Executive summary
The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages (the Office of the Commissioner) is pleased to publish its Progress Report on the implementation of the first year of its 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan (Accessibility Plan).
Implementation of most of the initiatives set out in the Accessibility Plan for 2023 has been completed. The implementation of some initiatives is underway but could not be completed due to a reorganization within the Office of the Commissioner following the adoption, in June 2023, of the Act for the Substantive Equality of Canada’s Official Languages, which amended the Official Languages Act. Completion of these initiatives has been postponed to 2024 or 2025.
For the preparation of this report, the various Directorates within the Office of the Commissioner were asked to report on the implementation of their initiatives, and staff with disabilities were invited to share their experience and perception of accessibility at the Office of the Commissioner, as well as their perception of the Accessibility Plan and its implementation.
This first Progress Report will enable us to continue our conversations and reflections with the staff concerned in the various Directorates and with staff with disabilities, so that the necessary actions can be taken to recognize and eliminate existing barriers to accessibility and prevent those that may arise.
General information
Person in charge of feedback
At the Office of the Commissioner, the person responsible for gathering feedback on the Accessibility Plan is Johanne Morin, Director, Policy and Research Directorate, Policy and Communications Branch. Inquiries about accessible formats, accessibility or barriers to accessibility can be sent by email to accessibilite-accessibility@clo-ocol.gc.ca, by telephone to 1-613-410-1866, or by mail to 30 Victoria Street, 6th Floor, Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0T8.
Accessible Canada Act
In 2018, the government introduced Bill C-81, An Act to ensure a barrier-free Canada (the Accessible Canada Act), which received Royal Assent in June 2019 and came into force on July 11, 2019. This Act aims to make Canada a barrier-free country by 2040.
Under the Accessible Canada Act, federally regulated entities must report to the public on their policies and practices related to the recognition and removal of barriers by publishing accessibility plans, feedback processes and progress reports.
The Accessible Canada Act implements a proactive and inclusive approach to the identification and removal of barriers in the federal public administration. It provides for seven areas of action, as follows:
- Employment
- Built environment
- Information and communication technologies (ICT)
- Communication, other than ICT
- Procurement of goods, services and facilities
- Design and delivery of programs and services
- Transportation
Under the Accessible Canada Act, the Office of the Commissioner prepared and published an accessibility plan on December 31, 2022. This is a progress report on this plan for the first year of its implementation, from January to December 2023.
Organization
Mandate
The Office of the Commissioner supports the Commissioner of Official Languages (the Commissioner) in his mission as an agent of Parliament, to ensure that the main objectives of the Official Languages Act are met:
- Ensure the equality of English and French in federal institutions.
- Support the preservation and development of official language minority communities in Canada.
- Advance the equality of English and French in Canadian society, taking into account the diversity of provincial and territorial language regimes.
- Promote the future of French in Quebec.
- Clarify the official language obligations of federal institutions.
The Commissioner’s mission is also to ensure that the rights and obligations set out in the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act are recognized.
To support the Commissioner in fulfilling his mission, the Office of the Commissioner has two main areas of activity that go hand in hand and complement each other: compliance and promotion.
All human resources and Public Service Employee Survey responses
To fulfill its mandate, the Office of the Commissioner employed 176 people nationwide in 2023. Its headquarters is located in Gatineau, Quebec, and it has five regional offices: Moncton (New Brunswick), Montreal (Quebec), Toronto (Ontario), Winnipeg (Manitoba) and Edmonton (Alberta).
In addressing equity, diversity and inclusion of employment equity groups, the Office of the Commissioner’s 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan repeated the results of the 2020 Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) among all 149 respondents within the organization. These results are presented again below, with the addition of the results of the 2022 PSES among the 135 Office of the Commissioner employees who responded. They show the following:
- In 2020, 88% of respondents said they felt accepted as an equal member of the team, and 92% felt that members of their work unit behave in a respectful manner. The 2022 results for these same questions were similar, at 88% and 94% respectively.
- In 2020, 85% said they felt the Office respected individual differences (e.g., culture, work styles, ideas, abilities). By 2022, this proportion had dropped somewhat to 80%.
- In 2020, some indicated that the organization could do better by implementing activities and practices that support a diverse workplace.
- In 2020, 92% said they felt treated with respect. By 2022, this proportion had dropped slightly to 89%.
- In 2020, 91% of 23 respondents who had requested job accommodation (including 6 disability-related) said they were satisfied with the measures put in place. By 2022, this proportion had dropped considerably to 71% among 10 respondents.
People with disabilities according to responses to the Public Service Employee Survey
In terms of people who self-identified as having a disability within the Office of the Commissioner, in the 2022 PSES, 15 respondents (11.5%) said they did, and 115 said they did not, according to responses to question no. 118. By way of comparison, among all PSES respondents in participating agencies and departments, according to their distribution by demographic characteristics, 13% had indicated that they were a person with a disability in 2022 (up from 9% in 2020, and again from 7% in 2018).
Methodology for preparing and publishing the 2023 Progress Report
Our methodological approach to the preparation and publication of our 2023 Progress Report was as follows:
- Appoint a project manager and involve the accessibility champion, newly-appointed in 2023.
- Conduct a review of and update key documents. Issue a call to the directorates and their accountable directors, in November 2023, to report on the implementation of their initiatives of the 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan for the first year.
- Issue a call to all Office of the Commissioner staff in November 2023, inviting people with disabilities to take part in the consultation.
Presentation
The report begins by presenting the best practices and barriers identified in the Office of the Commissioner’s 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan, under each of the areas covered by section 5 of the Accessible Canada Act. The status of implementation of initiatives planned for the first year of the Accessibility Plan is then presented for each area. This is followed by a presentation of the approach taken to consult people with disabilities from among our staff. Finally, there is information on feedback mechanisms and the feedback obtained in 2023.
Areas covered by section 5 of the Accessible Canada Act
This section looks at the implementation of the initiatives set out in the 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan for the first year for each of the seven areas covered by the Accessible Canada Act. It begins with a reminder of the best practices and barriers identified in the Accessibility Plan for each area, and then reports on the implementation of the initiatives planned for 2023.
Employment
The Office of the Commissioner’s 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan identifies the best practices below and identifies the barriers that follow.
Best practices identified in the 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan
- The Office of the Commissioner has been taking into account the needs of people with disabilities since long before the Accessible Canada Act came into force.
- As part of all staffing processes, employees must state whether they require accommodation to be able to participate fully and equitably in processes and to remove barriers to their employment.
- Delegated managers sometimes call on the Public Service Commission’s Personnel Psychology Centre to determine the optimum accommodation for a disability.
- In the checklist for the arrival of a new employee at the Office of the Commissioner, managers must tick a box to state that they have discussed the accommodation measures required by the employee before he or she starts work. Every effort is made to meet the needs of employees requiring accommodation.
- As part of the Office of the Commissioner’s delegation requirements, all sub-delegated staffing managers must complete the Canada School of Public Service’s “Inclusive Hiring Practices for a Diverse Workforce” course.
- Self-identification takes place at the appointment stage, when prospective employees are encouraged to complete a voluntary declaration.
The Office of the Commissioner has an Employment Equity and Diversity Advisory Group and an equity, diversity and inclusion champion. The Human Resources team works with the champion to publish numerous communications on diversity and inclusion throughout the year. In addition, the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer’s Centre on Diversity and Inclusion offers employees a wide range of information.
Obstacles identified in the 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan
- The statement of merit criteria and the evaluation method are not always accessible and inclusive.
- Managers and employees may have unconscious biases.
- Not all Human Resources documents and forms are available in accessible format.
- Employees are unaware of their accessibility rights and obligations.
2023–2025 Accessibility Plan initiatives for the first year
Require all employees to take the Canada School of Public Service’s online course “Addressing Disability Inclusion and Barriers to Accessibility” (2-hour course, mandatory for all employees)
Implementation in progress
Various steps have been taken to ensure that all employees complete the course. In May 2023, a call letter for the 2023–2024 performance agreements was posted on the Office of the Commissioner’s intranet informing staff that this training was to be included in their 2023–2024 learning plan and completed by December 31, 2023. As of September, the Accessibility Plan course and activity have been added to the performance agreements of executives.
The implementation status of this initiative has been monitored since April 2023. As of November 30, 2023, 114 of 176 employees, or approximately 65%, have completed the course.
Remind employees about the Office of the Commissioner’s Accessibility Plan and encourage them to report any barriers
Implementation completed
In May 2023, a reminder was posted on the Office of the Commissioner’s intranet asking employees to read the Accessibility Plan and report any barriers. That completed the implementation of the initiative.
As part of this initiative, 68 employees, or approximately 39%, viewed the Accessibility Plan on the Office of the Commissioner’s intranet. The Accessibility Plan was also made available to employees on the Office of the Commissioner’s website. No employees reported any barriers.
Launch a new call letter for self-identification
Implementation postponed and alternative provided
In late June 2023, a follow-up was carried out with the Treasury Board Secretariat to find out when the new self-identification questionnaire would be released. In September 2023, it was learned that the questionnaire would not be released in 2023.
Since the initiative could not be implemented in 2023, a call letter to all employees was instead issued on the Office of the Commissioner’s intranet in November 2023 asking them to complete the Employment Equity Self-Identification Form if they had not already done so or if their situation had changed. In response to the call letter, 40 employees, or approximately 23%, updated their information or self-identified.
Increase use of available central agency Persons with disabilities inventories (e.g., FSWEP)
Implementation in progress
Various measures have been taken to increase the use of these inventories. In May 2023, the Office of the Commissioner took part in the job fair at the annual Canadian Congress on Disability Inclusion. In June 2023, a message was sent to managers to encourage hiring persons with disabilities and sharing candidate pools. In October 2023, a message about National Disability Employment Awareness Month was published on the Office of the Commissioner’s intranet. The message described staffing options. December 2023, a reminder was sent to managers to encourage hiring persons with disabilities and sharing candidate pools.
Despite the actions above, the available data does not show any increase in the use of central agency inventories of persons with disabilities. Human Resources will therefore continue to analyze and promote the various options available to encourage the hiring of persons with disabilities.
Assign the accessibility function to the Champion of Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Implementation completed
In May 2023, the Office of the Commissioner informed its staff through its intranet that the role of Champion for Accessibility had been assigned to the Champion of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. The Accessibility Champion was then involved in a number of initiatives during the year. In addition, as part of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, they invited the employees of the Office of the Commissioner to take part in an event organized by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. They also spoke at the June 2023 all-staff meeting of the Office of the Commissioner about the activities set out in the Accessibility Plan, and they took part in two job fairs for persons with disabilities. Lastly, they were involved in designing and preparing this Progress Report.
Built environment
The Office of the Commissioner’s 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan identifies the following best practices and barriers:
Best practices identified in the 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan
Common best practices
- Accessibility standards were taken into consideration when designing the 2022 office reconfiguration.
- Administrative Services ensure that the building is accessible.
- Administrative Services follow Health and Safety Committee recommendations regarding accessibility.
Current best practices
- Review the emergency evacuation procedures and update as required to ensure that the buddy system is in place and working.
- Ensure that there is a volunteer system for workplace emergencies and provide the required training.
- Update the fire warden lists and ensure that training has taken place.
- Ensure that CPR training recipients are identified and trained.
- Ensure that regular occupational health and safety monitoring is conducted and that incidents are properly recorded.
- Ensure that identified occupational health and safety issues are addressed.
- Ensure that the office redesign puts the latest accessibility standards into practice.
- Ensure that the list of mobility-impaired people is updated regularly.
- Barriers identified in the Accessibility Plan: Some of the record rooms may not meet all accessibility requirements.
- Not all doors are equipped with push plates for persons with disabilities.
- Buildings in the regions may not be completely accessible.
2023–2025 Accessibility Plan initiatives for the first year
Review signage and wayfinding design
Implementation completed
A review of signage and wayfinding design in workspaces of the Office of the Commissioner, both at headquarters and in regional offices, was carried out during the year and completed by year-end. The review confirmed that the design meets current standards.
Document evacuation plans for employees with disabilities
Implementation completed
Evacuation plans for employees with disabilities were prepared during the year and completed by late 2023. Specific evacuation plans have been developed for each regional office and for headquarters.
Develop accessibility checklist for inspections
Implementation completed
An accessibility checklist for inspections was developed during the year and was completed by late 2023. An accessibility checklist has been developed on the basis of the Public Services and Procurement Canada accessibility checklist; some of the items to be inspected are not the responsibility of the Office of the Commissioner.
Information and communications technologies
The Office of the Commissioner’s 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan identifies the following best practices and barriers:
Best practices identified in the 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan
- The Office of the Commissioner follows the Treasury Board’s Standard on Web Accessibility.
- Workstations are equipped to accommodate employees’ needs.
- The Information Technology team responds quickly to all accommodation requests.
Barriers identified in the 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan
- Some applications may not meet all accessibility standards.
- The Office of the Commissioner may not know all the accessibility standard requirements.
2023–2025 Accessibility Plan initiatives for the first year
Research available accessibility standards
Implementation completed
Research on available accessibility standards has been carried out and completed in June 2023.
Identify and adopt the accessibility standards that correspond to the Office of the Commissioner’s needs
Implementation completed and ongoing
Available accessibility standards have been identified. They have been reviewed to verify whether they could be applied at the Officer of the Commissioner. Following the review, the accessibility standards that correspond to the Office of the Commissioner’s needs were identified. An analysis and the measures for adopting the standards will be implemented in the next few years.
Consult with the Accessibility, Accommodation and Adaptive Computer Technology Program on leading-edge technology
Implementation completed
In 2023, the Office of the Commissioner consulted with the Accessibility, Accommodation and Adaptive Computer Technology Program regarding leading-edge technology. The Office of the Commissioner will continue to work with the Accessibility Program to provide leading-edge technology adapted to the needs of every individual
Communication other than information and communication technology
The Office of the Commissioner’s 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan identifies the following best practices and barriers:
Best practices identified in the 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan
- An external resource was contracted to review all of the interpretation bulletins published on the Office of the Commissioner’s website to ensure that they all are written in plain language. After that, the website was redesigned. the bulletins are now integrated into the rest of the website’s content, which is written in plain language.
- Our web content management system supports accessibility.
- When publicly available on-line videos are posted, captions are integrated into the video or transcriptions are added when there is only text in the video.
- Plain text is posted under images on the website to make the text in infographics accessible.
- Descriptive alternative text is programmed into visual content posted on the website as well as on social media (Facebook, X, Instagram).
- The autogenerated forms on the Office of the Commissioner’s website are designed for accessibility.
- Colour contrast is taken into consideration when developing web content.
- Appropriate headings are used to organize the structure of web content.
- All web content can be accessed with a keyboard alone in a logical way.
Barriers identified in the 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan
- Documents and presentations created by employees of the Office of the Commissioner, whether for internal or external use, are not always accessible.
- Meetings, events or training organized for internal or external use do not always take accessibility requirements into consideration.
2023–2025 Accessibility Plan initiatives for the first year
Avoid using GIFs and emojis in social media posts
Implementation completed
The new Treasury Board Secretariat Guidelines on Making Communications Products and Activities Accessible, including best practices, have been adopted by the Communications Directorate and communicated to employees.
Use colour contrast appropriately on social media platforms
Implementation completed
When the Office of the Commissioner’s website was redesigned, a new visual identity was adopted that meets accessibility needs and requirements.
Perform general website maintenance to ensure that material is current and determine whether it needs to be archived or brought up to standard
Implementation completed
When the Officer of the Commissioner’s website was redesigned, a content update was completed. All outdated content was archived.
Follow the guidelines on making communication products and activities accessible, when appropriate
Implementation completed and ongoing
When the Office of the Commissioner’s website was redesigned, a new visual identity was adopted, and the Guidelines will continue to be followed. Communication products for the general public (website, press releases, social media content, responses to media inquiries) are written in clear, plain and concise language.
Ensure that communication products are developed with an accessibility lens
Implementation completed and ongoing
The new Treasury Board Secretariat Guidelines on Making Communications Products and Activities Accessible, including best practices, have been published, communicated and adopted at the Communications Directorate.
Procurement of goods, services and facilities
The Office of the Commissioner’s 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan identifies the following best practices and barriers:
Best practices identified in the 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan
- The request for goods and services form includes an accessibility attestation section that helps employees identify accessibility considerations when specifying requirements for goods or services to ensure that deliverables include accessibility features.
- A checklist has been developed to help the organization’s business owners identify accessibility requirements by providing different scenarios where accessibility could be considered.
- Requests for proposal documents used by the procurement team are accessible.
- The Office of the Commissioner uses Public Services and Procurement Canada templates that are in an accessible format.
Barriers identified in the 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan
- Procurement forms and documents are not all available in an accessible format.
- Business owners are not aware of their accessibility obligations when it comes to contracting for goods or services.
2023–2025 Accessibility Plan initiatives for the first year
Liaise with Public Services and Procurement Canada to determine accessibility clauses that can be added to procurement documents
Implementation completed
No amendments have been made to the Standard Acquisition Clauses and Conditions Manual in the past year.
Keep abreast of Public Services and Procurement Canada improvements with respect to accessible procurement and implement them where possible
Implementation completed
The Office of the Commissioner attends meetings of the Client Advisory Board of Public Services and Procurement Canada, a forum for sharing information with client departments such as the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages. Accessibility of public contracts was last discussed at a meeting in October 2022.
Review the accessibility attestation form used by the organization’s business owners with a view to capturing more information
Implementation completed
The contracting forms already contain a section in which applicants must identify accessibility requirements or justify why these requirements are not taken into account in the context of a particular contract. The form was reviewed and no changes are required for the moment.
Network through the GCpedia community of practice to determine and adopt best practices
Implementation completed
The Office of the Commissioner liaises with Shared Services Canada’s Accessibility, Accommodations and Adaptive Computer Technology Program to meet this requirement. The Office of the Commissioner will be included in any future sessions and forums that are organized.
Research and participate in any Government of Canada training/event as it relates to accessible procurement
Implementation completed
Key personnel from the Office of the Commissioner participated in various accessibility training sessions offered by Shared Services Canada’s Accessibility, Accommodations and Adaptive Computer Technology Program.
Take Canada School of Public Service courses on readability and converting documents into PDF for people with visual impairments
Implementation completed
Key personnel from the Office of the Commissioner participated in a workshop offered by Shared Services Canada’s Accessibility, Accommodations and Adaptive Computer Technology Program on the readability and conversion of documents for individuals with visual impairments.
Explore contracting opportunities to access alternative accessibility services, as required, to address ad-hoc situations (e.g., sign language interpretation services, braille publication services)
Implementation completed
Reference material has been drafted and may be used by the procurement team.
Design and delivery of programs and services
The Office of the Commissioner’s 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan identifies the following best practices and barriers.
Best practices identified in the 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan
- Various feedback options (in writing, by email) are provided after presentations/communications to federal institutions, staff and people who file complaints.
Barriers identified in the 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan
- Taking accessibility into consideration while ensuring that communication products are attractive and appealing to our younger audience.
- The current online complaint form and satisfaction survey do not include a question related to accessibility or special needs.
- Main points of contact with the public for investigations and follow-ups are not available in an accessible format.
2023–2025 Accessibility Plan initiatives for the first year
Review all templates and communication materials related to investigations and follow-ups to address accessibility issues
Implementation in progress and deadline extended
In the context of the June 2023 adoption of An Act for the Substantive Equality of Canada’s Official Languages, changes must be made to the investigation templates. The drafts are currently being revised with a view to approval of their content in the near future. Once the content has been approved, the documents will be reviewed for accessibility. The deadline for implementing this initiative has been extended to 2024.
Review our service points to ensure that they comply with accessibility requirements and use the satisfaction survey to ask whether any barriers to accessibility were identified
Implementation in progress and deadline extended for review of points of service
In the context of the adoption of An Act for the Substantive Equality of Canada’s Official Languages, the organizational structure of the Office of the Commissioner has been revised. In addition, a new Complaint and Request Management Centre (other than complaints) is currently being implemented in the form of an organization hub to centralize all the Office of the Commissioner’s points of service. The review of points of service from an accessibility perspective will have to be postponed until after the Complaint and Request Management Centre has been set up and consolidated, by 2025.
Implementation in progress and deadline extended for satisfaction survey
The satisfaction survey will be revised in 2024 to take account of accessibility issues.
Transportation
The Office of the Commissioner’s 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan identifies no best practices or barriers and contains no initiatives with respect to transportation because the Office of the Commissioner has no mandate in this area.
Consultations
Approach and methodology – How staff with disabilities were consulted
The Office of the Commissioner held a consultation with its employees with disabilities in the course of preparing this Progress Report.
First, a call for consultation email was sent to all staff of the Office of the Commissioner on November 8, 2023, by the Director of Policy and Research and co-signed by the Accessibility Champion. The email invited any staff members with disabilities, whether or not they had self-identified, to participate in the consultation in one of two ways, according to their preference. The first option was to participate in a semi-structured interview of 30 to 60 minutes with the project lead on MS Teams, either with audio only or with video. The second option was to reply in writing to the interview questionnaire. The accessibilite-accessibility@clo-ocol.gc.ca email address was used for allowing any staff concerned to express their interest in participating and for scheduling consultations.
The consultation questionnaire was provided to participants prior to their participation. The consultation was to be completed by November 17, 2023, but the deadline was extended to November 28 to maximize participation.
The first purpose of the consultation questions was to learn about the experiences of staff members with disabilities and their general perceptions of accessibility at the Office of the Commissioner. The second purpose was to solicit their perspectives on the content and implementation of the first year of the 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan. The contributions to these consultations were noted and taken into account in the preparation of this Progress Report. They will continue to nourish accessibility-related discussions, reflections and interventions at the Officer of the Commissioner.
Feedback
Since setting up contact points for accessibility requests and feedback (by email at accessibilite-accessibility@clo-ocol.gc.ca and by phone at 1-613-410-1866), the Office of the Commissioner received a feedback email stating that an infographic in PDF format did not appear to be accessible. A response was provided indicating that a text version of the infographic was available.