The Be-Abled Society (hereinafter “Be-Abled”) respects your privacy and is committed to safeguarding the personal information entrusted to us by our clients and donors. This policy outlines the principles and practices we follow in protecting your personal information.
This policy applies to Be-Abled and to any person providing services on our behalf. A copy of this policy is provided to any client or donor on request.
What is personal information?
Personal information means information about an identifiable individual. This includes an individual’s name, home address and phone number, age, sex, marital or family status, an identifying number, financial information, educational history, etc. Exceptions: business contact information and certain publicly available information, such as names, addresses and telephone numbers as published in telephone directories, are not considered personal information.
Information in the public domain is not subject to privacy legislation and as such is not included in this policy.
What personal information do we collect?
Be-Abled collects different kinds of information which may include personal information in the course of providing its various programs, receiving donations and managing the organization. Some of the information we collect is used to assist us in evaluating our current programs or to develop new programs to meet the needs of the public who use these programs. We normally collect client personal information directly from our clients. We may collect your information from other persons with your consent or as authorized by law.
Consent
An individual’s consent is required regarding the collection and proposed use of personal information when information is collected. Consent can be either express or implied and can be provided directly by the individual or by an authorized representative. Express consent can be given orally, electronically or in writing. Implied consent is consent that can reasonably be inferred from an individual’s action or inaction. An individual’s consent is required before confidential information is released to outside parties, except where required by law.
We ask for your express consent for some purposes and may not be able to provide certain services if you are unwilling to provide consent to the collection, use or disclosure of certain personal information. Where express consent is needed, we will normally ask clients to provide their consent orally (in person, by telephone), or in writing (by signing a consent form).
A client may withdraw consent to the use and disclosure of personal information at any time, unless the personal information is necessary for us to fulfil our legal obligations. We will respect your decision, but we may not be able to provide you with certain products and services if we do not have the necessary personal information.
We may collect, use or disclose client personal information without consent only as authorized by law. For example, we may not request consent when the collection, use or disclosure is to determine suitability for an honour or award, or in an emergency that threatens life, health or safety.
How do we use and disclose personal information?
Personal information shall not be used or disclosed for purposes other than those for which it was collected, except with the consent of the individual or as required by law.
If we wish to use or disclose your personal information for any new business purpose, we will ask for your consent. We may not seek consent if the law allows this.
Cookies
Be-Abled’s website may use persistent cookies within visiting browsers to enable the functions of the website and for tracking performance.
Specifically, cookies are used the following ways:
- Preserving and expiring visitor sessions on the site (e.g. preserving data between steps of a process; and ending the session after a period of inactivity)
- Storing font size preferences on the site
- Enabling web analytic tools (such as Google Analytics, Clicktale, and iPerceptions – see below)
Cookies are used anonymously and without storing Personally Identifiable Information (PII). Visitors that wish to opt-out of cookies should review the help documentation for their browser software to decline or selectively decline cookies. Note that declining cookies may adversely impact site performance.
Google Analytics
Be-Abled’s website may use Google Analytics to track performance. Google Analytics uses persistent cookies to track visitor sessions, visitors across multiple sessions, and referral sources to our sites. We may also track the performance of promotional links to our site using Google Analytics. Note that Google Analytics stores its data within the United States of America and is subject to US laws. We use this data to understand site performance to serve you better. Those wishing to opt out of Google Analytics data collection should use the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
How do we safeguard personal information?
We make every reasonable effort to ensure that personal information is accurate and complete. We rely on individuals to notify us if there is a change to their personal information that may affect their relationship with our organization. If you are aware of an error in our information about you, please let us know and we will correct it on request wherever possible. In some cases, we may ask for a written request for correction.
We protect personal information in a manner appropriate for the sensitivity of the information. We make every reasonable effort to prevent any loss, misuse, disclosure or modification of personal information, as well as any unauthorized access to personal information.
We use appropriate security measures when destroying personal information, including shredding paper records and permanently deleting electronic records.
We retain personal information only as long as is reasonable to fulfil the purposes for which the information was collected or for legal or business purposes.
Access to records containing personal information
Individuals have a right to access their own personal information in a record that is in the custody or under the control of Be-Abled, subject to some exceptions. For example, we would refuse to provide access to information that would reveal personal information about another individual.
If we refuse a request in whole or in part, we will provide the reasons for the refusal. In some cases where exceptions to access apply, we may withhold that information and provide you with the remainder of the record.
You may make a request for access to your personal information by writing to Be-Abled. You must provide sufficient information in your request to allow us to identify the information you are seeking.
You may also request information about our use of your personal information and any disclosure of that information to persons outside our organization. In addition, you may request a correction of an error or omission in your personal information.
We will respond to your request within 45 calendar days, unless an extension is granted. We may charge a reasonable fee to provide information, but not to make a correction. We will advise you of any fees that may apply before beginning to process your request.
Privacy Policy Changes
We may change our Privacy Policy from time to time without notice. Please check our Website for the most up-to-date version of the policy.
Questions and complaints
If you have a question or concern about any collection, use or disclosure of personal information by Be-Abled, or about a request for access to your own personal information, please contact Bassam Khoury, President of Be-Abled, at bassam@be-abled.com