Contents
The Strategy's guiding principles
C. Priority areas identified by the Accessible Canada Act
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
4. Communications other than ICT
5. Procurement of goods, services and facilities
6. Design and delivery of programs and services
Executive Summary
This third progress report outlines the Office of the Correctional Investigator’s (OCI) ongoing efforts to implement its Accessibility Plan. It summarizes achievements since Progress Report #2, identifies remaining barriers, and sets out next steps to meet the Accessible Canada Act (ACA) requirements by 2040.
A. General
In July 2016, the Government of Canada began consultations with more than 6,000 Canadians in order to determine what an accessible Canada means to them. Following these consultations, Bill C-81: An Act to Ensure a Barrier-Free Canada, was tabled in June 2018. The Accessible Canada Act, which aims to make Canada a barrier-free country by January 1, 2040, came into force in July 2019. In order to attain that goal, all Government of Canada organizations are required to proactively identify, remove and prevent barriers in the following seven (7) 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
- transportation (airlines, as well as rail, road and marine transportation providers that cross provincial or international borders)
In light of various studies conducted since 2017, it is evident that the public service as a whole has some work to do to in terms of improving representation in the public service and ensuring that persons with disabilities can participate fully and meaningfully in the workplace. The Government of Canada’s Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada (the Strategy) lays out a vision for becoming the most accessible and inclusive public service in the world.
The Strategy's guiding principles
- “Nothing about us without us” – persons with disabilities are involved in the design and implementation of the Strategy
- Collaboration – GC organizations work in collaboration with each other, with bargaining agents and with other public, private and not-for-profit organizations
- Sustainability – the Strategy prioritizes actions that will have an enduring impact
- Transparency – the Strategy is developed and implemented transparently; and GC organizations will report openly and transparently on their efforts to remove barriers
The Strategy’s goals
Five goals are key to realizing the vision:
- Employment – Improve recruitment, retention and promotion of persons with disabilities
- Built environment – Enhance accessibility
- Technology – Make information and communications technology usable by all
- Services – Equip public servants to design and deliver accessible programs and services
- Culture – Build an accessibility-confident public service
In addition to the publication of Government of Canada organizations’ first Accessibility Plan, the Accessible Canada Act has the following planning and reporting requirements:
- Prepare and publish accessibility plans
- Establish a feedback process
- Prepare and publish progress reports
This is the Office of the Correctional Investigator’s third progress report.
As with most new initiatives and reporting requirements for micro agencies with limited resources, the ongoing challenge lies in sustaining momentum throughout the reporting period to achieve accessibility milestones. This difficulty is partly linked to the number of employees who self-identify as having a disability. Of the Office’s 40 Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs), only 4 employee (10%) have done so. If that figure were closer to 10%, representing approximately five employees, accessibility priorities would likely gain greater visibility across divisional activities and meetings, rather than remaining primarily within senior management’s purview. In reality, the responsibility for advancing this initiative rests almost entirely with the Champion and their ability to keep accessibility top of mind.
Despite these challenges, progress was made during Year 3. However, as noted in the first progress report, the low number of employees who self-identify as having a disability continued to slow implementation efforts. Additionally, employee turnover and workload pressures, both within Corporate Services and for the Champion, further complicated efforts to maintain accessibility as a priority for staff. Consequently, Year 3 demonstrated slow but steady progress toward achieving the objectives outlined in the Office’s initial Accessibility Plan.
B. Organizational Context
The Office of the Correctional Investigator (“the Office”) is a micro agency of 40 FTE with one program dedicated to investigations of complaints directed to the Correctional Service of Canada by federally sentenced individuals or those supervised in the community and carries out systemic investigations of issues that affect large numbers of this population. The Office reviews all Correctional Services of Canada investigations of deaths in custody and serious bodily injury cases to ensure Correctional Service of Canada compliance with law and policy. The Office also conducts reviews of all use of force incidents. The Office’s investigative activities support a safe, lawful and humane federal correctional practice to ensure that federal correctional decisions and practices comply with human rights, law, policy, and are fair.
As a separate agency of the Federal Public Administration, the organization is listed in Schedule I.1 and in Schedule 5 for all matters related to Human Resources Management of the Financial Administration Act (FAA).
C. Priority areas identified by the Accessible Canada Act
The Office of the Correctional Investigator contributed toward the Government of Canada’s Accessibility Strategy and its goals, in the following areas:
1. Employment
| Objective | Contribution in Year 3 |
|---|---|
Build accessibility awareness and capacity within the organization. Office of Primary Interest: Corporate Services, Accessibility Champion and Management | The Office promoted self-identification through available tools, to ensure that representation within the Office is accurately captured. Continued to support flexible work arrangements that address the diverse needs of all employees, while aligning with Government of Canada obligations and operational requirements. Managers continued to review and adjust flexible work arrangement agreements as required to strengthen dialogue and ensure that appropriate accommodations are in place and are working. |
Provide services and tools needed to support persons with disabilities as well as management. Office of Primary Interest: Corporate Services, Accessibility Champion and Management | Adjusted the recruitment approach where required, while ensuring employee health and safety. This included the organization’s commitment and promotion of Accessibility on staffing posters. Ongoing review and update of Human Resources recruitment/staffing procedures to offer hiring managers guidance, training and tools in support of staffing and accommodating of persons with disabilities. |
2. Built environment
| Objective | Contribution in Year 3 |
|---|---|
Collaborate with Public Services and Procurement Canada as well as Facility Management to review safety and resource plans with the mindset of "inclusive by design and accessible by default." Office of Primary Interest: Corporate Services, Management | The Office is revamping its onboarding procedures to include information and guidance to support employees and managers with accessibility needs and requirements. The Office is also developing its Departmental Service Plan which will include accessibility as one of its top priorities. |
3. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
| Objective | Contribution in Year 3 |
|---|---|
Assess Information Management and Information Technology environment in order to identify challenges relevant to accessibility barriers. Office of Primary Interest: Corporate Services and Management | Updated and communicated the organization’s hybrid workplace approach to reflect new Government requirements for employees to be in the Office up to 3 working days per week. As was the case in year 1, this workplace approach considered recommendations stemming from the IM/IT assessment which reflected the challenges faced by employees with disabilities. Conducted a review of the organization’s public-facing communication platforms to ensure accessibility by visually impaired Canadians. |
4. Communications other than ICT
| Objective | Contribution in Year 3 |
|---|---|
Public feedback mechanism. Office of Primary Interest: Corporate Services | Leveraged established channels with stakeholders with a view to contributing to the Office’s continued improvement of accessible external communication. Examples include conversations with service providers regarding the inclusion of accessibility requirements in their products and services. |
5. Procurement of goods, services and facilities
| Objective | Contribution in Year 3 |
|---|---|
Consider barriers to accessibility in the procurement and facilities space. Office of Primary Interest: Corporate Services and Management | The OCI is committed to ensuring accessibility requirements are considered in internal procurement practices. |
6. Design and delivery of programs and services
| Objective | Contribution in Year 3 |
|---|---|
Support the prevention of barriers in relation to third-party design and delivery of programs and services. Office of Primary Interest: Policy and Research, Operations, supported by Corporate Services | Ongoing consultations and discussions with service providers as required. Inclusion and promotion of accessibility considerations and questions within stakeholder consultations. |
7. Transportation
| Objective | Contribution in Year 3 |
|---|---|
Identify barriers to persons with disabilities in the Investigative function. Office of Primary Interest: Accessibility Champion, Operations and Policy and Research | The Accessibility Champion as the Director of Operations worked with the operations and policy and research groups to assess accessibility barriers as well as a mitigation approach to support persons with disabilities in the role of investigators. |
D. Consultations
The Office of the Correctional Investigator remains committed to involving persons with disabilities in the implementation of its Accessibility Plan as well as subsequent Progress Reports. However, as indicated earlier, only 10% of the complement self-identified as having disabilities limiting the collection of unique and valuable perspectives and experiences.
Due to realty highlighted above, the Office developed this third Progress Report by primarily consulting with the Accessibility Champion who is particularly sensitive and knowledgeable of the organization’s successes and areas for improvement. The Office expects to expand its consultations for the development of the next Progress Report to include newly self-identified employees as well as the experiences of other micro agencies with similar mandates for comparative purposes.
E. Feedback
The Accessible Canada Act requires organizations to establish a departmental process for receiving and dealing with feedback regarding the implementation of the accessibility plan. The Office has established channels for employee feedback through its exit and stay interview processes.
The Office of the Correctional Investigator’s Accessibility Champion was responsible for monitoring and evaluating all feedback and report regularly to the organization’s management table to ensure its consideration in future plans, when possible.
For questions, feedback or suggestions regarding this Progress Report, please contact the Office by
- calling OCI 1-877-885-8848
- sending your feedback by mail to the attention of the Correctional Investigator.
- Office of the Correctional Investigator Canada, PO Box+ 3421, Station D, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6L4 Canada
- sending your feedback by fax to 613-990-0563
- sending an email to: org@oci-bec.gc.ca
- scheduling a stay interview with the Small Department and Agencies Ombuds (for employees only)
The Office’s Accessibility Champion will assess and respond to all feedback and questions in a timely manner. Feedback aimed at improving the organization’s approach to Accessibility will be tabled for discussion at the senior management table. The Accessibility Champion is a permanent member of the Senior Management Committee.
F. Lessons Learned
As stated earlier, the primary challenge for the Office in the reporting period as well as going forward will continue to be the lack of representation within its complement, of self-identified persons with a disability. This will affect the organization’s ability to develop plans and progress reports and will require external consultations to obtain perspectives not available in-house. Notwithstanding, the organization will continue its recruitment and staffing efforts in targeting individuals with a disability with a view to including them into the planning and reporting of Accessibility measures.
G. Training
As outlined in its initial Accessibility Plan, the Office of the Correctional Investigator, under the leadership of Corporate Services, scheduled and delivered Government of Canada-focused training as part of its mandatory training plan for all employees for 2025-26. This approach will continue in Year 4 of implementation. Additionally, the Office offered a “Building a Culture of Care” workshop to employees, facilitated by the Office of Shared Ombuds Services (OSOS).
Through formal and informal mechanisms, including info-lunches and sidebar conversations, the organization’s Accessibility Champion and other members of the senior management cadre engaged the small number of employees with disabilities and all staff to solidify a culture of continuous improvement that supports diversity and inclusion. These opportunities for dialogue also included quarterly discussions at the senior management table on progress achieved in relation to diversity, inclusion and accessibility commitments.
The Office also promoted self-identification opportunities through available tools with a view to ensuring accurate representation within the Office.
H. Glossary
Access to Justice
means a people-centered approach to justice that puts consideration of the individual at the heart of Canada’s rule of law, by providing access to information, programs and policies.
Accessibility, Accommodations and Adaptive Computer Technology
The Accessibility, Accommodation and Adaptive Computer Technology Program of Shared Services Canada provides a wide range of services, on a cost-recovery basis, to help integrate employees with disabilities, injuries and ergonomic requirements and who require access to systems, programs, information, computers and computer resources.
Barrier
“means anything—including anything physical, architectural, technological or attitudinal, anything that is based on information or communications or anything that is the result of a policy or a practice—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.”
Disability
“means 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.”
Government of Canada Workplace Accessibility Passport
The Government of Canada Workplace Accessibility Passport helps address the obstacles federal public service employees and applicants with disabilities face in obtaining the tools, supports and measures to perform at their best and succeed in the workplace. It facilitates recruitment, retention, and career advancement for persons with disabilities. The Accessibility Passport facilitates employee mobility between GC organizations. It is meant to follow each employee and it is an evergreen document that can be updated throughout a career.
“Nothing about us without us”
“Nothing about us without us” is a guiding principle used across the Government of Canada to communicate the message that no policy should be decided by a representative without the full and direct participation of the members of the group affected by that policy.
Self-Identification Modernization Project
In September 2020, the Treasury Board Secretariat launched the Self-Identification (self-ID) Modernization Project to increase the accuracy, depth and breadth of the data across government. The project explored ways to reduce stigma associated with self-identification for all employment equity groups. Following extensive research and consultations, a new questionnaire was co-designed with employees from various diversity networks.
