Legal Agreement #2A
Privacy Policy
Under legal review. This policy is a lawyer-review version and is not yet final. Items marked like this need a decision before launch.
The short version
- We collect only what we need to run SEEN.
- We never collect diagnoses, medical records, treatment plans, or clinical files.
- When we verify your disability designation, we delete the documents afterward. We keep only the designation type, number, and verification status.
- We never sell personal information, disability-related information, or member information.
- You can ask to see or correct your information, and withdraw consent.
Part A is our full Privacy Policy for the SEEN Access Status Card program. Part B explains what this website collects today.
Part A · Privacy Policy
1. Purpose and scope
This Privacy Policy explains how SEEN Access Status Card Inc. collects, uses, discloses, stores, retains, protects, and manages personal information in connection with the SEEN Access Status Card program, website, mobile applications, future member portals, and related services.
2. Definitions
Personal Information means information about an identifiable individual. Sensitive Information includes disability-related information, accessibility information, accommodation icon selections, verification records, government-issued identification, photographs, and emergency contact information.
3. Accountability and privacy governance
The Privacy Officer (or successor position designated by the Board of Directors) is responsible for privacy compliance, breach response, training, and policy administration.
4. Information we collect
SEEN may collect legal name, preferred name, pronouns, date of birth, address, email, telephone number, government-issued identification, photograph, disability designation type, disability designation number, accommodation icon selections, emergency contact information, membership records, payment information, communications, website usage data, and survey participation records.
5. Disability verification
SEEN requires proof of an approved government-issued disability designation. Verification documents are collected solely for eligibility verification. SEEN may contact issuing government authorities through an authorized Third-Party Release of Information process. Upon successful verification, designation documents are securely deleted. SEEN retains only the designation type, designation number, verification status, and administrative records necessary to maintain membership.
6. Approved disability designations
Examples include provincial disability assistance designations, Disability Tax Credit approvals, CPP Disability, Canada Disability Benefit eligibility, Veterans Affairs disability benefits, and other approved government-recognized disability designations.
7. Purposes for collection and use
Information is collected to verify eligibility, administer memberships, issue cards, process renewals, communicate with members, process payments, prevent fraud, provide accessibility-related services, improve operations, support advocacy initiatives, conduct research, and comply with legal obligations.
8. Accommodation icons and accessibility information
Accommodation icons are voluntarily selected by members. While they are designed to communicate accommodation needs without revealing a medical diagnosis, SEEN classifies accommodation icon selections as sensitive accessibility information because they may indirectly reveal disability-related characteristics. Members expressly consent to the display and use of selected accommodation icons through authorized card and profile functions.
9. Member profile access
Authorized profile features may display a member’s preferred name, pronouns, membership number, and selected accommodation icons. NFC functionality may display only a verification result such as “Access Status Verified”.
10. Emergency contact feature
The emergency QR feature is intentionally designed to be accessible to any person with physical possession of the card during an emergency. Scanning the emergency QR code may automatically initiate a telephone call to the designated emergency contact. No authentication is required.
11. Disclosure to partners
SEENergy Network Partners may access only the information necessary to provide accommodations, validate membership status, or deliver approved services. Partners are prohibited from using information for unauthorized purposes.
12. Payment processing
Payments may be processed by Stripe, Interac e-Transfer, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other approved payment providers. Payment providers maintain independent privacy and security obligations.
13. Cookies and analytics
SEEN may use cookies, analytics technologies, accessibility technologies, and security tools. Details are in our Cookie Policy.
14. No sale of personal information
SEEN does not sell personal information, disability-related information, or identifiable member information.
15. SEENsus Surveys
Participation in SEENsus Surveys is voluntary and does not affect membership eligibility, cardholder status, services, benefits, eligibility, or standing. Survey responses may be collected in anonymous, de-identified, identifiable, or mixed formats depending on the nature of the research activity. Organizations receiving survey results will receive aggregated, anonymized, statistical, or otherwise non-identifiable information only.
16. Research, advocacy, and impact reporting
SEEN may use anonymized and aggregated information for accessibility research, advocacy, public education, impact reporting, grant applications, and policy development.
17. Data retention
Membership and financial records may be retained for seven years. Verification records may be retained for five years following membership termination. Verification documents are deleted after verification. Anonymized research data may be retained indefinitely.
18. Security safeguards
SEEN maintains administrative, physical, technical, and organizational safeguards to protect information.
19. Cross-border processing
Certain service providers may process information outside British Columbia or Canada. See Part B for the providers this website uses today.
20. Related policies and standards
This Privacy Policy should be read together with the Cookie Policy, Data Retention and Destruction Policy, Accessibility Information Handling Standard, and SEENsus Surveys Research and Data Governance Policy.
21. Member rights
Members may request access to personal information, request corrections, withdraw consent where applicable, and inquire about privacy practices, subject to legal and operational limitations.
22. Privacy complaints
Complaints may be submitted to the Privacy Officer.
23. Breach notification
SEEN maintains breach response procedures and will notify affected individuals and regulators where required by law.
24. Future services
Future services may include accommodation notes, expanded accessibility profiles, mobile application services, digital cards, and additional accessibility supports.
25. Contact information
Privacy Officer
SEEN Access Status Card Inc.
Vancouver, British Columbia mailing address: see note
Phone: (604) 830-7336
Email: info@seenaccessstatuscard.ca
26. Policy amendments
SEEN may update this Privacy Policy periodically.
Part B · How this website handles your information
The SEEN Access Status Card is not open for applications yet. Today, this website collects only what you choose to send through the forms below.
What our forms collect
| When you… | We collect |
|---|---|
| Join the waitlist or newsletter | First name, email, how you’re interested in SEEN (optional), and your consent to receive emails. |
| Register for SEEN | Firstlight | Name, email and/or phone, how to reach you, your connection to Commercial Drive, confirmation you’re 18 or older, your yes-or-no answer to the disability status question, and up to five businesses you nominate (optional). |
| Ask about becoming a SEENergy Partner | Business name and address, your name, role, email, phone (optional), how the business is set up, number of locations, what you could offer (optional), and programs of interest. |
| Send us a message | Name, email, topic, message, and phone if you ask us to call. |
About the SEEN | Firstlight question
We record only your yes-or-no answer. We don’t ask which program, why, or anything about your health, and we don’t ask for documents. Your Firstlight card shows pilot participation. It is not verification of disability status.
Who helps us, and where
- Bluehost hosts this website. Form entries, including SEEN | Firstlight registrations, are stored in our website’s database on servers in Toronto, Canada.
- Google Workspace provides our email. Messages you send us, and form notifications, are stored by Google, which may process information outside Canada.
- Mailchimp (Intuit) sends our newsletter, only if you said yes. Mailchimp stores subscriber information in the United States.
SEEN | Firstlight registrations are never sent to Mailchimp. Only your name and email go to Mailchimp, and only if you ticked the newsletter box.
With SEENergy Partners, we share Firstlight results only as totals, such as how many participants nominated a business. We never share your name or contact details without your permission.
Emails from us
We send newsletters only to people who said yes, and we confirm your email address first. Every email includes our contact information and a one-click unsubscribe link. We keep a record of your consent, as Canada’s anti-spam law requires.
How long we keep it
We follow our Data Retention and Destruction Policy. For information collected through this website:
| Information | How long |
|---|---|
| Newsletter and waitlist | Until you unsubscribe. |
| SEEN | Firstlight registration | Until six months after we notify you that the full program has launched, the end of the period to claim your free year. Then deleted, keeping only totals that don’t identify anyone. |
| Messages and partner enquiries | Seven years after the enquiry is resolved. see note |
| faSEENating Stories features | Until you ask us to remove your feature. |
| Website and security logs | Up to two years. |
Your rights
Under British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act, you can ask what information we have about you, ask us to correct it, and withdraw your consent. Email us and we’ll reply within 30 days. If you’re not satisfied, you can contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia (opens in a new tab).
Our forms are meant for adults. SEEN | Firstlight is open only to people 18 and older.