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Message from the Clerk of the Senate

I am pleased to share with you the 2026-2028 Senate Accessibility Plan, which shows the Senate’s commitment to improving services, facilities and the working environment of people with disabilities. The Senate is an institution that gives a strong voice in Parliament to underrepresented groups; the Senate Accessibility Plan is a significant step toward eliminating barriers to participation for Canadians who have so much to contribute.

In keeping with the spirit of “nothing without us,” the Senate Accessibility Officer has led extensive consultations with members of the disability community. Their contributions have shown us where the Senate is succeeding and where we can do more. I thank them for being so generous with their time and their expertise.

I also applaud the commitment of the Senate Administration to eliminating barriers at the Senate. From accessible documents and signage to using technology to help people follow the work of the Senate, the Administration has recognized the importance of making the Senate accessible to all. Members of the Administration are using their skills and experience to propose creative, achievable solutions that will make the Senate a more welcoming place to people with disabilities.

As the Senate embarks on the next phase of its accessibility initiatives, I look forward to supporting the Administration’s work — alongside members of the disability community — to continue to break down barriers on Parliament Hill.

Shaila Anwar

Clerk of the Senate and Clerk of the Parliaments

General

Statement of commitment

The Senate is committed to representing Canada’s diversity and to giving voice to many underrepresented groups, including people with disabilities. To ensure that all Canadians can participate fully in their democratic institutions, we are dedicated to making all aspects of the Senate’s activities accessible. Accessibility is an ongoing process, and we strive to continuously improve accessibility by listening to the voices of people with disabilities.

Contact information and feedback process

The Senate welcomes feedback — including feedback submitted anonymously — from senators, their staff, employees of the Senate Administration and members of the public about accessibility at the Senate, and about this plan. The Senate is committed to reviewing the feedback it receives in good faith and to taking steps to address any barriers to accessibility that are identified.

You can submit your feedback by contacting the Senate Accessibility Officer at accessible@sen.parl.gc.ca or 1-888-810-9470.

You can also write to the following address:

Senate Accessibility Officer
Senate of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A4

An electronic feedback form, along with further information on submitting feedback to the Senate, is available on the Senate website.

An electronic version of the Senate accessibility plan, annual progress reports — compatible with assistive technology — and an audio version are also available on the Senate website.

Alternative formats of this plan, annual progress reports (for the 2023-2025 plan), and a description of the Senate’s feedback process can also be requested by contacting the Senate Accessibility Officer at accessible@sen.parl.gc.ca or 1-888-810-9470.

The Senate will provide the following alternative formats within 15 days of the initial request: Print and large print (increased font size).

The Senate will also provide a braille format within 45 days of the initial request. This timeline is set out in the Accessible Canada Regulations and allows for the time necessary to produce and distribute the braille version. Should there be an urgent need for this version, the Senate will make every effort to send it sooner.

Description of the Senate of Canada

The Senate is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. It was created to counterbalance representation by population in the House of Commons. The Senate has evolved from defending regional interests to giving voice to underrepresented groups like Indigenous peoples, minority groups, women, and people with disabilities.

Definitions and terminology

The following definitions apply throughout this report:

• Ableism: A view or attitude that treats people with disabilities as “abnormal,” “inferior” or “other.” Ableism can be both intentional (e.g., bullying, ridicule, treating a person with a disability as if they were incapable) and unintentional (e.g., documents that look nice but are inaccessible, planning events that do not allow persons with disabilities to participate comfortably). (Definition from Employment and Social Development Canada)
• Accessibility: The design of products, devices, services, environments, technologies, policies and rules in a way that allows all people — including people with disabilities — to access them.
• Barrier: Anything that might hinder the full and equal participation in society of people with disabilities. Barriers can be physical, architectural, technological, attitudinal, based on information or communications or the result of a policy or procedure.
• Disability: Any impairment in physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, sensory or communication abilities that, when interacting with a barrier, hinders a person’s full and equal participation in society. Disabilities can be permanent, temporary, episodic, fluctuating or change over time, and they may or may not be evident.
• Invisible and non-apparent disabilities: Impairments or conditions that are not always visible or noticeable. These include mental health conditions, chronic illnesses and learning disabilities.
• ‘Nothing without us’: A principle that means people with disabilities are equal participants in society and must be included in all decisions that affect them. (Definition from Employment and Social Development Canada)
• Remediate: To fix something or make it right. In this case, remediation refers to changing things to make them more accessible.

A note on disability terminology: The Senate recognizes that there are individual preferences when it comes to how people identify themselves. This report generally uses person-first language (e.g., a person with a spinal cord injury), but it acknowledges that many people may use identity-first language (e.g., an autistic person) or other descriptions. In individual interactions, the Senate makes efforts to ask people how they identify themselves.

Executive summary

The Senate of Canada’s 2026-2028 Accessibility Plan lays out measures that will be taken to further the institution’s goals of eliminating barriers and make the institution open to Canadians of all abilities. In all, 31 goals have been proposed, including changing the physical environment, making communications clearer and conducting regular accessibility audits.

These goals have been developed after extensive internal and external consultation with advocates for people with disabilities; they have also been informed by Canadian accessibility standards and regulations.

The 2025 annual progress report has been included as part of this 2026-2028 Accessibility plan. As such, the remaining goals from the 2023-2025 Accessibility Plan can be found in Annex A: Remaining goals from the 2023-2025 Accessibility Plan. Accessibility feedback received can be found in Annex B: Feedback.

Consultations

The Senate is committed to including the voices of people with disabilities in its legislative activities and in daily operations. Since its first accessibility plan was published in 2022, the Senate has regularly consulted with people with disabilities. The ideas and feedback shared since this time helped shape the Senate’s new plan.

The Senate also consulted people on its new plan specifically. The consultations were conducted in spring 2025 through an online survey or meetings, either virtual or in person. The in-person meetings took place at one of the Senate-occupied buildings. Alternative versions of the survey were available, and all participants were invited to request any accommodations needed in advance of the meeting.

Consultations with senators, staff and members of the Senate Administration with disabilities

Senators, their staff and members of the Senate Administration were sent a survey inviting them to share their experiences, barriers to accessibility and suggestions for improvements at the Senate. They were also invited to book a one-on-one meeting with the Accessibility Officer to discuss these topics in greater depth. Specific outreach efforts were made for people who identified as a person with a disability through the Senate’s self-identification processes.

A total of 88 people filled out the survey. Among the respondents, 27 said they have a disability or have had a disability; 12 said that a person close to them identifies as a person with a disability.

A total of 10 one-on-one consultations with senators, senators’ staff and Administration employees with disabilities were held virtually and in person.

The survey responses and conversation helped us learn about barriers that continue to exist at the Senate and others that are being addressed.

Barriers that were identified include physical barriers (e.g., accessibility buttons not functioning), negative or indifferent attitudes (e.g., ableism, continued lack of understanding about disabilities and the stigma surrounding them) and technological barriers (e.g., poorly formatted documents that cannot be easily read by assistive software).

Recommendations to improve accessibility at the Senate included increasing training about accessibility and disability awareness (especially invisible or non-apparent disabilities), having dedicated subject matter experts in accessibility of different areas such as the built environment or information technology.

It was reported that there has been a positive change in philosophy for disabilities at the Senate, thanks largely to awareness initiatives led by the Parliamentary Precinct Accessibility Working group, such as a panel in which people living with various disabilities shared their experiences and answered anonymous audience-submitted questions about their disabilities.

Respondents also said that onboarding new senators and employees is the most effective time to present accessibility; accessibility has now been integrated into onboarding.

Consultations with members of the public

People who took part in certain Senate events and signed up to get information about annual consultations received an email inviting them to take the survey or meet with the Senate Accessibility Officer.

The accessibility survey was also promoted in the Senate’s external newsletter and shared with some organizations representing people with disabilities to expand its reach and diversify the number of voices included in the consultations. Twenty people responded to the survey and three participated in virtual consultations. Barriers they identified include lack of sensitivity during security screening, delays in receiving interpretation services and the lack of information on available accommodations for visitors and committee witnesses.

Consultations with stakeholder groups representing people with disabilities

Although the work done at the Senate is on behalf of all Canadians, many people do not interact directly or regularly with the Senate and would not be able to identify most accessibility barriers at the Senate.

For these reasons, the Senate consults organizations that represent people with disabilities. These groups have a deep understanding of accessibility barriers and may have interacted with the Senate before. The Senate Accessibility Officer consulted in person or online with representatives from the following groups:

• Consortium Centre Jules-Léger (CCJL) – An Ontario French-language institution that offers special education services for students from preschool to secondary school levels, who have severe learning disabilities, are deaf or hard of hearing, blind or low vision or deaf-blind.
• Inclusion Canada – Advocates for a Canada that is more inclusive to people with an intellectual disability and their families.
• Wavefront Centre for Communication Accessibility – A registered charity that exists to reduce communication barriers by providing access and inclusion for Deaf and hard of hearing individuals.
• Specialisterne Canada – A not-for-profit organization that specializes in connecting employers with the talents of people on the autism spectrum or with similar neurodiversities.
• Indigenous Disability Canada/British Columbia Aboriginal Network on Disability Society (IDC/BCANDS) – A national Indigenous not-for-profit society that serves the unique and diverse disability needs of Indigenous peoples across Canada.

Suggestions included incorporating Video Relay Service for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals (a service that allows people who use sign language to make phone calls through a video interpreter); having people with disabilities audit the Senate’s job hiring processes; creating a disability advisory group and improving the Senate’s efforts to hire more people with disabilities.

Compliance with standards and regulations

The development of the 2026-2028 Senate Accessibility Plan was shaped by Canadian accessibility standards. The Senate reviews new standards as they come out from Accessible Standards Canada and, when possible, adjusts its actions to meet them. It also reviews new and proposed Accessible Canada Act regulations, which guide the Senate’s priorities.

Areas in Section 5 of the Accessible Canada Act

Employment

Current State

Approximately 700 people work at the Senate. About 70% of staff work in the Senate Administration. The rest work for senators, who act as supervisors for their staff.

The Senate is working to ensure its policies and practices enable potential and current employees to build careers at the Senate that are free from barriers.

Accessibility is a guiding principle of the Senate Administration Talent Acquisition Policy. All job posters highlight the Senate’s commitment to an inclusive and barrier-free workplace. For example, job candidates receive information about their right to request an accommodation at each step of the hiring process.

Senate employees are supported through measures and actions explicitly set out in accommodation policies and processes. The Senate Administration Policy on the Duty to Accommodate was updated in consultation with employees with disabilities and those belonging to other designated groups. Similar updates were made to the policy that applies to senators’ staff.

The Senate also undertook an employment systems review in 2024. The review identified the need for more awareness around the accommodation process at all levels, including for supervisors and managers. Employees, who participated in review, wanted to see a focus on accessibility measures for the internal workforce as well as measures to address attitudinal barriers.

The Senate continues to participate in the Parliamentary Precinct Accessibility Working Group, which is made up of parliamentary employers who work on accessibility.

Accessibility Goals

1. Provide managers with resources to help them support a fair, inclusive, bias-aware selection process.
   

   Target completion date: End of 2027

2. Provide training on the accommodation process to help managers respond to requests. Regular information sessions on the duty to accommodate will be offered to employees, and self-serve resources will be available on the intranet.
   

   Target completion date: End of 2026

3. Update job description templates and posters to include considerations around accessibility best practices such as using plain and inclusive language, distinguishing genuine operational requirements, incorporating details about the work environment and job demands, etc.
   

   Target completion date: End of 2028

4. Launch a campaign to promote a scent-aware environment (e.g., chemical, environmental and other sensitivities).
   

   Target completion date: End of 2027

Built Environment

Current State

The Senate does most of its work at the Senate of Canada Building (SCB). The Senate also uses other buildings and offices in the National Capital Region, and senators may have regional offices in the provinces they represent. Apart from these regional offices, the Senate’s physical spaces are provided and maintained by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC). The Senate works closely with PSPC to ensure its built environment is accessible to everyone, particularly with regard to rehabilitation work in the Parliamentary Precinct that falls under the Long Term Vision and Plan.

Senators’ regional offices are subject to the Accessible Canada Act and new lease agreements include accessibility clauses.

Within the built environment, the Senate has adopted processes and policies to ensure spaces remain accessible and safe for all. Accessibility guidelines apply to interior spaces, and staff use inspection checklists to review spaces for new barriers (e.g., blocked pathways, broken accessibility buttons). The Senate’s emergency procedures include steps for staff members and first responders to take to assist people with disabilities in the event of an emergency. These procedures are also shared with those hosting events to ensure visitors to the SCB are protected during an emergency.

Accessibility Goals

1. Continue to work with PSPC to identify accessibility barriers in the built environment. The Senate will collaborate with PSPC to determine priority barriers in Senate spaces and take the necessary steps to eliminate them.
   (Note: This goal is a continuation from the 2023-2025 accessibility plan, which originally focused on auditing the built environment and identifying and eliminating barriers.)
   

   Target completion date: 2026, 2027, 2028

2. Work with PSPC on continuous improvements to universal accessibility best practices to ensure that feedback on identified accessibility barriers in the built environment and lessons learned are systematically integrated into project planning.
   (Note: This goal is a continuation from the 2023-2025 accessibility plan.)
   

   Target completion date: 2026, 2027, 2028

3. Complete the transformable lift pilot project at East Block in collaboration with PSPC (all project costs covered by PSPC).
   

   Target completion date: End of 2026

4. Work with parliamentary partners on the potential for new accessible digital signage standards for the Parliamentary Precinct. These standards will be based on the most recent version of the Canadian wayfinding and signage standard.
   

   Target completion date: End of 2028

5. Review products purchased for operations and maintenance of the buildings and, where available, prioritize the purchase of less invasive products to improve the workplace for people with environmental sensitivities.
   

   Target completion date: End of 2028

6. Conduct regular accessibility audits in Senate-occupied buildings to ensure that barriers are identified and solutions are implemented (e.g., non-functioning accessibility buttons, missing signage).
   

   Target completion date: 2026, 2027, 2028

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

Current State

The Senate produces and distributes information about the Senate, senators and their work. Information is mainly shared through its website and social media platforms. Internally, the Senate uses an intranet site to provide information and tools to support senators and staff members in their work. The Senate is working to ensure everyone can access and use its information, technology and tools.

Posts shared via the Senate’s social media accounts use all accessibility features offered by the platforms. Information about social media best practices is proactively shared with senators’ offices, which are responsible for managing the accounts of individual senators. These efforts help extend the reach of information to all Canadians interested in the Senate’s work.

Employees responsible for posting content to the website and intranet receive web accessibility training. Accessibility testing of newly published content is also in place. Some of the Senate’s websites already comply with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA. Documents published on the websites are not tested for compliance. The Senate has received feedback from employees and website visitors about the inaccessibility of certain documents.

Awareness of document accessibility requirements is growing. Document accessibility training is available to staff, as are self-serve resources such as templates and checklists. As a result, publicly posted documents are being remediated. New documents that are posted are also more likely to meet accessibility requirements.

The Senate is performing an inventory of its forms as a first step towards standardizing its forms for accessibility; efforts on web and document accessibility are steadily increasing as the Senate prepares to meet anticipated regulations over the next three years.

Accessibility Goals

Four accessibility goals marked with an asterisk (*) may require future funding, subject to the outcomes of the first year of implementation and the progress of related initiatives.

1. Continue to improve the accessibility of documents by training staff, remediating existing documents, and promoting accessibility standards for new documents.
   

   Target completion date: 2026, 2027, 2028

2. Deliver training on how to ensure simple PDFs exported from Microsoft are accessible.
   

   Target completion date: End of 2026

3. Ensure the Use of Parliament Hill website meets the most recent version of the Canadian standard on information communications technology, in partnership with the House of Commons.
   

   Target completion date: End of 2027

4. Ensure new or updated pages on the Senate’s websites and web applications meet the May 2025 version of the Canadian standard on information communications technology. *
   

   Target completion date: End of 2027

5. Create a repository to retain an electronic copy of accessibility training records, accessibility conformance assessments and accessibility statements to meet anticipated regulatory requirements.
   

   Target completion date: End of 2027

6. Ensure digital documents published on the Senate’s public-facing website meets the most recent version of the Canadian standard on information communications technology. This will include documents such as: committee reports, financial reports and brochures. *
   

   Target completion date: End of 2028

7. Conduct user testing of the Senate’s internal and public-facing websites to identify barriers. People with disabilities who regularly use assistive technology will do this testing. *
   (Note: This goal was carried forward from the 2023-2025 accessibility plan.)
   

   Target completion date: End of 2028

8. Conduct an accessibility assessment of the Senate’s enterprise resource planning software (a type of software that helps manage key operations like finance, inventory, and human resources in one system). *
   (Note: This goal was carried forward from the 2023-2025 accessibility plan.)
   

   Target completion date: End of 2028

Communication, other than Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

Current State

The Senate produces a large volume of information, and it is important that all Canadians can access it. This information includes live and on-demand broadcasts of Senate activities and official parliamentary publications (e.g., agendas, reports, bills) as well as content explaining the work of the Senate and of senators (e.g., videos, brochures, web articles).

Closed captioning is available to the public for all live and on demand televised committee meetings and Chamber sittings (meetings of senators in the Senate Chamber). Another simultaneous captioning service, CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation), is also available to anyone attending these televised meetings. While most meetings are televised, some public meetings and all in camera (non-public) meetings are not, which means there is no captioning and therefore, no CART. In these instances, CART is offered on a request basis when resources allow.

Sign language can be provided if requested, subject to availability. Guides to help senators and staff request captioning and sign language are available on the Senate’s intranet. There is not yet sign language translation of any content posted on the Senate website.

The Senate also produces public information aimed at explaining the Senate’s work in an engaging, plain-language format. Senate printed materials follow Clear Print guidelines. Plain language versions of some Chamber and committee documents are available on the Senate website.

Senators and staff also communicate with members of the public and stakeholders via conference, presentations or meetings. An accessible PowerPoint template and guidance on inclusive presentations and meetings are available on the intranet.

Accessibility Goals

1. Establish supply chains for preparing alternative formats (large print, Braille, audio). The Senate will also publish on its website and intranet a process for how to request alternative versions.
   

   Target completion date: End of 2027

2. Provide translations of certain key information (e.g., information about employment at the Senate and available accessibility services) into American Sign Language (ASL) and Quebec Sign Language (LSQ - Langue des signes québécoise) on the Senate’s website. Information to be translated will be selected in consultation with Deaf stakeholders.
   

   Target completion date: End of 2028

3. Expand the Senate’s use of live Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) to public committee meetings that are currently accessible only in audio format.
   

   Target completion date: End of 2027

4. Review the Senate’s web content to ensure all Canadians who want to contribute to the work of the Senate understand how they can get involved.
   

   Target completion date: End of 2027

5. Review emerging digital tools and, where possible, use them to produce plain-language summaries of complex procedural documents.
   

   Target completion date: End of 2027

Procurement of goods, services and facilities

Current State

Procurement refers to the buying of goods and services. The social objectives in the Senate’s Procurement Policy require the inclusion of diverse suppliers in activities and processes to the greatest extent possible.

When the Senate is procuring goods and services related to websites and online tools, it includes language about WCAG 2.1 AA requirements in its requests. For other goods and services that the Senate procures competitively, bidders are asked to describe their accessibility practices and are awarded a minimum number of points if they provide an accessibility statement. Checklists are available to help senators and employees know what to consider when shaping their requests.

Senate employees leading the procurement file have attended an awareness session by PSPC on improving the accessibility of procurement processes.

Accessibility Goal

1. Before purchasing products or services related to webpages, mobile applications and digital documents, ensure suppliers can meet Canadian information communications technology standards.
   

   Target completion date: End of 2028

Design and delivery of programs and services

Current State

New senators receive an orientation package and briefings from the Senate Administration through the Senate Orientation Program. Briefing materials should be examined through an accessibility lens and adapted accordingly. Current documents do not fully adhere to the principles of accessible documents, that is, they are not entirely written in plain language and are not always formatted for compatibility with screen readers.

Senate events would also benefit from application of accessibility principles. There are six different types of public-facing events, each with its own accessibility requirements:

• Senate sittings
• Committee meetings
• Ceremonial or protocol events hosted by the Senate in its facilities
• Public events hosted by the Senate in its facilities
• Public events hosted by the Senate at an external venue (e.g., conference centres)
• Public events hosted by a third party at their venue, with Senate participation (e.g., the SENgage program in which a senator visits a school, or a job fair where the Senate has a booth).

One important avenue for civic engagement is committee work. Any Canadian can share their expertise and experiences with a committee as a witness. All witnesses are asked about accessibility needs before the meeting, and there is a process to ensure accommodations are made. During consultations, witnesses said that while they were well accommodated, more information about the committee environment would have helped them determine which accommodations to request and how best to prepare.

Services and processes are in place to ensure senators can fulfill their constitutional role. Rule 1.1 (3) of the Rules of the Senate allows the Speaker or a committee chair to authorize “reasonable adjustments” if a rule or practice constitutes a barrier to a senator’s full and equal participation. The spirit of the rule extends to Senate staff and members of the public as well.

Senators and staff hosting events are supported with guidelines on planning, executing and hosting accessible events, both online and in person. Guidance on assisting people with disabilities at events is also available to all staff.

In some cases, visitors to the Senate may be coming from other locations on Parliament Hill such as the House of Commons or the Library of Parliament. The routes between these locations and institutions need to be reviewed to ensure they are barrier-free.

To foster an environment of inclusion, all Senate Administration employees must take an accessibility awareness course, and those who work at events are provided training on accessibility.

Accessibility Goals

1. Ensure documents and resources provided as part of the Senators’ Orientation Program are accessible, and establish procedures for senators to follow when they request an accommodation during the onboarding process.
   

   Target completion date: End of 2026

2. Develop an internal inventory of accessibility accommodations available for virtual and in-person events at the SCB. The inventory will provide answers to frequently asked questions about common scenarios and key client service contacts to ensure the service experience for attendees is as seamless as possible.
   

   Target completion date: End of 2026

3. Increase the accessibility-related information available on the Senate website to help people plan visits to the SCB for tourism or parliamentary business. This information will include topics such as building access, accessible washrooms, distances, Communications Access Realtime Translation (CART), service animals, etc.
   

   Target completion date: End of 2026

4. Provide training to Senate pages to foster an accessible client service experience for witnesses and guests attending sittings, committees, and special events.
   

   Target completion date: End of 2027

5. Revamp the information for witnesses available on the Senate’s website to ensure all documents are accessible and to include more information about accessibility at committee meetings.
   

   Target completion date: End of 2027

6. Establish procedures with the Senate’s parliamentary partners to ensure the continuity of accessibility services and accommodation requests for witnesses and guests who visit multiple locations in the Parliamentary Precinct.
   

   Target completion date: End of 2028

Transportation

Current State

The Senate operates a shuttle bus service that transports senators and staff between various buildings on and around Parliament Hill. Stops are audibly announced by the bus driver.

Parking for staff and senators is governed by a policy that complies with the duty to accommodate. Senate employees with disabilities affecting mobility are provided with accessible parking. Parking passes are assigned and managed by the Senate, and daily parking spots (including accessible ones) can be reserved by staff through a parking reservation system.

Parking is not provided for guests in the Parliamentary Precinct. Moreover, options for drop-offs in front of the SCB’s visitor entrance are limited because of its location. There is a process in place to plan alternative drop-off arrangements for guests with disabilities.

Accessibility Goal

1. Purchase a new, accessible shuttle vehicle equipped with various accessibility features (e.g., stop announcements, grab bars).
   

   Target completion date: End of 2028

Conclusion

As the Senate implements its second accessibility plan, the inclusion of people with disabilities remains a top priority. Over the past three years, the Senate has taken meaningful steps to reduce barriers and raise awareness about accessibility, as well as each person’s responsibility to recognize and remove barriers in their own realm of influence.

The Senate will continue to listen to and collaborate with people with disabilities to ensure its actions lead to meaningful change. As this work continues, the Senate looks forward to sharing its progress with Canadians.

Annex A: Remaining goals from the 2023-2025 Accessibility Plan

The accessibility goals include information on their current status (completed, in progress, postponed). Some of the goals have been included in the 2026-2028 accessibility plan.

Employment

1. By the end of 2025, the Senate will conduct a review of talent acquisition and talent management policies, procedures and practices to identify and remove any barriers in the process for people with disabilities.

   Status: Complete. The Senate is committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and barrier-free workplace, as reflected in its recruitment practices and policies. Job postings encourage applications from designated groups, offer accommodations throughout the hiring process and promote alternative qualifications to reduce barriers. Human Resources has implemented initiatives such as candidate experience surveys, inclusive interview formats and structured onboarding (including accessibility training and a voluntary mentor program) to support new employees. Performance management has been enhanced to include inclusive leadership competencies and prompts for workplace accommodations, while ongoing training and resources help managers identify and remove barriers. Accessibility is a core principle of the Senate’s Talent Acquisition Policy, although recent progress reports have not yet reflected all related initiatives.

2. By the end of 2025, the Senate will review its systems to improve the collection and monitoring of human resources data, including recruitment, advancement and retention.

   Status: Complete. Human Resources has enhanced its data-driven approach to equity by adding accessibility-related questions to candidates, onboarding and exit surveys. An Employment Systems Review helped identify systemic barriers and led to improvements in job classification accuracy and internal processes. VidCruiter, the Senate’s recruitment platform, meets WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards and is developed with accessibility by design. A new data quality assurance framework ensures reliable HR data, enabling better analysis of equity trends across demographic groups.

3. The Senate will continue to support the employee network groups, including a group for Senate Administration staff members with disabilities.

   Status: Ongoing. Human Resources continues to work with other parliamentary employers to promote the networking groups to employees across Parliament Hill.

4. By the end of 2024, the Senate will conduct a review of its accommodation policy and processes for employees with disabilities. Examples of available accommodations and how to request them will be included as part of new employee onboarding activities, and roles, responsibilities, and procedures associated with accommodations will be transparently communicated in a space accessible to all employees.

   Status: Complete. The Duty to Accommodate Policy was revised and approved by the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration (CIBA) in February 2025. It meets the requirements of the Canadian Human Rights Act and explains the updated process for workplace accommodations; it outlines the roles and responsibilities more clearly and adds the role of the Workplace Accommodation and Equity Specialist.

Built environment

1. Over the coming years, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and the Senate will continue auditing the built environment. As barriers are identified, the Senate will collaborate to prioritize those barriers and take the necessary steps to correct or eliminate them.

   Status: Ongoing. Improvements include clearing paths of travel within buildings by removing barriers, improvements to washrooms, doors and building access.

2. Over the coming years, the Senate will continue to work with Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) on continuous improvements to best practices and accessibility guidelines to ensure that feedback and lessons learned are systematically integrated into future plans and particularly into the renovation of the Centre Block, East Block and Senate Office Complex (Eastern portion of the Block 2 Rehabilitation project).

   Status: Ongoing. The Senate continues to participate in accessibility working groups and advisory committees to review any updates to best practice documents. The Universal Accessibility Advisory Committee met several times on Parliamentary Precinct project submissions to review accessibility topics and provide their constructive feedback. The Senate continues to monitor and ensure that consultants working on Senate projects are using the latest best practices for their Long Term Vision and Plan projects. The Long Term Vision and Plan is the master plan for restoring and modernizing the buildings and grounds on and around Parliament Hill. It aims to create a universally accessible workplace and is being led by Public Services and Procurement Canada, with support from parliamentary partners like the Senate.

3. By the end of 2023, the Senate will work with PSPC and its parliamentary partners to update the existing signage standards to include applicable accessibility requirements and best practices. The Senate will also work with PSPC on planning updates to existing signage that uses the approved signage standards.
   

   Status: In progress. The standard is aimed for completion by the end of 2028.

Information and communication technologies (ICT)

1. By the end of 2025, the Senate will conduct an in-depth review of all software applications developed in-house or acquired from third parties to identify any potential accessibility barriers. An action plan will be developed to eliminate any identified barriers.

   Status: In progress. Draft ICT regulations were finalized and published in July 2025. Despite the later-than-anticipated publication, the Information Services Directorate (ISD) is committed to respecting its initial plan. An in-depth review of targeted software applications is underway. An action plan will be developed by the end of the 2025 calendar year.

2. By the end of 2025, the Senate will conduct user testing of its internal and public-facing websites to identify barriers. A procedure respecting periodic reviews of the websites’ accessibility will also be established. In this context, user testing is accessibility testing completed by people with disabilities who regularly use assistive technology.

   Status: Postponed. Based on the actual publication date for the regulations, which was later than anticipated (expected in 2023-2024, published in July 2025), the timeline is no longer feasible, and this objective will be postponed to 2028.

Communication other than ICT

There are no outstanding goals in this priority area.

Procurement of goods, services and facilities

There are no outstanding goals in this priority area.

Design and delivery of programs and services

1. By the end of 2025, the Senate will complete an assessment of parliamentary processes to seek out other potential barriers for people with disabilities.

   Status: Complete. The Senate’s Committee and Table Research teams looked at how things are done during Chamber sittings and committee meetings to identify anything that might make it hard for people to participate or understand. They also looked at how other parliaments around the world are ensuring their citizens can fully participate in their democratic institutions. They found some areas that could be improved including the information provided to witnesses, the accessibility of committee reports, the availability of quiet spaces for sensory relief, plain language publications and explanations, published information about the built environment, etc. These issues will be tackled where possible in the Senate’s future accessibility plans.

2. By the end of 2025, training on chairing or running accessible meetings will be developed and rolled out across the organization. This training will be offered to senators, staff members and anyone else who regularly runs or chairs meetings at the Senate. It will focus on ensuring that meetings are accessible for everyone and determining appropriate accessibility services for participants with disabilities.

   Status: Complete. All Administration staff who run meetings were trained, and self-serve resources were posted on the intranet as a reference guide. Information on creating an accessible environment was added to resources offered to senators who chair committee meetings.

Transportation

1. By the end of 2025, the Senate will implement automatic audio and visual (displayed-through-text) stop announcements on all shuttle vehicles.

   Status: Complete. The viability of automatic voice announcement and automatic visual stop announcement was investigated for existing shuttles, and it was determined that drivers will continue to announce stops in both official languages and hold up a sign showing the stop name. When it comes time to purchase a new shuttle, the Senate will review options for audio and visual stop announcements.

Organization-wide initiatives

1. By the end of 2025, the Senate will develop an Accessibility Tool Kit for senators and their staff. This tool kit will offer training and guidance on how they can incorporate accessibility best practices into the activities they undertake outside the Chamber and committees. This tool kit may include:
   • Basic accessibility awareness training and advice on interacting with people with various disabilities.
   • Advice on hosting and chairing meetings and events in an accessible way and how to give accessible presentations.
   • Guidance on creating accessible documents and PowerPoint presentations.
   • Information on ensuring that social media posts, website updates and other forms of electronic communication are accessible.

   Status: Complete. An accessibility tool kit for senators’ offices is available on the Senate’s internal website. It has practical information about planning events, giving presentations, creating documents, running meetings and making accessible content for social media and web. The tool kit also promotes the Senate’s accessibility awareness course. Targeted emails are periodically sent to promote the tool kit to senators and their staff.

Annex B: Feedback

The Senate Accessibility Officer received and responded to feedback on four occasions this year. One piece of feedback came from Senate staff and three from members of the public. The low numbers demonstrate that the Senate needs to increase awareness on its feedback process to ensure that Canadians are aware that they can and should share their experiences related to accessibility. Feedback methods were as follows:

• Email feedback: 4
• In-person feedback: 0
• Form feedback: 0
• Phone: 0

Of the feedback received:

• 2 were related to technological barriers experienced at the Senate
• 1 was related to lack of accommodation
• 1 was related to lack of communication and information

Follow-up actions have been completed, others are in progress, or were referred to other organizations or jurisdictions in cases where feedback falls outside the Senate’s area of responsibility. A summary of feedback and actions taken to date follows.

Feedback related to barriers

1. A witness was unable to book their technical test using the Calendly platform because it was inaccessible with their screen reader; the witness had to use an alternative method.

   Action taken: The Information Services Directorate (ISD) ran tests to try to address screen reader incompatibility but could not find any accessibility issues. The Senate Accessibility Officer asked the witness to meet and share more details. The witness thinks that the issue relates to date and time selection on the platform. A meeting has been scheduled to explore fixing the webpage and have the witness test it to ensure accessibility.

2. A witness who testified at a committee meeting virtually was unable to access the interpretation services (French) button while testifying at a committee meeting.

   Action taken: The Senate Accessibility Officer met with the witness to better understand their experience. The Senate Accessibility Officer then reviewed, with a committee clerk, the process for preparing witnesses before their testimony to identify improvements and clarify instructions, ensuring that all Canadians can participate fully in committee proceedings without barriers. The Senate Accessibility Officer will review the preparation process with the witness and follow up with the employees tasked with this process to prevent such barriers from occurring in the future.

3. An employee reported that online classes for language training offered through the House of Commons are not accessible to them and inquired why there are no in-person options offered in the summer months.

   Action taken: The Senate Accessibility Officer met with the Human Resources (HR) directorate to discuss course formats (in person vs. online). Summer courses are not typically offered in person, as participation tend to be lower during vacation months. However, employees can request accommodations should they need them. The Senate Accessibility Officer proposed that HR consider sending a survey to employees to determine their course format preferences. HR also noted that it is possible to form a group of employees at the same language level with compatible schedules to register for classes together. The Senate Accessibility Officer followed up with the employee to inform them of possible options.

4. Members of an external organization reported the lack of information on Parliament’s website regarding distances between parliamentary buildings and their accessibility features, such as slopes and others. They also reported that it was difficult to find out whom to contact for more information prior to their visit.
   

   Action taken: The members of that organization met with the Parliamentary Precinct Accessibility Working Group to provide more information on their experiences and the barriers they faced during their visit to Parliament. The Senate Accessibility Officer will work with members of the precinct to make the process more seamless.