2024 Accessibility Progress Report for the Canada Revenue Agency

Message from the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is pleased to share its 2024 Accessibility Progress Report. This report details our work this past year on the 42 action items in the CRA's 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan. It also highlights the progress achieved so far and our ongoing commitment to fostering an environment where all CRA clients and employees can participate fully, access the support they need, and interact with our programs and services seamlessly.

At the CRA, our vision of being trusted, fair, and helpful by putting people first lays the groundwork for everything we do. Every step we take to identify, remove, and prevent barriers for persons with disabilities is guided by our vision and core values of integrity, professionalism, respect, and collaboration.

Accessibility is a fundamental part of listening to Canadians, improving how we work, putting people first and delivering world-class services. It requires long-term sustained effort, collaboration, and innovation, both now and in the future. This means steadily making improvements – whether big or small – to the experiences that persons with disabilities have with us. Our approach is driven by the principle of progress over perfection. By embedding accessibility into our programs, service delivery, and workplace culture, and incrementally removing barriers as they are identified, we can create a more inclusive and supportive environment for our clients and employees.

To turn our vision into a reality, we are striving to improve how we serve Canadians by creating environments, services, and experiences where everyone feels they belong, are valued, and are heard. Further, we are learning important lessons about the ways people view, understand, and interact with our processes, programs, and services.

The “Nothing Without Us” principle continues to guide our approach. It cements our commitment to collaborate with persons with disabilities to identify areas for improvement, eliminate accessibility gaps in our physical and digital environments, and make meaningful strides to strengthen our accessibility culture. From promoting equal access to services and opportunities, to capturing and addressing feedback from those with lived experience, we remain dedicated to strengthening our culture of accessibility throughout our agency.

Although we have exciting accomplishments to share, we acknowledge that we are currently in a period of fiscal constraint, which has affected some of the deliverables in our accessibility plan. However, our commitment to addressing accessibility barriers remains strong.

Looking ahead to the coming year, we are preparing to transition to a new chapter – a new Accessibility Plan that will build on the successes we have achieved so far. This new plan will guide our efforts as we continue to remove barriers and improve accessibility through this period of fiscal constraint. Regardless of the challenges ahead, we will continue to build on the momentum we have created and move forward toward Canada’s ambitious goal of being barrier-free by 2040.

1. General

The Canada Revenue Agency receives feedback, including feedback on accessibility, through various channels. Accessibility feedback is client-initiated information about a client's experiences with the accessibility of our services.

Once we receive the feedback, we acknowledge and address it (unless it was submitted anonymously or sent by fax). Then it goes through internal processes to ensure we monitor, report on, and incorporate it into our accessibility improvement efforts.

Our designate for feedback on accessibility is the Assistant Commissioner of the Service, Innovation and Integration Branch. To learn more about our feedback process, including how to submit service feedback related to accessibility, visit the Submit Service Feedback page.

Accessibility feedback can be submitted in the following ways:

Mail

Write a letter or fill out Form RC193, Service Feedback, and mail it to:

Assistant Commissioner
Service, Innovation and Integration Branch
c/o CRA Service Feedback
National Intake Centre
4695 Shawinigan-Sud Boulevard
Shawinigan QC G9P 5H9
CANADA

If you prefer to submit your feedback anonymously, you do not have to include identifying information in your letter or fill out sections 1 or 2 of Form RC193. However, please remember that we are unable to acknowledge or reply to anonymous feedback.

Facsimile (Fax)

Write a letter or fill out Form RC193, Service Feedback, and fax it to the Assistant Commissioner of the Service, Innovation and Integration Branch, c/o CRA Service Feedback, at:

• 1-866-388-7371 from Canada or the United States
• 1-819-536-0701 from outside Canada and the United States

To ensure we uphold your security and privacy, we cannot acknowledge that we received your feedback or respond to it by fax.

Email

Email the Assistant Commissioner of the Service, Innovation and Integration Branch, c/o CRA Service Feedback, at asf-ras@cra-arc.gc.ca.

Important: Do not send any confidential, protected, or taxpayer information (for example, your social insurance number or tax return information) by email. The security of taxpayer information is our top priority. Although email is widely used, it does not meet the security requirements needed to ensure that this confidential information is fully protected.

Online form

Submit feedback electronically using the RC193 Online Form. Individuals, businesses, or representatives can use this form to submit a complaint, a suggestion, or a compliment. This form lets you complete and submit your feedback all in one place.

Online account

Submit a complaint, a compliment, or a suggestion online by using the Submit documents option in:

• My Account
• My Business Account, or
• Represent a Client

You cannot submit anonymous feedback using your online account.

Telephone

Call us at one of the following numbers:

• 1-800-959-8281 for all of Canada except Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut;
• 1-866-426-1527 for Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut; or,
• 1-613-940-8495 for callers from outside Canada/U.S. (you can call collect).

Once you connect with a contact centre agent, tell them right away you are calling to provide feedback on an accessibility barrier or on the Accessibility Plan. Also let them know whether you want to remain anonymous. They will collect your feedback and share it with the correct area.

Teletypewriter (TTY)

Call 1-800-665-0354 if you use TTY. If you use an operator-assisted relay service, please call our regular telephone numbers instead of the TTY number (refer to the Telephone section above for these numbers).

If you need help navigating our online applications, call: 1-888-768-0951.

Canada VRS (Video Relay Service)

Call 1-800-561-6393 if you use Canada VRS. If you use any operator-assisted relay service other than Canada VRS and TTY, please call our regular telephone numbers instead (refer to the Telephone section above for these numbers).

2. Executive summary

The CRA’s 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan:

• sets out the Agency’s approach to identifying, removing, and preventing accessibility barriers over the next three years;
• includes the CRA’s approach to accountability and governance in delivering upon the Accessible Canada Act; and,
• highlights the importance of fostering an organizational culture that supports accessibility and inclusion.

The 2024 Accessibility Progress Report details the completed and ongoing advancements toward creating a barrier-free organization. Of the 42 actions in our plan:

• 36% (15 of the 42) of action items have been completed.
• 31% (13 of the 42) of action items are on track to be completed as expected.
• 21% (9 of the 42) of action items have been delayed, but are still set to be completed as part of the CRA’s current Accessibility Plan.
• 12% (5 of the 42) of the action items will not be completed within the scope of the 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan.

In addition to the 42 action items listed in the CRA’s Accessibility Plan, there are six additional commitments that we have made to strengthen our governance and accountability structure for accessibility. Five of these commitments are still on track to be completed by December 2025, and one is delayed from its original timeline but is on track to be completed in 2025.

As we continue working on delivering on the commitments we made in the Plan, we remain informed by the lived experiences of persons with disabilities. In spring 2024, we consulted CRA employees with disabilities to gather their perspectives on our progress to becoming a more accessible organization and our processes for internal workplace accommodations. Although these employees felt that accessibility is clearly more visible as an Agency priority, they wanted to see more tangible progress to resolve key accessibility barriers. 

Other findings the consultations uncovered included:

• Participants expressed the need for improved trust and acceptance within the CRA. Many said they fear stigma or discrimination when requesting accommodations. 
• Participants recognized the importance of direct supervisors in fostering workplace accessibility.
• Half of the respondents felt the CRA creates an environment where they are comfortable disclosing accessibility barriers. 
• The requirement for increased in-office presence heightened employees’ concerns about the adequacy of current accommodations and the future accessibility of workspaces.
• The accommodation process is seen as complex, involving multiple stakeholders, leading to delays and extensive paperwork, causing stress and long wait times.

Feedback plays an important role in helping us understand the experiences of persons with disabilities and to identify areas for improvement, as well as target areas requiring change. Our Service Feedback Program recorded a total of 306 accessibility feedback cases from October 2023 to September 2024, with several themes emerging:

• Contact difficulties: Clients faced long wait times for our contact centres and challenges with security requirements for authentication. For persons with disabilities, this could lead to the inability to complete the task due to anxiety, confusion, and the lack of availability of a support person while they are on hold.
• Customization needs: Clients desire more personalized experiences for better accessibility.
• Awareness and training: Persons with disabilities identified a need for increased internal training on disability and accessibility as some clients feel unacknowledged during interactions.

CRA employees with disabilities have also shared accessibility feedback using internal feedback mechanisms. Employees have raised the need for more education and guidance in:

• the accommodation process;
• how to work in a more accessible way; and,
• how to ensure that persons with disabilities are fully included in the design and delivery of programs and services.

Some employees have also flagged that their adaptive technology needs are beyond what is readily available within the Agency.

We have made solid progress in completing our action items over the past year, in collaboration with or as a result of feedback from persons with disabilities. The impacts of these items have improved programs and services for persons with disabilities – both employees and clients.

Important achievements affecting clients include:

• the implementation of a direct line for video relay service (VRS) users on our individual tax enquiries line – an enhancement that has improved service for deaf and hard of hearing individuals; and,
• the adoption of a new “ReadMe” page template for all external publications and the creation of information videos in accessible formats, making it easier for persons with disabilities to access the information and the forms that they need.

Important achievements affecting employees include:

• the completion of CRA targeted  accessibility assessments (for example, lighting, signage) in all CRA-occupied buildings (where it was deemed feasible) and the development of recommendations – some of which are currently being implemented; and,
• the launch of the Accessibility Hub which includes a variety of learning, training, and information tools and modules serving as a one-stop portal for accessibility information and resources.

Over the past year, we have made good progress on delivering upon our first accessibility plan and ultimately becoming a barrier-free organization. Although we have much work to be done and some challenges remain, we will continue to deliver on our accessibility agenda and build upon the momentum we have generated – in partnership with persons with disabilities.

3. Introduction

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) recognizes that accessibility is more than a legal obligation that must be fulfilled. It is an essential part of delivering programs and services, whether they be internal or external to our organization. With this in mind, we consider accessibility to be vital to our People First philosophy, through which we strive to be trusted, fair, and helpful by putting people first.

Our annual accessibility progress reports play an important role in holding the CRA accountable to the commitments in our accessibility plans. They are also an opportunity to transparently look at the work we have done to deliver on these plans. Each accessibility plan includes commitments to eliminate accessibility barriers across the seven areas of the Accessible Canada Act:

• employment;
• the built environment;
• information and communication technologies;
• communication, other than information and communication technologies;
• the procurement of goods, services and facilities;
• the design and delivery of programs and services; and,
• transportation.

The CRA’s 2024 Accessibility Progress Report covers our efforts throughout 2024 to deliver on our 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan. Also, the report includes what we learned through our ongoing consultations with persons with disabilities (section 4) and our accessibility feedback channels (section 5) over the past year. Thanks to these insights, we can align our accessibility improvement efforts with the lived experiences and real needs of persons with disabilities. We can then make the most of our work to prevent new accessibility barriers and improve service delivery overall.

Section 6 details the progress we made in strengthening our governance and accountability structure for accessibility.

In section 7, we present the current status of each action item in the Accessibility Plan, including timelines for outstanding items. If we adjusted any actions or timelines since we published the Plan, we provided the revised timelines and reasons for the changes.

Section 8 reports on additional items to improving training and learning on accessibility within the Agency.

Section 9 includes information on some of the work that we are doing to strengthen accessibility that we did not formally commit to through our accessibility plan. We actively encourage our teams to find ways to improve accessibility even if they are not included in the plan, and this section is a chance to highlight some examples of this.

4. Consultations

The "Nothing Without Us" principle is central to the CRA's efforts to effectively identify, address, and prevent accessibility barriers. In 2024, we continued to:

• consult persons with disabilities to seek their perspectives on the accessibility of their interactions and experiences with us; and,
• apply Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) to ensure we considered intersectional identity factors (for example, age, education, ethnicity, and economic status) throughout this work.

From October to December of this year, we hosted the CRA Service Consultations 2024 with individuals, non-professional representatives, and tax professionals to discuss their service experiences, needs, and the challenges they have when filing taxes as well as benefit and credit applications. The input gathered during the in-person and virtual consultations included the lived experiences of persons with disabilities. The information collected will help us gain a better understanding of service needs and expectations of persons with disabilities which will inform our 2026–2028 Accessibility Plan.

This section of the 2024 Accessibility Progress Report includes information about this year's internal consultations. It also includes insights related to accessibility that we gathered from other research exercises carried out across our agency.

4.1 Internal consultations with employees with disabilities

Understanding the lived experiences of employees with disabilities and challenges they have with CRA systems and procedures is essential to improving CRA's overall accessibility and creating a supportive environment for all.

From April to May 2024, we consulted our employees with disabilities to get their perspectives on our:

• overall progress in becoming a more accessible organization and delivering upon the Accessible Canada Act; and,
• workplace accommodations processes, in particular the role of procurement and adaptive technologies.

In total, 1,040 CRA employees participated in the consultations: 983 completed an online survey and 57 participated in group interview sessions.

4.1.1 The CRA's progress in becoming more accessible

Participants in this year's consultations with employees with disabilities expressed that while accessibility is clearly more visible at the agency level; however, they want the CRA to take more concrete steps to address accessibility barriers.

Results from the consultations showed that:

• 60% of respondents agreed that the Accessibility Plan is helping make our agency more accessible; but, they want to see more tangible progress to resolve accessibility barriers.
• Half of the respondents felt the CRA creates an environment where they are comfortable disclosing the accessibility barriers they face.
• Some participants expressed that their accessibility needs were not being fully addressed, and increasing in-office presence to three days per week (four days for executives) could amplify their current struggles working in an in-person environment (for example, not receiving customized office furniture promptly).
• Many participants were frustrated by the lack of consultation on the requirement of in-office presence and felt that their needs were not being seriously considered as part of the transition.

The most common barriers raised by participants during the consultations were related to employment or the built environment, including hiring processes, physical workspaces, accessibility culture, and accommodation processes.

When asked about the progress we have made so far in becoming more accessible, most respondents focused on their desire for more impactful accessibility improvements. Specifically, participants:

• emphasized the need to design services and products that are accessible to all users;
• expressed that that employees with disabilities should be included and consulted in major projects to ensure their input is reflected, valued and respected; and,
• highlighted the importance of trust and acceptance and advocated for a workplace where differences are embraced, and employees are trusted and not questioned repeatedly about their disability or accessibility needs.

4.1.2 Perspectives on accommodation processes

Many participants expressed that accommodations processes play a key role in the overall accessibility of their work. Participants also:

• shared that their direct supervisors play a crucial role in fostering workplace accessibility at the CRA. Nearly 40% of survey respondents strongly agreed that their manager supports them regarding their individual accessibility needs.
• stressed the importance of managers being educated about various disabilities and the accommodations necessary to support persons with disabilities effectively. Stigmas and inexperience with administrative processes can create barriers to successful accommodations.

Participants added that not all managers have the same attitudes towards accommodations. They stated:

• some still fear that going through the accommodations process may be seen as an inconvenience or that the manager may not be willing to pursue it on behalf of the employee at all.
• a low level of understanding of disabilities and accommodations can create friction, including micromanagement of the process and poor communication during the process, between the employee and manager.
• some worry that requesting accommodations might lead to negative perceptions of their abilities or threaten their job security. This fear is increased during probation periods or when employees are striving to prove themselves in new roles.

The time and effort associated with the accommodation process can cause an employee stress and lead to fears that it will negatively affect an employee's career, especially if they have to repeatedly justify their need for accommodation. Some employees who feel this way have turned to informal accommodations strategies or to manage their accommodation needs on their own.

The CRA's current accommodation processes can be complex, and participants reported experiencing frequent delays because multiple groups (for example, labour relations, medical doctors, and various management levels) are involved.

Participants also reported that:

• the complexity of the CRA's accommodations process leads to coordination issues, extensive paperwork, and long wait times.
• some of the accommodation measures in place do not fully meet their needs, but they feel it is too difficult to address or modify them.
• the accommodations process seems to favour solutions for in-office presence over working from home. Participants explained that working from home would address their needs and remove the need for any accommodation measures so they did not understand why this is not being considered.
• more practical challenges, such as arranging medical appointments and the cost of filling out the forms needed to support accommodation requests, add further barriers for employees with disabilities.

Participants provided several suggestions for improving the accommodation process. They emphasized their desire for a process that is straightforward, prompt, and does not require them to repeatedly disclose deeply personal information. These suggestions included:

• streamlining the accommodation process and making it consistent and flexible to ensure it is fair and responsive to individual needs;
• prioritizing a social rather than a medical approach to accommodations, which could reduce the reliance on medical documents;
• increasing education and awareness initiatives to provide more information about the accommodation process and available supports;
• ensuring that flexibility and trust are kept throughout the process; and,
• lead with accessibility at top of mind.

4.1.3 Comments on adaptive technologies

Eighteen percent of respondents reported needing adaptive technology to perform their work-related duties, and the level of satisfaction with the timeliness of the deployment of adaptive technologies varied significantly. Respondents with relatively simple accommodation needs generally reported higher levels of satisfaction, whereas those with more complex needs (in other words, those that require additional approvals, procurement processes, or testing) reported being dissatisfied with time needed for implementation.

Participants also identified the following as challenges with adaptive technology:

• The CRA's high security environment can limit the use of certain adaptive technologies. Some participants wanted access to different software or products other than those our agency currently has available or has authorized.
• 60% of respondents who received adaptive equipment, devices, or software did not receive training for that equipment. Some respondents reported they would like to receive training with a knowledgeable trainer who has the appropriate competencies and security clearances to properly deliver the training.
• Several participants suggested that a list of CRA-approved adaptive technology products would be helpful. As well, the list could include descriptions on how they could use the products so they know whether the products could help them.
• A few participants shared that it is difficult to have to carry adaptive technology back and forth from home to the office.

4.1.4 Procurement experiences

Some participants expressed that procuring equipment, technology, and software to meet their accessibility needs is time consuming and difficult. The need to meet certain baseline requirements, such as security assessments and total cost thresholds, can significantly increase how long it takes to acquire an accommodation – or make it impossible altogether. They highlighted the approval process as being particularly challenging; however, 60% of respondents reported that if the item they selected did not meet their needs, they were able to ask for and get a different product.

Forty-two percent of respondents who needed an adaptive product to make their work easier stated that they were uncomfortable asking their managers for this product. There are a range of reasons behind this hesitation:

• fear of stigma or being a bother;
• perception that the request will be denied;
• presumed budget constraints; or,
• anticipation about the difficulty of moving through a long procurement process.

4.2 Additional research completed in 2024 related to accessibility

4.2.1 Annual corporate research

As part of its annual corporate research, the CRA conducted a telephone survey with a random sample of 2,400 Canadians aged 18 years or older between November 9, 2023, and December 21, 2023. The purpose of the survey was to better understand the public perception of the CRA, as well as to better understand Canadians' experiences when interacting with our agency. Out of all the respondents, 345 identified as persons with disabilities.

Some key findings related to accessibility from this survey revealed that:

• Equality and equity: When asked about perceptions of equal treatment, 37% of all respondents agreed that we provide equal treatment for everyone. 34% of respondents who identified as persons with disabilities agreed, compared to 38% of those who did not identify as having a disability.
• Openness and transparency: More than half of all respondents (56%) strongly agreed that we hold our organization accountable for the written information we provide. Similarly, nearly half (48%) agreed that we support making government products and client services accessible to everyone. The percentages were similar for respondents with disabilities, with 55% agreeing about accountability and 47% agreeing about service accessibility.
• Service satisfaction:
  • 66% of persons with disabilities (compared to 68% of those without disabilities) felt the information they receive when requesting service was accurate;
  • 58% (vs 66% of those without disabilities) thought it was complete;
  • 52% (vs 62% of those without disabilities) said it was easy to understand;
  • 43% (vs 55% of those without disabilities) agreed that the service was timely; and,
  • 38% of respondents who identified as persons with disabilities felt that our services were easy to access, compared to 47% of those without disabilities.
• Helpfulness: 45% of all respondents strongly agreed that we make the process of filing taxes easy. Respondents who identified as persons with disabilities were less likely to agree compared those without disabilities (40% vs 46%).

These findings highlight the need for continued focus on improving accessibility, particularly in areas such as service access and the ease of doing essential tasks like filing taxes.

This research will help support our strategic planning and decision-making processes, enabling us to improve services, monitor trends in public opinion, and identify key areas for communication and engagement with specific audiences.

4.2.2 My Account portal exit survey

The CRA conducts a My Account exit survey to gain more insight about the experiences and needs of clients who use My Account. The survey includes questions for respondents who identified as being a person with a disability.

According to the 2024 survey data, those who identified as persons with disabilities reported similar levels of overall satisfaction with My Account compared to those who did not as identify being a person with a disability (83% vs 88%).

The specific issues the clients with disabilities reported encountering include:

• small font size;
• feelings of anxiety and being overwhelmed with the information;
• challenges with reading comprehension;
• unable to find paperwork;
• authentication issues; and,
• being unable to find information they were looking for.

Through the My Account exit survey, respondents suggested that we:

• improve the progress tracker;
• offer simpler options to make payments;
• simplify navigation and language;
• offer more options for authentication;
• provide optional dark mode to improve contrast for users with visual impairments; and,
• lengthen the time for a session to time out.

5. Feedback

Feedback plays a critical role in understanding client experiences and helping the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) identify accessibility barriers within its processes and services. Feedback allows us to continually improve and offer the best experience to everyone interacting with us, both internally within our agency and externally with clients.

For this report, accessibility feedback refers to client- or employee-initiated information we received through channels created to accept feedback about the satisfaction or dissatisfaction they encountered when accessing our products, services, or environments.

We receive accessibility feedback from persons with disabilities, CRA employees, non-profit organizations, and members of the public. All these groups provide valuable insight from diverse perspectives and lived experiences that help us identify and address accessibility barriers.

We receive and address accessibility feedback on a case-by-case basis. Once reviewed, feedback is resolved by individual subject matter experts within program areas.

5.1 Feedback received from the general public

The CRA's Service Feedback Program serves as the primary entry point for external clients to send accessibility feedback relating to CRA programs and services. This feedback provides us with actionable insights to help us remove barriers that clients are facing. From October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024, the Service Feedback Program recorded a total of 306 accessibility feedback cases.

Figure 1: Accessibility cases by method of receipt from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024

Method of Receipt

Figure 2: Accessibility cases by barrier type, from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024

Identified Barriers

Descriptions of barrier types

• Built environment: The built environment refers to all CRA-occupied buildings, including how employees use physical workspaces and how the public accesses these buildings when needed.
• Information and communications technology: Barriers include gaps in functionality, usability or robustness of CRA IT solutions. The digital environment must be accessible and useable by all CRA employees and clients.
• Communications products: Barriers include instances when published material (e.g. websites, forms, letters, etc.) is unclear, unusable, outdated, mis-leading or incompatible with assistive technology.
• Design and delivery of programs and services: Barriers related to the design and delivery of programs and services that prevent individuals from participating fully in a situation. These programs and services may be internal or external and include policies, procedures, or practices.
• Attitudinal: Attitudinal barriers are behaviours, perceptions, and assumptions that create misconceptions about persons with disabilities.
• Other: These cases are related to a barrier that cannot be categorized in any of the above options.

When analyzing this year's accessibility feedback cases, four key themes emerged.

First, we continue to hear that contacting the CRA is challenging. Clients are experiencing longer than average wait times to contact CRA telephone agents. Clients who submitted accessibility-specific feedback reported this as a barrier.

Further, some clients reported being redirected or given inaccurate information, which creates stress and makes it challenging for them to complete their intended task.

Among this feedback, we also received suggestions for improvements in response to the experiences clients have had. Some clients suggested having a callback feature to prevent taxpayers from getting disconnected while they are on hold and losing their position in the telephone queue. This would benefit individuals who are sensitive to hold music and those whose anxiety is increased by long phone wait times. They also asked us to create a separate phone line or a service specific to those with disability or accessibility needs to reduce the impact of the stress caused by calling us.

Second, we need to continue providing more options for clients to personalize their experience when interacting with us. For example, persons with disabilities who find it difficult to use digital tools or who have limited access to technology reported challenges in finding information, completing forms, and filing taxes.

We also heard from multiple sensory-affected individuals that the current hold music negatively affects their experience when they contact us. They suggested offering the option to personalize the hold music or mute the music entirely.

Third, people are reporting having difficulty accessing our services or communicating with us because of the complex security requirements. In particular, individuals who need more assistance to interact with our contact centres have voiced frustration with the authentication processes used to validate a client's identity. These processes cause barriers to their experience and sometimes prevents them from interacting with us entirely. Clients with disabilities are reporting that they feel they have insufficient time to pass security measures online and would benefit from more time before the system times out. They also suggested we use services such as video calls to prove identity to unlock online accounts.

Fourth, our accessibility culture is changing, but more work is needed. Some clients who have accessibility needs are telling us they feel unacknowledged or unheard when interacting with us. They feel they still experience a general lack of understanding and empathy toward their situation, leading to dissatisfaction and negative service experiences.

5.2 Feedback received from CRA employees

A review of the information from the various internal feedback mechanisms has uncovered the following needs:

• clearer guidance in the accommodations process and education in the internal procedures to ensure timely and effective accommodations for employees;
• expanded internal training to build a stronger understanding of accessibility, including how to apply accessibility in daily tasks (for example, creating accessible documents, facilitating accessible meetings, identifying potential accessibility barriers proactively); and,
• expanded the available adaptive technology and software solutions to support employees with disabilities because current options do not always fully meet users' needs.

Internal programs and services continue to use internal feedback to help identify and address barriers identified by persons with disabilities.

6. Building on the foundation of accessibility at the CRA

Along with action items related to the seven areas under the Accessible Canada Act, the CRA's 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan lists concrete actions related to its policies, procedures, and governance structures to integrate accessibility into all that it does.

This involves putting governance and accountability measures in place to ensure that accessibility is an important part of our decision-making. To do this, the Accessibility Plan included six action items for us to complete:

1) Establish a senior executive sponsor for accessibility in the CRA. As an agent of change, the sponsor will influence decision-making, engage colleagues to achieve accessibility objectives, and mobilize resources to ensure that accessibility is at the core of management and decision-making.

This role will be held by the Assistant Commissioner of the Service, Innovation and Integration Branch.

Progress update: The Assistant Commissioner of the Service, Innovation and Integration Branch continues to solidify their role as the senior executive sponsor for accessibility both internally and externally. Activities include:

• participated in a panel discussion at this year's Canadian Congress on Disability Inclusion where they highlighted the CRA's successes. These successes included consulting with persons with disabilities, the importance of accessibility feedback, and the role of our People First philosophy in our approach to accessibility.
• held a consultation with the Persons with Disabilities Network to gain insight on the members' lived experiences to better inform them in their senior executive sponsor role.
• championed the launch of an accessibility hub for CRA employees that includes a variety of learning, training, and information tools and modules. The hub serves as a one-stop portal for accessibility information and resources.

Status: On track

Timeline: December 2025

2) Embed accessibility requirements into policy review mechanisms so that all future reviews of CRA policies, directives, programs, service delivery channels, and operational procedures are in line with the Act.

Progress update: We updated our corporate policy review process so that we review each corporate policy instrument that is scheduled for renewal to identify any potential accessibility requirements. We are exploring more ways, to incorporate accessibility into the policy review process, including strengthening accessibility awareness within the CRA's corporate policy community.

Status: On track

Timeline: December 2025

3) Incorporate accessibility into our planning, decision-making, and implementation processes, such as in our major project investments.

Progress update: We are revising our planning, decision-making, and implementation processes to ensure they incorporate accessibility throughout. In particular, we have included accessibility and corporate social responsibility as requirements for planning processes and policy documents to improve best practices.

Policy and planning teams from across our agency are taking accessibility and the experiences of persons with disabilities into consideration from the onset, including updating internal templates to accessibility components. We will sustain these efforts over the coming year to increase awareness of accessibility across all levels of the agency and ensure that we fully incorporate accessibility into these decision-making processes.

Status: On track

Timeline: December 2025

4) Develop a feedback mechanism to collect internal feedback on accessibility and strengthen existing external feedback channels.

Progress update: We continue to review existing internal and external feedback mechanisms including conducting an analysis on how we can apply accessibility feedback data more effectively for course correction and priority setting.

Status: On track

Timeline: December 2025

5) Allocate the funding to deliver on the commitments in this plan and establish a permanent capacity to oversee the CRA's Accessibility Program.

Progress update: The CRA is allocating resources to continue advancing the Plan's commitments.

Status: On track

Timeline: April 2025

6) Develop a performance measurement framework for accessibility to measure and report on CRA's progress in removing barriers.

Progress update: We are developing a performance measurement framework for accessibility, focusing on assessing our overall level of accessibility for each of the seven areas under the Accessible Canada Act. As a next step, we will finalize metrics and establish baselines for each performance indicator so we can measure them against the framework.

Status: Delayed

Original timeline: March 2024
Current revised timeline: March 2025

7. Areas under the Accessible Canada Act

Since publishing the CRA’s first accessibility plan in December 2022, we have made important strides in strengthening accessibility in all that we do. But we recognize we still have much more work to do to become barrier-free for all Canadians. This section lists the actions we committed to in our Accessibility Plan, building on the 2023 Accessibility Progress Report, along with a progress update and the status of each item.

Of the 42 actions that the CRA has committed to in its 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan:

• 36% (15 of the 42) of action items have been completed.
• 31% (13 of the 42) of action items are on track to be completed as expected.
• 21% (9 of the 42) of action items have been delayed, but are still set to be completed as part of the CRA’s current accessibility plan.
• 12% (5 of the 42) of the action items will not be completed within the scope of the 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan.

9. Accessibility in Action

The CRA's efforts to strengthen accessibility are not exclusive to actions under its Accessibility Plan. In support of the Government of Canada's larger goal of a barrier-free Canada by 2040, CRA employees are contributing toward improving our agency's accessibility culture, whether it be through grassroots efforts or through corporate initiatives. This desire for change, including going beyond our formal commitments and legislative obligations, must be nurtured and encouraged through the CRA's accessibility journey. Below are examples of this initiative in action:

• Adaptive Technology Peer Support Centre – To address the ongoing need for additional support and training for adaptive technology users, we have launched a peer support centre that is hosted on Microsoft Teams. This new initiative allows users to ask questions about their adaptive technology in a safe, open community. They receive advice from subject matter experts, as well as from peers who share their own personal experiences.
• Getting employees the equipment they need – One of our regional offices developed an inventory system to log all items that have previously been purchased but are not currently in use. The inventory will help managers determine if they need new equipment to meet accommodation needs and allows them to put existing equipment to use quickly by the employees who need it.

Culture change is a gradual process, but emerging efforts to drive accessibility culture change forward are happening. Numerous accessibility events, such as National AccessAbility Week, have increased employees' awareness of the importance of accessibility and are establishing a new understanding that accessibility is everyone's business – no matter what business area one works in.

These initiatives, among others, demonstrate our continued efforts to break down barriers in our programs, services, and functions and our commitment to becoming barrier free by 2040.

Annex A - Glossary

Accessible Canada Act

Purpose

The purpose of the Accessible Canada Act is to make Canada barrier-free by January 1, 2040. This involves identifying, removing and preventing barriers in federal jurisdiction in the following priority areas:

• employment
• the built environment (buildings and public spaces)
• information and communication technologies
• communication, other than information and communication technologies
• the procurement of goods, services and facilities
• the design and delivery of programs and services, and
• transportation (airlines, as well as rail, road and marine transportation providers that cross provincial or international borders)

Principles

The Act is to be implemented in recognition of and in accordance with the following principles:

• everyone must be treated with dignity
• everyone must have the same opportunity to make for themselves the life they are able and wish to have
• everyone must be able to participate fully and equally in society
• everyone must have meaningful options and be free to make their own choices, with support if they desire
• laws, policies, programs, services, and structures must take into account the ways that different kinds of barriers and discrimination intersect
• persons with disabilities must be involved in the development and design of laws, policies, programs, services, and structures, and
• accessibility standards and regulations must be made with the goal of achieving the highest level of accessibility

Application

The Act applies to organizations under federal responsibility, including:

• the Government of Canada, including government departments, agencies and Crown corporations
• parts of the private sector that the Government of Canada regulates, such as:
  • banks
  • the federal transportation network, including:
    • airlines
    • rail, road and marine transportation providers that cross provincial or international borders
  • the broadcasting and telecommunications sectors
• the Canadian Forces and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police

The Act also applies to parliamentary entities, with a tailored approach to respect parliamentary privilege. Parliamentary entities include the:

• House of Commons
• Senate
• Library of Parliament, and
• Parliamentary Protective Service

Source: Summary of the Accessible Canada Act

Accessible Canada Regulations

The Accessible Canada Regulations set out rules and penalties to ensure that organizations abide by the Accessible Canada Act, which stipulates that federally regulated entities must prepare and publish accessibility plans, progress reports, and their feedback processes. Failure to comply with the Act leads to the Regulations being invoked to determine the level of violation and the penalty.

Source: Accessible Canada Regulations

Accessibility plans

The Accessible Canada Act requires that organizations:

• prepare and publish accessibility plans:
  • make accessibility plans to identify, remove and prevent barriers in the priority areas in their:
    • policies
    • programs
    • practices
    • services
  • update their plans every 3 years or as specified in regulations, and
  • consult people with disabilities when creating and updating their plans
• set up a feedback process: have a way to receive and deal with feedback about their accessibility
• prepare and publish progress reports:
  • make regular progress reports that describe the actions the organization has taken to implement their accessibility plans
  • include information in their reports on feedback received and how the organization took the feedback into consideration, and
  • consult people with disabilities when preparing their reports

Source: Summary of the Accessible Canada Act

Accessibility

The degree to which a product, service, program, or environment is available to be accessed or used by all.

Source: Glossary: Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada

Accommodation

The process and implementation of changes to a job, tasks, and/or to the environment in which the job is accomplished that enable employees to perform job duties productively and maximize participation in the workplace. Accommodation options generally fall under three main categories: adjustments to the work schedule, adjustments to the job duties/activities, and adjustments to the work environment.

Sources: Human Resources Branch

Assistive or adaptive device/technology

A device or system designed to help a person to perform a task. These can include assistive devices or equipment (for example, canes, crutches, walkers, wheelchairs, hearing aids and personal emergency response systems) as well as IT-related items (for example, computer screen-reading software).

Source: Adapted from Glossary: Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada

Barrier

Anything that hinders the full and equal participation in society of persons with an impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment or a functional limitation. Barriers can be physical, architectural, technological or attitudinal.

Source: Glossary: Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada

Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)

• Mission

  Administer tax, benefits, and related programs, and ensure compliance on behalf of governments across Canada, thereby contributing to the ongoing economic and social well-being of Canadians.

• Vision

  Trusted, fair, and helpful by putting people first.

• Values
  • Integrity - We establish and preserve trust with all stakeholders by applying the law fairly and upholding our standards.
  • Professionalism - We are knowledgeable, accurate, conscientious, innovative, and service-oriented.
  • Respect - We interact with people in a way that makes them feel heard and valued. We listen and respond judiciously.
  • Collaboration - We recognize and act on opportunities to work together to deliver the CRA’s mandate. We consult, and share ideas, fostering innovation to improve the service experience, both internally and externally.

Source: About the Canada Revenue Agency

Clients

Individuals, businesses or their representatives served by or using services provided by a government department.

Source: Glossary: Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada

Consultations

Consultation involves communicating with stakeholders to gather comments, opinions, and other information. Stakeholders are the people affected by a policy, program, practice, or service.

Source: Adapted from Guidance on the Accessible Canada Regulations - Consulting persons with disabilities

Department

Any of:

• the departments named in Schedule I of the Financial Administration Act
• the divisions or branches of the federal public administration set out in column I of Schedule I.1 of the Financial Administration Act
• a commission under the Inquiries Act that is designated by order of the Governor in Council as a department for the purposes of this Act
• the staffs of:
  • the Senate
  • the House of Commons
  • the Library of Parliament
  • the Office of the Senate Ethics Officer
  • the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner
  • the Parliamentary Protective Service
  • the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer
  • any departmental corporation named in Schedule II of the Financial Administration Act

Source: Glossary: Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada

Disability

Any impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment, or a functional limitation, whether permanent, temporary or episodic in nature, or evident or not, that, in interaction with a barrier, hinders a person’s full and equal participation in society.

Source: Accessible Canada Act

Disability type

A form of limitation, be it physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory or other.

In its 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability, Statistics Canada used screening questions to identify the following 10 types of disability:

• seeing
• hearing
• mobility
• flexibility
• dexterity
• pain-related
• learning
• developmental
• mental health-related
• memory

The screening questionnaire also contained a question on any other health problem or condition that has lasted or is expected to last for six months or more. This question was meant to be a catch-all if the 10 disability types did not cover the respondent's situation. This question is associated with an 11th "unknown" disability type.

Source: Glossary: Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada

Diversity

The inclusion of different types of people. A diverse workforce in the public service is made up of individuals who have an array of identities, abilities, backgrounds, cultures, skills, perspectives and experiences that are representative of Canada’s current and evolving population.

Source: Building a Diverse and Inclusive Public Service: Final Report of the Joint Union/Management Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion

Employee

Any person employed by a regulated entity described in paragraph 7(1)(e) or (f) of the Accessible Canada Act and includes a dependent contractor as defined in subsection 3(1) of the Canada Labour Code, but excludes:
(a) a person employed under a program designated by the employer as a student employment program, and
(b) a student employed solely during the student’s vacation periods

Source: Accessible Canada Regulations

Feedback

For the purposes of fulfilling the CRA’s obligations under the Accessible Canada Act, feedback is information received related to the:

• barriers that employees encounter;
• barriers that other people who deal with the CRA encounter; or,
• manner in which the CRA is implementing its accessibility plan.

The feedback received may be positive or critical, general or specific, lengthy or brief, identified or anonymous.

For the purposes of the Accessible Canada Act and its regulations, there is a difference between consultation input and feedback:

• Consultation input is comments received when consulting persons with disabilities in a targeted and time limited way.
• Feedback is comments received through feedback processes.

Source: Adapted from Guidance on the Accessible Canada Regulations - Feedback processes and descriptions

Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus)

Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) is a process for:

• understanding who is affected by policies, programs, initiatives, or issues
• identifying how the initiative could be tailored to meet diverse needs of the people most impacted, and
• anticipating and mitigating any barriers to accessing or benefitting from the initiative.

GBA Plus is an intersectional analysis that goes beyond biological (sex) and socio-cultural (gender) differences to consider other factors, such as age, disability, education, ethnicity, economic status, geography (including rurality), language, race, religion, and sexual orientation.

Source: What is Gender-based Analysis Plus - Women and Gender Equality Canada

Hiring

Appointments that aped to the employee population in the past fiscal year that involve:

• permanent and term employees
• terms of three months or more
• students
• term employees whose employment status has changed to permanent

Staffing measures the flow of employees into the public service and may include more than one appointment per person per year.

Source: Human Resources Branch, CRA

Inclusion

The act of including someone or something as part of a group. An inclusive workplace is fair, equitable, supportive, welcoming and respectful.

Inclusion recognizes, values and leverages differences in identities, abilities, backgrounds, cultures, skills, experiences and perspectives that support and reinforce Canada’s evolving human rights framework.

Source: Glossary: Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada

Lived experience

Personal knowledge of the world gained through direct, first-hand interactions in day-to-day contact. The knowledge gained is based on individuals’ perspectives, identities, and personal history as well as how they live and respond to the world around them.

Source: Lived experience - Oxford Reference
Source: Lived experience of people with disabilities | Australian Institute of Family Studies

“Nothing Without Us”

A key principle of the Accessible Canada Act that means that persons with disabilities should be consulted when developing laws, policies, and programs that affect them.

In keeping with this principle, the Government of Canada works with persons with disabilities and organizations that advocate on their behalf to better understand the full diversity of the community it serves.

Source: Guidance on the Accessible Canada Regulations- Consulting persons with disabilities

Persons with disabilities

Persons who have a long-term or recurring physical, mental, sensory, psychiatric or learning impairment and who:

1. a) consider themselves to be disadvantaged in employment because of that impairment, or
2. b) believe that an employer or potential employer is likely to consider them to be disadvantaged in employment because of that impairment.

Persons with disabilities include persons whose functional limitations owing to their impairment have been accommodated in their current job or workplace, as well as clients engaging with Canada Revenue Agency programs and services.

Source: Adapted from the Glossary: Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada

Persons with Disabilities Network

The Canada Revenue Agency’s Persons with Disabilities Network plays an important role in shaping accessibility at our organization. The Network is composed of employees with disabilities who have lived experience with accessibility barriers, have insights and experiences to share in helping remove barriers, and are also taxpayers themselves.

Plain language

Wording, structure, and design that are so clear that the intended audience can easily find what they need, understand what they find, and use that information.

Source: Plain language, accessibility, and inclusive communications - Privy Council Office

Promotions

An appointment to a position at a higher pay level either within the same occupational group or subgroup or in another group or subgroup.

Source: Glossary: Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada

Universal design

The design of products, environments, programmes and services to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. "Universal design" shall not exclude assistive devices for particular groups of persons with disabilities where this is needed.

Source: Definitions: United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities