The Sweet Potato is committed to meeting our current and ongoing obligations under the Ontario Human Rights code respecting non-discrimination. The Sweet Potato understands that obligations under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) and its accessibility standards do not substitute or limit its obligations under the Ontario Human Rights Code or obligations to people with disabilities under any other law.

The Sweet Potato is committed to complying with both the Ontario Human Rights Code and the AODA.

The Sweet Potato strives at all times to provide our goods and services in a way that respects dignity, independence, integration, and equality of opportunity to all customers, including people with disabilities, in order for them to obtain, use or benefit from the goods or services we provide.

This policy applies to all members of The Sweet Potato staff, including volunteers and contracted service staff.

People with disabilities may use their personal assistive devices when accessing our goods and services. In cases where the assistive device presents a significant and unavoidable health or safety concern or may not be permitted for other reasons, other measures will be used to ensure the person with a disability can access our goods or services (i.e. a staff member will assist as a personal shopper).

We welcome people with disabilities and their service animals. Service animals are allowed on the parts of our premises that are open to the public (retail store and customer restrooms). When we cannot easily identify that an animal is a service animal, our staff may ask a person to provide documentation from a regulated health professional that confirms the person needs the service animal for reasons relating to their disability. A service animal can be easily identified through visual indicators, such as when it wears a harness or a vest, or when it helps the person perform certain tasks.

We will communicate with people with disabilities in ways that take into account their disability. We will work with the person with a disability to determine what method of communication works for them.

A person with a disability who is accompanied by a support person will be allowed to have that person accompany them on our premises. A support person could be a paid professional, volunteer, family member, or friend who accompanies a person.

The Sweet Potato will provide customers with notice in the event of a planned or unexpected disruption in the facilities or services used by people with disabilities. This notice will include the following information:

• The reason for the disruption
• Its anticipated duration
• And a description of alternative facilities or services if available

The notice will be provided in the following ways:

• Notice on the company website and/or
• Notice placed at public entrances and/or at customer service counters
• Notice should always be posted at the location or point of disruption

The Sweet Potato will provide accessible customer service training to:

• All employees and volunteers
• Anyone involved in developing and approval of our customer service policies
• And anyone who provides goods, services, or facilities to customers on our behalf

Staff will be trained on accessible customer service within three months after being hired. Training will be provided on an ongoing basis in connection with changes to policies, practices, and procedures governing the provision of goods or services to persons with disabilities. A record of the dates on which training is provided and the names of the individuals to whom it is provided will be kept.

Training will include, but is not limited to the following information:

• The purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and the requirements of the customer service standard
• The Sweet Potato’s policies 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
• And what to do if a person with a disability is having difficulty accessing The Sweet Potato goods and services

In fulfilling our mission, The Sweet Potato aims to meet and surpass our customers’ expectations while serving customers with disabilities. We welcome and appreciate any feedback on how well those expectations are being met. Customer feedback will help us identify barriers and respond to concerns.

The Sweet Potato accepts feedback from the public in a variety of methods including:

All feedback will be reviewed and complaints will be investigated and follow-up will be provided if requested by the customer. The Sweet Potato will make sure our feedback process is accessible to people with disabilities by providing or arranging for accessible formats and communication supports, on request.

The Sweet Potato will provide the public with the documents relating to the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service upon request. Notice of the accessibility of the documents will be provided on The Sweet Potato company website and/or through other printed methods. We will consult with the person making the request to determine the suitability of the format or communication support. We will provide the accessibility format in a timely manner and, at no additional cost.