Dalton McGuinty Visits Savaria

Linda Jeffrey MPP, Dalton McGuinty Ontario Premier and Savaria Staff

We were honoured to welcome the Premier of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty to Savaria in Brampton on November 16th.   With the background hub-bub of our manufacturing plant, the Premier talked about the new healthy home renovation tax credit program.  We were also pleased to welcome Linda Jeffrey, MPP Brampton Springdale who accompanied the Premier on the tour.

Offering up to $1500 on the first $10,000 of home renovations for seniors living in Ontario, the program promises to help seniors stay in their homes longer, avoiding moving to healthcare facilities sooner than needed.  Since many aging adults suffer from mobility issues such as knee and hip problems, adding a stairlift or a platform lift can be the best way to remain at home – the place most people want to be.  Mr McGuinty toured the Savaria showroom and shook hands with many of our employees as he went.  It was a great opportunity for Savaria staff to feel proud about the kind of products we make.

A Lift for Thrill-Seekers

Traveling a couple of floors may not be quite what adventurous thrill-seekers have in mind.  So when SkyVenture, an indoor free fall flying experience called Savaria for a wheelchair lift, we were a bit concerned that for the first time one of our best-selling products could fall a little short. Of course our lift offers a smooth ride, versatile design and it’s easy to use, but in this environment, how would it be perceived? Well, it’s true our Savaria V-1504 was not SkyVenture’s main attraction but it does come in at a close second. Their facility is the first in Canada to offer a simulated sky diving experience in a 45ft. high wind tunnel.  And if you walk through the front doors of this stunning Montreal building, our glass enclosed Savaria lift might just take your breath away. Situated in the center of the open concept lobby, the lift is functionally and artistically placed in the center of a circular staircase allowing all of SkyVenture’s visitors to access their own experience of a lifetime.

SkyVenture wanted everyone to have access to this adventure and made accommodating those with disabilities a main priority. Savaria was proud to help facilitate this objective.

If you’re planning a trip to Montreal, put SkyVenture on your list to experience… our V-1504 of course 😉

Visit the SkyVenture web site

Excuse me, how can I help you?

Have you ever been in an awkward situation not knowing whether or not to help a person with disabilities? Ever see a person who needs help but not sure if you will be undermining the person’s ability? A lot of us are faced with these situations and issues, in business or in a grocery store. It is completely normal and I am speaking from pure experience.  For people in business, customer service is one of the keys to maintaining a healthy relationship with the customer and keeps them coming back for your services. In a lot of cases employees and businesses don’t have the proper knowledge to deal with a person with disabilities turning them away without even noticing it. Here are some keys to knowing what to do in that situation: speak directly to the customer and make eye contact, do not refer to them as a disabled person but rather refer to them as a person with disabilities, ask how you can help them or what you can do to help, be courteous and lastly do not make any prejudgments. For a more detailed look into these practices, refer to the video posted below.

Improving Customer Service for People with Disabilities