Guidance on the Accessible Canada Regulations – Consulting persons with disabilities

From: Employment and Social Development Canada

Overview

This guidance will help federally regulated entities understand the planning and reporting requirements set by the Accessible Canada Regulations. They also contain additional tips, best practices, and resources that may inspire entities to go farther in eliminating barriers to accessibility.

This guidance addresses how entities must consult persons with disabilities in preparing their accessibility plans and progress reports. The guidance also includes annexes that address:

Additional guidance and resources include:

Important notice

The regulations set different deadlines by which different federally regulated entities must publish their first accessibility plans. These deadlines depend on the entities’ function and size. Entities should keep these deadlines in mind as they plan their consultations.

  • Government entities – including departments, agencies, Crown corporations, or government-related entities such as the Canadian Forces or Parliamentary entities – must publish their first accessibility plans by December 31, 2022
  • Large federally regulated private sector entities with an average of 100 or more employees must publish their first accessibility plans by June 1, 2023
  • Small federally regulated private sector entities with an average of between 10 and 99 employees must publish their first accessibility plans by June 1, 2024

Read sections 1, 2 and 3 of the Accessible Canada Regulations to learn which entities may be exempt from these requirements.

Who this guide is for

This guidance is intended for those to whom the Accessible Canada Act applies, including:

  • Government of Canada entities, including departments and agencies
  • Crown corporations
  • every portion of the federal public administration designated under subsection 7(3) of the ACA
  • the Canadian Forces
  • parliamentary entities
  • federally regulated private sector entities

In this guide

Alternate formats

Large print, braille, MP3 (audio), e-text and DAISY formats are available on demand by ordering online or calling 1 800 O-Canada (1-800-622-6232). If you use a teletypewriter (TTY), call 1-800-926-9105.

summary of the Guidance on the Accessible Canada Regulations: Consulting persons with disabilities is also available.

Details and history

Published: July 2022

For assistance

If you have questions or comments about the Accessible Canada Regulations, including about how they will be enforced, please contact the office of the Accessibility Commissioner. The Commissioner’s office is open Monday to Friday, 8:00AM to 8:00PM (Eastern Time). You can contact the Commissioner’s office by the following means:

Page details

Date modified: