What does an Accessible Canada mean to you?

30 September 2016

In-person consultation sessions are taking place across Canada to inform the development of planned accessibility legislation.

Did you know that approximately 14 per cent of Canadians aged 15 years or older reported having a disability that limited them in their daily activities? And that there are approximately 411,000 working-aged Canadians with disabilities who are not working but whose disability does not prevent them from doing so? Almost half of these potential workers are post-secondary graduates.

We all benefit when everyone can participate equally in everyday life. But many Canadians with disabilities and functional limitations face accessibility barriers in their communities and workplaces. That is why the Government of Canada has launched a consultation process that will inform planned accessibility legislation.

All Canadians are encouraged to take part in the consultation process, either by attending an in-person session or by participating in the online consultation. A full list of in-person sessions can be found at Canada.ca/Accessible-Canada. If you would like to pre-register for an in-person session, or advise of accommodation needs, please notify the Office for Disability Issues:

Phone: 1-844-836-8126

TTY: 819-934-6649

Fax: 819-953-4797

Email address: accessible-canada@hrsdc.gc.ca

Mailing address: Consultation – Federal Accessibility Legislation

c/o Office for Disability Issues

Employment and Social Development Canada

105 Hotel-de-ville St., 1st floor, Bag 62

Gatineau QC K1A 0J

Canadians are also encouraged to follow @AccessibleGC on Twitter, Accessible Canada on Facebook and to follow the #AccessibleCanada hashtag. The consultation process will run until February 2017.

For the most up-to-date information on in-person venues and dates, and to participate online, please visit Canada.ca/Accessible-Canada.