2024 to 2025 Annual Report - Innovation through Knowledge: Fostering Accessibility Together

2024 to 2025 was a pivotal year for ASC—it was marked by both transition and great progress.

We bid farewell to our founding CEO, whose vision and leadership laid the groundwork that is making it possible for us to have an impact. We opened a new chapter—another exciting phase of growth and results—that I feel privileged to lead as the new CEO. We also welcomed newly appointed members of the Board of Directors whose passion and dedication to creating a Canada without barriers have inspired me. I am honoured to carry on this legacy.

The theme of our annual report this year, “Innovation through knowledge: Fostering accessibility together”, reflects the essence of our efforts. It shows how we leveraged the power of shared expertise, research, and creativity to create meaningful advancements in accessibility. It emphasizes the importance of informed collective action—working together with people with disabilities and lived experience, various disabilities organizations, allies and interested parties—to identify challenges, develop solutions, and influence changes across all areas of our society.

Celebrating achievements amidst transition

Despite the leadership changes, our organization’s commitment to results has remained steadfast. Over the past year, we have achieved significant operational milestones:

• Publishing 2 impactful standards and new technical guides: These key resources go beyond best practices and provide concrete and practical tools for individuals and organizations to advance accessibility.
• Moving equity-based standards forward, with now 16 in various phases of development:
  • We have funded 14 inclusive research projects focused on accessibility. These projects provide critical insights that inform and strengthen our standards development process. Since 2019, ASC has funded more than 90 research projects.
  • We consulted the public on 3 draft standards, ensuring our standards will address the entire spectrum of barriers and go further than current best practices.
• Fostering collaboration:
  • We signed new memoranda of understanding with the governments of Nova Scotia and Alberta, bringing the total to 8 such agreements signed with provinces.
  • We increased collaboration and strengthened partnerships with diverse disability organizations and communities of persons with disabilities.
  • We expanded our reach at a local, national, and international level.

The power of knowledge and collaboration

At the heart of our progress lies the power of knowledge and collaboration. We have always positioned knowledge and lived experience as both the foundation and the driving force for progress, and this year was no exception.

We continued to harness the collective expertise and knowledge of people with first-hand experience. This includes:

• the Board of Directors
• technical committee members
• people with disabilities and lived experience
• diverse disability communities
• allies
• partners, and world-renowned experts

This dedication to inclusivity also extends to our workforce, with about 26% of staff identifying as living with a disability. This representation, unique to our organization at the federal level, ensures that diverse perspectives are reflected in everything that we do.

One example of collaboration is ASC’s involvement with the Standards Council of Canada’s Standards Development Organization Advisory Committee (SDOAC). I serve as a member of this strategic committee whose focus is to strengthen Canada’s standard development system and promote collaboration and cooperation between standards development organizations.

We also lead the SDOAC’s working group on Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Accessibility. This working group is exploring ways to make standards and the development process more inclusive. Though this work is still in its early stages, it represents a critical step toward embedding accessibility and equity within standards development at a systemic level.

Working together not only expands the possibilities but also reinforces the fact that accessibility—and doing the right thing—is a shared responsibility that benefits everyone. Alone, we are advancing standards, but together, we are fostering culture change.

Looking ahead

As we move forward, we remain focused on broadening our impact. In the coming year, our priorities include:

• developing and publishing new accessibility standards and technical guides that address emerging needs and barriers
• focusing our outreach efforts to connect with specific communities and sectors
• funding and leading accessibility research

We will continue to further solidify our position as a global leader in accessibility standards development. By continuing to innovate through knowledge, we will shape a future where accessibility becomes an integral part of society—because in the end, it’s not a matter of if but when all of us will face accessibility barriers in our lives.

A call to action

To everyone who contributed to, supported, and championed our efforts this year, thank you for your unwavering dedication during this transformative period. Your engagement and contributions have been essential in advancing our mission forward. As we look ahead, let us reaffirm our shared vision of a Canada where everyone can participate fully and thrive. Together, we are making accessibility a reality for all.

The Board of Directors plays a critical role in guiding the organization. The majority of Directors are people living with disabilities. The Board provides strategic advice to the CEO, drawing from both lived experience and professional knowledge. They not only reflect the diversity of Canadian society, but they are also connected with various communities across the country.

The Board has two standing committees to help it fulfill its mandate effectively:

• Internal Affairs Committee
• External Affairs Committee

The Internal Affairs Committee oversees governance and internal strategy, while the External Affairs Committee provides direction on external engagements. Each Director serves on one of these committees, contributing to the organization’s strategic priorities.

In 2024, the Board continued to be guided by the voices of the disability community and key partners, shaping our priorities and strengthening our impact. This engagement was instrumental in informing the annual priorities for research funding and setting the stage for future initiatives.

An important focus of the Board’s work is to support the initial stage of the standard development process. The Board approved the terms of reference for new technical committees that will be established to develop the next set of standards. They also assessed emerging needs and selected additional annual priority areas for our funding program. These complement the 7 priorities of the Act.

This year also marked a period of renewal within the Board itself. As some Directors concluded their terms, we welcomed new members, bringing fresh perspectives and strengthening our collective expertise. To support a smooth transition, the Board implemented an enhanced onboarding process, including an updated orientation session and handbook. Ensuring that new Directors are well integrated into the governance framework is essential for enriching strategic deliberations and reinforcing the Board’s leadership in accessibility.

The Board also led and participated in the organization’s Annual Public Meeting, which was well attended by disability community representatives, private sector stakeholders, and government partners. This event provided an opportunity to share our progress, discuss ongoing challenges, and encourage greater public involvement in shaping accessibility standards.

With renewed leadership, ongoing community engagement, and a strong commitment to collaboration, the Board remains focused on driving progress toward a more accessible Canada.

One essential aspect of our work is collaboration. Last year, we strengthened relationships with key partners and interested parties and developed new strategic partnerships.

4.1 Working with the provinces and territories

Between April 2024 and March 2025, we continued to actively engage with provinces and territories. We formed new partnerships and strengthened existing ones. The purpose of these partnerships is to:

• support each other in advancing our respective mandates
• collaborate on research and formalize the exchange of information
• promote the standards developed by our technical committees
• coordinate accessibility standards across jurisdictional boundaries

We started to implement the agreement we signed with the government of Manitoba’s Department of Families. Additionally, we signed 2 memoranda of understanding with the government of Alberta’s Ministry of Municipal Affairs and the government of Nova Scotia’s Department of Justice.

One of the highlights of the year was co-hosting the 3rd Pan-Canadian Forum on Accessibility Standards with British Columbia’s Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. Held in May 2024, it brought together senior officials from provinces and territories. Participants shared updates and discussed common priorities and goals for accessibility standards.

As a result of this meeting, provinces developed, in consultation with Accessibility Standard Canada (ASC), a standing guidance approach. This guidance outlines a new way of working together in relation to the development of accessibility standards. The guide explains how our organization should work with provinces and territories at each stage of the standards lifecycle: pre-development, development, and post development. To action this, we introduced new strategies, enhancing coordination with provinces and territories through the Pan-Canadian Forum on Accessibility Standards. We organized several virtual collaborative discussion forums to exchange technical information related to specific standard development areas at the 3 key phases of the standards lifecycle. These discussions focused on:

• pre-development discussion on Accessible procurement
• development discussion on tools to facilitate the sharing of draft standard
• post development technical briefings and discussions on the following ASC’s standards and technical guide:
  • Accessibility requirements for information and communications technology (ICT) products and services
  • Accessible and equitable artificial intelligence systems
  • Employment

4.2 Working with the key partners under the Act

We continued to actively engage with key federal partners under the Act:

• the Office of the Chief Accessibility Officer
• the Canadian Human Rights Commission
• the Canadian Transportation Agency
• the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission
• the Accessible Canada Directorate, Employment and Social Development Canada

We meet with these organizations bilaterally, and multilaterally through quarterly meetings led by the Chief Accessibility Officer. These meetings provide the opportunity to:

• discuss the priorities of each organization
• avoid duplication
• discuss how all partners can work together to implement the Act

4.3 Engaging with partners and interested parties

In the 2024 to 2025 fiscal year, we continued implementing our 3-year Stakeholder Engagement Strategy (2024 to 2027). This strategy aims to increase our engagement with:

• partners
• interested parties
• disability communities
• people with lived experience

This will allow us to gather and share information related to our work.

During this period, we actively sought opportunities to raise awareness about our activities, including:

• the progress we made in standards development
• the publication of standards and technical guides
• our grants and contribution program

We also used those opportunities to listen, ask questions, and gather information that informs our ongoing efforts. We met with internal partners, such as:

• other government departments, agencies
• federal entities

We also engaged external partners and interested parties, such as:

• diverse communities of people with disabilities
• provincial governments
• international bodies dedicated to accessibility standards
• industries such as those dedicated to housing and transportation

In addition, we engaged with hundreds of individuals that reached out to our organization directly, addressing their questions and feedback through phone and email interactions.

Among the many outreach and engagement activities, we:

• Participated in a multitude of events, speaking engagements and meetings. Theses opportunities allowed us to:
  • formed new relationships and strengthened existing ones
  • exchanged ideas
  • gathered best practices
  • learned from each other
  • engaged with the diverse communities of our interested parties
• Supported the Board with numerous presentations and organized meetings for our Board members to meet with disabilities communities and organizations, and interested parties.
• Increased and refined our database of interested parties in order to:
  • better reach our audience
  • inform them of our achievements
  • encourage participation
• Held a series of engagements with providers and members of the American Sign Language (ASL) and Langue des signes québécoise (LSQ) community:
  • This allowed us to learn more about the challenges they face and inform our decision-making process.
• Engaged the multiple chemical sensitivity community to learn about the barriers they encounter and incorporate this understanding into our standards development process.
• Participated in accessibility-related working groups across the federal government, such as:
  • the Interdepartmental Accessibility Community of Practice
  • the Community of Practice on Accessible Communications
  • the Community of Practice on Plain Language
  • the National AccessAbility Week Working Group
• Conducted a visit to the Northwest Territories (NWT), to raise awareness of our work, understand accessibility-related issues and needs in northern and remote communities, and identify synergies and opportunities for collaboration. We met with partners and interested parties, including:
  • Departments of the NWT
  • Yellowknives Dene First Nation
  • Non-governmental organizations

Achieving our mandate is only possible if we have the right people in place. We also need to empower them by providing the tools and resources they need to optimize their performance.

6.1 Creating an inclusive workplace culture

We’ve continued to make important progress this year in making ASC a more diverse, accessible, and inclusive workplace. For the fiscal year of 2024 to 2025, ASC has taken these steps to solidify our professional culture:

• Examined representation across key demographic groups within our organization. We now have a clear picture of our workforce composition, including Indigenous Peoples, visible minorities, women, and persons with disabilities. The review highlighted our current diversity landscape and pointed out areas where we may need to direct additional attention.
• Set clear goals to follow the principle of “Nothing Without Us.” We have:
  • worked directly with employees with disabilities to create accommodation models that improve flexibility and productivity in the workplace
  • joined the Labour Relations Accessibility Working Group that helped us tackle accommodation challenges and support the Workplace Accessibility Passport
• Tracked our progress on accessibility with a clear plan, setting milestones and providing regular updates. These efforts are reflected in our most recent Accessibility Progress Report, published in December 2024. This shows our commitment to being open and making improvements. By involving employees in shaping policies and offering accessible language training, we help people with disabilities contribute fully. This approach encourages teamwork, innovation, and a workplace that values diversity and equal opportunities.
• Offered language training, developmental opportunities and promotions based on talent management to all Black and other racialized employees. We also prioritized accessible language training resources for employees with disabilities. This approach not only supports individual growth but also fosters collaboration and the exchange of diverse perspectives, leading to a more innovative and cohesive workplace.
• Reviewed the terms of references of our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) committee. This allows the committee to identify and dismantle systemic barriers faced by equity-seeking groups.
• Worked with our Employees with Disabilities Network (EWDN) committee to provide an inclusive collaborative platform. This platform is in place for employees with disabilities to share their experiences and advocate for changes that enhance accessibility.
• Fostered a positive and inclusive organizational culture with a focus on fairness, accessibility and support for all voices. Groups such as the EDI and the EWDN committees ensure that everyone feels heard and included.
• Educated our employees on the realities of marginalized communities and celebrated international days (2SLGBTQIA+, Pride, Black History Month, etc.).
• Continued our efforts to meet our commitments from the Letter on Implementation of the Call to Action (Summer 2021) by fostering an inclusive and supportive workplace culture.
• Developed a code of conduct, values, and organizational ethics to establish guiding principles for employees and managers. This new Code provides a moral foundation that supports an inclusive organizational culture and promotes equity, diversity, and respect.

Also, our organization was recognized in 2024 as one of the top employers in the National Capital Region. This honour shows our commitment to creating a supportive and inclusive workplace for everyone. It also demonstrates how we continually improve our policies and systems to enhance:

• work—life balance
• accessibility
• diversity and inclusivity

6.2 Delivering our Accessibility Progress Report

The Accessible Canada Act requires that we prepare and publish an Accessibility Plan every 3 years, and a progress report every year 2 and 3. In December 2024, we published our 2nd Accessibility Progress Report.

All the actions of our 2022 Accessibility Plan were fulfilled. As our work and the environment we live in are constantly evolving, some areas require annual monitoring to ensure there is no barriers to accessibility.

Most of our Board members, a majority of technical committee members and about 26% of our employees identify as people with disabilities. This makes our organization is acutely aware of the diverse needs and barriers to accessibility.

We received positive feedback and high levels of satisfaction from our consultations with people who interact with our organization. Our experience and the feedback received will be used to update our Accessibility Plan in 2025.

As we move forward, we are entering an exciting new phase where the foundation we have built is transforming into growth and tangible results. We are not only leading change—we are actively shaping the future of accessibility through:

• the standards we develop
• the research we support
• the partnerships we foster

In the coming year, we will continue to expand our impact by:

• publishing new accessibility standards
• launching additional technical committees
• inviting the public to provide feedback on draft standards

Our commitment to transparency and collaboration remains steadfast. The expertise and lived experiences of people with disabilities will continue to be at the heart of everything we do.

Our vision goes beyond developing standards; it also seeks to encourage a greater cultural change. This is a move towards making accessibility a shared responsibility and a fundamental part of Canada's social and economic fabric. To support this change, we make our standards and research accessible to individuals, organizations and policymakers, allowing them to integrate accessibility into their practices and decision-making processes.

We will continue to reinforce our collaborations with:

• disability communities
• provinces and territories
• key partners
• allies and interested parties
• accessibility leaders at national and international levels

This approach allows us to drive progress from coast to coast and beyond.

We invite everyone to take part, either by:

• joining a technical committee
• reviewing draft standards
• participating in our consultations

Your involvement is key to ensuring that accessibility becomes the default, not the exception.

Together, we are building momentum toward a barrier-free Canada. The best is yet to come.