Accessibility
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible environment for all Ontarians accessing its services and to ensure that people with disabilities are treated equally and free from discrimination. The SIU will work to provide its services in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code (the Code) and the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service made under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA).
Requesting an Accommodation:
If you require disability-related accommodations the SIU will work with you to determine the type of assistance or accommodation that can be provided. Please note that in some cases it may not be possible to provide an accommodation or support unless we receive enough advance notice. If it is not possible to provide your preferred disability-related accommodation, we will work with you to explore different options. In some cases, we will request information about your disability so that we can understand your needs.
The types of accommodation or support that we can provide will depend on your disability and the availability of equipment and services. Here are some examples:
Assistive listening devices:
- Real-time captioning or Communication-Access Real Time (CART)
- Visual language interpretation such as American Sign Language (ASL) or langue des signes québécoise (LSQ)
- Communication support for people who have difficulty speaking and use alternate ways of communicating
- Scheduling of meetings or proceedings in rooms that can accommodate your disability
- Scheduling of meetings or proceedings at times that allow you to deal with your disability or medical-related needs
- Providing some services by phone or by email in order to meet a disability-related need
- Accessible or alternative formats of documents, such as electronic formats, large print, audio, and braille. See below for more information about alternative formats
Accessible and Alternative Formats of Documents:
The SIU is improving the accessibility of its documents for people with disabilities. Please contact us if you need SIU documents or forms in a format that is accessible to you. The length of time that it takes to prepare the accessible alternative format will vary depending on the document.
Accessible and alternative formats of documents will be provided at no charge.
Accessibility of the SIU’s Website:
We work to ensure our website is accessible to the widest possible audience, including people with disabilities. If any information on our website is not accessible to you, you may contact us to request an accessible or alternative format.
Personal Assistive Devices or Technology, Service Animals, and Support Persons:
Persons with disabilities may use their own personal assistive devices or assistive technology. Service animals are welcome in all parts of the SIU premises that are open to the public.
You may also use your disability-related support person. The support person may be asked to sign a confidentiality agreement and the role of the support person may need to be agreed to in advance.
Feedback and Complaints:
The SIU is working to continuously improve accessibility for people with disabilities in our services and as such we welcome your feedback and suggestions about our accessibility.
To provide feedback or to request specific accommodations for your needs please get in touch with the SIU in writing, by telephone or by email.
What to Include in Your Feedback:
Please mark correspondence or e-mail with the heading "accessibility feedback/request".
If your feedback is about a specific SIU incident, please provide as much information as you feel comfortable giving, for example:
- The date that the incident occurred;
- What happened;
- What made the experience good or bad;
- Your suggestions for improvement; and
- While you do not have to provide your name if you do not want to, providing your name and contact information is required if you would like a response to your feedback.
How Does the SIU Deal with Complaints?
An SIU staff member will work directly with you to resolve a complaint. If your complaint is about a disability-related accommodation that you require to access and use SIU services, it will be addressed as soon as possible.
When the SIU receives complaints we will try to resolve the complaint directly with you. If it cannot be resolved immediately, it will be acknowledged within two business days, and will be recorded and forwarded for action as soon as possible.
All comments, feedback or complaints received in writing by e-mail, fax, or mail will be answered or acknowledged within 15 business days. If it is not possible to resolve the complaint during that time, the acknowledgement will outline what steps are being taken and whether there will be any further response from the SIU.
If you provide personal information when providing feedback or making a complaint, the SIU will only use this information to acknowledge and respond to the submission.