OUR ACCESSIBILITY POLICY

NEW-FORM TOOLS LTD CUSTOMER SERVICE POLICY AND PROCEDURE

1. Background

New-Form Tools Ltd (NFT) is subject to legislation which has been enacted with the goal of developing standards that would improve accessibility for people with disabilities. Such legislation requires NFT to be in compliance with a number of customer service accessibility standards.

2. Purpose

This policy is intended to meet current legislative requirements and applies to the provision of goods and services to the public, not the goods themselves.

a) This policy aims to ensure that persons with disabilities are provided equal opportunity to obtain, use and benefit from NFT's goods and services. Reasonable efforts will be made to ensure that:

• Goods and services are provided in a manner that respects the dignity and independence of persons with disabilities;
• The goods and services provided to persons with disabilities are integrated with the provision to others unless an alternate measure is necessary to allow a person with a disability to benefit from the goods and services. The alternate measure may be temporary or permanent;
• Communication with a person with a disability is conducted in a manner that takes into account his or her disability;
• People with disabilities may use assistive devices, service animals and support persons as is necessary to access NFT's goods and services. If a service animal is excluded by law from a premise, other measures will be made available for the person with a disability to access the goods or services.

3. Scope

a) This policy governs the provision of goods and services by NFT at all NFT owned and operated facilities, as well as the provision of NFT goods and services off the premises by NFT employees, volunteers, agents and/or contractors who act on behalf or represent NFT.

b) The part of the policy that deals with the use of service animals and support persons applies only to goods and services provided by NFT at premises owned or operated by NFT.

4. Our Mission

NFT is a diversified manufacturing company committed to excellence in serving all customers including people with disabilities.

5. Our Commitment

In fulfilling our mission, NFT is committed to providing its goods and services in a way that respects the dignity and independence of people with disabilities. We are also committed to giving people with disabilities the same opportunity to access our goods and services and allowing them to benefit from the same services, in the same place and in a similar way as other customers.

6. Providing Goods and Services to People with Disabilities

NFT is committed to excellence in serving all customers including people with disabilities and we will carry out our functions and responsibilities in the following areas:

• Communication: We will communicate with people with disabilities in ways that take into account their disability. We will train staff who communicate with customers on how to interact and communicate with people with various types of disabilities.
• Telephone services: We are committed to providing fully accessible telephone service to our customers. We will train staff to communicate with customers over the telephone in clear and plain language and to speak clearly and slowly. We will offer to communicate with customers by e-mail, TTY, and other services which may become available if telephone communication is not suitable to their communication needs or is not available.
• Assistive devices: We are committed to serving people with disabilities who use assistive devices to obtain, use or benefit from our goods and services. We will ensure that our staff are trained and familiar with various assistive devices that may be used by individuals with disabilities while accessing our goods or services. We will ensure that our service employees are trained in the use of the various assistive devices provided by NFT, for individuals with disabilities while accessing our facilities or services.
• Billing: We are committed to providing accessible invoices to all of our customers. For this reason, invoices will be provided in the following formats upon request: hard copy, large print, and e-mail.

We will answer any questions customers may have about the content of the invoice in person, by telephone or e-mail.

7. Use of Service Animals and Support Persons

We are committed to welcoming people with disabilities who are accompanied by a service animal on the parts of our premises that are open to the public and other third parties. We will also ensure that all staff, volunteers and others dealing with the public are properly trained in how to interact with people with disabilities who are accompanied by a service animal.

We are committed to welcoming people with disabilities who are accompanied by a support person. Any person with a disability who is accompanied by a support person will be allowed to enter NFT's premises with his or her support person. At no time will a person with a disability who is accompanied by a support person be prevented from having access to his or her support person while on our premises.

8. Notice of Temporary Disruption

NFT will provide customers with notice in the event of a planned or unexpected disruption in the facilities or services usually used by people with disabilities. This notice will include information about the reason for the disruption, the anticipated duration, and a description of alternative facilities or services, if available.

The notice will be placed at all public entrances and service counters on our premises.

9. Training for Staff

NFT will ensure that all persons to whom this policy applies receive training as required by applicable legislation.

This training will be provided as soon as practicable following a new employee commencing employment with NFT.

Training will include the following:

• The purposes of applicable law – including the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and the requirements of the customer service standard
• How to interact and communicate with people with various types of disabilities
• How to interact with people with disabilities who use an assistive device or require the assistance of a service animal or a support person
• What to do if a person with a disability is having difficulty in accessing NFT's goods and services
• NFT's policies, practices and procedures relating to the customer service standard

Applicable staff will be trained on policies, practices and procedures that affect the way goods and services are provided to people with disabilities. Staff will also be trained on an ongoing basis when changes are made to these policies, practices and procedures.

10. Feedback Process

The ultimate goal of NFT is to meet and surpass customer expectations while serving customers with disabilities. Comments on our services regarding how well those expectations are being met are welcome and appreciated.

Feedback regarding the way NFT provides goods and services to people with disabilities can be made by letter, e-mail or verbally. All feedback will be directed to NFT's Human Resources. Customers can expect to hear back within 5 business days.

11. Modifications to This or Other Policies

We are committed to developing customer service policies that respect and promote the dignity and independence of people with disabilities. Therefore, no changes will be made to this policy before considering the impact on people with disabilities.

12. Questions About This Policy

The purpose of this policy is to provide a framework through which NFT can achieve service excellence for people with disabilities. If anyone has questions about this policy, please contact:

Duane Sword
Human Resources
(519) 272-0921
dsword@newformtools.com