2024 Public Health Agency of Canada Accessibility Progress Report

Table of Contents

• Foreword
  • Message from the President and Executive Vice-President
• About the Public Health Agency of Canada
• General
  • Summary
• Areas in Section 5 of the Accessible Canada Act
  • Employment
  • The Built Environment
  • Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
  • Communication, other than ICT
  • The Procurement of Goods, Services and Facilities
  • The Design and Delivery of Programs and Services
  • Transportation
  • Culture
• Consultations
  • External Consultations
  • Public Health Agency of Canada Persons with Disabilities Network
  • Accessibility Steering Committee
• Feedback
  • How Feedback was Collected
  • What We Heard
• Conclusion

Foreword

Message from the President and Executive Vice-President

We are pleased to share with you the second Public Health Agency of Canada Accessibility Progress Report. This annual report demonstrates our ongoing commitment to improving accessibility and inclusion for all, including through the services we provide to the people of Canada as noted in the Public Health Agency of Canada 2022-2025 Accessibility Plan.

This year marks the Public Health Agency of Canada's 20th anniversary, an important milestone which reminds us of the valuable work the Agency has done to establish itself as a world leader in health promotion, disease prevention and control, health protection, research, and health policy, to help Canada become one of the healthiest countries in the world.

In 2024, the focus for accessibility was to build on the foundation laid in 2023 and to continue shifting towards a culture of full inclusivity and accessibility. Collaborating with our partners and the Public Health Agency Persons with Disabilities Network, we are making progress in removing barriers for persons with disabilities.

This second report is the early stage of our journey to create a more inclusive and accessible environment for everyone by 2040. We all have a responsibility to create change, and much work remains to be done.

Thank you.

Heather Jeffrey (she/her)
President of the Public Health Agency of Canada

Nancy Hamzawi (she/her)
Executive Vice-President of the Public Health Agency of Canada

About the Public Health Agency of Canada

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) encompasses a range of activities which focus on protecting the people of Canada against threats to public health, preventing and reducing diseases and injury, and promoting health, well-being and equity.

The role of the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is to

• promote health;
• prevent and control chronic diseases and injuries;
• prevent and control infectious diseases; and
• prepare for and respond to public health emergencies.

The Agency serves as a central point for sharing Canada's expertise with the rest of the world. As such, its role is also to

• strengthen public health collaboration between governments;
• facilitate national approaches to public health policy and planning; and
• apply international research and development to Canada's public health programs.

General

Under a Shared Services Partnership, the Accessibility Readiness Team (ART) at Health Canada (HC) is responsible for reporting on progress made in the implementation of the PHAC Accessibility Plan in accordance with regulations under the Accessible Canada Act and direction provided in the Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada. The team is also responsible for the feedback process and reporting on feedback received.

To request this Progress Report, the PHAC Accessibility Plan, or the feedback process description in an alternate format, or to provide feedback, please contact the Director of ART in one of the following ways:

Contact: Director of the Accessibility Readiness Team

Mail: Public Health Agency of Canada Accessibility Feedback
70 Columbine Dr; Brooke Claxton Building
Address Locator 0907D
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0K9
Email: art-epa@hc-sc.gc.ca

Toll free telephone: 1-833-725-2751
Teletypewriter: 1-800-465-7735 (Service Canada)

In 2022, PHAC launched a feedback tool to receive, acknowledge and address the feedback received about accessibility. Internal processes are also in place to monitor, report on, and incorporate the feedback related to barriers. Feedback received will be acknowledged in the same manner in which it was received unless it was submitted anonymously.

To submit feedback related to the Plan, Progress Report, feedback tool, or accessibility barriers faced when dealing with PHAC, please visit the Accessibility Feedback Form page.

Summary

The Accessible Canada Act (the Act) requires all Government of Canada organisations to publish an Accessibility Plan every three years and a Progress Report annually. These reports outline how each organisation will remove barriers, and demonstrate the progress they are making to be barrier-free by 2040. The current document is PHAC's second Progress Report, and it outlines progress under the commitments and activities to identify, remove, and prevent barriers in eight priority areas.

In keeping with the "Nothing Without Us" Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada, which aims to build the Public Service into a model of what an inclusive and accessible employer can and should be, ART and the Offices of Primary Interest (OPIs), in consultation with the PHAC Persons with Disabilities Network (PWDN), developed realistic and achievable activities to address barriers in the eight priority areas. Key themes from these consultations included access to training, mentorship, subject matter expertise, and building on previous progress to further remove barriers.

PHAC maintains a feedback process that allows employees and people of Canada to share feedback on barriers faced when interacting with the Agency, the Accessibility Plan, and the Progress Reports. Because of the deadline for publication, the first progress report only covered feedback from the first eight months of 2023. This second report includes feedback from the last four months of 2023 and the first eight months of 2024. PHAC uses suggestions from the feedback to improve accessibility in the workplace and in its policies, programs, and services. This feedback will also help shape the next Accessibility Plan, which will be published in 2025.

Areas in Section 5 of the Accessible Canada Act

ART held consultations with the PHAC PWDN in the winter of 2024 on each of the eight priority areas within the Accessibility Plan to review and seek feedback on proposed activities. Building on the foundational work completed in year one, these sessions focused on identifying areas for improvement and ensuring that proposed actions aligned with the lived experiences of employees with disabilities. PHAC uses this feedback for each of the eight priority areas to guide its work on improving accessibility in the workplace and in its policies, programs, and services. This feedback also helps shape the next Accessibility Plan.

Employment

PHAC's employment objective is centered on ensuring access to jobs and long-term career prospects for persons with disabilities. The organization's commitments focus on working collaboratively with stakeholders on inclusive and accessible approaches to improve the recruitment experience of persons with disabilities and provide an accessible and barrier-free workplace. In addition, the biennial Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) results guide the work for all priority areas of accessibility and will be used to measure Agency progress in achieving the goals and commitments outlined in the Accessibility Plan. The PSES is a critical tool that provides information to help improve people management practices in the federal public service.

Commitment: Working with the PHAC PWDN and key disability stakeholders, revise staffing and assessment tools, approaches and resources to ensure they are accessible and inclusive.

• All managers must complete the Public Service Commission's (PSC) Tool to Mitigating Biases and Barriers in Assessments for all advertised staffing processes. Managers can use this tool for non-advertised processes or choose the All-In-One Non-Advertised Appointment Form, an in-house option for non-advertised processes. The tool helps managers review their assessment methods to find and reduce biases or barriers, ensuring fair assessments. While it's not required for non-merit-based appointments, managers are encouraged, as part of their sub-delegation training, to apply these principles when hiring casuals, students, and other non-merit-based hires. Staffing Advisors are also trained on these tools and assist by reviewing both the assessment tools and the manager's evaluation form before they are finalized.
• The use of the Attestation of Impartiality Diversity Form (AIDF) is an ongoing requirement for all advertised processes and is included in the Manager's Staffing Checklist. To date, 100% of board members in monitored staffing processes have completed the form.
• The Staffing Policy Centre has reviewed its staffing and assessment tools and policies to ensure they follow accessibility content and format, including bulletins, presentations and staffing checklists and amended as needed in order to ensure the content was accessible. For specialized recruitment processes, feedback from employee networks was solicited to ensure Statement of Merit Criteria forms and assessment materials were inclusive and barrier free. Significant changes were incorporated into the final documents based on their comments. Network chairs were also invited to participate in assessment boards. The collaboration process with the networks was positive and effective.

Commitment: Support managers in meeting or exceeding PHAC hiring targets using an enhanced recruitment experience.

• The Persons with Disabilities Specialized Recruitment team continues to support PHAC with enhanced service delivery to supply managers with candidates and ease the administrative burden of external hiring. To date in fiscal year 2024-25, the Agency has hired 12 out of the target of 36 net new hires. In fiscal year 2023-24, it exceeded its target of 21 net new hires with 38 hires.

Commitment: Enable career success and progression of employees with disabilities through onboarding, training, access to accommodations, talent management and mentorship.

• PHAC has continued to add resources to support career mobility for employees with disabilities. The Mentorship Plus Program successfully matched 86% (12 matched, 2 unmatched) of employees with disabilities seeking mentorship or sponsorship. The program provides one on one advice on career development and workplace challenges for mentees and protégés with disabilities.

The Built Environment

PHAC is working to modernize its built environment to meet or exceed national accessibility standards by 2040. With many public servants returning to the office, focus has been on collaborating with Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) regarding new facility accessible fit-ups and construction; as well as engaging with internal and external stakeholders to identify and remove barriers.

Commitment: Work with PSPC to ensure that all new facility fit-ups/construction are accessible; implement an assessment process for existing facilities to identify potential accessibility upgrades to be incorporated into planned/future projects.

PHAC remains committed to ensuring that all new facility fit-ups/construction result in a more accessible workplace:

• New Facility Projects and Renovations: The Office Accommodation Project Advisory Committee ensured that all four of four new facility fit-ups and construction projects aligned with accessibility standards as part of the 2024-25 fiscal year planning.
• Existing Facilities: PHAC began to work with PSPC to review the accessibility of its occupied spaces. This ongoing work will identify areas where accessibility can be improved through Accessibility Condition Reviews.

Commitment: Continuously engage internal and external stakeholders to identify and remove barriers to the built environment and use innovative or novel technologies to support accessibility.

• Employee feedback continues to play a key role in advancing efforts to remove barriers in PHAC workplaces. Client service portals remain valuable tools for employees to report accessibility challenges in the workplace. The Portal has received one piece of accessibility feedback during this fiscal year, relating to the availability of client lockers in the workplace. The OPI is considering this feedback as a means to support the return to office for PHAC employees.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

PHAC's ICT Accessibility Team is committed to strengthening the level of accessibility of new systems and applications for all users, improving support for the development and procurement of new software, and promoting accessibility awareness. The PHAC ICT Accessibility Team is working to acquire an inventory of existing PHAC websites to be assessed and prioritized. The Team is also strengthening internal policies and procedures to support accessible ICT.

Commitment: Strengthen the current level of accessibility of ICT at PHAC by continuing to ensure new (internal and public facing) systems, including internally developed or procured hardware and software, meet modern accessibility standards.

• As of August 19, 2024, the Chief Information Officer (CIO) signed 16 Accessibility Impact Assessments (AIA) for newly released applications. There are currently an additional seven applications being routed for signatures. AIAs outline risks and issues and provide a recommendation on implementation to the CIO.
• An updated Directive for Software Procurement and use of Software Tools and Services was brought to the Chief Information Office Committee (CIOC) in August 2024 for approval. The new process and directive include requirements for accessibility.
• The Digital Transformation Branch is updating its software standards, beginning with the development tools commonly used across the organization. The updated standards will ensure that IT security and accessibility requirements are fully addressed before designating any products as ready to use.

Commitment: Improve accessibility support (guidance and advice) to users in the development and procurement and acquisition of new software.

• PHAC held eleven information sessions on the requirement of accessibility in the procurement and acquisition of new software.
• PHAC hired five new students and one term employee in April 2024 and have been trained to assist with accessibility testing for the remainder of the fiscal year.

Commitment: Promote accessibility awareness across the Agency by providing training and raising awareness to foster an accessibility-first mindset for all IT projects.

• Mandatory training courses for senior management have been implemented on a trial basis at the directorate level for fiscal year 2024-25. The next phase will extend to the branch level, allowing more employees to access this important training.
• Four Screen Reader Workshops (three in English, one in French) have been held since April 2024. English sessions had an average of 14 attendees. 12 people attended the French session. Of the three English sessions, one was a custom session requested by the Outbreak Management Division.
• A service catalogue for accessibility training is being created and will be shared across PHAC in February 2025.

Commitment: Strengthen the accessibility governance and process by developing internal policies and procedures for accessible ICT.

• The ICT Accessibility Committee was recently created and will contribute to the development of a strategy for hardware/software to address gaps in accessibility, along with the ICT Lead and the Accessibility Centre of Expertise.

Communication, other than ICT

PHAC is building an environment where everyone can readily access and understand communication materials; this means that content should be accessible by default, wherever possible. As part of this commitment, the Agency is working to provide products and organize events in accessible formats.

Commitment: Ensure PHAC external digital content and new internal digital content are accessible by default.

PHAC has made significant strides in ensuring both internal and external digital content meet accessibility standards:

• The Communications and Public Affairs Branch (CPAB) held a session on user experience and accessibility for the Young Professionals Network, in the latter half of the reporting period.
• The Intranet team upgraded the site technology and redesigned its templates enhancing compliance with usability and accessibility standards.

Commitment: Provide Agency communications products and events in accessible formats.

PHAC has taken important steps to ensure that agency communication products and events are accessible to all, with a focus on inclusive formats and services.

• The Internal Communications team produced several accessible items:
  • 26 employee messages;
  • three newsletters; and
  • two townhall events for employees with closed captioning and simultaneous interpretation in English, French, ASL and LSQ.
• Closed Captions were provided for 100% of all internally produced videos posted on the Canada.ca video gallery, YouTube channel, X, and Facebook. Described Video versions were added when required (all videos produced internally were reviewed to determine this requirement). While sign language versions were not yet available, web-equivalent information was consistently provided.
• Accessible Microsoft (MS) Word and PowerPoint templates with the new corporate look were created, along with instructions for making documents accessible. These resources are now available to all employees through the Intranet and Office 365.
• The Creative Services team followed accessibility best practices by using agency resources and checklists. These tools were also promoted to their internal clients.
• CPAB supported 60 ministerial events between September 2023 and August 2024. Simultaneous interpretation (SI) and sign language were provided for one out of four qualifying events, where planning timelines and availability of service providers allowed. SI was provided for all four press conferences and technical briefings held at the National Press Theatre.
• Efforts to improve accessibility in President communications—through emails, newsletters, town halls, and other platforms—were fully implemented, with 100% of initiatives meeting accessibility standards. Collaboration with the Internal Communications Advisory Network and the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Mental Health Division has further promoted accessible practices at the Branch and Network level.

The Procurement of Goods, Services and Facilities

The objective for PHAC procurement is to implement modern procurement practices for accessible goods, services, and facilities. In the Accessibility Plan, PHAC committed to incorporating accessibility into processes and documents, as well as increasing awareness of accessibility through training and guidance.

Commitment: Incorporate accessibility into procurement and contracting documents, templates, and guidance.

• PHAC has completed its first review of five internal procurement tools and templates to ensure accessibility. Updated, accessible versions have been implemented, and new documents and guidance have been created to meet recent Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) policy changes, such as conflict of interest declarations. This ongoing work reflects the agency's commitment to maintaining accessible documents, templates, and guidance.

Commitment: Increase awareness amongst procurement officers and cost center managers to consider accessibility from the start of a procurement process through training, information sessions, or guidance documentation.

• PHAC ensures that accessibility is considered from the start of the procurement process. To achieve this, the Agency has made accessibility training mandatory for Procurement Officers as part of their job performance. These officers are also participating in PSPC Agents of Change for Accessible Procurement network. Additionally, PHAC is updating the Procurement Operations intranet site to include important accessibility resources from PSPC and PHAC internal forums.

The Design and Delivery of Programs and Services

PHAC's objective is to design accessible programs and services in consultation with persons with disabilities. The Agency has committed to building its internal capacity to better design and deliver programs and services in an accessible way.

Commitment: Build capacity to consult, develop, design, deliver and evaluate accessible and inclusive programs and services.

• ART identified over 70 services delivered by PHAC and created a distribution list of Programs and Services (P&S) leads with a total of 81 contacts. ART received a 96% response rate after asking all PHAC directorates to confirm their services and identify at least one lead for each. With no central office for programs and services, the distribution list keeps leads across the Agency connected, and bridges gaps in knowledge of how to make services accessible. A bi-monthly newsletter—which began in April 2024—is sent to this distribution list. The list is the basis for the Accessible Programs and Services Community of Practice (P&S CoP) membership.
• The purpose of the quarterly P&S CoP is to facilitate knowledge sharing, discussion and collaborative problem-solving related to accessibility. The P&S CoP held it's inaugural meeting on June 19, 2024 with over 70 participants, including some from the PHAC PWDN. Important topics were discussed, including hosting accessible meetings and empowering inclusion through accessibility.
• The MS Team for the Accessible P&S CoP was launched in August 2024 and serves as a forum where members can connect, ask questions, access meeting materials, presentation recordings and more.

Commitment: Integrate accessibility features into new and existing programs and services.

• To integrate accessibility into programs and services, PHAC is incorporating requirements on accessibility-related considerations into Memorandum to Cabinet (MC) and Treasury Board (TB) submissions. This year, the first step was to make the MC and TB submission process more accessible for employees by completing accessibility reviews of templates and documents (e.g.: attestation forms). Attestation groups shared their templates and documents used for MC and TB submissions. ART reviewed four templates and provided guidance to improve accessibility.

Transportation

Assessing accessibility requirements for the PHAC fleet vehicles, focusing on current and future accessibility standards, and ensuring fleet purchases meet the standards are PHAC priorities in the Accessibility Plan.

Commitment: Identify any potential accessibility features available that can be included in new fleet vehicle acquisitions.

• Work was completed to determine and evaluate potential accessibility features that may be available for inclusion in new fleet vehicle acquisition. Employee input and experience has been key in identifying the most valuable accessibility features that could be considered for fleet vehicle acquisition. As accessibility barriers are individual in nature, the lines of communication remain open with the PWDN to continue to consider accessible feature input for fleet vehicles.

Commitment: Implement any new accessibility standards relating to fleet vehicles as prescribed by Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) and PSPC.

• PHAC continues to support PSPC/TBS as they review fleet accessibility standards.

Culture

PHAC envisions a culture that supports all persons with disabilities, proactively eliminates and prevents barriers, and creates greater opportunities for persons with disabilities through a "Nothing Without Us" approach. As a priority area in the 2022-2025 Accessibility Plan, PHAC committed to building an accessibility-informed culture that fosters an inclusive work environment through trainings that cover topics such as document accessibility, accessible meetings and events and how to best support accommodation needs. The Agency is also committed to supporting employees so that they have the knowledge and tools to become accessibility-confident which is defined as the ability of organizations to manage disability as a business priority related to customer experience, talent, productivity, innovation, new product development, brand reputation, and investment in human potential.

Commitment: Promote an accessibility-informed culture that creates a positive, inclusive workplace.

• As part of PHAC's internal communications and engagement plan, employee networks were offered update presentations on accessibility progress to date. These presentations included a call to action and provided resources for staff to enhance their knowledge. The presentations were also available on request to branches and directorates, reaching 144 participants between March and June, 2024.
• The first quarterly Accessibility Newsletter was emailed to all staff in May 2024 to coincide with National AccessAbility Week. The newsletter provided employees with helpful tips and best practices, spotlights the ongoing work by the OPIs and branches and clears up some common myths about accessibility. The second issue was sent in September to tie into the International Day of Sign Languages.
• Starting in 2023, ART became the Agency's lead for the annual PHAC International Day for Persons with Disabilities event. For the 2023 event, ART collaborated with the PHAC PWDN to host Culture Change in the Workplace. The guest speaker, Aria Mia Loberti, an actor from the Netflix series All the Light We Cannot See, shared her experiences as a person with a disability, the workplace barriers she encountered, and how to foster a more inclusive environment. The event was well-received, attracting nearly 1,500 attendees. A recording is available on the Accessibility Hub via the Intranet and has 264 views to date.

Commitment: Ensure all PHAC employees have the knowledge and tools to become accessibility confident through training and engagement.

• The Accessibility Hub on the PHAC Intranet, is regularly updated as new events, resources, and tools become available. The Hub acts as a central resource for employees to share feedback, learn about best practices, and find ways to advance accessibility in the workplace. This year, the Office of Public Service Accessibility (OPSA) undertook a review of Accessibility Progress Reports. They recognized PHAC for creating the Accessibility Hub and for launching an icon on employee desktops to link directly to this central resource. Senior management highlighted these initiatives as strong examples of advancing accessibility, which other Government of Canada (GC) organizations may consider implementing. Multiple federal organizations have shown interest in these activities and have contacted to ART for more information.
• The PHAC Update on the Implementation of the Clerk's Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity, and Inclusion Q4 of 2023-2024 also highlighted the Accessibility Hub and desktop icon. This recognition reflects the Agency's commitment to advancing accessibility and strengthening inclusion in the workplace.
• An Employee Accessibility Playbook was posted to the Intranet in June 2024. This practical guide offers tips and actionable items to help employees pivot and adapt to change as PHAC moves towards the goal of a barrier free workplace. The Playbook is evergreen and will be revised as the GC updates its accessibility standards.
• The accessibility chatbot is a new initiative proposed by ART to advance accessibility. It would be made available on the Intranet and would allow employees to ask accessibility related questions. ART has gathered and created many accessibility resources for employees, and a chatbot would help employees navigate them. ART is working with the Office of the Chief Data Officer to explore the feasibility of this project.
• In 2024, ART launched a series of events called Diverse Perspectives of Employees with Disabilities, where employees with disabilities share their experiences on life in the workplace. There have been three sessions in 2024, each with over 80 participants. Feedback has been positive, with high engagement from attendees. All sessions were recorded and shared on the Accessibility Hub. ASL and LSQ interpreters were provided at all ART events.

Consultations

In 2024, ART continued to collaborate with the PHAC PWDN to guide the Agency's accessibility work. ART met monthly with the PWDN Executive Committee (EC) to progress common goals, gather feedback and share engagement opportunities. ART also continued to host a monthly forum for OPIs and PWDN to collaborate. PWDN members also contributed their expertise by participating in working groups focused on specific accessibility initiatives.

Early in the year, ART hosted consultation sessions with both OPIs and the PWDN to develop activities and indicators aimed at meeting the commitments outlined in the Accessibility Plan. Key themes emerging from these consultations included the need for better access to training, increased mentorship opportunities, and deeper engagement with subject matter experts. Participants also focused on building on past progress to further remove barriers and improve accessibility across PHAC.

The PWDN EC were included in the governance approval process for the publication of this report. PHAC understands that eliminating barriers is an ongoing journey. The Agency remains dedicated to this process as it works toward its long-term accessibility goals.

External Consultations

PHAC began running external stakeholder consultations in the summer, in advance of drafting the next PHAC Accessibility Plan. ART members met with representatives from Canadian organisations that support the persons with disabilities community to learn about the barriers they may have faced when interacting with the Agency. Organisations were carefully selected to ensure fair representation of Canadians and the diverse range of disabilities they experience. Through this collaboration, PHAC is learning about the barriers to accessibility and helps it to work towards creating a more inclusive environment.

Public Health Agency of Canada Persons with Disabilities Network

The PHAC PWDN leads efforts to address issues faced by persons with disabilities, whether they be from an equity, diversity, and inclusion perspective, or purely related to accessibility. The Network is supported by an Executive Champion, a full time Chair, two Vice-Chairs and four Executive Committee members. Executive and regular members work with corporate allies to support the community to find new ways to remove barriers for employees with disabilities.

The PHAC PWDN works closely with the Health Canada PWDN to improve accessibility in both organizations. They hold monthly listening sessions to hear from employees about the challenges they face and the goals they want the Networks to address. In March 2024, the two Networks hosted a guest speaker, Jeff Adams, and in October the PHAC PWDN invited Dr. Mahadeo Sukhai to during National Disability Employment Awareness Month. In May, the PHAC PWDN launched the new Accessible Common Look and Feel templates for Word and PowerPoint, as part of their Accessible Documents campaign.

Accessibility Steering Committee

The Accessibility Steering Committee (ASC) is a forum whose membership includes the PWDN Chairs and Champions, and senior executives from both PHAC and HC. The ASC oversees, supports, and guides the implementation of the Accessible Canada Act and the Accessibility Plans to advance accessibility within both organizations. Chaired by the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Corporate Services Branch, this committee provides feedback to the Accessibility Centre of Expertise while the members provide accessibility-related leadership within their branches.

Feedback

The Agency receives feedback via online feedback forms, telephone, teletype, and email to ART. These feedback channels allow employees and the public to share their experiences when interacting with PHAC, or to comment on its Accessibility Plan or progress reports. For this report, PHAC reviewed accessibility feedback collected from September 1, 2023, to August 31, 2024.

How Feedback was Collected

PHAC has two feedback processes which are monitored and triaged by ART: one for the public on the Accessibility at PHAC website, and a separate one for employees on the Intranet. 

To inform the public on how to provide accessibility feedback, PHAC conducted social media campaigns on the Healthy Canadian's Facebook page, and PHAC LinkedIn and X accounts in October 2023, January 2024, and June 2024.

Additional outreach to employees included promotion of the internal feedback process in the organization's news bulletin, events, and messaging on the internal Health Television monitors located in 15 offices across Canada.

What We Heard

For this reporting period, the Agency received a total of nine individual feedback submissions and each identifiable accessibility barrier was categorized by priority area. PHAC also received feedback submissions from the public which were unrelated to accessibility barriers (for example, inquiry about Canadian visas) and therefore, were not included in this count.

Out of the nine individual feedback submissions, seven were from PHAC employees and two were from the public. All feedback was submitted via email or the online forms. The breakdown of the number of barriers per priority area is shown in the table below.

ART shared all the feedback received with the appropriate OPIs. Below is a summary of key themes identified as barriers for each priority area and the actions to address the barriers.

Employment

PHAC continues to work on improving the way it recruits and supports employees with disabilities, so it is a diverse and inclusive workplace. The Agency reviewed and grouped comments about employment barriers into the following theme:

• Career Recruitment/Development
  • Limited career progression
  • Hiring of persons with a disability

Actions:

• Utilize the Human Resources (HR) Data Hub to make informed decisions when designing and implementing strategies that support the Government of Canada's Employment Strategy for Canadians with Disabilities.
• Promote the Equitable Access to Language Training Program which prioritizes language training opportunities for equity groups, including employees with disabilities.
• Build awareness about the Government of Canada's Mentorship Plus, and the Mosaic Leadership Development Program.
• Support the PHAC PWDN in the exploration and development of a PHAC Career Navigator position.
• As part of a Shared Services Partnership Agreement, PHAC (and Health Canada) established a Specialized Recruitment Team which focuses its efforts on the external recruitment of equity-deserving groups. In 2023-24, PHAC exceeded its external Persons with Disabilities hiring targets.

Built Environment

PHAC will create accessible and inclusive design solutions so that all people can use physical spaces. Built environment received comments in the following areas:

• Inaccessible facilities/buildings
  • Concerns about building electric entry gates affecting electronic devices (for example, pacemakers, defibrillators and implantable cardioverter defibrillators)
• Return to the office
  • Availability of lockers to store equipment in the workplace for employees with mobility issues

Actions:

• Ensure that the electric gates at the PHAC office are considered cleared and safe. The gates were tested and respect emissivity requirements.
• Improve accessibility at PHAC Crown-owned or leased buildings by incorporating flexibility, adaptability and user experience in the design of barrier free spaces.
• Consider accommodation needs when making decisions related to the updated hybrid work environment and the Government of Canada's workplace modernization initiative.
• Encourage employees requiring further support for ergonomic services or adaptive equipment related to duty to accommodate to contact the Accessibility Service Centre (available only on the PHAC Intranet).

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

PHAC aims to update its digital services and make them more accessible. ICT received comments in the following area:

• Digital applications
  • Difficulties accessing the transcription feature in MS teams
  • Accessibility of the new MS Outlook default font

Actions:

• Work with partners to support employees using MS 365 accessibility features.
• Collaborate with the Government of Canada's Accessibility, Accommodation and Adaptive Computer Technology team to seek solutions for accommodation needs.
• Continue using the Aptos default font. Microsoft implemented Aptos as the default font across all MS Office applications. Aptos is considered more inclusive, and with some exceptions, reduces visual crowding which makes it easier to read and works well across various applications, platforms, and devices.

Communications

PHAC will continue to meet all accessibility standards for internal and external web content. The comments about communications barriers were summarized into the following themes:

• Inaccessible document formats
  • Unclear instructions on how to use accessible templates
• Inaccessible meetings
  • Not accessible for employees using a screen reader

Actions:

• Promote and encourage employees to use the new PHAC MS Word and PowerPoint accessible templates which feature a corporate design. CPAB, in collaboration and engagement with the Persons with Disabilities Network, ART and other partners, developed these templates with a focus on accessibility. These products were launched to all staff in May 2024.
• Continue to ensure all organizational level staff meetings and events are accessible and include options such as simultaneous interpretation, closed captioning and sign language interpretation.
• Raise awareness about making virtual meetings more accessible by sharing documents in advance and using the MS Teams PowerPoint Live's accessibility features for presentations.

Procurement of Goods, Services and Facilities

PHAC is working towards applying the principles of accessibility by design when purchasing goods and services. No feedback was received for this reporting period.

Transportation

Transportation at PHAC refers to the fleet of vehicles it owns, leases, or rents that are used by employees to carry out their work. No feedback was received for this reporting period. PHAC will continue to support and adhere to accessibility standards for the PHAC fleet.

Programs and Services

PHAC strives to create and implement accessible programs and services. No feedback was received for this reporting period. 

Culture

PHAC aims to create a culture that is accessible by default. The comments about barriers to culture were summarized into the following themes:

• Increasing awareness of accessibility
  • Senior leaders need to understand the perspective of those who face barriers
• Comments on the Accessibility Plan and Report
  • Applaud PHAC for sustained efforts to remove accessibility barriers

Actions:

• Explore options to expand accessibility awareness sessions to senior management.
• Align activities to support the Clerk of the Privy Council's Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity, and Inclusion in the Federal Public Service and PHAC's Statements of Action Against Systemic Racism, Bias and Discrimination (link available only on the PHAC intranet).
• Ensure the Hub is user friendly and accessible for everyone. ART, as the Culture OPI, continues to refine the internal Accessibility Hub, which is a central repository for tools and resources such as the employee playbook, tech tips and the accessibility speaker series.

Conclusion

The actions outlined in this progress report demonstrate PHAC's commitment to fostering a more accessible and inclusive environment for employees and Canadians alike. The Agency's dedication to implementing the Accessible Canada Act and meeting the evolving needs of individuals was demonstrated through successful collaboration with internal and external partners and enhanced accessibility practices through innovation and technology. PHAC recognizes that accessibility is an ongoing journey and is committed to building on the accomplishments in this report to realize a diverse, accessible, and inclusive workplace.