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Constance Exley

It’s Official! The Accessible Canada Act is now Law

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With the adoption of An Act to Ensure a Barrier-free Canada (Accessible Canada Act), the Government of Canada is fulfilling its mandate promise to introduce new accessibility legislation. The Accessible Canada Act establishes a framework to create a barrier-free Canada through the proactive identification, removal and prevention of accessibility barriers. It will also ensure that persons with disabilities are no longer required to fight barriers to accessibility on an individual basis.

The Accessible Canada Act applies to the federally regulated private sector, which includes the banking, transportation and telecommunications sectors, as well as the Government of Canada, Crown corporations and Parliament. Under the Act, these organizations will be required to develop and publish accessibility plans that describe how they will identify, remove and prevent barriers to accessibility. They will also be required to establish a mechanism for receiving and addressing feedback on accessibility from anyone who interacts with their organization. Finally, they will have to develop regular progress reports on the implementation of their plan and addressing any feedback they receive.

The Accessible Canada Act also establishes new structures and positions, including:

  • the Canadian Accessibility Standards Development Organization (CASDO), led by a board of directors comprised of a majority of persons with disabilities that will develop accessibility standards in collaboration with the disability community and industry;
  • a Chief Accessibility Officer, who will advise the Minister of Accessibility and monitor systemic and emerging accessibility issues; and
  • an Accessibility Commissioner, who will spearhead compliance and enforcement activities under the legislation.

The next phase of implementation will include the development of standards and regulations that will provide clear guidance on accessibility requirements.

The coming into force of the Accessible Canada Act also legislates National AccessAbility Week as beginning each year on the last Sunday in May, with the objective of promoting accessibility and celebrating the contributions of persons with disabilities across the country. 

 

Quick Facts

  • Approximately one in five Canadians, or about 6.2 million people aged 15 and over, report having a disability that limits them in their daily activities.
  • The Accessible Canada Act was developed following the most inclusive and accessible consultations with the disability community in our country’s history. More than 6,000 Canadians and 100 accessibility organizations shared their views and ideas about an accessible Canada.
  • Bill C-81, the Accessible Canada Act, was tabled in Parliament on June 20, 2018, and passed by the Senate with amendments on May 13, 2019. The House of Commons concurred with all amendments on May 29, 2019, and the Act received Royal Assent on June 21, 2019.

Bill C-81: Accessible Canada Act has been passed by Parliament!

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There was great news announced during this year’s National Accessibility Week – the House of Commons passed all the amendments to Bill C-81, the Accessible Canada Act. Now the only thing left is for the Federal Government to give the bill “Royal Assent” which should be in the next few weeks.

The AODA Alliance has been quick to point out what they feel are serious deficiencies in the bill. For example:

* It gives the Federal Government helpful powers to promote accessibility, but largely does not require that these ever be used. For example, it lets the Federal Government create helpful and enforceable national accessibility standards but does not require the Federal Government to ever do so.

* It provides for helpful enforcement tools but splinters its enforcement across four federal agencies, which is a real disadvantage to people with disabilities.

* It continues to allow federal public money to be used to create or perpetuate accessibility barriers against people with disabilities.

* It lets the Federal Government grant sweeping exemptions from some of the bill’s requirements to regulated organizations, including the Federal Government itself.

* It is excessively complicated and hard to read. This threatens to make it less effective and harder to implement.

As with all things, it’s one step at a time….

2019 Legislative Review of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005

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The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act must be reviewed regularly. The Honourable David C. Onley, Ontario’s 28th Lieutenant Governor, was appointed to review the act and conducted public consultations in 2018. This report presents his recommendations to the government.

Read the Report

 

Media Articles

Ford government must fulfill Ontario’s promise to people with disabilities (Toronto Star)

Ontario nowhere near goal of full accessibility by 2025, review finds (CBC)

Review of Ontario accessibility finds province is failing disabled residents (Globe and Mail)

#1 Best Way to Learn About Your AODA Compliance Requirements

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Accessibility Services Canada offers a 3-part webinar series on the ins and outs of AODA compliance called Accessibility Compliance 101. In plain language, we tell you what you need to do to comply with the law, provide you with great resources and templates you can use after the series is over, and clarify anything that is confusing. If you can’t make one of the webinars – no problem! You get access to the webinar recording for one week following the live session.

computer with headset and glasses

“I just watched the last webinar and enjoyed it thoroughly. This course has been incredibly informative, easy to digest, and I feel much more equipped to do my work now!”  

“The trainer is engaging and easy to understand, and answers all questions.”

“Nice concise review, good examples & resources – thank you!”

“Being online is a great way to learn that is flexible for our team.”

2 Best Ways to Train Staff on the AODA

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Training all staff, volunteers, Board Members and contractors on the AODA standards is a requirement for all organizations with 1 or more employees in Ontario. If you need some help with your AODA training, here are the two ways we recommend. The first option is quick and easy, especially if you have a lot of people that need training. The second is a cost effective way to have an in-house expert handle your AODA training.

Person teaching a class on the AODA

  1. AODA Online Training
  2. AODA Train-the-Trainer Certification

3 Best Rated Accessibility Workshops

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We have many wonderful workshops and webinars but, in the last four years, there are three that consistently get rave reviews. We offer these workshops monthly and we are also able to come to your office if you have a group of 8-10 people.""

  1. How to Make Accessible Word Documents
  2. How to Make Accessible InDesign Documents
  3. How to Make Accessible PDFs

“Best training I have ever had in a session!”

“I have taken a few training courses but this was by far the most in-depth and informative.”

“Great practical, hands-on exercises.”

“So much to learn and use immediately. The workshop exceeded my expectations!”

“Detailed and great with examples and practices.”

“Great examples and I appreciate the print out for future reference.”

 “Accessibility Services Canada’s workshop “Accessible InDesign Workshop” was fantastic. The facilitator’s training style was very enjoyable, giving practical exercises and useful tricks that will help us achieve accessibility on a variety of documents. I will strongly recommend this workshop to graphic designers and other creative minds who are searching for better ways to make accessible documents and visual communications.”  

5 Webinars on Accessible Documents

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Accessible documents are now expected and all staff should have basic training on how to make accessible Word documents. If you don’t know how, we have instructional webinars you can participate in from anywhere in Canada.

  1. Overview to Document Accessibility
  2. Accessible Word Documents 101
  3. Accessible InDesign Documents
  4. Accessible Excel Documents
  5. Accessible PowerPoint Presentation

 

“As a freelance designer I’m seeing a growing demand from clients for accessible documents. This course (and the materials) have been extremely helpful and well worth the investment.”