Accessibility Plan 2023-2025: 2024 Progress Report

Action 1.1 – Increase executives' and hiring managers' knowledge and awareness to build inclusive teams

Human Resources Management at the School actively supports executives and hiring managers in building diverse and inclusive teams by providing targeted training and resources on equity and inclusion.

• The Public Service Commission (PSC) and the School co-delivered training on Supporting Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Through Staffing (COR1-E07). All human resource advisors at the School attended or accessed the recording at a later date.
• The PSC's toolkit for managers and human resources professionals, which provides information, tips and strategies to recruit and hire persons with disabilities, was sent to all sub-delegated managers by their human resources advisor.
• All sub-delegated managers have completed their attestation for delegation and have participated in and completed the internal mandatory information session for sub-delegated managers on amendments to the Public Service Employment Act, given by two human resources advisors.
• The School appointed an inclusion steward to help advance action on anti-racism, equity, diversity and inclusion in human resources practices, ensuring diverse representation and removing biases. The role of the inclusion steward falls in line with the amendments to the Public Service Employment Act, specifically subsection 36(2), which requires a subject matter expert in identifying biases and removing barriers to inclusion.

Action 1.2 – Provide career support to persons with disabilities to enable them to reach their career goals through job mobility and promotions.

Human Resources Management remains proactive in supporting employees with disabilities by providing customized career guidance and mentorship, and in continuously collaborating with other sectors:

• The School's inclusion steward is a member of the Assessment Accessibility Ambassador Network. The steward has participated in all the events and sessions organized by the Network and provides debriefs to the staffing and corporate teams on trends, information and updates shared at these events. The steward participates in interdepartmental meetings to stay aware of events and activities happening across government institutions and employee networks for persons with disabilities.
• The School launched its third cohort of the Mentorship Plus Program, a program that supports members of equity-seeking groups, including persons with disabilities, who aspire to leadership and executive positions in the federal public service. The Head of Human Resources encourages School executives to register as either a mentor or a sponsor in the program.

Action 2.1 – Broaden outreach activities and promote targeted recruitment to increase departmental representation of persons with disabilities.

The School's staffing team promotes targeted recruitment and partners with disability-focused organizations, universities, and job fairs that connect with diverse talent pools.

• All employees at the School are asked to self-declare as part of the hiring process and to self-identify in My Government of Canada Human Resources (MyGCHR is the government's system for the management of all human resources information in the federal public service) once hired. The data collected is analyzed quarterly and shared with the staffing team with specific hiring targets for each employment equity group.
• The staffing team prepares reports for each branch that outline gaps in their representation of persons with disabilities and provide guidance and assistance in reaching their representation goals. Examples of staffing options for managers include using pools for persons with disabilities and restricting the area of selection in selection processes.
• Human resources advisors send out emails to hiring managers to promote candidates who identify as a person with a disability and are registered in the Public Service Commission's Virtual Door to Talent with Disabilities, an inventory available to managers as part of the GC Hiring Managers Hub: Recruitment options.
• Human resources advisors share a list of potential candidates who have self-declared and who are qualified in Canada School of Public Service pools.
• Human Resources Management consults the Public Service Commission's calendar of career fairs dedicated to students and graduates with disabilities to potentially recruit new talent.
• The inclusion steward promotes diverse staffing options for employment equity groups and equity-deserving groups in collaboration with the staffing team to increase departmental representation.

Action 3.1 – Adjust the way HR processes are worded and implemented to be more inclusive of persons with disabilities.

At the School, we have a responsibility to ensure that our learning products reflect the diversity of the public service and of all people in Canada. This equally applies to our internal products and processes.

The School's meticulous review of human resources policies and processes will ensure that policies are clear, compliant, and considerate of all employees' needs, and that the organization fosters a supportive environment where every individual has the opportunity to succeed.

• The corporate staffing team has conducted a comprehensive review of staffing files for common biases such as name or affinity biases to further eliminate discrimination in hiring or promotion. They will continue to monitor staffing files and provide guidance and advice to human resources advisors.
• The inclusion steward revises statements of merit criteria to ensure that they are free from potential barriers. Using plain language and avoiding jargon, technical terms, government-specific acronyms or terms, and binary expressions like "he/she" or "his or her" help maintain clarity and inclusivity for all potential candidates.
• The inclusion steward reviews the School's letters of offer to enhance clarity and understanding by using inclusive writing techniques and ensuring that information is presented in an accurate and concise way.

Action 4.1 – The School will play an active role in building awareness and mitigating bias by providing training to all public servants on inclusive workplaces, accessible and fair staffing, and being mindful of disabilities.

• that cover key concepts in diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in various formats and with different modes of delivery. These foundational learning products are often mandatory for public servants, ensuring widespread exposure to these concepts across the federal public service.
• Aligned with the principle of "Nothing Without Us," the Respectful and Inclusive Workplace team is collaborating with federal public servants with disabilities to develop a learning product focused on future opportunities to enhance disability inclusion.
• The School also provides learning to help public servants identify and understand their own unconscious biases and their potential impact on decision-making, recruitment, promotions, and daily interactions, in courses such as Responding to Unconscious Bias (INC133) and Moving from Bias to Inclusion (INC123).
• The School offers courses that focus on making recruitment and staffing processes more inclusive and accessible:
• In 2023–2024, the course Inclusive Hiring Practices for a Diverse Workforce (COR120) was part of the required training for all School supervisors, managers and executives. In 2024–2025, the course was mandatory for managers with delegated signing authority only. A total of 173 School employees are in a position of supervision or management, and as of October 22, 2024, 55% have completed the course.
• The course Addressing Disability Inclusion and Barriers to Accessibility (INC115) is mandatory for all School employees. As of October 22, 2024, 76% of School employees have completed the course.

Action 5.1 – Engage in ongoing consultations with individual persons with disabilities and with committees and networks of persons with disabilities.

The Accommodations team's ongoing objective is to continuously improve accessibility in all of the School's buildings across Canada. For each new project, consultations are held with key stakeholders, including Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), BGIS, a leader in facility management services, and internal committees, to identify and address potential barriers. The design team is committed to creating environments that meet and exceed accessibility standards, ensuring that all individuals, regardless of disability, can fully benefit from the School's facilities.

• The Accommodations team held numerous consultations with local health and safety committees, PSPC, BGIS, and some private property managers for smaller regional buildings, such as Maple Leaf and Heritage. These meetings of 10 or more participants were either face-to-face meetings or video conferences depending on needs and locations across Canada.
  • The main objective was to respond quickly to employees' needs and go beyond accessibility standards, incorporating specific improvements such as the addition of braille and paint modifications.
• Many locations across the country will be relocated and modernized by 2028. These include offices in Halifax, Quebec and Winnipeg.
• The School's Accommodations team continues to carry out consultations at every phase of implementation of remodelling projects in several regional offices across Canada, including Moncton and Québec City. These include regular consultations with stakeholders to adjust layouts according to specific needs. These consultations have proved to be of much value. For example, during a redevelopment project, consultations highlighted the need for enclosed workspaces. This feedback led the Accommodations team to modify the initial design by incorporating quiet spaces and suitable meeting rooms, which were not part of the original plan. These adjustments illustrate the types of consultations that can occur with the various parties involved—often involving ongoing discussions throughout the year on topics such as architecture and design.
• These targeted consultations resulted in proactive collaboration, which allowed the team to address specific needs by implementing specific accessibility features.

Action 6.1 – Adapt workspaces to respond to the most common disability needs in all sectors and zones of the School's facilities, including regional offices.

• The Accommodations team is committed to delivering inclusive access for all employees, whatever their workplace or individual needs. The Accommodations team seeks the advice of in-house accessibility experts, and collaborates with specialists in accessibility assessment (consultants, PSPC, building management, etc.) before and during projects designed to equip School employees with the tools or work environments they need to succeed.
• Notable progress has been made on recent projects, including the redevelopment project at LaSalle Academy, situated at 373 Sussex Drive, in Ottawa.
  • The Accommodations team has made significant accessibility improvements by incorporating feedback from accessibility committees such as PSPC's accessibility committee.
  • The Accommodations team has made key updates, including installing adapted access buttons at entry points and ensuring kitchenette accessibility.
  • For the redevelopment of floors E1 and B5 at LaSalle Academy, the Accommodations team has conducted weekly consultations with stakeholders and accessibility experts (at least 12 meetings with 10 to 12 participants) to stay on schedule while addressing accessibility needs like improved on-site circulation and adaptive design. The project's success highlighted the importance of regular meetings and proactive collaboration to ensure effective management and integration of specific requirements.
• These actions will significantly improve the accessibility and inclusiveness of the workspaces. Final space delivery is expected for March 2025.
• Coordinating the complex logistics of delivering equipment to buildings across Canada, while optimizing resources to reduce service disruptions during active projects, has presented challenges. However, the Accommodations team has been able to move forward efficiently, thanks to a well-executed communication and planning strategy.
• All of the School's locations and facilities are now equipped with ergonomic equipment in line with the latest standards, meeting the needs of all employees, whether or not they have a disability. The Accommodations team continues to achieve consistency across Canada, ensuring that every region benefits from the same high levels of accessibility and comfort, in line with current ergonomic and accessibility requirements.

Action 7.1 – Improve the accessibility of our internal digital products and services.

• In preparation for the implementation of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat's Direction on prescribed presence in the workplace on September 9, 2024, the Digital Accessibility in Learning team reviewed and piloted the prototype of the Hybrid Workplace Application used by all employees in Microsoft Teams to ensure it met accessibility standards. Smoke tests were conducted throughout the development of the application, and testing was done internally as the application is protected. The review and testing phase is ongoing and includes various tests of accessibility tools such as JAWS, NVDA, and keyboard navigation. The School's Hybrid Workplace Application is designed to support both managers and employees as they transition back to the workplace.

Action 7.2 – Build capacity and expertise in digital accessibility across the School.

• The Digital Accessibility in Learning team (DALT) continues to work closely with the School's Centre for Teaching and Learning and the Community of Practice for Learning Experience Design to share best practices and deliver various types of in-house accessibility training, including hands-on training sessions.
• DALT has established a 12-month plan that outlines specific topics to be addressed each month. These monthly presentations and workshops are aimed at building the accessibility capacity of leaning designers. In preparation for these monthly meetings, DALT also provides resources, such as articles and demos, to all participants to further help learning designers develop and maintain their accessibility expertise in their respective roles.
• The Government of Canada's Digital Accessibility Toolkit is regularly promoted to all employees.
• All through National AccessAbility Week in May 2024, a daily activity or event was scheduled for employees to further develop their accessibility awareness and knowledge.
• The School's Accessibility Hub, hosted in SharePoint, provides guidance to employees according to their role, whether manager, supervisor, content creator, multimedia developer or facilitator. This evergreen resource is a one-stop shop for accessibility tools and resources.

Action 8.1 – Train IT service desk support specialists to support persons with disabilities.

• Due to the small size of the IT team and the high demands of daily operational requirements, attending accessibility training has proven challenging. As a result, Digital Services is establishing a training plan for the next fiscal year to ensure all team members receive the necessary training while maintaining critical operations. This plan will aim to balance accessibility training with ongoing responsibilities, allowing the team to build essential skills progressively while maintaining service quality and support for the organization.

Action 8.2 – Improve the accessibility of audio-video setup to enable employees to set up hybrid meetings and virtual classrooms from the office.

• The School began rolling out new Microsoft Teams Rooms devices in February 2024, and continued deployment throughout the year in both the National Capital Region and the regional offices, with the goal of replacing the legacy Cisco video conference systems.
  • These new devices are also compatible with Zoom and Webex, ensuring maximum flexibility.
  • Joining a meeting in a room is now easier than ever. With one-touch join, an employee can book a meeting through Outlook in the desired room, and it will appear on the in-room display and touch panel. This feature not only provides a simple way to join the meeting but also shows the room's availability. By simply tapping the meeting on the screen, the employee is instantly connected.
  • To make connecting to these tools easier, employees can scan the QR code on the screen with their mobile device, prompting the Teams app to let them select the meeting to join.
  • The Teams Rooms system offers a high-contrast accessibility option, which can be activated in the settings using the touch panel.
• This transition will improve accessibility and streamline Teams meetings for employees, whether employees are joining from the office or remotely.

Action 9.1 – Continuously test for and manage accessibility issues related to using the School's learning platform and learning catalogue.

• The Department of Justice, which also uses D2L as its learning platform, has prepared a detailed report on opportunities to improve the accessibility of the platform. They have shared this report with the School, and the Digital Accessibility in Learning team (DALT) is examining the findings. As DALT examines the findings, they enter them directly into D2L's ticketing system so they can be addressed. This is an ongoing project as additional opportunities for improvement identified by other departments will be added to the report.

Action 9.2 – Improve the accessibility of the content creation templates for adding content to our learning platforms.

• The Digital Accessibility in Learning team (DALT), the Centre for Teaching and Learning and the new Community of Practice for Learning Experience Design have been collaborating to evaluate course templates to ensure full accessibility. Each template is thoroughly tested against accessibility standards and modified as needed. Due to limited resources, the delivery of three specific templates, originally scheduled for summer, was delayed. However, a revision of priorities led to the completion of two of these templates, and the teams aim to finalize the third one within the next 12 months.

Action 9.3 – Ensure that third-party vendors involved in supporting or providing content for School platforms, courses, learning products, and the catalogue meet the Government of Canada's standard on Accessibility requirements for ICT products and services.

• The School ensures that all third-party vendors involved in supporting or providing content for its platforms, courses, learning products, and catalogue comply with the Government of Canada's standard on accessibility requirements for ICT products and services.
• This includes requiring vendors to provide a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) and demonstrate compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level A or AA, or adherence to the Harmonized European Standard EN 301 549, as applicable. These standards ensure that digital content is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities.
• The Learning Platform and User Experience teams use the following process for ensuring vendor compliance with accessibility standards for information and communication technologies:
  1. Vendor requirements in procurement: All requests for proposal require vendors to comply with WCAG 2.1 or the Harmonized European Standard EN 301 549. Vendors must provide documentation and evidence of accessibility compliance.
  2. Accessibility evaluation during product evaluation: During product evaluation, the School tests solutions against the Government of Canada's standard on accessibility requirements for ICT products and services and verifies key accessibility features, such as screen reader compatibility and keyboard navigation.
  3. In-house accessibility testing and ongoing monitoring: The Digital Accessibility in Learning team (DALT) conducts manual and automated testing to ensure compliance. Manual testing is conducted using assistive technologies such as JAWS, NVDA, and Narrator, as well as keyboard navigation and colour contrast verification. Automated testing is conducted using testing tools such as Accessibility Insights for Web and WAVE. Any accessibility issues are sent to vendors for remediation.
  4. Regular audits post-implementation: Regular audits are performed to ensure continued accessibility compliance as products are updated.

Action 9.4 – Continuously identify and analyze barriers that learners experience across our digital products, and share common accessibility issues encountered at Accessibility Working Group meetings and other School forums.

• The Digital Accessibility in Learning team (DALT) meets with learners who encounter limitations or barriers with any course materials or learning products to understand their needs and implement solutions. This year, DALT contacted 21 learners to discuss and resolve their specific accessibility requirements. Barriers are documented and further considered for review. DALT offers guidance and key recommendations to the Client Services Management team to address the documented barriers and learner accessibility requests.
• This year, a total of 29 products have been successfully tested. Product testing is typically conducted at the request of product owners, either when an activity is new and in development, or following multiple complaints about the product. Depending on the request, testing may involve a simple smoke test, which is a high-level assessment of a digital product's basic accessibility, or a more thorough test involving complex user interactions, compatibility with various assistive technologies, and other detailed criteria.

Action 10.1 – Establish and promote accessibility best practices for each communication channel.

• The School's Linguistic Services team created the English Style Guide of the Canada School of Public Service and the Guide de rédaction française de l'École de la fonction publique du Canada (French style guide of the Canada School of Public Service) for all School employees. These guides provide guidance on inclusive language principles, terms to avoid, accessibility, writing about gender, and other related writing tips, as well as templates.
• School employees continue to benefit from the revamped intranet, which was designed from the start to apply accessibility, usability, and interoperability best practices, and align with Government of Canada requirements for WCAG 2.1. The School's intranet enables employees to quickly and effortlessly find the information they need, saving them valuable time to complete tasks. With an enhanced search function, employees can locate documents, policies, and team resources with precision and speed.

Action 11.1 – Adapt existing platforms to meet accessibility and inclusive design guidelines.

• In 2024, the School launched a video webcasting request for proposal process to contract its webcasting solutions. The request for proposal mandated compliance with WCAG 2.1 and Harmonized European Standard EN 301 549 accessibility standards. Collaborate Video, a boutique technology services company specialized in webcasting solutions, successfully won the contract.
• The School launched a new version of vExpo, the platform used to support virtual events delivered by the School. This platform incorporates built-in features to facilitate navigation for users requiring additional accessibility, such as an accessible navigation menu, tab navigation, and screen reader navigation.
  1. Mobile and accessible navigation: Users can navigate the event content available through vExpo using the menu list located in the top-left corner of the platform. As part of the platform's responsive design, the accessible menu view automatically displays when a user's window size is less than 1200 pixels wide or when the user is accessing vExpo from a mobile device.
  2. Tab navigation: Users can navigate content on vExpo using the tab key on a computer keyboard, in addition to the mouse point and click navigation.
  3. Screen reader navigation: Users can navigate between different content on vExpo using a computer keyboard and voice interaction to hear displayed text.
• The new vExpo platform was first used for the Government of Canada Workplace Charitable Campaign launch on September 5, 2024. Participant feedback will continue to help to improve the platform.

Action 12.1 – Collaborate with the Business Solutions and Information Management team to modernize the procurement process and migrate it to a platform with higher accessibility compliance.

• Procurement has redefined their actions since May 2024, as a result of a restructuring at the School.
• In 2024, the Procurement team at the School consulted with several customer relationship management vendors to roll out a tailored customer relationship management system to fit the needs of the School and meet accessibility standards such as WCAG 2.1 AA.
• This customer relationship management system would manage and track all procurement requests and facilitate a more user-friendly interface for all clients. The objective is to fully implement a sole sourcing requests system within 12 months.

Action 12.2 – Develop procurement documents and templates that collect data in a way that meets or exceeds accessibility standards

• The Procurement team is going over all client-facing forms to ensure they are compliant with Government of Canada accessibility standards.

Action 13.1 – Collaborate with the Digital Accessibility in Learning team to bring the portal, internal documents and templates up to accessibility standards.

• A recent restructuring at the School has led to the formation of new teams, the transfer of responsibilities, shifting priorities and the identification of new actions. These adjustments are intended to align with the updated organizational structure and objectives. The team is actively planning next steps, which will be implemented progressively throughout 2025 to ensure a smooth transition and effective resource management.
• For 2025, the Procurement team will be consulting with Shared Services Canada for resources, training and guidelines related to accessibility requirements in procurement.

Action 14.1 – Increase representation of people with disabilities in School and third-party learning content.

All of the School's business lines are committed to representing persons with disabilities in learning products and courses authentically and respectfully by avoiding stereotypes and simplistic representations.

• Business lines are collaborating in a School-wide initiative to co-create meticulously crafted activities and templates for an asset library. Once this library is completed, business lines will select accessibility-approved activities and templates from it to use to create online learning products.
• All learning products undergoing maintenance are assessed for representative content as part of cyclical maintenance steps.
• The Design Process: Prototyping and Testing (DDN249) course includes a character who has a visual impairment. All scenes feature special glasses, and some show a guide dog or a white cane in the background.
• In the spirit of "Nothing Without Us," Respectful and Inclusive Workplace is developing a learning product with federal public servants with disabilities on future possibilities for advancing disability inclusion.

Action 14.2 – Continue learning about issues that persons with disabilities encounter through consultations and research.

• All business lines are actively involved in enhancing accessibility in learning materials:
  • Respectful and Inclusive Workplace is working with the Accessibility Learning Advisory Committee and the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer to identify specific learning needs and jointly develop content. This content will focus on decreasing barriers faced by federal employees with disabilities and encouraging behavioural change for all public servants.
  • Ongoing consultations with Fable, an organization where learners with disabilities assess and test products, yield valuable feedback. Fable actively proposes changes to be incorporated in courses after evaluation and provides recommendations for future projects.
  • Accessibility is a featured agenda item for team meetings under each business line, allowing programmers, graphic designers, and instructional designers to exchange insights and stay informed about the latest accessibility best practices relevant to their respective roles.
  • Multimedia specialists stay current by attending yearly training from Deque University.
• The Community of Practice for Learning Experience Design was created and hosts monthly meetings. During these meetings, the Community explores new tools for assessment and participates in workshops organized by Accessibility, Accommodation and Adaptive Computer Technology (AAACT). It shares best practices, presentations, awareness information and job aids.

Action 15.1 – Review and update all School learning content to meet or exceed accessibility standards.

• The School integrates accessibility into the design and lifecycle of all learning products. All business lines work in collaboration to ensure that learning products are centred in accessibility needs and meet accessibility standards.
• Learning designers at the School get training in neurolearning approaches and are increasingly exploring neurolearning and gamification to enhance accessibility and engagement in training programs. In March 2024, the Centre for Teaching and Learning held a workshop for School learning designers called Enhancing Public Service Education with Neurolearning Principles. The sessions highlighted learning strategies with hands-on activities to enhance engagement, inclusivity, and overall effectiveness in learning products.
• By creating learning experiences that align with how the brain naturally processes and retains information, designers can structure content to improve focus, memory retention, and motivation. This approach is especially beneficial for learners with cognitive and neurological differences.
• Gamification incorporates game-like elements—such as points, rewards, and interactive challenges—into learning materials. This approach transforms traditional learning experiences into more interactive and stimulating ones, fostering a sense of achievement and encouraging progress.
• All learning products initially get tested using built-in accessibility checkers. Some of these programs include the evaluation tool WAVE, axe accessibility testing tools, Accessibility Insights, Google Lighthouse, a contrast checker, NVDA, and the Microsoft Accessibility Checker. Any errors are fixed and sent to the Digital Accessibility in Learning Team (DALT) for a second review.
• DALT begins their review with a smoke test to identify and correct common issues and errors. The product is then sent to Fable for further testing.
• Prior to their launch, all learning products get piloted by persons with disabilities who use assistive technology.
• All facilitated learning products have facilitator and participant guides that include suggestions on how to conduct inclusive activities.
• To date, DALT has conducted 16 requests with Fable: 1 user interview, 4 compatibility tests, and 11 self-guided tests. The results have been analyzed and shared with the team responsible for the learning product and the User Experience team.
• The Community of Practice of Multimedia Developers was created and hosts monthly meetings. Since its creation, the Community has provided insight on how to create accessible and inclusive learning activities. This is an ongoing action.
• As part of the School's commitment to innovation and accessibility, the School recognizes the duty to explore artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential to streamline repetitive tasks in course design.

Action 15.2 – Make sure accessibility tools are available to employees, learning designers, and programmers.

• The Digital Accessibility in Learning team (DALT) is currently looking at various options for an automated tool that has the ability to systematically scan and examine digital content across learning products and internal services. This automated tool crawl would help identify accessibility gaps, ensuring that content meets required standards and is usable for all learners. Training and a job aid for this tool would be offered to all multimedia users.
• The School's Accessibility Hub provides guidance to multimedia specialists and instructional designers.
• The School prioritizes inclusive activities in facilitator manuals for virtual or in-person classroom courses.
• Pre-launch compliance reports for all business lines confirm that products are re-sent to the Digital Accessibility team for final testing and confirmation of fixes prior to launch or re-launch.

Action 15.3 – Respond to accessibility-related complaints within 15 working days.

The School provides timely responses to learner inquiries, integrates learner feedback into products where appropriate, and meets with learners to further discuss their needs when necessary.

• The team responsible for the Executive Leadership Development Program for executives and assistant deputy ministers consults with participants at the onboarding stage to identify any accommodation or accessibility needs. This information is considered in all sessions, including National Capital Region–based modules and study tours.
• Instructions for accessible facilitation are provided in facilitation guides.
• Alternate accessible course material formats are provided, such as accessible templates or Word versions.