Accessibility Plan 2023-2025: 2023 Progress Report

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

Human Resources Management is dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workforce for employees and managers. Human resource advisors help increase executives' and hiring managers' knowledge and awareness of the importance of building diverse and inclusive teams.

• All HR advisors attended a training session presented by the Public Service Commission (PSC) on the amendments to section 36 of the Public Service Employment Act. This training session helped equip HR advisors to mitigate biases and barriers during assessments and provide guidance to managers.
• HR advisors participated in a workshop from the PSC on how to conduct an evaluation of an assessment method for biases and barriers. These sessions have helped equip advisors to mitigate biases and barriers during assessments.

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

As part of the efforts to support employees with disabilities in their career aspirations, the School has completed the following activities:

• Launched a virtual career centre that provides resources for maintaining and building second language proficiency; building skills and competencies; pursuing professional development; and exploring coaching, mentoring, and sponsorship relationships.
• Appointed a staffing advisor to attend the Personnel Psychology Centre's Assessment Accessibility Ambassadors Network meetings. Taking on the role of Assessment Accessibility Ambassador, the advisor actively promotes accessibility by sharing their expertise and identifying and mitigating biases and barriers in assessment processes.
• Executives at the School participated in the Mentorship Plus Program, either by sponsoring a protégé that is a member of an employment equity group, or by mentoring a mentee. The mentees and protégés came from departments or agencies in the federal public service.

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

• Human Resources Management organized two sessions for the Executive Management Forum with LiveWorkPlay, a federally incorporated non-profit founded in 1955 whose mission is to help the community welcome and include people with intellectual disabilities, autistic persons, and individuals with a dual diagnosis to live, work, and play as valued citizens. The session raised awareness of neurodivergent employees to executives.
• As part of its continued efforts to reach workforce availability targets for persons with disabilities, the School completed the following activities:
  • The Head of Human Resources frequently communicated with all managers to promote hiring tools specific to persons with disabilities, including a list of qualified employees in existing School pools who self-identify as having a disability.
  • All hiring managers received an employment equity staffing dashboard, which indicated staffing gaps in their respective branches by occupational group.
  • Human Resources Management presented staffing options to the community of managers for all employment equity groups, including persons with disabilities. Options included existing pools from other departments specifically for persons with disabilities and inviting hiring managers to attend career fairs for persons with disabilities.
• The School participated in an Ottawa career fair for students and recent graduates with disabilities on November 9, 2023.
• In 2023, the School has hired four persons with disabilities who self-declared during the hiring process.

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

• The School reviewed its HR policies and processes for plain language and to highlight core and general competencies that build organizational culture and drive performance excellence. This review has made staffing processes more inclusive, allowing persons with disabilities to apply.
• Since July 1, 2023, Public Service Employment Act modifications are in place and tools for managers are being developed.

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.

• The course Inclusive Hiring Practices for a Diverse Workforce (COR120) is mandatory for all managers, supervisors, and executives at the School. A total of 215 School employees are in a position of supervision or management, and as of November 22, 2023, 45% have completed the course.
• The course Addressing Disability Inclusion and Barriers to Accessibility (INC115) is mandatory for all School employees. As of November 22, 2023, 55% of the School's 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.

• In October 2022, the School's Accommodations team held a four-day open house to reveal the renovated office spaces. This event helped ease employees' anxiety about returning to the office and prompted feedback from employees with specific accessibility accommodation needs, allowing the team to effectively adjust workstations.
• The School's Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Champion is collaborating with Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) to convert 12 washrooms at La Salle Academy into gender-inclusive washrooms.

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 toured regional offices to enhance the workspace. For example, the Montreal and Moncton offices were reconfigured to have adjustable workstations and more circulation space.
• Through a lighting review and designated delamped work areas in the La Salle Academy building, the Occupational Health and Safety and Accommodations teams will accommodate employees who need reduced brightness.
• The School has two relocation projects scheduled for 2024, one in Toronto and one in Halifax. These spaces will exceed the standard building code, including wider hallways and braille on all signage, as well as contrasting floor between areas.
• In collaboration with building management (Brookfield Global Integrated Solutions) and PSPC, the Accommodations team addresses the needs of employees with disabilities without singling out anyone. Examples of some initiatives include increasing lighting in hallways, the installation of disposal boxes under the safe needle disposal program, the installation of touchless paper towel dispensers (all at La Salle Academy), and contactless water refill stations (Montreal).

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

• The Digital Accessibility team performs ongoing accessibility testing on various internal digital products and services (such as the chatbot, Copilot and SalesForce). The team collaborates with internal and external stakeholders to adapt existing products and services to increase their accessibility. The team also provides guidance to course developers and instructional designers. The Digital Accessibility team performs basic tests and surface tests of products to help identify major issues and barriers.
• In 2023, the Digital Accessibility team held six customized in-house training sessions for managers, senior management, learning designers, and human resources advisors. The sessions covered hosting accessible events, creating accessible PowerPoint presentations, and accessibility testing phases.

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

• Customized in-house training has identified where further resources are needed. The School's Digital Accessibility Toolkit has a best practices document for creating accessible surveys in Qualtrics.
• During National AccessAbility Week, the Digital Accessibility team created and shared a series of accessibility tips and tricks with all employees. They also did two awareness-raising demonstrations for employees of how screen reader users navigate the web, comparing an accessible website with a non-accessible website.

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

• The Digital Accessibility team received Job Access With Speech (JAWS) licences to test content for accessibility. Through coordinating with the Internal Applications team, the Digital Accessibility team is collecting accessibility-related questions from the IT team, which will inform a future information session for IT support specialists.
• The chief digital officer will provide School employees with two automated tools for testing web and other HTML products: WAVE and the Accessibility Insights for Web browser extension. These user-friendly tools will help business lines create accessible, inclusive products from the start.
• The School's departmental website continues to be refined and adapted to apply accessibility best practices, and remains in alignment with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, the Web Experience Toolkit (WET) and other current Government of Canada (GC) standards and templates.
• The Digital Accessibility team reviewed the School's Telework Agreement Application and to date has resolved 80% of its accessibility issues through screen reader improvements and adding descriptive labels. The team is continuing to work on resolving the remaining 20% of its accessibility issues.
• IT established a process so employees with accessibility needs get specific equipment or software within a reasonable timeframe. Backpacks for employees to transport IT equipment for hybrid work and larger monitors are examples of the equipment the IT team provides.

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

• IT made instructions available by QR code and in braille in all boardrooms to help employees set up audio-video for hybrid meetings.

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

• Internal accessibility testers reviewed updates to the School's learning platform, learning catalogue and external products using manual and automated testing. The updates improved keyboard navigation by limiting interactions and movement.
• D2L, the School's learning platform third-party vendor, performed an official accessibility audit of the learning platform. D2L expects to provide the results of the audit in January 2024.
  • D2L will also have a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) based on that audit in January 2024. The template evaluates compliance with WCAG 2.1 and provides a score.
• The Digital Accessibility team is partnering with other departments who are using D2L to create a more accessible and inclusive learning platform. The Digital Accessibility team also continuously addresses issues raised by the vendor. So far, the team has received a complete technical accessibility report from Justice Canada.
• The School learns from and incorporates accessibility successes from other government departments into its workplaces, learning products, and services.

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

• The School has had a contract with Fable since August 2023. Fable has over 300 testers who are living with a disability or are users of assistive technology. Usability testing of School products was conducted with real users who provided feedback on their overall experience of using and navigating the digital product. As a result of this testing, the Digital Accessibility team created an awareness video on how learners using assistive technology experience learning on the platform.

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 accessibility standards.

• As part of a Request for a Standing Offer, the School asked each potential vendor to provide their accessibility framework. The School assessed the vendors' accessibility frameworks as part of the selection process.
• The learning offerings of some vendors were not equivalent in both official languages so their use is delayed.

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.

• Initiatives to identify and analyze these barriers are provided under the Consultations section.

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

• As a primary internal communications channel, the School's revamped intranet (launched in May 2023) was designed from the start to apply accessibility, usability, and interoperability best practices, and align with GC requirements for WCAG 2.1, as well as the forthcoming ICT accessibility guidance from the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.
  • Following this launch, the School's User Experience team conducted an informal accessibility audit, and all identified issues have since been addressed.
• The School's internal intranet site and its public-facing website collect and capture user feedback through many mechanisms. Feedback may be about issues with accessibility, findability, readability, language accuracy, language of content, or something else.
• An accessibility intranet page also houses feedback forms, resources, guidance, and the School's Accessibility Plan.
• The Internal Communications team is committed to providing accessible communication products to employees. All internal emails are checked for accessibility compliance using Outlook's embedded "Check Accessibility" feature.
• The internal News@theSchool newsletter template exceeds current GC accessibility, usability, and interoperability standards. News@theSchool also shares best practices on new accessibility guidelines or tips within the organization.
• The School's Onboarding Guide and Offboarding Guide integrate accessibility considerations as part of their design.
• The School's learning catalogue includes the Making Documents Accessible (INC1-V46) video, which is publicly available on the School's website.
• The Accessibility Learning Series receives marketing support and is promoted through the School's channels, including the GCLearning newsletter.

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

• For videos hosted on the School's departmental website, accessibility rules continue to be followed, including the addition of captioning and full transcripts for each video and podcast.

Action 12.1 – Improve collaboration among key stakeholders (HR, Procurement, Occupational Health and Safety, AAACT, IT) for faster interventions and acquisitions.

Action 12.2 – Customize and fast track the purchases of equipment recommended by the AAACT Program.

Action 12.3 – Increase employee awareness of the AAACT Program.

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

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

The School is continuously working to provide up-to-date, diverse, and inclusive learning content and workplaces, which are designed with accessibility in mind, within the federal public service. For example:

• The School is co-creating content with the Interdepartmental Accessibility Learning Advisory Committee and the Office of Public Service Accessibility, including developing a case study for managers on applying an intersectional lens, policies and processes related to accommodations in the workplace. This case study will provide managers with a greater awareness and understanding of the duty to accommodate in federal workplaces, including an appreciation for the human-centred nature of workplace accommodations.
• Including a wider range of disabilities along with material related to experiences based on various identity intersections means more public servants can see themselves in, relate to, and learn from the School's content instead of potentially dismissing it as irrelevant. To this end, the School is:
  • developing case studies about disability management in the federal public service that highlight the importance of removing barriers and using inclusive practices when providing recovery and accommodation measures
  • reviewing job aids to undertake necessary accessibility-related corrections and apply lessons learned to similar learning products.
  • developing a course called HR-to-Pay for Employees (FON308) using a scenario-based learning approach that includes a testing session with an individual with a visual impairment
• In addition, the Mental Health and the Workplace: Raising Awareness (WMT203) course has a case study and content related to accommodations that address mental health needs. This course also has updated visuals that include disability representation based on a range of abilities and disabilities.

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

• The School produces accessible, inclusive, and innovative learning products through which learners gain a greater awareness and understanding of accessibility considerations, including an appreciation for the human-centred nature of accommodations. Examples include:
  • The School consulted with learners with disabilities in the development of a course on disability case management to ensure lived experience is embedded into the learning product geared towards HR specialists.
  • The School incorporates current research and evidence-based best practices about designing and delivering accessible learning products into its discussions and decision-making processes.
  • The Respectful and Inclusive Workplace team has researched, applied, and presented on the trauma-informed approach, an approach that seeks to foster inclusion and prevent triggering and re-traumatization based on a range of identities, such as people living with disabilities.

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

• The School implements appropriate solutions to address accessibility issues encountered with its learning products. Examples include:
  • The School is providing its employees with information sessions, accessibility reports, and recommendations.
  • Several of the School's learning products have undergone an accessibility review and subsequent updates, including fixing keyboard navigation issues, replacing content, redesigning activities to remove inaccessible interactions, re-writing content in plain language, and addressing PDF and HTML accessibility issues.
• Having accessibility integrated into the School's learning product design and lifecycle means School employees learn earlier on about accessibility-related barriers and issues for people with various disabilities. Through accessibility tests and checks, the School's employees can prevent and remove accessibility barriers, ultimately making learning products more accessible and meaningful from the start. Examples include:
  • The School uses automated and manual accessibility testing, with accessibility compliance checklists, as part of the formal learning design and development process to ensure learning content meets accessibility standards. The School assesses accessibility using more than the built-in accessibility checkers.
  • The School incorporates accessibility as part of the learning product design process and lifecycle.
  • Work is underway to replace all learning activities designed using H5P with custom-built ones that improve their accessibility.
  • The School uses an iterative learning design methodology, where learning products are continuously improved based on user feedback and reviews.
• The School's learning products will relate to and resonate with a wide range of learners who have different social locations and positionalities. The learning is anticipated to be engaging as well as emotionally and visually appealing, merging theoretical knowledge and practical skills to enable applying the learning. Examples include:
  • The School is developing accessible neurolearning videos on various topics related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
  • The School has incorporated neurolearning design approaches in a course on mental health awareness and some job aids, helping learners better relate to the content by activating areas in the brain associated with emotions, memory, and attention to spark action.
• The School creates facilitator guides with inclusion in mind.
• The School has an executive leadership development program with sessions on accessibility in the context of inclusive leadership.

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

• The School enables its employees to apply accessibility tools, checks, and best practices right from the start of product development. For example:
  • The School uses available style guides and toolkits to test for accessibility, including the Government of Canada digital toolkit for Microsoft Office 365, WAVE Evaluation Tool, axe DevTools – Web Accessibility Testing, Lighthouse, Siteimprove, and Nu HTML Checker.
  • The School also scans for and promotes internal and external accessibility training opportunities and integrates accessibility training into employees' performance management agreements (PMAs).
  • In collaboration with Accessibility, Accommodation and Adaptive Computer Technology (AAACT), the School is creating an online self-paced course about making accessible documents using Microsoft Office 365 tools.

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

• The School implements appropriate solutions to address accessibility issues encountered with its learning products, and ensures learners receive accessible learning products in their requested alternative formats. Examples include:
  • 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.
  • Working with internal accessibility teams and the Client Contact Centre, the School provides accessible or alternative formats of its learning products upon request.
  • To provide course content in an accessible or alternative format, a new method was created to extract an accessible Word document from the learning platform to meet learner needs. The same method is also applicable for PDF products, where the document can be provided in an alternative and accessible version in Word format.