Global Accessibility Awareness Day - The Role of Digital Accessibility in Workplace Performance

This year, the thirteenth Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) will be celebrated on May 16, 2024. GAAD serves as a reminder of the ongoing need for inclusive design and accessibility, ensuring that digital platforms, tools, and resources are accessible to all.

In the workplace, digital accessibility is all about removing barriers and creating equal opportunities for employees to access information, communicate effectively, collaborate with colleagues, and perform their duties.

However, digital inaccessibility at work:

  • Hinders performance by making it hard for employees to access information and resources. This can lead to challenges with navigating documents and software applications, affecting the employee’s ability to perform well.
  • Isolates employees with different abilities. For example, without accessibility features like captions, sign language interpretation, or screen reader compatibility, employees’ ability to participate in meetings and collaborate with others is limited. As a result, employees can feel left out and miss important information.
  • Poses barriers to career advancement, skills development, and employment for persons with different abilities. This can be caused by inaccessible training materials or professional development resources.

Breaking the Code - How Digital Accessibility Promises Workplace Success

Prioritizing digital accessibility helps employees succeed and breaks down barriers of digital inaccessibility.

  • Employees can fully access documents, software applications, tools, training, and resources, which contributes to fostering productivity and collaboration.
  • Captioning, sign language interpretation, and screen reader compatibility help bridge the gap between visual content and auditory understanding across communication platforms.
  • Providing assistive tools or adaptive technology enhances productivity and facilitates work for everyone.
  • Providing continuous training, engaging accessibility champions, promoting accessibility awareness on various topics, conducting accessibility audits, and providing ongoing support to employees creates a positive cultural shift towards accessibility in the workplace.

Did you Know?

According to Employment And Social Development Canada (ESDC),3 Years Accessibility Plan to remove accessibility barriers:

  • As of 2021, ESDC’s webpages on Canada.ca are easier to understand, they now meet a grade 6 to 8 reading level.
  • The ESDC Accessibility Office (EAO) created an online toolbox of resources for employees on how to write accessible content and how to hold accessible meetings and events. The EAO also trained over 700 employees on how to write web content in plain language.
  • In 2023, ESDC updated and promoted the accessibility booklet "A Way with Words and Images". This guide helps federal employees use appropriate language to communicate effectively about disability in writing, speech, and images.

Adaptive Technologies at ESDC

ESDC is committed to promoting best practices in accessibility in all policies, programs, services and workplaces and the Accessibility Centre of Excellence (ACE) part of ESDC's IT Accessibility Office maintains, reviews, and procures adaptive technology to loan to employees. The ACE team can help determine the best adaptive technology available to suit your needs and advocate for inclusiveness for employees with different abilities in the workplace.

To access this service yourself or on behalf of one of your employees, simply fill out the intake form submit a service request to the National Service Desk (NSD), or send an inquiry directly to the ITAO GD mailbox.

Please consider learning more about ESDC’s Accessible Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

Global Accessibility Awareness Day Event

On May 16, 2024, Audrey Camonfour-Jobin (Environment and Climate Change Canada) will be speaking about her mental health journey as a young professional during an event entitled "The Story of a Young Professional: Journey, Healing, and Lessons Learned".

Accessibility Training and Coaching

To deepen your knowledge of how to make digital content accessible, consider enrolling in Saba’s Accessibility Training this May.