CAN-ASC-2.6: Existing Built Environment – Accessibility for federally regulated entities as defined in the Accessible Canada Act
Scope:
Note: The title for this NOI (originally published on June 20, 2023) was updated by the responsible SDO on July 11, 2023
There are common areas where persons with disabilities may experience barriers to accessibility in the existing built environment. These include, but are not limited to:
- service spaces (spaces in which service is the primary function)
- egress (exiting a space)
- notifications (e.g., visual signals and two-way communications)
- washrooms (including showers)
- lighting.
To address these barriers, the technical committee will be responsible for ensuring that the technical requirements for all aspects within the existing built environment are equitable; for example, this would include enabling access to the building’s programs (how the spaces in a building are used).
The barriers listed above may be present in different types of existing built environments. These include, but are not limited to:
- office and retail spaces
- lecture and concert halls and other gathering (assembly) places
- clinics within office buildings
Note: Heritage and historical buildings will not be included in this standard.
To meet the standard, organizations will need to put accessibility measures in place for their existing built environment(s) according to a defined timeline.
The standard will use a tiered approach where each level will contain technical requirements defined by the technical committee.
This standard will align with the technical requirements of other Accessibility Standards Canada standards. These include:
- CAN-ASC-2.1 – Outdoor Spaces
- CAN-ASC-2.3 – Model Standard for the Built Environment – Accessibility for federally regulated entities as defined in the Accessible Canada Act
- CAN-ASC-2.4 – Wayfinding and Signage
- CAN-ASC-5.1 – Standard on Accessibility of Emergency Measures.
Project need:
Accessibility Standards Canada was created under the Accessible Canada Act. Its mandate is to prevent, identify, and remove barriers to accessibility for Canadians with disabilities. In pursuit of this mandate, Accessibility Standards Canada develops standards based on the needs of people with disabilities. These needs have been identified in consultations with Canadians with disabilities, including the Governor in Council appointed Board of Directors, who are primarily people with disabilities and have approved the development of this standard.
Accessibility Standards Canada’s standards apply to federally-regulated entities, including the federally regulated private-sector, as defined within the Accessible Canada Act. Accessibility Standards Canada also works with Provincial and Territorial partners to identify additional stakeholder needs across Canada in order to increase harmonization.
In addition to these identified needs, Accessibility Standards Canada standards are developed following the principle of “nothing without us”. This means that Accessibility Standards Canada standards are developed with research that has been led by people with disabilities or lived experience, participation of people with disabilities on our technical committees and produce equity-based requirements that take into account the needs and perspectives of people with disabilities. This also means that the public review process for this standard will be accessible, allowing even more people with disabilities to be part of the standards development process.
Note: The information provided above was obtained by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) and is provided as part of a centralized, transparent notification system for new standards development. The system allows SCC-accredited Standards Development Organizations (SDOs), and members of the public, to be informed of new work in Canadian standards development, and allows SCC-accredited SDOs to identify and resolve potential duplication of standards and effort.
Individual SDOs are responsible for the content and accuracy of the information presented here. The text is presented in the language in which it was provided to SCC.