GC Workplace Accessibility Passport Newsletter - Issue 18Newsletter

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Margaret Mead

Welcome

Watching the news these days, it is becoming harder to believe in Margaret Mead’s statement. In this 18th edition of the Passport newsletter, I would nonetheless challenge us, the broader Passport community, and all those of you who are committed to accessibility and inclusion, to continue working towards a not-too-distant barrier-free future in Canada. In the following pages, you will find a few strategies to help us move along in this journey.

I recently came across a statement about digital application development which truly speaks to me and not just because I love chocolate: “Trying to fix accessibility issues after a release is like putting the chocolate chips into the cookies after they’ve been baked.” Accessibility, like security or privacy takes planning, intent, rigor, follow up, and user involvement.

I have often said in this newsletter and elsewhere that accessibility is everyone’s responsibility. Please speak up, be an ally, take action.

Luna Bengio

Editor

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To maximize the accessibility of the GC Workplace Accessibility Passport newsletter, we disseminate it manually by email. We have yet to find a newsletter publishing platform that does not create accessibility barriers in English or in French. If you need to read the newsletter only in one of the two official languages, activate the link at the beginning of each version to go directly to the other version. Use the links in the “In this edition” section to jump directly to the article you want to read.

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Contact the AAACT Passport mailbox with any questions about the newsletter.

Accessible Horizons

Accessible Horizons is the new podcast series, hosted by Nadine Charron, Executive Director , and Luna Bengio, Strategic Advisor with the AAACT team at Shared Services Canada. Join Nadine and Luna every month for demonstrations of adaptive tools, engaging conversation about accessible workplaces, and interviews with people who are breaking down accessibility barriers for federal employees with disabilities. The Accessible Horizons podcast is available on several well-known podcast apps. Visit the Accessible Horizon Podcast page to learn more and be sure to rate the podcast and leave comments.

Passport Adopters Corner

Digital Passport pilot results

Following extensive testing conducted by the Accessibility, Accommodation and Adaptive Computer Technology (AAACT) team, the Office of Public Service Accessibility (OPSA) piloted the GC Workplace Accessibility Passport application with six organizations between October and December 2024. The pilot provided insight on the functionality and usability of the digital application. Key results include:

• The pilot was a positive experience
• Employees created 180 unique Passports
• 350 solutions were shared with managers
• Managers agreed to 150 (40%)of these solutions
• The average number of days for managers to sign Passports was 2 days.

According to pilot organizations, the application is useful, functional and delivers on requirements. Organizations benefit from high-level data and want additional insights into barriers/solutions common in their organization. Most piloting organizations opted to keep the application live after the official end of the pilot.

Organizations are at different stages in the adoption of the Passport. To ensure the digital Passport application significantly improves access to individual workplace adjustments, engagement with persons with disabilities networks must take place concurrently with the onboarding process. Organizations would also need to raise awareness among employees and managers and integrate the Passport into their workplace accommodation process.

Employees and managers require additional guidance as they navigate the application. OPSA will make enhancements to address usability issues, improve screen specific instructions and ensure access to a comprehensive list of barriers and solutions.

Passport Implementation Readiness Questionnaire

OPSA is offering GC organizations a passport implementation readiness questionnaire. The questionnaire assesses how ready organizations are to integrate the Passport, including the launch of the digital application, into their business processes. OPSA is reviewing data from each completed questionnaire and will meet with organizational representatives to gain a deeper understanding of readiness for implementation. The questionnaire is available on the GC Workplace Accessibility Passport page on GCpedia.

Library of Examples

The Passport Library of Examples now includes new use cases. These examples illustrate multi-faceted workplace situations, barriers, and corresponding solutions. The Library of examples is available on the Accessibility Hub’s GC Workplace Accessibility Passport page. Developed in consultation with Infinity: The Network for Neurodivergent Public Servants, these scenarios focus on situations where multiple service providers are supporting the implementation of solutions.

Is Accessibility an obligation or an opportunity?

The answer, of course, is that it is both. And, while Government of Canada organizations are meeting their legal obligations by submitting accessibility plans and progress reports, the transformative shift from a reactive to a proactive approach in accessibility and disability inclusion very much remains a work in progress. This evolution from mere compliance with legal standards toward embracing universal design and welcoming workplaces will pave the way for lasting culture change.

How can we build an accessibility culture?

The elements that drive an accessibility culture in an organization may depend on the organization’s mandate. Key strategies include:

• Policy – in addition to legislation, standards, and GC-wide policies, there must be organizational policies and guidelines that shape the organization’s culture. It is the foundation. Leaders as well as employees can point to them when initiatives are questioned.
• Does your organization have such accessibility and inclusion policies or guidelines?
• Do these policies and guidelines promote equitable opportunities?
• Do they help remove unnecessary red tape?
• Leadership – A leader in the organization is directly accountable for ensuring the workplace is inclusive and the environment is accessible for employees and clients. This leader has the power to evoke change, and delegates to other leaders to manage specific initiatives.
• Integration into business processes and practices - Accessibility must become an essential element of all business processes and practices. Learn how you can avoid or eliminate accessibility barriers at work.
• Procurement - Accessibility must be woven into every element of the procurement life cycle with qualified individuals to create appropriate provisions and assess solicitation responses and contracts.
• Role-based Training: With a policy in place, everyone needs to be trained to understand policy and process and how their particular role within the organization can advance the organization’s Accessibility Plan.
• Prioritization: Where do we start? What do we need to improve accessibility? Let’s start with what makes the biggest impact…
• Metrics: If you don’t establish baselines, goals, and ways to measure progress, you will never know how effective your initiatives are.
• Accountability: Include accessibility criteria in performance objectives for managers at all levels, then in employee performance agreements.

Interview with Jennifer MacDonald

Jennifer MacDonald is the Project Manager, Solution Validation & Special Projects, Product Development & Design, at Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC). Through this amazing conversation, I learned about Jennifer’s current role in ensuring the new Government of Canada’s Human Resources and Pay system is accessible and so much more about the great leader she is.

Jennifer: I have been a farmer all my life. In that market sensitive environment, I have always stuck to the hope that “next year will be better.” My tenacity comes from that experience and from being self-employed all my life. I hired, fired, purchased, promoted, did the paperwork, and anything else that needed to be done.

Luna: Did all these skills come in handy when you joined the public service?

Jennifer: Absolutely! In the public service, we tend to do things the way we have always done them. There is a reluctance to take risks which truly limits innovation. When you work on accessibility, you need to understand that there are often no defined parameters. Each individual is unique, and we need to acknowledge that some people will work differently, may need more time or flexible schedules to do their job.

Luna: How did you become involved with accessibility and disability inclusion?

Jennifer: Early on, by supporting family members. I supported my father who was chairing an organization of farmers with disabilities. During my two first years in the public service, I was taking care of my mother who had cancer. When she passed away, I decided to create a support group for fellow public servants who were caring for a family member with cancer. I took a course on mental health first aid. In 2021, the Chair of PSPC’s employees with disabilities network asked me to work with them and I accepted without hesitation.

I heard many disheartening stories from employees who struggle with discrimination, negative comments, and complicated processes to get the tools they need. I also came across little kernels of people, these little rays of sunshine, who are doing their best to change the system.

With those little glimmers of hope, I kind of picked up my big wooden spoon for stirring the pot and encouraging change.

Luna: You became the Chair of the PSPC network of employees with disabilities when the Co-Chair left? Was this a full-time position?

Jennifer: Yes, I took the function on, but I never was appointed to the position the Department had created for that purpose.

The network truly accepted me as a leader. I was able to speak for those individuals who felt uncomfortable speaking for themselves, for a variety of reasons.

I bring my own lived experience of disability to the conversation. I walk with two canes. I don’t walk long distances. Like many adults of my generation, I only discovered I also have a non apparent disability when I started working in this field and discussing barriers I encountered with other employees. However, I am not prepared to spend thousands of dollars to get an official diagnosis, only to satisfy those who require more proofs to grant simple accommodation solutions.

Luna: In your experience, why do so many managers or labour relations professionals continue to ask for medical documentation?

Jennifer: People don’t necessarily understand what they are not familiar with. They may be afraid or reluctant to make what they perceive as a judgement call. They are not willing to take what the employee says at face value because they believe employees may want to take advantage of the system.

So, should we punish an entire group of employees because of the very small number of people who may abuse the system?

Some managers say, “If I give this employee what they need, I will have to do the same for all my other employees.” My answer to them is “Yes, these are individual adjustments that level the playing field.”

The word “accommodation” sometimes gives the impression that an employee is receiving a benefit that is not available to their colleagues. I much prefer the expression they use in the United Kingdom: “reasonable work adjustments.”

If you ask someone to dig a ditch, you give them a shovel, not a paper clip.

Luna: How do you balance your responsibilities as a public servant with the perception that you may be advocating for yourself?

Jennifer: I carry out my responsibilities as a public servant with great pride. Yes, when I advocate for change, I may be trying to address barriers I have encountered. That makes me a stronger person who can support others. As the Chair of a network of employees with disabilities, I deal with so many difficult situations. That can be emotionally draining.

I have learned a long time ago that I can’t fix every situation. No matter how hard I try, my good enough has to be good enough. If you don’t take care of yourself, you cannot be a change agent.

I have been a public speaker since I was ten. While I may say the wrong things sometimes, I am as comfortable speaking to a Deputy Minister as to a new employee.

Luna: Where do you see progress these days?

Jennifer: I am encouraged by proposed changes at PSPC. For example, approval of remote work arrangements would rest with the employee’s manager. This would streamline the approval process and avoid involving the Labour Relations team. This is a huge change for a large department such as PSPC. I hope these changes take place. At the same time, managers need support and training to make it work.

Luna: You recently took on new responsibilities, tell me more about your current position.

Jennifer: I am a project manager for the new HR to pay platform leading the accessibility file. My job is to connect the various players to ensure that the product the GC selects is as accessible as possible for employees. Throughout testing and implementation, accessibility requirements will be integrated. We know it’s not just a fundamental human right but everyone’s responsibility. Accessibility benefits everyone. Think about touch screens - they were invented by someone with severe arthritis in their hands. And how many doors do you walk up to and expect to automatically slide open because you’re there?

Luna: How do you feel about the future of accessibility and inclusion?

Jennifer: We seem to be making progress from an accessibility perspective, and I am hopeful that we will continue to remove barriers in the federal public service. I notice that inclusion of people with disabilities is still difficult. I will take every opportunity to transform the workplace culture, to convince managers and colleagues that workplace accommodations are a worthwhile investment in people.

Luna: Jennifer, I am so grateful for this conversation. You have so generously shared your experience and perspectives. Your many contributions to the GC Workplace Accessibility Passport continue to make a difference.

News and Resources

The Better Accommodation Project (BAP)

Since her appointment as Deputy Minister Champion for federal employees with disabilities, Tina Namiesniowski has spared no effort to promote timely access to workplace accommodation solutions and career opportunities for people with disabilities. In addition to her many presentations and interventions as Chair of the Deputy Minister Accessibility Group (DMAG), DM Namiesniowski is sponsoring the Better Accommodation Project (BAP). The BAP is a one year initiative whose goal is to improve how federal employees with disabilities are accommodated across the public service.

In September 2024, nine departments (Canadian Heritage, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, Employment and Social Development Canada, Indigenous Services Canada, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, Justice Canada, Statistics Canada, Transport Canada) agreed to participate in the BAP. They are working with experts and the DM Champion’s office to identify problems in their current processes and test new solutions. The BAP also promotes involvement of employees with disabilities.

To foster change across the federal public service, the BAP will produce a practical guide with tools and resources (such as tip-sheets, process maps and infographics).

Empowering Managers to Drive Accessibility and Disability Inclusion in the Public Service

In her January 30, 2025 Empowering Managers to Drive Accessibility and Disability Inclusion in the Public Service blog article published on LinkedIn, DM Tina Namiesniowski offers valuable insights on what managers can do to ensure employees with disabilities have a positive work experience in the public service. The article includes links to helpful resources and provides practical advice to achieve that goal.

Guide for including accessibility in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) related Procurement is now available!

The Accessibility, Accommodation and Adaptive Computer Technology program (AAACT) recently published the Guide for including accessibility in ICT related Procurement on the Digital Accessibility Toolkit.

The Guide helps federal Business Owners and Contracting Authorities to consider accessibility when developing requirements for ICT-related procurements. It provides information on how to:

• include requirements for user and accessibility testing
• ask industry questions on their capacity to deliver accessible ICT goods or service
• be flexible in including accessibility when full compliance may not be possible at the time of the contract award
• consider accessibility throughout the procurement lifecycle

The Guide also includes helpful information about relevant ICT guidelines and standards.

A small working group with representatives from SSC and the Accessible Procurement Resource Center, Public Services and Procurement Canada developed the guide. It is based on best practices that have been developed throughout SSC’s pilot implementation of the EN 301 549 V3.2.1 (2021-03) Harmonised European Standard – Accessibility requirements for ICT products and services (link available in English only).

For any questions or comments, please contact aaact-aatia@ssc-spc.gc.ca.

Spotlight on Document Accessibility

In edition 17 of the Passport newsletter (December 2024), we inaugurated this new Spotlight on Document Accessibility series of articles by focusing on a specific aspect of document accessibility, alternative text, what it is and how to create alt text for graphics and images.

In the article below, we will look at the bigger picture and hope to inspire a change in behaviour when it comes to creating documents, since as federal public service employees, we all develop, edit, publish, or somehow, have an influence on the documents the GC produces.

An accessible document is…

• Readable and usable by everyone.
• Accessed in different ways, including with the broad range of adaptive tools, devices, or computer system configurations.

Document accessibility is more crucial than ever…

• It’s a legal obligation in Canada. The Accessible Canada Act (ACA) requires all federally regulated organizations to eliminate and avoid the creation of barriers to accessibility. The consequences of neglecting document accessibility are far-reaching. Excluding one in four adults in Canada who have disabilities from fully engaging with digital content isn’t just a technical issue—it’s an ethical one.
• ACA regulations. The recently adopted Canadian Standard on ICT Accessibility may soon become part of ACA regulations.
• It benefits everyone. Generally known as the curb cut effect or the virtual ramp phenomenon, elements of document accessibility primarily intended for people with disabilities, enhance the overall user experience. Alt text is helpful for users with slow internet speeds or data limits. Plain language removes jargon and makes information clearer. Structured documents are easier to understand and skim through for information.

It begins with attitude…

• Today the majority of communication has transitioned into a digital format, yet, most organisations do not think about the barriers this entails.
• Attitudes toward the imperative of creating accessible documents vary. From lack of awareness to resistance to change to the belief that it’s someone else’s problem, the end result is that, despite the proliferation of tips and how-to guides, the vast majority of GC documents still present barriers.
• If someone has been creating documents in the same way for years, changing their approach to account for accessibility can seem like a disruption to their workflow. This can be compounded by a lack of motivation, especially if the person isn’t immediately impacted by the need for accessible documents themselves. It’s easier to stick to the familiar.
• Leadership, communication, and accountability are key but just as important is the belief that accessibility is everyone’s responsibility.

Unlearn old habits and learn new ones…

• Accessible documents can be visually appealing. Therefore, there is no need to prepare two versions of the document, a regular version, and an accessible version.
• “Baking” accessibility from the beginning and throughout the creation and publication of any document is much easier and only requires good planning and following a few basic steps.
• “Remediating” an inaccessible document takes time and may require a complete redesign.
• Avoid manual formatting, such as inserting blank lines to separate paragraphs or selecting text and making it bold or italic. Instead, set out to produce an accessible document from the start, by applying Styles.
• Styles allow the writer to create a logical heading structure to facilitate navigation and comprehension.

Get started…

• Learn about and practice creating accessible documents. Consult the links at the end of this article.
• Use plain language and follow the Canada.ca Content Style Guide.
• Ensure good colour contrast.
• Choose fonts that are easy to read, such as Aptos or Arial.
• Insert meaningful hyperlinks, rather than “Click here” or “read more.”
• Systematically use the accessibility checkers that are built into many of the software applications we currently use in the federal public service. In addition, manually check the accessibility of your document by referring to leading practices and consulting users.

Learn about document accessibility…

A variety of resources and guides are available online on how to create accessible documents. Shared Services Canada’s Accessibility, Accommodation and Adaptive Computer Technology (AAACT) Program has developed a series of bilingual guides on how to create accessible documents. You can find the guides on the Digital Accessibility Toolkit -Canada.ca.

Or contact the AAACT program at: aaactlearning-aatiaapprentissage@ssc-spc.gc.ca for more information on accessible document training.

Contact us for more information about the AAACT Newsletter at our email: aaact-aatia@ssc-spc.gc.ca