Accessibility
Santa’s Village Accessibility Program
Santa’s Village is committed to providing excellent customer service to all guests visiting our Park and making it accessible to all members of the community and to offering a fair and equitable employment experience for our team.
The Santa’s Village Accessibility Policy supports the inclusion of persons with disabilities as set out in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Ontario Human Rights Code, the Ontarians with Disabilities Act (ODA) 2001, and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). We are committed to giving all guests with disabilities an opportunity to enjoy and benefit from our services and attractions in a similar way as other guests. The Company is equally committed to providing accommodations to persons with disabilities so that they may pursue and enjoy employment opportunities within our company.
Accessible Parking and Passenger Drop-Off
Accessible Parking is available for vehicles with valid permits in the first parking lot located in front of the gate house.
Accessible Washroom Facilities
Our washroom Facilities have accessible ramps for guests in wheelchairs and with mobility disabilities. Wheel chair accessible stalls are available in each washroom as well.
Wheelchairs
Wheelchairs are available at the Gatehouse on a first-come first-served basis. There are a limited number of wheelchairs available.
Food Services & Retail Shops
Our Main Food Service locations (Kringle’s Kitchen, Yule Lodge and Riverside Rotisserie) are all accessible to guests in a wheelchair. All other locations are accessible as well but some may provide difficulty for guests in a wheelchair. Please ask our employees for assistance at these locations.
All retail locations in the park are wheelchair accessible.
Service Animals
Service animals are welcome at Santa’s Village. A service animal is defined as a dog that has been individually trained to perform tasks for a person with disabilities. Service animals must be physically controlled on a leash or harness at all times while on our property. There is a limit of one service animal per guest. Due to the nature of most rides, service animals are not permitted on any of our rides and must remain with a non-riding member of the guest’s party. Santa’s Village ride attendants are not permitted to care for a service animals while a guest rides an attraction. Guests whose service animals demonstrate aggressive behavior toward our guests or employees will be removed from the Park.
Continued Accessibility Plan for Future Developments
Santa’s Village strives to meet the needs of its employees and customers with disabilities and is working hard to remove and prevent barriers to accessibility.
Our organization is committed to fulfilling our requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. This accessibility plan outlines the steps Santa’s Village is taking to meet those requirements and to improve opportunities for people with disabilities.
Our plan shows how Santa’s Village is doing it’s part to make Ontario an accessible province for all Ontarians.
Customer Service
Santa’s Village is committed to providing accessible customer service to people with disabilities. This means that we will provide goods and services to people with disabilities with the same high quality and timeliness as others.
We provide in depth training for all staff in all departments on how to recognize guests with disabilities and how to best accommodate their needs so that they are afford the same service experience as an other guest.
Information and Communications
Santa’s Village is committed to making our information and communications accessible to people with disabilities.
All of our park information is easily accessible online including Park Accessibility details and other general park information.
We have committed to providing our guests with an Accessibility & Sensory Guide that outlines physical requirements for accessing our rides and attractions and also Sensory ratings that will be helpful for guests with Cognitive disabilities.
Click HERE to view the guide.
Employment
Santa’s Village strives to provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all people, we make employment decisions at SVL based on each person’s performance, qualifications, and abilities. Santa’s Village does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Santa’s Village is committed to providing accommodations to persons with disabilities so that they may pursue employment opportunities in a similar way to other applicants. Santa’s Village will give proper consideration to all requests for accommodation regardless of the format of the request.
Design of Public Spaces, Park Access Routes and Building Access
Santa’s Village recognizes the need to create accessible spaces and access routes for our guests when planning new developments or renovating existing ones. We are committed to meeting accessibility laws when building or making major changes to public spaces within the park.
In 2019 we opened the Riverside Rotisserie Restaurant within Santa’s Village which included wheelchair access to the restaurant and tables that can accommodate wheelchairs.
In 2020 we renovated our gift shop and added new wheelchair access ramps to allow for better access to the building.
All of our buildings and areas of the park are accessible by wheelchair. All future development plans will continue to place accessibility for guests at the highest priority.
Future development plans to the park entrance will include improved ramps for easy access to guest services, the gift shop and the park entrance.
Training
Santa’s Village is committed to providing training in the requirements of Ontario’s accessibility laws and the Ontario Human Rights Code as it applies to people with disabilities.
Our team receives in depth training during their employment that will equip them with the tools needed to accommodate guests with disabilities and provide them with best experience possible.
Continued Commitment
Santa’s Village conducts regular reviews of our accessibility program to ensure we are doing everything we can to accomodate guests with disabilities or special needs. We are committed to completing a full program audit and review every 5 years.
Disability Rates & Access2 Card Program
Disability Rate
A person with a disability will pay our regular daily admission rate and their aid will be admitted free of charge. This rate only applies to daily general admission tickets and does not apply to a Season Pass.
Access2 Card Program
We are proud to be a participating venue in the Access 2 Card program.
How does the card work?
Present the Access 2 Card when purchasing tickets with your support person at Guest Services or tickets sales located at front gate. The individual with the disability pays regular admission and the support person receives his or her admission free.
Who is a support person?
A support person is an individual who accompanies a person with a disability to provide services that are not provided by employees, such as assisting the person with eating, administering medication, communication needs and use of the facilities.
I work for an organization where staff takes groups of people with disabilities to the movies and attractions. Can my organization get a card for staff use?
Cards are only issued to individuals who have a permanent disability, and who require a support person. Access 2 Program does not provide cards for organizations or staff cards.
Ride Accessibility & Sensory Guide
The Santa’s Village Ride Accessibility & Sensory Guide matches the individual abilities of our guests to the requirements of each ride. It is designed to allow guests to fully participate in the enjoyment of our park while keeping in mind the safety requirements of our rides and attractions.
The program was developed based on the requirements of the ride manufacturer and by evaluating the physical and mental attributes required to safely ride each ride. It includes a Sensory resource guide for guests with Cognitive disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
It is our policy to allow anyone to ride our rides and enjoy our attractions as long as they meet all these requirements and such that it does not present a potential hazard to the guest or to others.
