For more definitions, please refer to the Glossary of the Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada and the Accessible Canada Act.
7.1 Definitions
- Accessibility
- The degree to which a product, service, program or environment is available to be accessed or used by all (Source: Glossary: Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada).
- Accessible by design
- This is a design process in which the needs of people with disabilities are specifically considered. Accessibility sometimes refers to the characteristic that products, services, and facilities can be independently used by people with a variety of disabilities (Source: Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology).
- Accessibility-confident at VAC
- VAC staff understand what accessibility means and why it matters and are equipped to make the Department a more accessible and inclusive service provider and employer.
- Accessibility Network
- The Network provides the opportunity for employees with a disability, as well as their allies, to help identify accessibility barriers within the Department, and to provide feedback on the plans under development for a more accessibility-confident VAC. This group provides feedback and input based on their lived experiences and helps guide VAC towards being a more accessibility-confident Department.
- Accommodation
- This term refers to the design and adaptation of a work environment to meet the needs of a diverse workforce and do what is required in the circumstances of each individual, to avoid discrimination up to the point of undue hardship.
- Barrier
- A barrier includes 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 (Source: Accessible Canada Act).
- Disability
- 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 (Source: Accessible Canada Act).
- Duty to Accommodate
- Employers have a Duty to Accommodate employees to avoid discrimination based on the eleven grounds identified in section 2 of the Canadian Human Rights Act (CHRA). Employers must accommodate employees who fall into the groups protected by the CHRA up to the point of undue hardship (Source: VAC’s internal Employment Equity and Diversity Action Plan 2017-2022).
- Employment equity
- The Employment Equity Act sets out requirements for Canadian employers, private and public, to proactively increase the representation of four designated groups: women, persons with disabilities, Aboriginal peoples and visible minorities. (Source: VAC’s internal Employment Equity and Diversity Action Plan 2017-2022).
- EN 301 549
- Standard for Digital Accessibility that the Government of Canada is adopting for ICT. The industry standard for web accessibility is W3C WCAG (World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). EN 301 549 includes WCAG plus accessibility standards for all other digital products, including mobile phones, electronic documents, software, and hardware.
- Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus)
- An analytical tool used to assess how diverse groups of women, men, and gender-diverse people may experience policies, programs, and initiatives. The “plus” in GBA Plus acknowledges that GBA goes beyond biological (sex) and socio-cultural (gender) differences. GBA Plus also considers many other identity factors, like race, ethnicity, religion, age, and mental or physical disability. By incorporating GBA Plus throughout VAC’s policy, planning and operations, VAC will better understand how activities may impact Veterans, Canadian Armed Forces, RCMP members, their families, and VAC employees. (Source: Gender-Based Analysis Plus | Veterans Affairs Canada)
- Government of Canada Workplace Accessibility Passport
- The GC Workplace Accessibility Passport (the Passport) helps federal public service employees get the tools, supports, and measures they need to perform at their best and succeed in the workplace. It facilitates recruitment, retention, and career advancement for persons with disabilities. (Source: Government of Canada Workplace Accessibility Passport - Canada.ca)
- Plain language
- According to the International Plain Language Federation, “Communication is in plain language if its wording, structure, and design are so clear that the intended readers can easily find what they need, understand what they find, and use that information.”
- The purpose of a plain-language approach in written communications is to convey information that the audience needs to know in a way that they can easily understand. It should not be confused with an oversimplified, condescending style. Rather, you can save your audience time and effort by using well-known and proven techniques. (Source: Plain language, accessibility, and inclusive communications - Privy Council Office - Canada.ca)
- Screen reader
- A software that reads the text on a computer screen in a computerized voice, and it can also convert the text into braille. This software is commonly used by people who are blind or have sight loss. The information on screen must be formatted properly (in a structured electronic file) for the screen reader to recognize it. (Source: Tools to make information accessible).
- Unconscious bias
- An implicit attitude, stereotype, motivation or assumption that can occur without one’s knowledge, control or intention. Unconscious bias is a result of one’s life experiences and affects all types of people. Everyone carries implicit or unconscious biases. Examples of unconscious bias include gender bias, cultural bias, race/ethnicity bias, age bias, language and institutional bias. Decisions made based on unconscious bias can compound over time to significantly impact the lives and opportunities of others who are affected by the decisions one makes. (Source: Creating an Equitable, Diverse and Inclusive Research Environment: A Best Practices Guide for Recruitment, Hiring and Retention).