Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities: Customer Service Policy
Updated February 2023
1. Our Strategic Plan
Forward Together identifies Western Libraries’ commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion as well as decolonization and indigenization; building and fostering meaningful, reciprocal relationships is integral to all that we do. More specifically, we are dedicated to creating accessible services and a safer and welcoming environment where all feel they belong.
2. Our commitment
Staff at all service locations are committed to providing quality, inclusive library services to each member of the Western community, both electronically and in person, in a manner that respects the dignity and independence of persons with disabilities.
Western Libraries shares the University's commitment to accessibility as stated in Towards Western at 150, the University's Strategic Plan:
Universities are not a collection of buildings but a community of people—students, faculty, staff, and graduates. This plan has emerged in extraordinary times that have reminded us of the importance of community, of genuine belonging, of the relationship of inclusion to equity, and of the power of working together.
Of all the aspirations voiced by the Western community, the expectation of a more inclusive Western stood out, and progress toward this goal will be foundational to our success.
3. Providing goods and services to persons with disabilities
Western Libraries is committed to excellence in serving our diverse user community, including persons with disabilities, and we do this in the following ways:
3.1 Communication
Western Libraries will communicate with all members of our community in ways that support inherent worth and dignity of every person.
We will train our service staff on inclusive communications to support individual requirements or preferences of persons with disabilities.
3.2 Telephone services
Western Libraries is committed to providing fully accessible telephone service to all library users.
We will train our staff to communicate with library users over the telephone in plain language and to speak clearly. We will also make our staff familiar with telephone technologies intended for people with disabilities.
3.3 Assistive devices
Western Libraries is committed to serving persons with disabilities who use assistive devices to obtain, use or benefit from our library materials and services.
We will ensure that our service employees are trained in the use of the various assistive devices provided by Western Libraries for persons with disabilities to use while accessing our library materials and services.
We will continue to work closely with Accessible Education Western to ensure all Library services meet the accommodated needs of our community.
3.4 Billing
Western Libraries is committed to providing accessible library notices or invoices to all our library users. For this reason, library notices or invoices will be provided in alternative formats upon request.
3.5 Other
For students registered with Accessible Education, Western Libraries will digitize or remediate library owned materials in to Alternate Format Text, upon request.
For staff or faculty with accommodation provided by Employee Well-being, Western Libraries will digitize or remediate library owned materials to Alternate Format Text, upon request.
4. Use of service animals and support persons
Service animals
Western Libraries adheres to POLICY 1.47 – Service Animals on Campus
Responsibilities of Custodians
13.00 The Custodian is responsible at all times for all aspects of behaviour and management of the Service Animal including:
- Any cleaning and any costs associated with cleaning that may result from the Service Animal,
- Ensuring that any feces is cleaned immediately and disposed of in an appropriate receptacle, and
- The Service Animal must not cause excessive noise.
This includes responsibility for the Service Animal on all University property both interior and exterior such as common spaces, walkways, and lawns. Custodians are responsible for any damage their Service Animal causes to University property or the property of other individuals and for any injuries or illnesses caused by their Service Animal.
14.00 At all times, Service Animals must be:
- Healthy and pose no reasonable health risk to the campus community
- In close proximity to the Custodian, and
- Restrained on a leash (not more than six feet long), in a cage, or otherwise under the physical control of the Custodian; unless being unrestrained is necessary to perform their tasks or functions.
Support person
Persons with a disability may enter Western Libraries premises accompanied by a support person and may have access to that support person at all times.
Western Libraries may require a person with a disability to be accompanied by a support person while on library premises in situations where it is necessary to protect the health and safety of the person with a disability, or the health and safety of others on the library premises.
Consent from the person with a disability is required when communicating private issues related to the person with a disability in the presence of a support person.
5. Notice of temporary disruption
Western Libraries will make reasonable effort to provide library users with notice in the event of a disruption in facilities or services usually used by persons with disabilities.
This notice will include information about the reason for the disruption, its anticipated duration, and a description of any alternative facilities or services. We will not be able to give adequate notice in case of an emergency temporary disruption.
Service disruptions are typically posted on our homepage (for system wide outages like the library catalogue or library closures). Events specific to library locations may be posted on the relevant page (e.g. https://www.lib.uwo.ca/weldon/washrooms.html).
In order to make information accessible, signs and printed notices will be clearly laid out, of sufficient size, and easily readable to comply with AODA requirements.
The signs and printed notices will be placed prominently at the entrance to library spaces.
6. Training for staff
Western Libraries will ensure that all staff receive training as required by the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service.
In addition, training will be provided to Western Libraries employees as part of orientation training for new employees, and on a continuing basis as required.
The amount and format of training will depend on the nature of the employee’s interaction with library users.
A record of training received by library staff will be kept in the Western Libraries Business Office.
Currently all staff must take one of the following mandatory training courses depending on the nature of their roles and responsibilities:
AODA – Accessibility in Service
Mandatory for all Western Academic and Administrative Leaders, Staff and Volunteers.
Course objectives
- Learn about the fit of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) with Western's culture
- Understand your role in implementing the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service under the AODA and Western's Guideline Regarding Accessible Goods and Services
- Learn how to help and interact with persons with disabilities and how to increase the overall accessibility of our services at Western
Learning Goals:
- How to identify ableism and to understand this social model of disability
- How to increase the overall accessibility of services at Western
- Ways to support individuals with disabilities
- The relationship between the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disability Act (AODA), the Ontario Human Rights Code and Western’s Culture which values inclusion
- Your role in implementing the Accessibility Standards at Western
AODA – Accessibility in Teaching
Mandatory for all Western Faculty, Graduate Teaching Assistants, Librarians and Archivists.
Course objectives
- Find out about the fit of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) with Western's Culture.
- Understand your role in implementing the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service under the AODA and Western's Guideline Regarding Accessible Goods and Services.
- Learn how to increase the overall accessibility of your teaching at Western and how to help and interact with students with disabilities
Learning Goals
- How to identify ableism and to understand this social model of disability
- How to increase the overall accessibility of your teaching at Western and how to help interact with students with disabilities
- Ways to support individuals with disabilities
- The relationship between the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disability Act (AODA), the Ontario Human Rights Code and Western’s Culture which values inclusion
- Your role in implementing the Accessibility Standards at Western
7. Feedback process
Western Libraries welcomes feedback, including feedback about the delivery of library services to persons with disabilities.
Users can submit feedback to library@uwo.ca or to any library employee, and it will be forwarded to the appropriate person.
8. Modifications to this or other policies
Western Libraries is an essential part of university life and works hard to break down the barriers facing persons with disabilities. Western Libraries is committed to developing and maintaining customer service policies that respect and promote the dignity and independence of people with disabilities. Therefore, no change will be made to this policy before considering the impact on people with disabilities. Any policy of Western Libraries that does not respect and promote the dignity and independence of people with disabilities will be modified or removed.
We undertake to consult regularly with University Committees/Commissioners for people with disabilities to provide, review and where possible improve our facilities or services for the disabled.
9. Questions about this policy
The purpose of this policy is to provide a framework through which Western Libraries can achieve service excellence for people with disabilities. If anyone has questions about this policy, please contact:
Office of the Vice Provost and Chief Librarian
Western Libraries
The University of Western Ontario
D.B. Weldon Library
London, Ontario N6A 3K7
Phone: 519-661-2111 x84796
Email: libadmin@uwo.ca
If you are interested in knowing more about our guiding principles and related documents this policy is compliant with, please see the following:
