Accessibility Standards Canada
Letter on Implementation of the Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion

Summer 2021 update

Dear Ms. Charette,

This letter aims at informing how Accessibility Standards Canada will put into effect the Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity, and Inclusion.

Diversity and inclusion are at the core of Accessibility Standards Canada’s mandate. They form the driving principle behind everything we do. We commit to fighting racism and hearing all voices to make Canada accessible.

Accessibility Standards Canada is only two years old. The Accessible Canada Act created us in July 2019. Our mandate is to develop and revise accessibility standards and fund research to inform their development. I lead the organisation as Chief Executive Officer. The organisation is overseen by a Board of Directors. The majority of our Board members are people with disabilities.

We are proud to be the first federal organisation led by a majority of people with disabilities. We strive to reflect this diversity in our workforce as we build a strong and talented team.

Actions

We value the knowledge that comes with lived experience. That is why our leaders champion hiring people from underrepresented groups. This includes members of the disability community. This has set the tone for hiring managers, the human resources team, and employees as we build this new organisation.

We use recruiting practices aimed at attracting people with disabilities. For example:

• We set hiring goals that exceed labour market availability;
• We reach out to organizations to source new talent pools;
• We use external advertising aimed at people with disabilities and other equity seeking groups;
• We collaborate with interdepartmental working groups that have the same hiring goals;
• We use government programs and initiatives, such as the Public Service Commission’s student programs;
• We created an accessible physical workspace. This includes individual accommodation based on the nature of the disability.

We support employees with disabilities by doing the following:

• We work with them to identify their needs and accommodate them;
• We provide flexible work hours, as needed;
• We offer various employment status and developmental opportunities;
• We continue to improve the accessibility of the workplace;
• We ensure day-to-day tools like job posters, communication tools and products, letters of offer, and our external website are accessible.

We make diversity a focus when we engage with the public to inform our priorities. We engage with the disability community. This includes people with disabilities from different communities and ethnic backgrounds.

We strive to attract diverse members with diverse backgrounds for our technical committees. This is to ensure the standards they develop reflect all of Canadian society.

Over the past year, we engaged with Indigenous organizations. We work to ensure they know about the opportunities we offer. These include serving on a technical committee and receiving research funding. It also includes seeking their input to inform our priorities.

Measurement and Results

How We Measure Success

• We encourage employees to self-identify. We regularly benchmark our representation data against labour market availability;
• We encourage employees to complete the Public Service Employee Survey. If needed, we work to correct any issues raised; 
• We interview departing employees to understand why they are leaving;
• During hiring interviews, we ask questions to confirm the candidates’ cultural fit and desire to join our organisation.

Achievements

We are proud of what we have achieved in less than two years:

• People with disabilities make up 24.3% of our workforce. This is well above labour market availability, as confirmed by Statistics Canada.
• Women make up 59.5% of our workforce.
• Members of visible minorities make up 13.5% of our workforce.
• We have recruited highly qualified people from equity-seeking groups. This includes people with disabilities and members of visible minorities. Many now work across our organization, including in management.

Going forward, we will ensure that staffing plans continue to support strong representation of designated groups.  This includes Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, members of visible minorities, and other underrepresented groups. We will continue to assess gaps in representation.

At present, we have four technical committees made up of experts working to develop standards. These standards relate to outdoor spaces, plain language, employment, and emergency egress (exit). Among these experts:

• 51% are people with disabilities
• 60% are women, 39% are men, 1% self-identify as other
• 17% are visible minorities

We have engaged with Indigenous organizations. As a result, research proposals from Indigenous groups made up 21% of the total funds received this year. This compares with 2% last year.

Some of these research projects are examining accessibility in Indigenous communities. This will ensure the standards we develop include their perspectives.

Challenges and Barriers

• As a micro-organization in its second year of existence, we lack historical data to measure our recruiting efforts. We know that more effort is required.
• When we use Government of Canada internal recruiting processes, we must compete with larger organizations for the same talent pool.
• Our managers face operational pressures. They need to build capacity quickly. This discourages the use of external advertising, as that process takes longer. As a result, they often fall back on their own networks to find staff. This limits the size of the talent pool. It also limits opportunities for diverse individuals to join us.
• Individual bias can interfere with the candidate selection process. To counter this, we have selection panels that include at least three people. We also offer bias awareness training.
• Many of our staff are people with disabilities. Thus, we try to make all work tools and practices accessible. This is our priority. Still, some barriers remain for those with diverse disabilities. We therefore assist these employees individually.

The Call to Action

Success is more likely when staff are involved from the start. In February 2021, we invited all staff to suggest activities, training, and awareness opportunities to support the Call to Action.

As we have fewer than 50 employees, we are able to hold meetings with all staff every two weeks. This enables everyone to discuss workplace culture, diversity, and inclusion regularly and openly. It also allows everyone to complete training together. This includes training on reconciliation and accessibility.

Also, we encourage staff to complete surveys, such as the Public Service Employee Survey. This helps managers learn where more action is required. 

Momentum

We need to sustain momentum and foster the inclusive environment we strive for. To do this, we are applying a diversity lens to our human resources management plans. This includes the following measures:

Management

• Have executives and managers promote diversity initiatives;
• Create a charter to formalize our commitment to anti-racism, equity, and inclusion;
• Provide employees with ways to openly discuss racism and intersectionality;
• Find ways for managers and employees to champion diversity, equity, and inclusion;
• Encourage staff from equity-seeking groups to take part in Mentorship Plus, a program that supports career progression in the federal public service.

Learning

• Promote training on diversity and inclusion. Go beyond what is compulsory;
• Introduce a speaker series so that staff can learn from diverse voices.
• Have all staff take mandatory training on unconscious bias.

Recruitment

• Develop a multi-year staffing plan that factors in turnover rates. Ensure it integrates talent management with succession planning.
• Continue participating in interdepartmental networks and working groups that focus on hiring people with disabilities. Participate in other targeted recruitment efforts.
• Use federal programs that support diversity for short-term contracts (for example, the Federal Internship for Newcomers Program and the First Nations and Inuit Summer Work Experience Program).
• Create tools that remove bias in the screening and selection process.
• Share job opportunities with diversity groups within the federal network. These include the Federal Black Employees Network, the Network of Asian Federal Employees, and the Indigenous Federal Employee Network.
• Continue to reach out to grassroots organizations and networks. Make sure they know about our mandate and how to participate on a technical committee. Make them aware of funding opportunities.

Consultation

• Engage employees when implementing our response to the Call for Action.
• Gather employee suggestions for improvement.

Measuring Results

We will gather data that measure progress:

• Ensure the members of technical committee bring a range of perspectives. Work to find more Black and Indigenous candidates.
• Give potential committee members with disabilities the opportunity to self-identify if they belong to other equity-seeking groups.

We are committed to anti-racism, equity, and inclusion in everything we do. This includes our approach to public service renewal. We will identify a champion to promote diversity and inclusion at Accessibility Standards Canada and beyond.

Year 3 is on the horizon. Together, we will continue to:

• work to remove barriers
• collaborate with people with disabilities
• advance anti-racism, equity, and inclusion

This is the only way to build a truly accessible Canada.

Yours sincerely,

Philip Rizcallah
Chief Executive Officer