2022 to 2023 Progress Report on the Correctional Service Canada's 2022 to 2025 Accessibility Plan

General

Introduction

Following the implementation of the 2022 to 2025 Accessibility Plan, the Correctional Service Canada (CSC) has worked with its National Champion and Chair for Persons with Disabilities to highlight and promote the commitment that CSC has made to address barriers of accessibility within the organization. With broad engagement across CSC, the objectives under the main priority areas in the Accessible Canada Act (ACA) remain in the forefront of its plans.

Overall, CSC is proud of its progress, especially given the unique barriers and challenges it faces in an environment dedicated to assisting offenders in becoming law-abiding citizens. In 2022 to 2023, CSC saw progress in many areas. In terms of our hiring objectives for persons with disabilities in 2022 to 2023, many efforts were made to ensure that various staffing mechanisms and resources were communicated and made available to hiring managers. With the upcoming launch of the new Self-Identification tool and other Government of Canada hiring initiatives in the future, CSC is looking toward meeting its targets for persons with disabilities and improving the overall culture and environment to be more inclusive.

In 2022 to 2023, an Accessibility Centre of Excellence was implemented to support employees’ accessibility needs as they relate to applications and software. CSC also ensured that templates and documents were made accessible, and that employees were informed of accessibility standards when creating communication products.

In the correctional setting, CSC continues to assess its institutions with an accessibility lens and adapt its secure environments as needed. Work is underway to hire a consultant to assist with addressing the complexities of adapting a secure environment to become more accessible. 

The National Champion and Chair for Persons with Disabilities look forward to engaging further with staff and offenders in the upcoming year to ensure that the activities outlined in the 2022 to 2025 Accessibility Plan are promoted across the organization. CSC continues its commitment to creating an inclusive and accessible workplace where staff, offenders, victims, and members of the public can contribute while feeling safe and respected.

Feedback

We want to hear from you! CSC is committed to creating an open and transparent feedback process not only for employees and offenders, but all Canadians. In order to take actions to prevent and remove barriers, the Director of Human Resources Planning, Official Languages and Employment Equity Division will ensure all feedback is shared with the relevant stakeholders in the organization for their consideration.

How to provide feedback

You can provide CSC feedback by contacting our Accessibility Team in the following ways:

• Accessibility Feedback Form
• Email: CSC_Accessibility_Feedback-Retroaction_Accessibilite_SCC.GEN-NAT@CSC-SCC.GC.CA
• Phone: 1-833-390-4053
• Mail:

Director, Human Resources Planning, Official Languages and Employment Equity
Correctional Service of Canada
Mailbox #9 
340 Laurier Ave West
Ottawa ON K1A 0P9

Submit anonymous feedback

If you want to provide anonymous feedback:

• do not state your name or provide any other identifying information (for example, your email address or phone number)
• state that you would like your feedback to remain anonymous if your email address includes your name
• do not include your return address on the envelope if you send feedback by mail

The Accessibility Team will acknowledge the receipt of your feedback using the same method that you used to communicate with us. This will not apply to feedback that is submitted anonymously.

If you want a response

If you ask for a response, we will respond in the same way that you communicated with us.

Finding answers to more complex issues might take time. If that's the case for your feedback, we will follow up to let you know what we're doing.

Online form or email feedback

We will respond by email within five business days.

Phone feedback

We will respond by phone within five business days.

Mail-in feedback

We will respond by mail within 15 business days upon receipt of mail, plus mailing time.

What we do with your feedback

We analyze feedback for trends and patterns. We don’t identify individuals in our reports.

The only time your feedback will be connected to you is when you request a personal response from our Accessibility Team.

We publish annual progress reports in the years between accessibility plans. In these progress reports, we report on the feedback we receive and how we are taking it into consideration.

Request an alternate format

You can request an alternate version of our feedback process, accessibility plans or progress reports by the following methods:

• Email: CSC_Accessibility_Feedback-Retroaction_Accessibilite_SCC.GEN-NAT@CSC-SCC.GC.CA
• Phone: 1-833-390-4053
• Mail:
  Human Resources Planning, Official Languages and Employment Equity
  Correctional Service of Canada
  Mailbox #9 
  340 Laurier Ave West
  Ottawa ON K1A 0P9

Feedback regarding the Implementation of the Accessibility Plan

Employees at CSC will be consulted on the implementation of the Accessibility Plan as part of the required annual update process. As per the 2019 ACA, the annual progress reports for this plan must include the feedback on the implementation of the Plan that was received by CSC and how that feedback was taken into consideration. Upon audit, documentation will be provided to the Accessibility Commissioner.

Members of the public can submit feedback on the implementation of this Plan by using one of the methods listed above.

Offenders in the care and custody of CSC will be consulted on the implementation of the Plan through offender committees, in accordance with legislation and policy, as per section 74 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA).

Feedback regarding accessibility of a CSC facility

Members of the public who wish to report feedback regarding accessibility in a CSC facility can use one of the methods above or contact the institutional administration directly. Contact information (phone number and mailing address) is listed in the National Facility Directory.

Any  comments, concerns, and complaints from offenders regarding accessibility of facilities can be submitted through the offender request form and, if needed, escalated through the process described in CD 081 Offender Complaints and Grievances. 

Feedback regarding the barriers encountered by employees

CSC gathers anonymous feedback on the employment experience of persons with disabilities through the annual Public Service Employee Survey, onboarding questionnaires, and employee departure questionnaires. Employees are encouraged to speak with their manager if they are experiencing barriers in their employment situations. Under the Canadian Human Rights Act, federally-regulated employers are required to accommodate the needs of individuals, or class of individuals, based on prohibited grounds of discrimination. This is commonly referred to as the “duty to accommodate”. Furthermore, the requirement to proactively identify, remove and prevent barriers to accessibility, especially for persons with disabilities, is provided in the Accessible Canada Act. The Employment Equity Act also specifies that employers have an obligation to identify and eliminate employment barriers against persons in a designated group.

The DTA Program can be reached at GEN-NATDTA-OPDMA@CSC-SCC.GC.CA. The Regional DTA Advisors’ phone list is available to employees on CSC’s intranet (the Hub) and contains contact information for the regional advisors. Employees can request an accommodation by submitting CSC/SCC Form 1555 Accommodation Form to their managers.

Feedback about offender programs and services

Any person who interacts with CSC can provide feedback about barriers they encounter in programs and services through one of the methods identified above. Specific to correctional programs, CD 726 Correctional Programs, identifies the Assistant Deputy Commissioner, Integrated Services (ADCIS) in each region as the one who oversees the quality and consistency in the referral and delivery of correctional programs to all offenders across their respective Region. The regional ADCIS can be reached at their respective Regional Headquarters, by phone or in writing at the address found in CSC’s National Facility Directory.

Since 2019, CSC's Health Services Sector has been promoting clinical independence and patient-centered care by managing the complaints and grievances related to Health services. Consequently, in addition to the methods above, written complaints or concerns can be addressed to the Chief of Health Services in the institution.

Any other complaints, comments and concerns from offenders regarding accessibility of programs and services can be submitted through the offender request form and, if needed, escalated through the process described in CD 081 Offender Complaints and Grievances. 

2022 to 2023 Progress Report

CSC’s Accessibility Plan identifies barriers in accessibility in the priority areas listed in section five of the ACA. The activities outlined in the Plan to address these barriers are based on the five departmental goals in the Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service (2019). Each goal captures the actions CSC will undertake to identify, remove, and prevent barriers to accessibility.

The Progress Report is organized based on the priority areas in the ACA. The goals outlined in CSC’s 2022-2025 Accessibility Plan and status of the activities are outlined in Annex A: Action Plan.

Employment

In 2022 to 2023, CSC’s hiring objective for persons with disabilities was 330^{Footnote 1} , which would equate to 29% of the total number of workforce hires. During this period, CSC hired 44 persons with disabilities. This can be attributed to the need for increased awareness on the importance of self-identification and reducing stigma that employees may feel in relation to identifying as a person with disabilities. Additionally, there are existing barriers for hiring managers and for new employees, which include hiring managers not being aware of the tools and resources available to recruit persons with disabilities and address barriers in their hiring practices. Greater communication is needed to highlight CSC’s hiring objectives, and the tools and resources that CSC has available to help meet these goals.

Nevertheless, CSC has made progress in its initiatives and communication strategies to support efforts in the area of employment.

Self-identification

Along with other departments, CSC is anticipating the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) launch of the new self-identification platform and questionnaire. The questionnaire will include changes to the definition of disability to align with those of Statistics Canada and the ACA. It will include additional options for identifying as a person with disability, including mental health, sensory or environmental issues, chronic pain/health conditions, cognitive function, and intellectual development. CSC will promote the launch of the new platform once it becomes available.

Within 2022 to 2023, CSC has continued its efforts in promoting the importance of self-identification. For example, in the Pacific Region, self-identification has been promoted by Regional Management Committee members through targeted meetings and e-mail messaging.

Tools and resources

In 2022 to 2023, CSC has promoted a variety of tools and resources to support employees in HR, Advisors and hiring managers to create barrier free and inclusive hiring practices some of which are available on CSC’s intranet (the Hub), including:

• Best practices to build assessment boards
• Navigation tools for advertised and non-advertised processes that include a guide and tool for mitigating biases and barriers in assessments
• Training provided to HR advisors to better equip them to provide advice to managers, specifically on:
  • Increasing representation
  • Removal and mitigation of bias and barriers in assessment process
  • Unconscious Bias training
• Other hiring sources for managers to consider, including:
  • CSC’s Internal Permanent Accommodation Status (IPAS) program
  • Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP) and the Employment Opportunity for Students with Disabilities (EOSD).
  • The Virtual Door to Talent with Disabilities GCpedia
  • Graduate and Targeted Recruitment site on Canada.ca

Hiring initiatives and flexibilities

In 2022 to 2023, CSC used various staffing flexibilities to promote hiring persons with disabilities through the use of IPAS, FSWEP, non-advertised appointments and other tools available to hiring managers. These tools will continue to be promoted and used in the future to help address the persons with disabilities hiring gap at CSC.

In the Quebec region, the chair of the Advisory Committee on Employees with Disabilities is working with the Region to establish partnerships with various organizations to help with recruitment and retention for persons with disabilities.

CSC is also participating in a trial subscription with Jobs Ability Canada, an AI-driven virtual platform that connects job seekers with disabilities with employers. This pilot will involve putting links to various CSC employment opportunities on the Jobs Ability platform to help bring greater visibility to CSC for job seekers with disabilities. The trial period will end by March 31, 2024, and CSC will re-assess next steps.

CSC is set to launch a Correctional Officer (CX) recruitment process targeted for persons with disabilities before the end of the fiscal year. This will include a social media campaign, as well as additional information regarding accommodation measures in the assessment process about specific requirements for the position (e.g., pre-employment medical evaluation, etc.).

Developing and promoting employees

Currently, CSC does not have a mechanism in place to track acting, assignments and promotion rates for persons with disability. CSC is assessing how to best address this gap in order to monitor progress in this area.

In 2022, CSC launched the first cohort of its Leadership Connexion Program (LCP). The LCP is based on the TBS Mentorship+ model, which was developed by the Center of Diversity and Inclusion, and supports high potential candidates from underrepresented groups who aspire to leadership and management positions. The program had a total of six protégés, one of which identified as a person with disability.

Other future initiatives include, the launch of the Diverse Leadership Development Program (DLDP), sponsored by the Atlantic Federal Council, in the Atlantic Region that is dedicated to supporting African Canadian public servants, employment equity (EE) and diversity communities, including persons with disabilities, Indigenous persons, and persons who identify as members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ Community. The expected outcome of this program is to equip staff with the necessary skills to enhance their careers. This program is open to all departments in the Atlantic Region to participate and employees across CSC’s Atlantic Region will be able to self-nominate. 

Supporting a culture of inclusion

CSC has worked towards creating culture of inclusion for employees with accessibility needs. In 2022 to 2023, CSC ensured that promotional materials were distributed during key periods such as International Persons with Disabilities Day and Accessibility Week. In addition, other initiatives and publications related to accessibility were promoted. For example, an article profiling a staff member with a disability was published on Let’s Talk Express and the promoted through social media.

The department's National, Regional and site Employment Equity and Diversity Committees (EEDC) also supported CSC in celebrating commemorative dates from coast to coast through organizing events and hosting guest speakers. The EEDC in the Quebec Region promoted sign language courses, training in American Sign Language (ASL) and Quebec Sign Language (LSQ), as well as a workshop with Regroupement des organismes spécialisés pour l’emploi des personnes handicapées on raising awareness for the importance of meaningful inclusion to support retaining employees with a disability.

CSC piloted the Government of Canada’s Workplace Accessibility Passport (Passport), a tool for public service employees use, that shares information about the adaptive tools/support measures they require to succeed in the workplace. It can only be used by employees who have a disability and is intended to facilitate conversations between an employee and their manager when requesting an accommodation in the workplace.

To date, the Passport has been piloted in the National Capital Region. CSC is currently evaluating whether the project can be further expanded to its other Regions. First, CSC has a robust and inclusive Duty to Accommodate (DTA) process that accomplishes all the provisions outlined in the Passport Program. While the Passport only covers disabilities, the DTA process covers all 13 prohibited grounds under the Canadian Human Rights Act. Second, it is a collaborative process supported by Guidelines 254-3 Workplace Accommodation and is a well-known program across CSC, whereas the Passports are managed by employees only. A final major consideration is the nature of work within CSC, especially in the Regions. As the majority of CSC’s staff work in the operations, some of the provisions outlined in an employee’s Passport may not be applicable in certain positions.

Moving forward, if the Passport is implemented government wide, CSC will accept Passports from individual employees as part of its employee accommodation process.

Built environment

CSC’s built environment extends beyond its employees and also includes secure environments for offenders (i.e. federal institutions, parole offices, headquarters and other CSC facilities). The combination of a secure environment and the age of institutions makes renovations for accessibility complicated. Nevertheless, CSC has made progress in the area of built environment.

Given the complexities in creating and adapting a secure environment to be accessible, CSC was still in its planning stage in 2022 to 2023. As a result, timelines have been adjusted for the accessibility assessments that were to be completed in 2022. To address these complexities, the Accessibility Action Plan for the Built Environment was created in Spring 2023 and outlines CSC’s methodology and timelines for conducting accessibility assessments.

In Fall 2023, CSC engaged with Public Service and Procurement Canada (PSPC) in the Ontario Region to contract a consultant for the following:

• Use a representative sample in the Ontario Region consisting of nine sites to conduct preliminary accessibility assessments;
• Develop a survey to be completed by persons with disabilities (offenders, employees, and visitors); and, 
• Distribute surveys to the representative sample sites in the Ontario Region.

The consultant will develop accessibility design guidelines and other evaluation material for each site, which will become the assessment method for future facility accessibility assessments. These guidelines will be referenced and incorporated into all built environment standards and guidelines at CSC.

Additional accessibility considerations are incorporated into CSC’s 2020 to 2025 Accommodation Plan. A key area of focus in the Plan are efforts to address specialized population needs, which include accessibility requirements and accommodations for those with disabilities or age-related mobility challenges.

In 2018, CSC created a national policy framework to promote wellness and independence among its older persons in custody as a response to an aging offender population in federal custody. CSC conducted environmental scans in its institutions and the findings contributed to the accessibility considerations in the aforementioned Accommodation Plan.

The following is a sample list of on-going projects that have a significant accessibility component:

• The Health Centre of Excellence (HCoE) – a new center for health care in the Atlantic Region that will be fully accessible.
• New 50-bed unit at the Federal Training Centre (Quebec Region) – a unit that is designed for older offenders.
• 16 additional cells with three-sided bed access at Pacific Institution (Pacific Region) – the new cells will allow wheelchair access and allow health care staff better access to support patients.

Currently, CSC incorporates Canadian Standard Association (CSA) B651 Accessible Design standards into all designs for new builds or major renovations for existing facilities.

Site specific accessibility measures continue to be addressed on an as needed basis at specific institutions and needs are being actioned following internal reviews. For example, in the Ontario Region installed certain accessibility mechanisms in various institutions following consultations with stakeholders, including ramps, strobe lights, accessible doors, bathroom railings, etc.

Additionally, the Pacific Region has plans to include consultation as part of conducting a Regional Accessibility Review across all units and to develop a Regional Accessibility Plan over 2023 to 2025. This review will be multifaceted and address accessibility employment, information and communication technologies and built environment factors.

Information and communication technologies (ICT)

CSC has focused on incorporating accessibility to reduce barriers for employees, offenders, and the public in its software development. In 2022 to 2023, CSC designed, developed, tested, and implemented the CSC Accessibility Compliance Tool. This tool incorporates an industry leading open-source web application accessibility tool that allows CSC to review application source code, to identify accessibility barriers, and to provide advice and guidance to software developers on how to remediate their applications.

Additionally, CSC developed a web application Accessibility Compliance Roadmap and Project Plan that aims to establish an Accessibility Center of Expertise (CoE). The Accessibility CoE will support development teams by providing an accessibility compliance verification tool and recommendations on how to address non-compliance to the standard adopted by the Government of Canada.

A target was also set for the upcoming fiscal year to test 20 web applications for compliance against TBS standards. To date, this target has been surpassed, with testing completed on a total of 25 web applications. As part of the Workload Migration (WLM) project, three applications were remediated and are now deemed fully compliant with the standard.

CSC has also ensured that its applications meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards for its clients. As an example, the Victims Application Module (VAM) and the Victims Portal have been reviewed and deemed to meet accessibility requirements. The VAM and the Victims Portal have a field where the victim or the Victim Services Officer can identify any accessibility/accommodation needs for the victim (e.g., speak loudly and slowly when calling an aging victim; or increase the font size of our notification letters for a victim who has difficulty with their eyesight).

CSC is currently modernizing its Offender Management System (OMS) and obtained a solution that is compliant with the latest WCAG standards. The project team commenced demonstrating and promoting a prototype of the new software to various sectors for their input. This is a large-scale project for CSC, which will have an impact on the majority of CSC employees at all levels of the organization. Applying accessibility standards and ensuring proper consultation and collaboration will ensure its successful implementation. 

Communication, other than information and communication technologies

CSC communicates with offenders, employees, stakeholders, and members of the public through various methods, including e-mail, mail, communication products (pamphlets, fact sheets, memorandums, etc.) as well as through its website. CSC has made strides to ensure that employees are equipped to provide accessible communication, whether through making tools and resources available or through training.

Training

CSC has continued to leverage digital training strategies at various levels of the organization, including the use of digital workshops, online courses for offenders, second language training, and virtual healthcare services through healthcare for offenders. Employees are also made aware of training that are already available on the Canada School of Public Service Accessibility Learning Series, as well as other training on accessibility (e.g., Accessibility, Accommodation, and Adaptive Computer Technology program by Shared Services Canada). CSC is also considering creating mandatory training on Accessibility under its National Training Standard (NTS) for staff and managers. 

Intranet and internet accessibility

CSC has made efforts to ensure that its intranet (the Hub) and internet content meets or exceeds accessibility standards. To date, select staff have been trained to follow WCAG for all web related content.

CSC has also worked to further improve accessibility and overall quality consistency of the Hub. A review is underway of all employees with editor access, in an effort to reduce the number of inactive editors and ensure that those remaining are respecting accessibility guidelines and standards.

Additionally, a number of resources have been made available on the Hub to employees, including:

• Accessibility statements on the Hub indicating:
  • Government of Canada's (GoC) Standard on Web Accessibility, and
  • Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 AA.
• A section that describes what employees need to know about accessibility when communicating to ensure their communication products meet the GC’s accessibility standards. These include:
  • Accessible communications: information and tools to make communication products and activities accessible.
  • Guidelines on making communication products and activities accessible.
  • Maintaining accessibility on Hub pages: find resources to help sectors maintain the accessibility of their pages.
  • Why should hyperlinks be left-aligned: learn why left-aligned hyperlinks are user friendly and accessible.
  • Writing for the web- various games and activities to sharpen writing skills and other useful features.

For the external website, CSC will be migrating to Canada.ca. This migration will significantly enhance its Web team’s ability to manage and enforce web accessibility standards, as it is a template-based HTML application.

The migration will also result in a web management centralization exercise, whereby a single unit will be responsible for all content from design to publication, providing better consistency, as well as a faster turnaround time for edits and more efficient detect-and-correct function to ensure Web accessibility.

Documents and forms

Review and renewal of all CSC documents to ensure that they meet accessibility standards has also seen progress in 2022-2023. All sectors who are responsible for specific templates and policy documents continue to review and ensure that their documents are fully accessible for CSC employee use. This includes ensuring that print guidelines and a provision to request alternative formats are available.

CSC has been proactively reviewing all of its forms in order to convert to an accessible format. Over 98% of Word forms have been converted to PDF, with 55% of these forms already published. It is expected that all forms will be published by 2024-2025.

CSC’s forms management personnel have also received specific accessibility training to ensure design techniques are in compliance with WCAG 2.0 standards. Through collaboration with the department’s Communications team, both teams have worked to ensure that the use of Job Access with Speech (JAWS) software, a computer screen reader program, is compatible with Adobe Designer.

Mechanisms have also been developed to ensure that all forms that are published meet accessibility requirements and industry standards. These changes also impact externally facing documents and forms, so that CSC’s external clients have access to accessible forms and processes. For example, in 2022-2023, the Victim Services Division updated its Victim Registration and Victim Complaint forms. These forms can now be completed and submitted entirely online, along with an e-signature. 

Continued effort will be needed to bring awareness to ensure employees understand the importance of considering accessibility when creating new products and learn the current standards. CSC will bring greater awareness in the coming years to ensure that employees can contribute to the ongoing accessibility efforts in this area.

Procurement of goods, services and facilities

Through consultation, no barriers were identified in the area of procurement of goods, services and facilities. CSC will continue to monitor and receive feedback related to this area and should barriers arise, will address them in future planning and reporting.

Design and delivery of programs and services

CSC’s mandate is to contribute to public safety by actively encouraging and assisting offenders to become law-abiding citizens, while exercising reasonable, safe, secure, and humane control. Providing offenders with programming is central to CSC’s mandate as it contributes to successful reintegration. CSC strives to provide programming that is accessible to offenders, in accordance with their needs.

CSC has various mechanisms and policies in place to assess an offender’s needs, at all points of their sentence, to ensure that interventions remain accessible and to guide an offender to successful reintegration. As a part of the intake process, the responsivity of an offender is assessed, which determines the presence of one or multiple characteristics that influence the offender’s capacity to benefit from the targeted intervention.

The following factors are used to assess an offender’s responsivity:

• language barrier interferes with learning, work or intervention
• basic reading and/or writing skills problematic
• concentration problems are evident
• introverted/shy
• displays chronic anti-sociality
• may have a learning disability (LD)
• low self-esteem
• intellectually disabled
• may have other issues that would interfere with programming
• suicide attempts/self-injury history
• grief and loss
• has unique cultural communication style
• any other factor.

Any accessibility requirements will also be discussed during intake, especially in the area of housing. Accessibility requirements for designated resident bedrooms and support spaces will conform to relevant Canadian Standards Association for accessible design.

Throughout their supervision in the community, offenders are in constant communication with their Parole Officer (PO) to discuss new and current encounters and measures are taken to meet their immediate needs. The Initial Interview Checklist is meant to review offender needs and requirements in the community. If immediate needs are required, the PO can submit referrals for health services, including a social worker or psychological/psychiatric services or other professional health services or any professionals that can support the offender.

In relation to Correctional Programs, offenders are formally provided with opportunities to offer feedback on programs. This can occur when a new program is implemented or when revisions are made to an existing program. Formal feedback involves providing offenders with feedback forms, which are completed after a program is delivered. Offenders can also provide informal feedback to program facilitators regarding their accessibility needs. Facilitators are trained and supported in adjusting how programs are delivered so that an offender’s needs are met.

In institutions, offender committees act as intermediaries between the offenders and the institution to be able to raise issues including those related to accessibility. 

New initiatives and programs for offenders

There have been numerous revisions to and changes to programming available to offenders that have led to greater accessibility considerations.

Education programs

CSC is currently modernizing its education programs for offenders and working towards increasing offenders’ access to digital education. In 2020, CSC launched the Digital Education Project (DEP) pilot in the Ontario Region at one site. In 2022 to 2023, the pilot expanded to most minimum and medium security level institutions in the Ontario Region and to one institution in the Atlantic Region. The pilot provides an opportunity for CSC to innovate in the area of computer-assisted learning in a controlled manner and offers opportunities for offenders to gain foundational computer skills. The digital learning platform is able to meet the responsivity needs of offenders with disabilities and learning challenges.

Correctional programs

In fall 2022, enhancements were made to the OMS to document when an offender has a need for the Adapted Program. This program is specifically designed to meet the unique responsivity needs of offenders who are unable to meaningfully participate in a traditional correctional program environment. This enhancement created efficiencies for the management of correctional programs and improved data quality.

Correctional program materials, such as program manuals and participant workbooks, have been revised with consideration of the accessibility needs of offenders. Changes include simplifying language of content, clarifying handouts, modifying colours and shades, and making handouts available in multiple formats. These revised materials will be finalized by March 2024.

Social programs

CSC offers a variety of social programs to assist offenders to adjust to incarceration and prepare for community reintegration.

Two of CSC’s social programs have undergone revisions. The Community Integration Program (CIP) was revised in 2021 to 2022 and revisions to the Structured Intervention Unit’s Social Program (SIU-SP) have been finalized. Following surveys to staff in the regions, various changes were made to the programs’ content. Of these changes, the following relate to accessibility and responsivity and were added:

• clear instructions and useful examples;
• simple, clear writing style;
• the use of headings, sections and sub-sections to make documents easier to read/understand;
• use of graphics and images;
• clear and larger font;
• gender neutral wording;
• references to resources for offenders with literacy issues;
• accommodation strategies were suggested.

The content was rendered more accessible to Indigenous and ethnocultural offenders, as well as offenders with disabilities.

All programs

Program facilitators have access to a wide variety of Responsivity Kits available on CSC’s intranet. The Special Needs Resource Kit provides program staff with the tools needed to work and interact effectively with offenders with special needs in programs. Thorough revisions have been made to the information in the Special Needs Resource Kit, which were finalized in 2023 to 2024.

Transportation

Through consultation, no barriers were identified in the area of transportation. CSC will continue to monitor and receive feedback related to this area and should barriers arise, will address them in future planning and reporting.

Consultations

In October 2023, consultations were held with employees with disabilities and the Persons with Disabilities National Working Group. Consultation sessions were held virtually in order to accommodate all participants. Participants were provided with a copy of the draft Progress Report prior to the session, along with a list of questions to help guide their review. The questions asked during the sessions were as follows:

• What is your overall opinion of the progress report?
• Is the report simple, clear, and concise? Please share examples
• Were all the items outlined in the report relevant to the goals and items outlined in the 2022 to 2025 Accessibility Plan?
• In your opinion, what/where are some of the main areas that CSC has made progress?
• Is progress being made in other areas of CSC that has not been captured in the progress report?
• Is there more that CSC could do to improve accessibility? Please share your examples.
• Are there new questions that we should be including in future consultations?
• Do you have any comments outside of the questions outlined above?

Participants were also encouraged to express if they required an alternative format to provide their input if a virtual session was not appropriate for them. Written comments were also welcomed.

The consultation session with the National Working Group for Persons with Disabilities was scheduled for two hours and a total of 17 members participated.

A second one-hour consultation took place with employees with disabilities with a total of five participants. An additional three employees provided input in writing.

Overall, the comments regarding the progress made by CSC were optimistic: however, it was noted that the following areas still required improvement:

Self-identification

Self-identification was a key point in the consultation as it was noted that there are a lot of challenges that prevent employees from self-identifying as a person with a disability. While the new TBS self-identification platform may allow for a better definition of what it means to have a disability, concerns related to stigma remain. Furthermore, employees may not feel comfortable with the idea of self-identifying and becoming a data-point or statistic. The working group acknowledged that with the new platform, CSC will need to build awareness and understanding with clear communication from TBS on how it will be used.

Canadian Workplace Accessibility Passport

The status of Canadian Workplace Accessibility Passport (Passport) was also a point of interest. It was noted that the Passport is beneficial as it is employee driven and supports employees in their conversations with their managers on accessibility and accommodations. It was reiterated that CSC will continue to support the Passport Program; however, assessments are currently taking place on how to expand into the regions, especially for operational staff.

Transportation

At the time of drafting CSC’s Accessibility Plan, no specific barriers related to transportation were identified. The working group did raise concerns related to the number of useable accessible vehicles to escort offenders for hospital appointments, which, at times, led to appointment cancellations and delays in care. This is an area that will need to be further examined and incorporated into CSC’s accessibility considerations in order to address these barriers.

Offender needs

It is evident from the consultations that there remain various offender needs that continue to cause barriers in offender care. Many of these barriers are linked to providing accessibility in a secure environment. For example, Bluetooth devices are not supported within institutions, which prevents more progressive accessible devices from being used, i.e., hearing aids that can connect to a television, or Bluetooth-enabled insulin pump therapy.

It is clear that CSC will need to continue to analyze how to provide the most up-to-date accessibility considerations for the offender population, while still operating within a secure environment.

Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+)

GBA+ considerations were also raised during the discussion, which is an intersectional based analysis that looks at various factors, including gender, that may impact policies, programs, and other initiatives. While GBA+ was not a specific focus in this progress report, this is an area that will be investigated by CSC in the future, especially to determine whether there is a disparity between progress in accessibility based on gender. 

Feedback

For 2022-2023, the majority of feedback that was received related to the organization’s barriers in the areas of accommodation and the built environment.

For accommodations, in certain Regions, employees have experienced barriers that have caused delays in accommodations. Specifically, concerns have been raised regarding interdepartmental communication. Continuing a “yes-by-default” approach in these areas will likely remedy some of these barriers.

In terms of the built environment, in the Ontario Region, feedback based on the needs of employees with disabilities was taken into consideration when identifying priority projects for institutions. This included submitting project requests for the installation of accessible doors for specific buildings. Recent feedback from offender unit representatives and committees also highlighted specific barriers within institutions that will be considered for future accessibility builds, including railings, bars, door openers, and ramps.

Feedback has also been received and incorporated in the emergency evacuation plans for CSC buildings and facilities.

In Fall 2023, CSC implemented an official feedback mechanism on the Hub and external website. The launch of the process was promoted amongst staff and efforts were made to ensure that external stakeholders (volunteers, victims, etc.) were aware that they may provide CSC feedback on the implementation of the Plan and overall accessibility barriers. To date, CSC has not received specific feedback on the implementation of the Plan.

Annex A: Action Plan

CSC’s Accessibility Plan addresses five dpartmental goals, which are outlined in the Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service (2019). Each goal captures the actions that CSC will undertake to identify, remove, and prevent barriers to accessibility. A summary of the goals and objectives are as follows:

• Goal 1: Improve recruitment, retention and promotion of persons with disabilities by:
  1. Planning strategically to hire a diverse workforce;
  2. Removing and preventing barriers during recruitment and staffing processes;
  3. Developing and promoting persons with disabilities employed at CSC; and,
  4. Supporting a culture of inclusion.
• Goal 2: Enhance the accessibility of the built environment by:
  1. Reviewing accessibility standards in consultation with persons with disabilities;
  2. Developing an accessibility assessment strategy and facility assessments;
  3. Providing the necessary resources to address gaps identified by facility accessibility assessments; and,
  4. Reviewing the accessibility of emergency evacuation plans.
• Goal 3: Make information and communications technology usable by all through:
  1. A review of technology systems;
  2. The promotion and awareness of digital accessibility standards; and,
  3. The application of accessibility standards in all documents.
• Goal 4: Equip public servants to design and deliver accessible programs and services by:
  1. Providing tools to employees and managers;
  2. Identifying and removing accessibility barriers for offenders; and,
  3. Preventing accessibility barriers in the workplace.
• Goal 5: Build an accessibility-confident public service by:
  1. Providing resources and leadership to employees and managers on accessibility;
  2. Normalizing individual accountability for accessibility; and,
  3. Improving CSC’s accessibility culture, learning and innovation.

The following outlines the status of each activity in fiscal year 2022 to 2023.

Goal 1: Improve recruitment, retention, and promotion of persons with disabilities

Item 1: Planning strategically to hire a diverse workforce.

Item 2: Removing and preventing barriers during recruitment and staffing processes.

Item 3: Developing and promoting persons with disabilities employed at CSC.

Item 4: Supporting a culture of inclusion.

Goal 2: Enhance the accessibility of the built environment

Item 1: Reviewing accessibility standards in consultation with persons with disabilities.

Item 2: Developing an accessibility assessment strategy and facility assessments.

Item 3: Providing the necessary resources to address gaps identified by facility accessibility assessments.

Item 4: Reviewing the accessibility of emergency evacuation plans.

Goal 3: Make information and communications technology usable by all

Item 1: Reviewing technology systems.

Item 2: Promoting awareness of digital accessibility standards.

Item 3: Applying accessibility standards in all documents.

Goal 4: Equip public servants to design and deliver accessible programs and services

Item 1: Providing tools to employees and managers.

Item 2: For offenders: identifying and removing accessibility barriers.

Item 3: Preventing accessibility barriers in the workplace.

Goal 5: Build an accessibility-confident public service

Item 1: Providing resources and leadership to employees and managers on accessibility.

Item 2: Normalizing individual accountability for accessibility.

Item 3: Improving CSC’s accessibility culture, learning and innovation.