1.1 About Vianet

Established in 1995, Vianet is a full-service telecommunications company offering internet, voice, and television services. Our head office is in Sudbury, Ontario with several satellite office locations throughout the province. Our dedicated, diverse and professional staff consists of over 150 employees.

Vianet is committed to creating a barrier free environment for our customers and employees. Our Accessibility Plan demonstrates this commitment and includes the actions that we will take to become more accessible for people with disabilities.

1.2 Vianet's 2026-2028 Accessibility Plan

The Accessible Canada Act (ACA), which came into force on July 11, 2019, aims to identify, eliminate, and prevent barriers in federally regulated entities by 2040.

Under the ACA, federally regulated entities must report to the public on their policies and practices in relation to the identification and removal of barriers by publishing accessibility plans, feedback processes and progress reports.

Federally regulated entities must prepare and publish accessibility plans every 3 years. Accessibility progress reports are published in the years between publication of accessibility plans.

The Vianet 2026-2028 Accessibility Plan has been prepared in recognition of, and in accordance with, the following principles:

1. all persons must be treated with dignity regardless of their disabilities.
2. all persons must have the same opportunity to make for themselves the lives that they are able and wish to have regardless of their disabilities.
3. all persons must have barrier-free access to full and equal participation in society, regardless of their disabilities.
4. all persons must have meaningful options and be free to make their own choices, with support if they desire, regardless of their disabilities.
5. laws, policies, programs, services and structures must take into account the disabilities of persons, the different ways that persons interact with their environments and the multiple and intersecting forms of marginalization and discrimination faced by persons.
6. persons with disabilities must be involved in the development and design of laws, policies, programs, services and structures; and
7. the development and revision of accessibility standards and the making of regulations must be done with the objective of achieving the highest level of accessibility for persons with disabilities.

This plan is electronically published in a format that complies with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Level AA

1.3 Contact Information & Feedback Process

Vianet welcomes ongoing feedback from our employees, customers, and members of the public. We are committed to reviewing the feedback we receive and taking steps to address barriers through this process.

You can submit feedback about accessibility at Vianet or about this Accessibility Plan by contacting:

Accessibility Officer
Email: accessibility@vianet.ca
Telephone: 1-800-272-0632
Mail: 128 Larch St Suite 202, Sudbury, Ontario, P3E 5J8

You may also submit feedback anonymously via our website:
https://www.vianet.ca/support/accessibility-services/survey/

Alternative formats of this plan can be requested through the above channels.

Alternative Formats:
An electronic version of this plan that is compatible with assistive technology can be downloaded from our website at: https://www.vianet.ca/support/accessibility-services/accessibilityplan/

• Print - 15 days
• Large print (Increased font size) - 15 days
• Braille (a system of raised dots that people who are blind or who have low vision can read with their fingers) - 45 days
• Audio (recording of the text read out loud) - 45 days

The Accessible Canada Act sets out seven areas to be reviewed to identify and remove barriers, and prevent new barriers with a goal of ensuring policies, programs, practices, and services are accessible to everyone.

• employment
• the built environment
• information and communication technologies (ICT)
• communication, other than ICT
• the procurement of goods, services, and facilities
• the design and delivery of programs and services
• transportation

Vianet has consulted with employees and customers regarding the identification, removal, and prevention of barriers in these areas. The findings of the consultations as well as actions to improve accessibility are set out below:

2.1 Employment

Vianet has a long-standing focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion because we know being an equal opportunity employer will make our company a better place to work. We are committed to creating accessible environments for our staff, and customers.

A request for an accessibility accommodation can be made at any stage of application and employment. We encourage candidates and staff to make their accessibility needs known so that we can provide equitable opportunities.

Staff consultation identified that prospective, new, and existing employees are not fully and/or continuously informed of the ways in which Vianet can provide accessibility accommodations for people with disabilities.

Promotion of Vianet as an equal opportunity employer could be improved in our advertising for employment opportunities.

Action:
Vianet will continue to identify, remove, and prevent barriers to recruitment, promotion, and retention in support of a representative and inclusive workforce.

We will review our employment documentation and processes and make changes where necessary to be more inclusive.

We will include a statement on our careers page encouraging people with disabilities to apply.

We will provide information about how job applicants can request and receive accessibility accommodations during the hiring process, in our job postings.

Vianet will ensure that employees with disabilities have the accessibility accommodation they need to do their jobs.

2.2 The Built Environment

Vianet has office locations throughout Ontario. Some of Vianet's office locations hold lease agreements with property owners. We are limited in our power to achieve one hundred percent accessibility under a lease agreement. Locations that are owned by Vianet will be continuously monitored for accessibility barriers.

Action:
We will review/identify and remove barriers in the built environment where possible. We will be mindful of lighting and noise in an office environment and make appropriate accommodations where needed.

As tenants in many of our locations, we have limited control over the built environment. Sharing accessibility concerns with our property owners will be an important step in helping to make all office spaces accessible.

2.3 Information And Communication Technologies (ICT)

Vianet is committed to making accessible communications a priority.

We want everyone to clearly understand the information we share and have easy access to information in formats that work for them.

We do this by giving people the choice to communicate with us in the way that best meets their accessibility needs. In turn, we will reply by using their preferred method. The communication methods offered on our website are email, telephone, online help, message relay service, and mail.

Our inhouse design and programming team works diligently to create an environment that is both user friendly and adaptable. In examining our internal and external web platforms, from typography and readability to content layout, colour and images, we understand that there is always room for improvement.

Action:
We will continue to consult with our design and programming team to determine how we can best enhance existing tools and consider accessibility first when designing new ones in order to provide accommodation to those who require it to navigate our internal and external web platforms.

Feedback from our web platform users regarding accessibility, will be reviewed and actioned upon as we receive it.

2.4 Communication, Other Than ICT

Our consultation with our employees revealed that our front-line staff are operating with a helpful awareness that customer service and communication with customers must be continuously adapted to meet individual customer's needs.

A review of our current hiring practices identified that we need to provide more awareness in our print information regarding hiring persons with disabilities.

Consultations with employees revealed that our internal documents could be made more accessible by applying document standards and plain and inclusive language.

Action:
Vianet will continue to review current documentation and adopt plain language and accessible formats where necessary.

Vianet will ensure all hiring communication identifies Vianet as an equal opportunity employer and communicate how job applicants can request and receive accessibility accommodations.

2.5 The Procurement Of Goods, Services, And Facilities

Vianet purchases various goods, services and facilities that support our services and our operations. We are dedicated to considering accessibility requirements when purchasing goods, services, and facilities from external vendors.

Action:
When procuring goods, services, and facilities, Vianet will consider accessibility at the beginning of the process to ensure that they do not present a barrier to anyone who uses them.

2.6 The Design And Delivery Of Programs And Services

Vianet provides internet, phone, and television service across Ontario. Customers establish these services by contacting a Vianet Representative to determine the service(s) that best fits their needs.

Customers may contact us about these services through the communication methods offered on our website. These methods include phone, email, online help, message relay service, and mail.

Our television service provides closed captioning to display the audio portion of a television program as text on the TV screen.

We also offer an AMI audio Channel. AMI-audio is an accessible television channel which offers a variety of audio content for people who are blind, partially sighted or otherwise print restricted.

Action:
Vianet will continue to review the design and delivery of programs and services to ensure they are accessible to everyone.

2.7 Transportation

This area under the Accessible Canada Act is not applicable to Vianet as we do not offer transportation.

3.1 Consultation With Employees

We consulted with employees through an anonymous, electronic survey. The survey asked employees to share their accessibility experiences working at Vianet. It also asked them to share any barriers that they encountered at Vianet.

We also conducted several feedback interviews with front line staff and asked them questions about their experience regarding policies, programs, practices, and services in relation to the identification and removal of barriers, and the prevention of new barriers, in the areas listed above.

3.2 Consultation With Customers

We consulted with our customers via an online survey located on our website.
https://www.vianet.ca/support/accessibility-services/survey/

Customers were notified about the Accessibility survey through our online account profile portal.

Customers are encouraged to provide feedback about how we can improve accessibility at Vianet by visiting our website and contacting us through the various channels provided.

At Vianet, we recognize the goal of achieving full accessibility requires an ongoing commitment from everyone. Your feedback is an important step in helping us achieve this goal. We thank everyone who participated in the building of this plan.