Accessible Customer Service Plan
MULTI-YEAR ACCESSIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE PLAN
Mount Pakenham is committed to excellence in serving all customers including children, youth and adults with disabilities and special needs (both physical and intellectual).
Assistive devices:
We will ensure that our staff or volunteers are trained and familiar with various assistive devices we have on site or that we provide that may be used when teaching skiing to customers with disabilities. We recommend that ski lessons for customers with disabilities be arranged with CADS- the Canadian Adaptive Snowsports. See www.cads-ncd.ca for more information.
Communication:
We will communicate with people with disabilities in ways that take into account their disability.
Service animals:
We welcome people with disabilities and their service animals. Tethered Service animals are allowed on the parts of our premises that are open to the public except ski lifts and alpine ski runs.
Support persons:
A person with a disability who is accompanied by a support person will be allowed to have that person accompany them on our premises.
Fees are only charged to the support person if they require use of any ski lifts or recreational use of Mount Pakenham's alpine ski runs or snowshoe trails.
We will notify customers of this through a notice posted on our premises and on the Mount Pakenham
Canadian Association of Adaptive Snow Sports (CADS)
Serving the west end of Ottawa and Lanark County, the Adaptive Ski Program at Mount Pakenham provides the opportunity for children, youth and adults with disabilities and special needs (both physical and intellectual) to learn to ski through lessons taught by trained volunteers and certified instructors. Please see https://cadspakenham.ca/ for more information about this volunteer-run program.
Individuals in the following positions will be trained by Mount Pakenham:
Managers of all departments and all employees who directly service our customers at the front desk, in snow school lessons, on the lifts, in the cafeteria and rental shop
This training will be provided to staff each year before the season starts or within 2 weeks of hiring new staff.
Training will include:
- An overview of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and the requirements of the customer service standard
- Mount Pakenham's plan related to 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
- Who to refer customers to who are interested in ski lessons requiring adaptive devices
- Where the "accessible parking spaces" are located (across from main lodge entrance).
- Where the washrooms are located that can accommodate wheelchairs and/or a support person ( one in main lobby and one outdoors by BBQ).
- What to do if a person with a disability is having difficulty in accessing Mount Pakenham's goods and services
Staff will also be trained when changes are made to our accessible customer service plan.
Updated 09/2024
