Built environment

What this priority area is about

The built environment includes federally regulated spaces designed and constructed for people to live, work, travel, and get together. This includes buildings, parks, washrooms, and other physical spaces.

Under the Accessible Canada Act, this priority area is about ensuring these spaces are accessible. This means designing and maintaining spaces that are barrier-free, inclusive, safe, and usable by all.

Why it matters

Accessible built environments allow people to participate fully in daily life by moving through spaces safely, independently, and with dignity. 

Including accessibility from the start ensures persons with disabilities can fully use and enjoy spaces. This makes living and working spaces more inclusive and welcoming to everyone. 

Key work in this area

Explore our databases to find expert-developed resources to help you design, build, or maintain spaces with inclusion in mind. These databases connect you with standards, technical guides and evidence-based research to guide your work.

 

Standards and technical guides: Practical documents to help you apply accessibility from day one

Research projects: Insights and evidence to support innovation in this area

Displaying 1 - 25 of 49
Title Status Recipient Start year Completed year
A 360 Degree Assessment of the Duty To Accommodate Framework in Workplace Accommodation Provision Underway Business + Higher Education Roundtable 2025 Not applicable
Harmonizing Air Travel: Advancing Global Accessibility Standards Underway Access Now 2490196 ONTARIO INC. 2025 Not applicable
Promoting Family Inclusive Accessibility Standards Through the Experiences of Parents and Caregivers with Disabilities Underway Memorial University of Newfoundland 2025 Not applicable
Strengthening the Climate Resilience of People with Disabilities Underway The Social Research and Demonstration Corporation 2025 Not applicable
Access-City: Digital Twin City Visual Technology as a Tool for Advancing Accessibility Standards Underway Dalhousie University 2024 Not applicable
Accessible Communications of the Needs of Persons with Disabilities Underway Parametric Human Project 2024 Not applicable
Addressing accessibility standards in the criminal justice system Underway DisAbled Women's Network of Canada (DAWN Canada) 2024 Not applicable
Advancing fire and life safety in a built environment for all Underway Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs 2024 Not applicable
All Standards With Us: Integrating Accessibility and Disability Inclusion in All Standards Underway Inclusive Design Research Centre – Ontario College of Art and Design University 2024 Not applicable
Enabling Science: Accessible Infrastructure Through Knowledge Mobilization Underway University of Toronto 2024 Not applicable
INDEED: INvestigating the DEvelopment of Accessibility Standards in Canada and the Inclusion/Exclusion of Episodic Disabilities Completed Realize 2024 2025
Mapping Representation and Barriers to Participation by People with Disabilities in the Screen-Based Media and Broadcasting Sectors Underway Disability Screen Office 2024 Not applicable
Reducing Risk of Damage to mobility devices during air travel and determining safe slopes for passenger vessel gangways Underway University Health Network 2024 Not applicable
Accessibility Futurisms: Analyzing Access through a Disability Justice Modality Underway The Youth Project Society of Nova Scotia 2023 Not applicable
Accessible Canada, Accessible World: Co-creating a Global Standards Community Completed Inclusive Design Research Centre - Ontario College of Art and Design University 2023 2025
Accessible Indoor Air in the Built Environment Underway Environmental Health Association of Québec 2023 Not applicable
Benchmarking Spatial Access for Community-Level Accessibility Standards Underway Dalhousie University 2023 Not applicable
Brain Injury and Accessibility of the Electoral Process in Canada Underway Brain Injury Canada 2023 Not applicable
Co-creating Housing Accessibility Priorities for People with Disabilities Completed Sunnybrook Research Institute 2023 2024
Developing Principles, Guidance, and Good Practices for Community-Based Emancipatory Research on Accessibility Standards Underway Council of Canadians with Disabilities 2023 Not applicable
Enabling Independence: Assessing Activities of Daily Living to Inform Safety Standards for Built Environments Underway Carleton University 2023 Not applicable
Enhancing Social Cohesion by Creating Accessible Festivals and Events Underway Independent Living Canada 2023 Not applicable
Go Barrier-Free: A Study of Gaps and Best Practices in Information and Communication Technology Accessibility Solutions Underway New Brunswick Community College 2023 Not applicable
Invisible Disabilities in the Workplace: Barriers to Inclusion Underway Inclusive Workplace and Supply Council of Canada 2023 Not applicable
Quiet waves: Firsthand Experiences of Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing Individuals Reports of Barriers in Communication in the Built Environment Completed Canadian Association of the Deaf 2023 2024