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Inclusivity - Reading Materials Chapter 06: People with Disabilities

Table of Contents

Back to Inclusivity

Introduction

A young professional with a prosthetic arm helping to troubleshoot something with their co-worker

Chapter 01: Women and Gender and Chapter 02: Gender-Based Harassment and Violence are prerequisites to the review and implementation of the content of this unit.

Best and Promising Practices

April Lea – Autistic, ADHD Product & Engineer Leader – Brisbane, AU: April Lea highlights essential accommodations for neurodiverse staff, such as a dedicated Slack channel for neurodiversity discussions, participation in design sprints, meeting-free calendar slots, non-questioning of camera-off Zoom calls, and scheduled downtime for neurodiverse staff. Learn more

Hydro Ottawa Holding Inc.: Hydro Ottawa’s multi-year accessibility plan, aligned with its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan, involves a cross-functional Accessibility Committee. This committee adopts facility design symbols for parking spaces and collaborates with the Employment Accessibility Resource Network (EARN) to enhance employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Learn more

Project SEARCH – Manitoba Hydro: Manitoba Hydro collaborates with Project SEARCH, offering a business-partnered transition program for high school students with developmental disabilities. The program includes worksite rotations covering various tasks to enhance employability skills for competitive employment post-graduation. Learn more Information

Enbridge Inc.: Enbridge partners with EmployAbilities, providing work experience opportunities for persons with disabilities. Their diversity dashboard enhances transparency, accountability, and action plans to bridge representation gaps. This initiative ensures continuous awareness and supports internal benchmarks. Case Study

enABLE by Suncor Energy: Launched during National AccessAbility Week, enABLE is a network fostering inclusivity for persons with disabilities at Suncor Energy. The network actively reviews the organization’s recruitment process, makes recommendations, and focuses on removing barriers in attraction, recruitment, hiring, and retention. Learn more

Policies/Procedures

  • Ensure a comprehensive policy outlines specific steps for providing accommodations to all employees, covering permanent, temporary, full- or part-time staff with apparent or non-apparent disabilities.
  • Conduct accessibility training for all staff, including management, to foster an understanding of diverse needs, promoting an inclusive workplace culture.
  • Recognize that disabilities have diverse needs; accommodations should be employee-led, offering flexibility beyond physical adaptations to include time constraints, task restructuring, and sensory considerations.
  • Maintain records of accommodation requests and actions taken, ensuring budget allocation and regularly reviewing funding to address future requests.
  • Ensure marketing materials are accessible, incorporating ALT text, image descriptions, closed captioning, and inclusive messaging, avoiding tokenism or inspiration-based representation.
  • Strive for representation of persons with disabilities in diversity, equity, and inclusion-related committees, providing opportunities to review and recommend policies affecting employees with disabilities.
  • Regularly update and review accessibility policies and procedures, ensuring compliance with the Accessible Canada Act and other relevant legislation.

Hiring & Recruitment

  • Affirm a commitment to hiring individuals with disabilities in organization literature and job advertisements, ensuring accessibility in publications reaching applicants with disabilities.
  • Provide training for recruiters on interviewing candidates of all abilities, making the interview process accessible or adapted for diverse applicants.
  • Explore if interviews can be replaced with technical competence assessments/testing for candidates who historically don’t perform well in an interview setting.
  • Structure employee orientation and onboarding programs to be inclusive of all abilities, ensuring that information requested for testing is relevant to daily job requirements.

Event Accessibility Checklist

This event checklist ensures that each aspect, from invitations to facilities, is designed to be inclusive and accessible for all attendees, regardless of their abilities or disabilities.

Invitation:

  • Ensure clear, accessible writing in an easy-to-read font. Refer to accessible fonts.
  • Provide descriptions for all images or videos included in the invitation.
  • Accommodate diverse audience needs, such as closed captioning, ASL interpretation, and Braille.
  • Embed event information in the email body and as an attachment for screen reader support.

Communications:

  • Arrange on-site sign language interpretation for live interactions.
  • Include subtitles in event-related videos.
  • Offer assistive listening devices for attendees with hearing impairments.
  • Make the event accessible virtually via webcast.
  • Provide event materials on a USB stick for attendees with their preferred technology.

Facilities:

  • Ensure the event venue is accessible, allowing ease of navigation for wheelchair users, walkers, and scooters.
  • Provide accessible bathrooms for all attendees.
  • If transportation is offered, ensure it is accessible.
  • Create a scent-free environment to accommodate individuals with sensitivities.
  • Arrange for accessible parking close to the main entrance.

Digital Accessibility Checklist

By following this checklist, you can help ensure your digital content is accessible to a diverse audience, including individuals with disabilities. Regular testing and ongoing efforts will contribute to a more inclusive online experience.

Text Content:

  • Use clear and concise language.
  • Implement headings and subheadings in a logical hierarchy.
  • Provide descriptive and informative text for all images using alternative text.
  • Avoid using images of text; use actual text whenever possible.
  •  Ensure proper colour contrast for text and background.

Navigation and Structure:

  • Use semantic HTML to structure content.
  • Ensure a logical reading order for screen readers.
  • Provide skip navigation links for users to bypass repetitive content.
  • Implement keyboard navigation and focus styles for interactive elements.

Multimedia:

  • Provide captions and transcripts for videos.
  • Include audio descriptions for visual content in videos.
  • Ensure that multimedia content is accessible to users with various abilities.

Forms and Input:

  • Use clear and descriptive labels for form fields.
  • Ensure form fields have programmatically associated labels.
  • Include proper error messages and suggestions in forms.
  • Enable users to navigate and complete forms using only a keyboard.
  • Links and Buttons:
  • Use descriptive link text that provides context.
  • Ensure buttons and clickable elements are keyboard accessible.
  • Avoid generic link text such as “click here” or “read more.”

Color and Contrast:

  • Ensure the text has sufficient colour contrast against the background.
  • Do not rely solely on colour to convey information.
  • Test for colour blindness considerations.

Responsive Design:

  • Ensure the website is responsive and usable on various devices.
  • Test and optimize for mobile accessibility.

Testing and Validation:

  • Regularly test the website with automated accessibility tools (e.g., WAVE, Axe).
  • Conduct usability testing with individuals with disabilities.
  • Validate HTML and CSS to ensure proper syntax.

Document Structure:

  • Provide accessible document formats (e.g., PDFs with text, not images).
  • Use proper headings, lists, and formatting in documents.

Consistent Navigation and Design:

  • Maintain consistent navigation and design elements throughout the website.
  • Ensure a consistent user experience across different sections.

User Feedback and Support:

  • Offer contact information for users to report accessibility issues.
  • Provide support and guidance for users with disabilities.

Updates and Maintenance:

  • Regularly update and maintain the website to address new accessibility standards.
  • Educate and train team members on digital accessibility best practices.

General Resources

Important Dates

January 4
World Braille Day

March 21
World Down Syndrome Day

April 2
World Autism Day

May 6 – 12
Mental Health Week

May 28 – June 3
Accessibility Week

September 23
International Day of Sign Languages

October
Disability Employment Awareness Month

October 10
World Mental Health Day

December 1
World AIDS Day

December 3
International Day of Persons with Disabilities

December 10
Human Rights Day