Accessibility
Unity Health Toronto is committed to providing equitable, inclusive and person-centred service access for everyone. Staff at all three of our locations, St. Joseph’s Health Centre, St. Michael’s Hospital and Providence Healthcare, make it a priority to deliver services in a way that prioritizes human dignity and maximizes independence, inclusivity and participatory decision-making. We support equal access to services by establishing procedures that identify and eliminate any barriers that may be standing in the way of the best possible care experiences for patients.
Operating in full compliance with the Ontario Human Rights Code, it is our mission to affirm and protect everyone’s right to safe and accessible health care for all by adhering to policies with clear accountabilities. This includes embracing people of all races, abilities, classes, beliefs, ages, genders and sexual orientation. In alignment with our organizational philosophy of care and values, we respect the uniqueness of every individual and the diversity of the communities we serve. We have an accessibility policy, practices and procedures that govern the provision of goods and services to people with disabilities. Our accessibility policy can be provided in accessible formats, upon request. For such and any other inquiries and requests, or to provide feedback, contact the Patient Relations team using the contact information located on the Feedback and Patient Experience webpage.
In support of our ongoing commitment to improving equal access to our services, we have developed a multi-year accessibility plan for each of our sites. Click on the site links below or contact the Patient Relations team, to access the latest versions of the accessibility plans. Please note that Unity Health Toronto network will be undertaking a new accessibility plan in 2022, that encompasses all three sites.
For the status of our compliance to the applicable regulations as discussed in the accessibility plans, see the scorecard below.
Wheelchair access
- Wheelchairs are available in all inpatient units and some outpatient departments including the Emergency Department, Ambulatory Care Centre and Fracture Clinic
For deaf, deafened and hard of hearing patients and staff
- Amplified phones: available at Switchboard
- Baby sound monitor with bed shaker – available on unit 1L
- Pocket talkers: available at Switchboard, Ambulatory Care Centre, Pre-Admit, and selected inpatient units
- Relay service: available by the telephone company
- Sign Language: please advise the staff so they can make necessary arrangements.
- Televisions Closed-captioned TVs are available upon request from the television rental service.
- Support person: not available at St. Joseph’s but welcomed
- Uniphone (TTY/TDD): available at Switchboard
Speech and/or language
- Communication board: available through Speech and Language Pathologists
- Pen and paper: available in all our units
- Support person: not available at St. Joseph’s but welcomed
Guide/animal services
- For the wellbeing of the service animal, we ask that patients and clients please have them clearly identified/recognized (e.g. identification card, harness, jacket). Also for the safely of the service animal, the owner is to be responsible for its complete care (i.e. feeding, cleaning issues), supervision and stewardship (i.e. is kept on an appropriate lead) while on the premises.
- By law there are some areas within St. Joseph’s that are excluded to service animals including the main kitchen, sterilization areas, and the operating room. Also entry into areas with critically ill patients (i.e. Intensive Care Unit or isolation rooms) requires clearance by our Infection Control Department in advance and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Please speak to one of your health care providers or the Patient Care Manager in charge of your unit.
- If for health and safety concerns (i.e. staff having severe allergies to animals) the service animal is not permitted in an area, other provisions will be made to ensure that you receive the support otherwise provided by the service animal (i.e. the assistance of staff as sighted guides).
- Should the service animal need to be separated from you, the hospital staff will make a reasonable effort to assist you in finding an alternative care provider for the service animal. However, St. Joseph’s does not accept any liability for a service animal while on hospital premises.
If you have questions or comments about accessibility at St. Joseph’s Health Centre, please don’t hesitate to contact Patient Relations at 416-530-6652 or patientrelationsSJHC@unityhealth.to.
Accessibility plan
- Read/download St. Joseph’s accessibility plan – Currently under review and revision
Wheelchair access
- The Queen St. entrances are wheelchair accessible
- The Bond St. entrance is not wheelchair accessible
- The Queen St. entrance at the south end of the hospital is a Wheel Trans pick-up and drop-off location
- Wheelchair-accessible washrooms are throughout the hospital
- The Marketeria, Tim Hortons, Second Cup, and Chapel on site are all wheelchair accessible
- The following sites have wheelchair accessible main entrances:
- Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute
- 61 Queen St. E.
- 73 Regent Park Blvd. (Sumac Creek Health Centre)
- 80 Bond St. (Health Centre)
- 95 Homewood Ave. (Wellesley – St. James Town Health Centre)
- 140 The Esplanade (St. Lawrence Health Centre)
- 55 Queen St. East
For deaf, deafened and hard of hearing patients and staff
- TTY telephone units for the hearing impaired are on hand throughout the hospital. You can request a TTY unit when you arrive at the hospital.
- If you would like a sign language interpreter for your visit, please let your health care provider know prior to appointment or as soon as possible.
Guide/animal services
- If you need someone to help during your visit, ask at the information desk and someone may be able to help you. Please note that staff and volunteers cannot lift or transfer you.
- Your service animal is welcome to come with you to your appointments. If you will be admitted to hospital, please inform the surgical pre-admission/ nursing unit in advance of to ensure that your service animal can be looked after.
- Note that there may be some instances where other plans may need to be made, but every effort will be made to ensure you have access to your service animal.
If you have questions or comments about accessibility at St. Michael’s Hospital, please don’t hesitate to contact Patient Relations at 416-864-5215 or patientrelationsSMH@unityhealth.to.
Accessibility plan
Wheelchair access
All public entrances to Providence Healthcare are accessible by wheelchair.
Wheelchair-accessible washrooms are available for visitors:
- Behind Reception at the main entrance to Providence Hospital (2nd Floor)
- Near the entrance to our cafeteria on the 1st Floor of Providence Hospital (A-Wing)
- Near our Scotiabank Learning Centre on the 1st Floor of Providence Hospital (B-Wing)
- In our clinics area
- Main entrance to the Houses of Providence
- Our hospital Chapel is accessible by wheelchair on the 3rd Floor.
For deaf, deafened and hard of hearing patients and staff
To ensure effective communication with patients who are deaf, deafened or hard-of-hearing, Providence Healthcare provides access to Pocket Talkers. Please speak with a staff member on your unit for more information.
Elevators
All buildings are equipped with elevators and are accessible to those in wheelchairs, as well as individuals with vision impairment (audio identifies the floor and direction of the elevator, and oversized buttons are imprinted with braille).
Patient escorts
If you need someone to help you during your visit to the hospital, please speak with the Information Desk at the main entrance to Providence Hospital. They may be able to arrange for a volunteer to assist you. Please be aware that we cannot lift or transfer you.
If you have questions or comments about accessibility at Providence Healthcare, please don’t hesitate to contact Patient Relations at 416-285-3666 ext. 4555 or patientrelationsPHC@unityhealth.to.
Accessibility plan
Unity Health Toronto is committed to delivering an exceptional experience for all our patients. We serve diverse communities, including individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP) and deaf, deafened or hard of hearing. We understand the importance of ensuring effective communication by providing access to trained and qualified interpreters to patients and their families on a completely private, confidential, and free-of-charge basis.
We currently provide interpretation services through three modes: over-the-phone, on-demand virtual and in-person. For patients or families who are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing, every effort is made to provide sign language and deaf interpretation.
Over-the-phone interpretation:
- Access to trained and qualified interpreters
- Over 170 languages, including Indigenous languages: Ojibway, Oji-Cree, and Cree
- Available 24/7
On-demand virtual interpretation
- Access to trained and qualified interpreters through the Voyce app
- Over 220 languages, including American Sign Language and Indigenous languages: Ojibway, Oji-Cree, and Cree
- Available 24/7
In-person interpretation:
- In-person interpreters are available Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Must be requested by your health-care provider with a minimum full business day notice
Sign language and deaf interpretation services provided:
- Available both in-person and virtually
- Must be requested by your healthcare provider as far notice in advance for pre-scheduled appointments due to the limited number of qualified Sign Language and Deaf Interpreters in the province
- Health-care providers can access urgent ASL and Deaf Interpretation after-hours, on weekends on holidays through the Canadian Hearing Society (CHS)
Patients and families can let their healthcare providers know they will require sign or spoken interpretation before or during any conversation about their care. The healthcare provider or staff can arrange access to professional interpretation before your appointment. We welcome general inquiries by email SMHinterpreters@unityhealth.to or SJHCinterpreters@unityhealth.to.
Unity Health’s website was designed to be accessible to the widest possible audience. As we have taken great care to ensure our site conforms to web accessibility standards defined by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), we have also employed additional features aimed at further enhancing your experience, such as font size control buttons, language preferences, print-friendly features and responsive content that displays information according to how the site is being viewed (e.g. mobile phone versus desktop computer). Our site is also fully compatible with popular screen reading software.
Resizing text
Our website gives you the option to increase or decrease the text size on nearly all of our web pages. The text size options are located at the top of each page.
You can also increase or decrease the size of a website’s text by changing the setting in your browsers. Click here for a video showing you how to change your browser settings.
Alternative text
Most images on our website have alternative text attributes, also known as alt text. When an image is used on a web page to convey information, its content is also described in text so it can be understood by text browsers and assistive technologies such as screen readers.
People who do not use screen readers can also see the alt text when you move your mouse cursor over an image on our website. We have not used alternative text attributes (alt text) for images on our website that are only decorative or part of the overall website design.
If you have questions or comments about website accessibility, please don’t hesitate to contact Corporate Communications and Public Affairs at 416-864-5034 or communications@unityhealth.to
Last updated July 19, 2023