Summary of CAN/ASC-1.1:2024 (REV-2025)-Employment

The requirements in this Standard set up a framework to create accessibility and inclusion in the workplace. Clause 10 focuses on structural support, policy, and leadership in organizations by emphasizing the development of systems, policies, and practices.

Barriers to equity

People with disabilities face barriers to accessibility and inclusion in the work environment. These might include barriers that interfere with:

• access to the work environment,
• different treatment and discrimination in the work environment,
• inside the work environment, and
• a safe work environment for all workers.

A barrier is anything that hinders the full and equal participation in society of persons with disabilities. Disabilities include physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication, sensory disability, and functional limitations (Source: Accessible Canada Act).

Identity and multiple factors working together 

Several social, environmental, and individual factors affect people with disabilities at various stages of the employment cycle. These factors may include:

• the nature of the lived experience with disability,
• age of onset,
• overlapping identities (intersectionality, as defined below),
• size of the employer,
• type of workplace,
• type of work, and
• formal and informal policies and practices within the workplace.

This Standard recognizes that people with disabilities have other identities that interact with a disability. 

The Standard recognizes that these are unique to a person and interact with each other. Accessibility is not isolated but is part of a person's overall identity and experience.

Intersectionality is a way to understand how a person or group can be affected by different forms of discrimination at the same time. It shows how several types of oppression, like 

• racism,
• sexism,
• ableism, and
• homophobia, 

overlap and create unique challenges, especially for marginalized people. 

Multiple aspects of identity, like 

• race,
• gender,
• disability, or
• sexual orientation, 

can combine to change an individual’s experience.

Marginalized people are individuals or groups excluded or disadvantaged socially, economically, or politically, often due to aspects of identity.

Marginalized people typically face discrimination, limited access to resources, and reduced influence in decision-making across areas like education, healthcare, and employment.

This Standard promotes accessibility and disability confidence in broader diversity and representation efforts. All these elements must be viewed as interconnected parts of creating an inclusive workplace.

Disability confidence involves organizations becoming comfortable and competent in managing a workforce that includes workers with disabilities.

Organizations that embrace disability confidence:

• recognize the value of individuals with disabilities,
• create an environment where employees feel comfortable telling their employer their disability if they choose,
• provide training and resources to promote awareness and reduce biases, and
• require leaders to lead by example and champion inclusion at all levels of the organization.

Inclusive employment values diversity and representation in the workforce. These lead to more meaningful worker engagement, motivation, and a healthier workplace overall.

Guiding principles for accessible employment

This Standard requires employers to:

• provide accessibility supports (accommodation), accessibility, and inclusivity during the person’s employment, and
• encourage taking initiative to remove barriers in the workplace.

Scope and application

This Standard applies to federally regulated organizations, or bodies, and to people named in Section 7 of the Accessible Canada Act.

This Standard applies (but is not limited) to employers in federally regulated industries, third-party contractors, other workplace participants, and related service providers.

This Standard integrates accessibility with broader diversity efforts by requiring organizations to use an intersectional disability lens when establishing an equitable disability-confident workplace.

Organizations must develop a strategy for making employment accessible with measurable goals and supporting policies. The organization must publish this strategy, watch progress, review and rewrite it every three years based on feedback and suggestions for improvement. 

To make sure the strategy is successful, the organization must:

• define and communicate clear roles and responsibilities of all internal workplace participants,
• provide necessary resources to support the strategy, including:
  • premises,
  • equipment,
  • communication tools, and
  • work time, and
• promote dialogue about inclusive employment issues among all workplace participants, including
  • people with disabilities,
  • external experts,
  • service providers, and
  • program administrators.

The organization must communicate updates to this strategy annually to workers and other interested people, to show accountability and commitment to the health and safety of all workers.

Senior management must:

• lead by example,
• promote a culture of accessibility and inclusion,
• provide anti-ableism training,
• set up confidential complaint processes, and
• protect workers from reprisals.

Ableism involves excluding and discriminating against people with disabilities through attitudes, prejudices, and actions that devalue their potential. 

Anti-ableism involves an active approach that challenges and counters these inequalities, negative stereotypes, and stigmas.

Managers, supervisors, and internal experts must: 

• carry out policies,
• encourage disclosure of adjustments needed for accommodation, and
• consult external experts when needed. 

In unionized workplaces, organizations must work with union representatives to promote accessibility and inclusion.

Workers must also promote a culture of accessibility and inclusion in the organization. 

Workers must:

• take part in system improvement,
• engage in good faith accommodation processes, and
• promote an inclusive culture where all workers feel comfortable telling their employer about their accommodation needs without fear of reprisal.

Organizational policies

The organization’s policies are the foundation of an inclusive workplace and reflect the organization’s commitment to accessibility. Organizations must review existing policies, develop new policies to support accessibility goals, and assess them using an approach that is both intersectional and accessible. The organization must make sure that its policies do not discriminate, and include things like pre-employment processes, career development, and individual accommodation.

The accessibility policy must include commitments to:

• find, prevent, and remove barriers in the workplace,
• meet legal requirements, and
• set up a framework for measuring progress on the organization’s accessibility goals.

This policy must be developed with the participation of workers. It must be documented and made available to all employees and the public.

Information technology (IT)

IT professionals and those that work directly with IT professionals must make sure the technology used in the workplace is accessible.

The organization must make sure the organization meets the requirements of CAN/ASC - EN 301 549:2024 Standard.

The organization must also make sure: 

• accessibility barriers are removed and prevented in current IT tools and equipment,
• accessibility is a priority when buying new technology,
• accessibility is integrated into the lifecycle management of IT solutions,
• accessibility features are set up for maximum usability, and
• accessibility is a priority in both internal and public IT systems.

IT must not result in accessibility limitations for people with disabilities in areas like audiovisual content, websites, web and mobile applications, software, and kiosks.

Human Resource Information System software keeps, manages, and processes detailed worker information and human resources-related policies and procedures. A human resource information system may be used as part of a Human Resource Management System.

The organization must:

• find and implement accessibility criteria to support its accessibility goals when selecting any new Human Resource Information System
• review and assess any existing Human Resource Information System using the identified accessibility criteria to find, remove, and prevent barriers to employment for workers with disabilities.

Workplace disability inclusion creates an environment where employees with disabilities have equitable opportunities to succeed, learn, advance, and be paid fairly. This means the organization must: 

• remove barriers,
• provide necessary accommodations (adjustments), and
• foster a culture of inclusion.

Workplace disability inclusion takes a worker-centered approach that actively removes barriers. It begins with a strong cultural foundation and active leadership at all levels.  

Seven phases of the employment lifecycle

This Standard considers seven phases of the employment lifecycle, or employment journey, and aims to help users of the Standard through all phases:

Preliminary

1. recruitment,
2. hiring,
3. onboarding (explained below),

Active employment

4. retention,
5. promotion and career development,
6. performance management, and

Final

7. leaving the job.

The framework of systemic change is balanced by a person-centered, individualized approach to accessibility and accommodation throughout the employment journey. 

This approach will create an inclusive workplace that respects diversity and gives equitable opportunities to workers with disabilities throughout the employment lifecycle.

Clause 12 addresses finding, preventing, and removing barriers that can happen during recruitment, hiring, and onboarding.

Recruitment commitment statement

Organizations must develop and publicly post a statement of commitment to accessibility, equity, and inclusion in their recruitment procedures and job ads. They must invite applications from underrepresented groups and provide adjustments during the process at no cost to applicants.

Candidate recruitment

Organizations must develop accessible recruiting processes and advertising practices. They must also:

• publicize job vacancies in accessible formats,
• encourage candidates to find any accommodation or adjustments needed,
• keep disability disclosure confidential, and
• provide all recruitment materials in accessible formats.

When using systems that track applicants and Artificial Intelligence, organizations must make sure that screening is based on real job requirements, and:

• take steps to prove their systems are not discriminatory,
• make it a priority to reduce bias in Artificial Intelligence hiring tools they use, and
• make sure they conduct ongoing analysis of Artificial Intelligence data and algorithms for fairness.

Job postings

The employer must provide disability awareness training to interviewers.

The employer must also:

• give candidates information about the accessibility features of the interview location,
• give copies of interview instructions and questions in accessible format,
• invite candidates to find any accessibility concerns about the location, and
• encourage candidates to find the supports they need without asking about the nature of their disability.

Job postings must be inclusive and not exclude people with disabilities. 

Job postings must: 

• list accurate job requirements,
• encourage candidates with different abilities or alternate expertise,
• list only real job requirements,  
• provide information about accommodation (adjustment) policies, and
• provide information about the work environment. 

Hiring and onboarding

The organization must inform successful applicants of the: 

• current policies for accommodating people with disabilities, and
• available tailored adjustments for employee’s specific disability-related needs. 

The employer must make sure that the pay is proper for the job roles and responsibilities.

Onboarding is when a company helps a new employee learn about their job and workplace and teaches them about their work duties. 

Onboarding for new workers must include:

• an accessible orientation,
• a support person to help in the onboarding process,
• essential information in accessible formats,
• consulting the worker to learn more about added adjustments needed, and
• a process for workers to request accommodations.

Ongoing employment support

Clause 13 tells how to find, prevent, and remove barriers to worker retention, professional development, pay equity, performance management, and job leaving. 

Employers must make sure that:

• all workers get disability awareness training,
• services are offered to promptly resolve problems,
• accommodating adjustments are reviewed and updated when needed, and
• the employee is consulted when external service providers are used for any accommodating adjustments.

Leaving the job

The organization must make sure that:

• job leaving policies and procedures are fair, just, and available to everyone,
• policies and procedures are provided in an easy-to-access format, and
• policies and procedures apply equally to all workers, with or without disabilities.

The organization must:

• gather information from job leavers to find trends and ways to improve the retention of workers with disabilities,
• send overall data on workers with disabilities leaving jobs to senior management, and
• ask workers with disabilities for feedback on any unresolved barriers they faced during their employment.

The Accessibility Support System considers the needs of workers with disabilities, covering both new hires and existing employees. It focuses on removing barriers and providing adjustments, without requiring employees to tell their employer about their disabilities.

An acceptable workplace culture requires:

• workers feel safe to tell their employer about their disabilities,
• clear processes exist for both new hires and existing employees,
• return-to-work policies plans aim to keep workers in their original positions, when possible, and
• regular reviews and feedback make sure the system keeps improving.

What is required of an organization

The employer must write down what are the: 

• accessibility supports (accommodations), and
• benefits. 

The employer must take these steps:

• make the information available to all employees,
• review and update this information regularly,
• integrate these practices with the organization’s other systems, and
• train management staff on the policies and practices.

This system emphasizes inclusion and accessibility while supporting worker dignity and privacy in all processes.

Informative annexes provide more information and context on concepts presented within this Standard. The Standard states general requirements while the annexes provide detail. The list identifies annexes to read in addition to reading the Standard.

• Annex A Background and context
• Annex B Lived experience with disability
• Annex C Intersectional accessibility lens
• Annex D Anti-Ableism policies
• Annex E Stand-alone accessibility policies and accessibility elements integrated into existing policies
• Annex F Bibliography