ACCESSIBILITY POLICY

POLICY STATEMENT

Designer Brands Canada’s Accessibility Policy establishes a framework for compliance to Accessibility requirements with the purpose of developing, implementing and mandating accessibility standards to achieve accessibility for persons with disabilities, with respect to goods, services, facilities, accommodation, employment, buildings, structures, and premises. This policy will be reviewed periodically and updated, when necessary, to ensure that both new requirements and revisions to current standards for accessibility are met.

POLICY COMMITTMENT

Designer Brands Canada is committed to providing an accessible environment in which people with disabilities can access our goods and services, and facilities, including all buildings, public spaces, information, employment, and communications, in a way that meets their individual needs. DBC is committed to the identification, removal, and prevention of accessibility barriers, including attitudinal, systemic, information, communications and technology, and physical barriers and in giving persons with disabilities an opportunity equal to that given to others to obtain. Designer Brands believes that everyone should be treated with courtesy, made to feel welcome and have their need for accommodation respected whenever they enter one of our stores. Designer Brands Canada responds to Concerns regarding accessibility and takes steps to ensure that each is handled according to applicable policies and legal requirements.

DEFINITIONS

This policy is intended for all persons with disabilities as defined in the Human Rights Code*. Designer Brands (operating 'DSW Canada’, ‘The Shoe Co.’, and ‘Shoe Warehouse’) supports the full inclusion of persons with disabilities to access the goods and services we provide, as set out in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Ontario Human Rights Code, and all Provincial and Federal accessibility laws. (Including: Ontarians with Disabilities Act (ODA) 2001 and the Accessibility for Ontarian with Disabilities Act (AODA) 2005).

MULTI-YEAR PLAN

DBC maintains a Multi-Year Accessibility Plan (The Plan) which is posted on SOC and made available to the public in accessible formats upon request. The plan and status on the progress of measures taken to ensure ongoing compliance are reviewed periodically and updated, when necessary, to ensure that both new requirements and revisions to current standards for accessibility are met.

TRAINING

DBC Associates, volunteers, all those who participate in developing polices and those who provide goods, services, or facilities on DCB’s behalf are required to undergo training on the requirements of accessibility standards and on the Ontario Human Rights Code as it related to people with disabilities.

• Our Accessibility in Canada Training will include how to interact and communicate with persons with various types of disabilities, both those that can been seen and those not clearly visible, to consider their disability when providing service and how to interact with persons who use an assistive device or require the assistance of a support person or service animal.
• We will train our associates on what to do if a person with a disability is having difficulty in accessing our goods and/or services and on any equipment and devices we have which may assist with the provision of our goods and/or services.

We allow access to the public areas of our stores during business hours to any person with a disability who is accompanied by their service animal.

RESPONSIBILITY

It is the responsibility of everyone at Designer Brands Canada to ensure compliance to this policy. The VP of Operations and delegates are responsible for reviewing our statement and accessibility annually and recommending amendments to ensure ongoing compliance with regulated accessibility standards and legislated obligations.

FEEDBACK PROCEDURE

DBC welcomes feedback from its Associates, customers, visitors and vendors about its accessibility policy, practices and on our goods, services. You can contact us via email at: service@theshoecompany.com or by telephone at 1-888-874-6326.

*The Ontario Human Rights Code defines “Disability” as covering a broad range and degree of conditions, some visible and some not visible. There are physical, mental and learning disabilities, mental disorders, hearing or vision disabilities and other conditions which come within the covered range of “Disability”.

EFFECTIVE DATE: JULY 1, 2021