AODA Accessibility Compliance
Our facility makes every effort to comply with regulations set forth by the Government of Ontario, allowing access to our facility to the best of our capability. Our goal is to provide a barrier-free environment for all visitors and employees. Any concerns or feedback should be addressed to our hospital manager, Stacey Ortwein, by sending an email to: info@ahoc-ph.com or by calling 519-624-9760. This page will be viewed in a larger font for those that have difficulty seeing small print. This page will outline policies and protocols in place to assist you with your needs.
Building Accessibility
Our facility has wheelchair accessibility via a ramp to the sidewalk entrance, and our washrooms are wheelchair friendly with an alarm button in the event of an emergency. We have automated doors allowing access to our hospital, and should you require any help with doors, our staff has been instructed to assist with holding open doors as needed. We will remove chairs from our exam rooms to make room for your wheelchair or the like. We are located at 621 Hespeler Rd in Cambridge. Clients can access us by the public transit system with two stops close by. Click Here to access the Grand River Transit website for route planning. Our main entrance is located at the back of the building along with our area for parking if needed.
Hearing Impaired Care
Our deaf/hearing impaired clients may use the Bell Relay Service to provide them the information they need or set up appointments for their pets. Please let us know the best way to communicate with you (i.e., lip-reading, writing messages on paper, typing notes on a computer or text with a smartphone). We will alert your client file to notify our staff when a client is deaf/hearing impaired to do our best to communicate with you when you are in our hospital. Our staff has been instructed to use whatever method of communication you prefer. We may wave or lightly tap your shoulder to get your attention and will make eye contact with you so that you know we are ready to assist you. We will try to speak clearly and slowly to have an opportunity to read our lips if that is a skill you possess. We will try to keep the topic brief and alert you if we change topics. We will make efforts to communicate with our hands to help describe treatments or information. Should we need to answer the phone while we are assisting you, we will try to convey that a brief interruption is needed.
Service Pets or Persons
Service pets are welcome to accompany any persons inside our facility to help their owners.
Personal Support Equipment
Persons needing the assistance of walkers, scooters, oxygen tanks, wheelchairs, or service persons may use any or all services they require when visiting our hospital. Our facility is a non-smoking environment, and therefore no flames should pose a risk to any person using an oxygen tank. Our staff will try to provide as much help as is needed when bringing in pets for services or with carry-outs to the car when purchasing pet food.
Visually Impaired
For visually impaired persons, we will identify ourselves and our position within the hospital. We will describe findings on your pet’s health exams or lab work. We will describe printed treatment plans and associated costs. We will provide you with a copy to take home, allowing you to have a non-visually impaired person review this document with you. We will be happy to show a non-visually impaired person (family member, friend or support worker) how to medicate your pet should medications be dispensed during your appointment. Persons who are visually impaired may request any staff member to read aloud this page or any other on our website to gather any information they require on the care of their pet. Customers can be told locations on our website to find required information that their computer can read aloud to them. If a handout is required, we can generally email you a copy or a link to the information requested to your email address. Staff can offer/ provide an elbow to help guide visually impaired persons around the clinic if they need/request it.
Other Disabilities
For persons with learning disabilities, mental impairment, developmental disability, or mental disorders — especially those under 18 years of age — we will do our best to communicate with a supportive member of your family or support worker the needs of your pet so that we can make an informed decision about your pet’s required care. If you have a disability and feel you require any care not listed in this document, please give us feedback by calling 519-624-9760 or by emailing our hospital manager, Stacey Ortwein, at: info@ahoc-ph.com. We will make every effort to assist you in accessing our services and implementing your suggestions. We will take into consideration any questions, feedback, or concerns and address them with you at our earliest convenience via email or phone call. Please feel free to print this page or request a copy to be emailed or provided to you at any time. You may also request this page be read aloud.
Emergency Procedures
In the event of an emergency or disruption of service (i.e., Fire, Dog Fight in public space) – verbal or written communication will be posted on our entrance doors, website news area, social media sites or provided directly by a staff member so that we can escort you and your pet to safety. We will bring you to the front reception area, where you can exit via the same door you came in. A fire extinguisher is located in the food storage room close by where the exam rooms are located, on the wall just inside the doorway. Our staff will use this in the event of a small fire. Our hospital and our staff wish to provide you with customer service that allows dignity, independence, integration, and equal opportunity.