Accessibility Progress Report January 2023 – December 2023

General

CCC is committed to ensuring accessibility for people with disabilities by creating a framework which allows for the proactive identification, removal, and prevention of barriers wherever individuals with disabilities interact with our organization. The Vice-President of Corporate Services and CFO is the executive sponsor of the accessibility plan, and subsequently the accessibility policy at CCC. The Vice-President, and CFO in conjunction with the Director of Human Resources, coordinates the implementation of the Accessibility Plan in close collaboration with their peers, various committees and other employees as required. External parties wishing to provide feedback, input or make an accessibility request can do so by contacting CCC as follows:  Human Resources. by email: [email protected], by phone: 1.613.996.0034 or by mail: 350 Albert Street, Suite 700, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0S6. Employees have a variety of means to provide feedback, input or to make accessibility requests such as: their immediate Supervisor, their department’s director, the Accessibility Committee or directly to the Director of Human Resources.  Updated information on the Accessibility Plan and initiatives designed to meet CCC’s commitments on this topic are available on CCC’s internal platform accessible to all employees. The following snapshot summarizes our progress during 2023:

Section 5 Accessibility Canada Act

Employment

The public and CCC employees have been notified that CCC accommodates people with disabilities during the recruitment and assessment process as well as once individuals are hired. Our Accessibility Plan has been published externally on our web site as well as internally on the platform shared by all employees. We have posted this statement on our career’s website, and in our individual job posting’s as well to remind our employees or prospective employees that we are able to provide accommodations at any point in the recruitment or employment process. We invited all current employees who have self-identified to the Human Resources team, as having a disability to participate in a consultative process. This stakeholder interview was regarding the development of the accessibility plan. Those interviews were conducted by a third-party expert with their feedback being considered in the preparation of the Plan. The feedback that was shared by the population of our disabled workforce informed CCC’s accessibility plan. The organization is committed to the review and analysis of policy and communications regarding recruiting, retention, return to work, exit interviews, and promotions; to confirm they are equitable for potential and existing employees with disabilities. This would include identifying where systemic barriers exist in staffing processes at the corporate and hiring manager levels as well as providing possible solutions. Existing policies such as the Hybrid Work Environment have been reviewed to ensure compliance with the Plan. A Manager’s training tools has been created covering topics related to hiring, onboarding and managing employees with disabilities. Some of the topics include: invisible disabilities, soft skills such as building trust and coaching, the diverse value that persons with disabilities can bring to teams, how to avoid confusing job support and performance issues and designing and implementing accessible programs and services. Training was delivered to the extended leadership team in April 2023, and to the Human Resources group in May 2023. Employees were invited to attend a drop-in virtual event for International Day of Persons with Disabilities, titled “Beyond the stigma: Building an Inclusive Canada.” Employees were able to hear about lived experiences and learn what actions they can take to create a safe, diverse, and inclusive atmosphere for all. The staffing process is undergoing a complete review with new tools and methods to be implemented in 2023-24.  More Accessibility training for Managers and Employees is also planned as well as a Mentorship program for employees with disabilities. A number of employment-related Policies have been reviewed and recommendations have been provided for updates related to Accessibility. Those Policies will be updated and re-published in Q1, 2024. The Human Resources team has been working closely with our employees or candidates with disabilities. In the past year, employees with disabilities were provided with accommodation plans as necessary. Several employees have modification to technology, hardware and software to accommodate individual needs or flexibility.

The Built Environment

CCC’s office is currently located in a Class AAA< LEED EB Platinum Certified building in downtown Ottawa and is fully accessible.  Public areas have been recently refreshed and the building is easily accessible for the employees and the public. CCC occupies offices on two floors and our latest audit has not identified any requirement for remedial work. CCC will be moving in mid-2024 to new leased office space in its current building.  The new office premises will have all CCC employees co-located on one floor (approx. 21,000 sq. ft).  The architectural design firm engaged for the design of the new space applied all accessibility standards for Government of Canada agencies in fitting out the new floor (e.g., corridor widths appropriate for wheelchair accessibility, barrier-free offices, workplace furniture, washrooms, technology tools, etc.). The firm recently completed a successful design project (November 2021) with Accessibility Standards Canada (ASC). CCC’s new office premises will be ready for an Accessibility Audit in the fall of 2024. An annual audit as well as proactive inclusion of universal design in any planned fit-ups will ensure that any future modified workspaces conform to the accessibility requirements within the GCworkplace Design Guide.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

E-Accessibility is now part of the IT Strategic Plan and will incorporate the findings of the Consultants who have audited the website, internal platforms, documents and processes. Audits have been completed for:  Public-facing Web pages (primary web pages, news pages, resource pages and blog pages) in English and French with particular attention for PDFs. Recommendations for improvement and remedial work have been received and evaluated. Internal web pages have also been audited (Internal Portal and Central Documents) and again, recommendations for improvements and remedial work have been received and evaluated. CCC has committed to a Work Plan along with allocation of resources has been developed and remedial work will be undertaken in 2024. Point of Contact in-house expertise will be available to create Accessibility documentation and respond to employee and public requests.

Communication (other than ICT)

CCC has created an Accessibility Plan, published and communicated it to both employees and the wider public as well established the Human Resources Director as the primary executive responsible for its implementation.  The feedback mechanism is in place and working with Human Resources ultimately being accountable for gathering, analyzing and responding as required. Plans are in place to ensure that employees in leadership positions have actionable accessibility commitments and that the entire workforce has a common baseline understanding and sensitivity regarding accessibility issues. CCC is also committed to participate annually in National Accessibility Awareness Week, International Day for Persons with Disabilities, and National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

The Procurement of Goods, Services and Facilities

We are committed to ensuring that contracting and procurement processes conform with accessibility standards as set by the Treasury Board Secretariat, therefore, an audit will be undertaken in 2024 to find out our level of compliance.

The Design and Delivery of Programs and Services

Internally CCC has already consulted with Employees with Disabilities and has received their feedback.  The Public has a mechanism to provide input through web, email, phone and mail and feedback from suppliers will be sought during the annual Client Survey which will take place in 2024.

Transportation

Not applicable to CCC.

Consultations

Consultation began in 2022 in preparation for the Report and included the following:

1. In collaboration with CCC’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, the organization committed to meeting and exceeding its obligations under ACA including keeping the Committee informed, involved and engaged in the feedback process. The Committee has been appraised of our plans and activities listed above.
2. The public was invited to provided feedback through our website, mail or phone with all of those channels converging directly to the Director of Human Resources.
3. CCC employees are aware of the organization’s initiatives and are able to participate directly with the Director of Human Resources, through the DEI Committee or via their supervisors.
4. The 2023 Employee Engagement survey also included a Heatmap by Persons with Disabilities where topics such as Systems and Resources, Compensation, Growth and Development, Performance Management were part of the eighteen dimensions being assessed.
5. Most importantly, CCC provided an opportunity to all its employees who self-identified as being Persons with Disabilities to provide feedback and input into the Plan. The consultation was conducted by the Accessibility Consulting firm David Berman in Ottawa during the month of November 2022.  Seven employees who self-identified as having disabilities were contact and accepted to participate in one-on-one confidential interviews conducted by Berman Consultants.  The following questions were asked:
   • How long have you worked at CCC?
   • Are you Management or non-Management?
   • Are you aware of the employer’s duty to accommodate?
   • Has CCC’s Accommodation process been impacted by the Pandemic?
   • Discussion on Accommodation; have you requested Accommodations, if so, were you satisfied with the process, are you comfortable discussing this topic with your employer?
   • The last question was a discussion on whether employee ever felt discriminated, if they had lodged complaints or grievances?

Feedback

Feedback received from employees who self-identified as having disabilities is positive:

• Employees were aware of their rights and of the employer’s responsibilities
• Requests for accommodation made were acted on quickly and the employee was satisfied
• No conflicts or disagreements were reported and the organization was praised for its general approach to prioritizing the safety and well-being of its employees

Employees who have not self-identified as disabled are aware of the feedback mechanisms (Supervisor, DEI Committee, Union if applicable or Director of HR) and so far no requests, comments or concerns have been received.