support independence and equal opportunity.
  • Consult with individuals about their accessibility needs.
  • Provide accommodations in a timely manner.
  • Continuously improve accessibility across our workplace.

Who This Applies To

  • All employees
  • Job applicants
  • Customers
  • Contractors
  • Visitors
  • Anyone interacting with Avid Apparel in Ontario

Accessible Customer Service

Avid Apparel is committed to providing accessible customer service to every customer, client, and visitor who interacts with our business, in a way that respects their dignity, independence, and equal opportunity to access our goods and services. This includes:

  • Welcoming and supporting the use of assistive devices, service animals, and support persons by anyone accessing our goods, services, or facilities.
  • Communicating with customers, clients, and visitors with disabilities in ways that take their disability into account.
  • Giving notice when facilities or services that customers rely on to access our goods and services are temporarily unavailable, including the reason, expected duration, and a description of reasonable alternatives, where available.
  • Not charging a higher rate for the provision of goods or services to a person with a disability than we charge any other person.
  • Providing accessible customer service training to employees, volunteers, and third parties who interact with customers or the public on our behalf, before they take on those duties.

We welcome feedback on the accessibility of our customer service at any time — see the Feedback section below for how to reach us.

Recruitment & Hiring

Accessibility starts before someone's first day. Here at Avid we have made a commitment to the following:

  • Notify applicants that accommodations are available throughout the recruitment process.
  • Provide suitable accommodations during interviews and assessments upon request.
  • Inform successful candidates about our accommodation policies when making an offer of employment.
  • Include a statement in publicly advertised job postings that accommodation is available on request, and ensure postings meet ESA requirements—including disclosure of any artificial intelligence used to screen or select applicants, no Canadian-experience requirement, and notice to interviewed applicants within 45 days.

Supporting Employees

We'll support employees with disabilities throughout their employment by:

  • Providing workplace accommodations where required.
  • Informing employees about available accommodation supports.
  • Updating employees whenever accessibility-related policies change.

Accessible Information & Communication

Need information in a different format? Just ask.

Where reasonable and required, we'll provide workplace information in accessible formats or with communication supports, including:

  • Large print
  • Accessible electronic documents
  • Plain language
  • Other appropriate formats based on individual needs
  • ESA-required documents on request, including the Employment Standards in Ontario poster and the written employment information provided at hire

We'll work with the individual requesting accommodation to determine the most suitable option.

As this policy and related accessibility information are published on our public website, our website and other public-facing digital content will conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA, as required under the Information and Communications Standard of the IASR.

Individual Accommodation Plans

Where appropriate, Avid Apparel will develop individualized accommodation plans that support employees in performing their roles while respecting privacy and confidentiality.

Accommodation plans may include:

  • Workplace adjustments
  • Modified duties
  • Accessible communication methods
  • Emergency response information where required
  • Accommodation arrangements—including modified duties, reduced or altered hours, and temporary reassignment—will meet or exceed the minimum standards set out in the ESA for wages, hours of work, eating periods, rest periods, overtime, vacation, and public holidays.

Workplace Emergency Information

If an employee has a disability that requires individualized workplace emergency response information, we'll provide it as soon as practical and review it whenever needed.

Leaves of Absence & Job Protection

Some accessibility and health needs are met through leave rather than accommodation at work. Employees are entitled to the job-protected leaves set out in the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA), including sick leave, family responsibility leave, family caregiver leave, family medical leave, and critical illness leave.

We won't require a certificate from a qualified health practitioner to support an ESA sick leave. An employee who takes an ESA leave will be reinstated to the position they most recently held, if it still exists, or to a comparable position, at no less than the rate they were earning before the leave. Management will discuss with employees about their accommodation needs before and during their return to work.

Performance & Career Development

Accessibility doesn't stop after hiring. We'll consider accessibility needs when managing:

  • Performance reviews
  • Career development
  • Promotions
  • Training opportunities
  • Workplace transitions or redeployment, where applicable.

Training

Avid Apparel will provide accessibility training to employees as required by the AODA. Training will cover:

  • The purpose of the AODA
  • Ontario's accessibility standards
  • The Ontario Human Rights Code as it relates to disability
  • Our accessibility policies and practices

Training will be provided to new employees and refreshed as needed when policies change.

Feedback

We're always looking for ways to improve accessibility. If you have feedback about accessibility at Avid Apparel — whether you're an employee, customer, or visitor — or need this policy in another format, you can contact your manager or HR, or email us at info@avidapparel.ca. We'll respond promptly and work with you to provide information in an accessible way whenever possible.

No Reprisal

No one will be penalized, disciplined, threatened, or otherwise subject to reprisal for requesting an accommodation, taking an ESA leave, asking about their rights under the ESA, or raising an accessibility concern. Reprisal is prohibited by section 74 of the ESA and will not be tolerated at Avid Apparel.

Policy Review

This policy works alongside the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) and the Ontario Human Rights Code. Nothing in this policy reduces any entitlement an employee has under the ESA. Where this policy, the Human Rights Code, or an employment contract provides a greater right or benefit than an ESA employment standard, the greater right or benefit applies, as required by section 5(2) of the ESA.

This policy will be reviewed regularly and updated as needed to remain compliant with the AODA and to support an inclusive workplace for everyone.