2023 Draft Progress Report
Table of Contents
Easy read summary of this progress report
- General
1.1 Contact Information & Feedback Process
1.2 Alternative Formats of this Progress Report - Areas Described under Section 5 of the ACA
2.1 Organization Wide Initiatives
2.2 The Built Environment
2.3 Employment
2.4 Communication, other than ICT
2.5 Information and Communications Technology
2.6 The Procurement of Goods, Services and Facilities
2.7 The Design and Delivery of Programs and Services
2.8 Transportation - Consultations
- Feedback
Easy read summary of this progress report
The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) is committed to being more accessible. We developed a plan to improve accessibility in 6 different areas. These areas are:
- The built environment
- Employment
- Information and communications technology
- Communication, other than information and communications technology
- Procurement of goods, services, and facilities
- Design and development of programs and services
- Transportation
The full Accessibility Plan is available on SCC’s website, available here: www.scc-ccn.ca/en/about-us/public-accountability/2023-2025-accessibility-plan
This draft progress report outlines the progress made against SCC’s accessibility plan in 2023. To recap, the goals we are working towards include:
- Install an automatic door opener at our main office door.
- Lower first-aid kits, and defibrillators to a more accessible height.
- Install light switch covers that are easier to see.
- Apply stripes to glass doors to make them easier to see.
- Remove barriers in the hiring process.
- Review our equitable employer message to better reflect the language used by people with disabilities.
- Review and make changes to our Accessibility, Accommodation and Disability Policy to improve it and make things easier for our employees with disabilities.
- Review our job postings and descriptions to make sure people with disabilities will want to apply to work for us.
- Train our staff on how to conduct accessible meetings.
- Make sure all the videos we post have captions and transcripts.
- Respond to requests for documents in alternative formats.
- Train our Communications team on how to create accessible social media posts.
- Make sure our social media content is written in plain language.
- Make sure all the pictures and images we post on SCC’s website and social media accounts have alt-text descriptions.
- Train our staff on how to write in plain language.
- Add plain language guidelines to our Communications policy.
- Make sure our new website is as accessible as possible.
- Make sure we think about accessibility whenever we buy new products or services.
- Review our IT systems to identify barriers to accessibility for employees with disabilities and enable accessibility features as they become available.
- Train our staff on how to improve the accessibility of our in-person and virtual events.
- Develop a plan for training all our employees on disability and accessibility awareness.
1. General
1.1 Contact Information & Feedback Process
SCC welcomes feedback, including feedback submitted anonymously, from our employees, member institutions, and members of the public about accessibility at SCC and about this plan. We are committed to reviewing the feedback we receive and taking steps to address barriers that are identified through this feedback.
You can submit feedback about accessibility at SCC or this plan by contacting:
Communications Advisor
info@scc-ccn.ca
1-613-238-3222
55, rue Metcalfe Street, Suite/bureau 600, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6L5
We will also accept feedback through our social media pages at the following links:
X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/StandardsCanada
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/standardscanada
Information about how to submit feedback to SCC is also available on our public website at the following link: www.scc-ccn.ca/en/about-us/contact-us
If you contact us to give us feedback and it is not anonymous, we will be sure to let you know we’ve received your feedback within 48 business hours. All the feedback we receive will be saved for seven years. This feedback will be used to help us measure the progress we’re making in becoming more accessible. The feedback will also make us aware of barriers to accessibility that we can address in our next plan.
1.2 Alternative Formats of this Progress Report
You can request alternative formats of this Progress Report, and a description of our feedback process by contacting:
Communications Advisor
info@scc-ccn.ca
1-613-238-3222
55, rue Metcalfe Street, Suite/bureau 600, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6L5
SCC will provide the following alternative formats within 15 days of the initial request:
- Large print (increased font size)
SCC will provide the following alternative formats within 45 days of the initial request:
- Braille (a system of raised dots that people who are blind or with low vision can read with their fingers)
- Audio (a recording of someone reading the text out loud)
2. Areas Described under Section 5 of the ACA
2.1 Organization Wide Initiatives
Overview of progress and timelines
SCC recognizes that accessibility begins with attitudes. To improve accessibility at our organization, emphasis will be put on training. SCC is still on track to develop a plan for how to roll out disability and accessibility training to all employees by the end of 2024. We hope to implement this training plan for all existing and new employees by the end of 2025.
2.2 The Built Environment
Overview of progress and timelines
SCC conducts most of its business in an office on the sixth floor of a building in Ottawa. While we can’t control the accessibility of the building overall, we can control the accessibility of our offices.
Our Accessibility Goals for 2023 were:
1.By March of 2023, SCC will install an automatic door opener for its main office door.
Status: Completed
2. By December of 2023, SCC, will lower first-aid kits, and defibrillators to a more accessible height, based on CSA Accessible Design for the Built Environment standard.
Status: Completed
3. By December of 2023, SCC will install light switch covers that have appropriate contrast to the walls.
Status: Completed
SCC is on track to achieve its goal for 2024 which is to apply continuous opaque strips at the level indicated by the CSA Accessible Design for the Built Environment standard on all glass doors to create better visibility for people with low vision.
2.3 Employment
Overview of progress and timelines
SCC has about 150 employees. The jobs done at SCC are mainly office-based with some travel. Our employees mostly work from home with some coming into the office from time to time.
Our Accessibility Goals for 2023 were:
1. By the end of 2023, SCC will remove previously identified barriers in the hiring process. Changes to our hiring process will include:
- Providing interview questions in advance
- Breaking complex questions into multiple parts
- Increasing testing times
Status: Completed
2. By the end of 2023, SCC will review its equitable employer message to better reflect the language used by people with disabilities.
Status: Completed
SCC is on track to achieve the other goals related to employment as stated in its 2023-2026 Accessibility Plan.
2.4 Communication, other than ICT
Overview of progress and timelines
SCC communicates in a variety of ways with organizations around the world and recognizes the importance of providing information to people in a way that they will understand and in a format that is accessible to them.
Our Accessibility Goals for 2023 were:
1. By the end of 2023, SCC will make sure that our employees are informed on how to conduct accessible meetings as presenters and participants. Once our staff has been informed, SCC will commit to the following accessibility practices for internal (employee only) meetings:
- Automated captions or other accessibility features as they become available
- Meeting materials sent out ahead of time when possible
- Attendees turn their camera on when speaking
- Visual content described when screen-sharing
- Other accommodations will be available upon request.
Status: Completed. SCC Communications Policy was updated for all employees to consider accessibility when they organized internal and external meetings. A guide was also created to provide information on what is expected when organizing and conducting meetings. The information was shared at an all-staff virtual Town Hall in November and communicated in the internal news bulletin. The documents are available in our Quality Management System for staff to consult.
2. Starting in March of 2023, all new videos created by SCC and posted on our website or social media channels will have captions and a transcript of the information found in the video.
Status: All new videos that have been created since March 2023 and are posted on SCC’s website or social media channels have captions and a transcript. The website project has been delayed and should be launched early in 2024.
3. By the end of 2023, SCC will create and implement a process for requesting and receiving documents and materials in alternate formats.
Status: Completed
4. By the end of 2023, all new pictures and images on SCC’s website will have alt-text description.
Status: This is underway but is delayed because the timeline for the launch of the new website has been pushed to early 2024.
In addition, all staff in both the Communications and Translation teams have taken two trainings in 2023: Writing Alt Text for Accessibility and Introduction to Website Accessibility. SCC is on track to achieve the other goals related to communications, other than ICT, as stated in the Accessibility Plan.
2.5 Information and Communications Technology
Overview of progress and timelines
SCC uses a variety of technologies such as our public website and portals for employees.
Our Accessibility Goals for 2023 were:
1. By June of 2023 SCC will consult with a web accessibility expert in the development of its new website to make sure that the new website is as accessible as possible.
Status: This is delayed. The website project has been delayed and should be launched early in 2024.
2. By the end of 2023, SCC will have replaced its website for a new one that is more accessible.
Status: This is delayed. The website project has been delayed and should be launched early in 2024.
SCC is still on-track to achieve its third goal for 2024, which is to have accessibility considered in all procurement of information technology products by including specific accessibility requirements in bid invitations.
2.6 The Procurement of Goods, Services and Facilities
Overview of progress and timelines
SCC buys products and services that help us work. SCC is still on track to ensure, that by December 2024, accessibility considerations are added to procurement where most impactful. These considerations will include asking companies to outline how their practice or their product is accessible as a step in the bidding process.
2.7 The Design and Delivery of Programs and Services
Overview of progress and timelines
SCC works with organizations to ensure that standards and accreditation are in place in the interest of the Canadian economy, the environment, and public safety. We work nationally and internationally to promote and improve standards and accreditation.
SCC is still on track to meet its accessibility goals related to the design and delivery of programs and services for 2024 and 2025.
2.8 Transportation
Overview of progress and timelines
SCC does not provide transportation, therefore we have no goals related to this priority area.
3. Consultations
At SCC, we understand that people with disabilities are the experts on accessibility and on their own experiences. We are dedicated to consulting people with disabilities on our Accessibility Plans and Progress Reports.
To consult with people who have disabilities on the development of this Progress Report, we sent a survey to our stakeholders, including our employees and our external stakeholders via our newsletter. In this survey, we invited people to read through a draft of this progress report, and asked them questions about this report, and accessibility at SCC overall.
The people who provided feedback through our survey generally had positive things to say about this report and our progress so far. They encouraged us to keep advancing accessibility initiatives. The people we consulted with also provided us with some new ideas that we could implement that would improve accessibility at SCC. We value this input and will take this feedback into consideration when we are designing our next Accessibility Plan. We would like to thank everyone who took the time to consult with us on this Progress Report.
4. Feedback
SCC launched our public feedback process in December 2022. To date, SCC did not receive any feedback on its accessibility plan or on anything related to accessibility at SCC.
We will continue to invite and welcome any feedback related to accessibility and will do our best to action and respond to that feedback in a timely manner.