Video: American Sign Language summary of our Accessibility plan

(Sign language interpreter against black background signing the text of the executive summary.)

Executive summary.

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC)'s 2023 to 2025 Accessibility Plan is in line with our commitment to become an accessible workplace and make our department barrier-free. The plan identifies the priorities and activities we need to put into place to help us get there.

PSPC will be a better department if we can harness the skills and potential of employees with lived experience in the services we provide to our government partners, and to people of all abilities in Canada.

In line with the principle of "Nothing About Us Without Us", consultations with employees with disabilities, as well as with groups assisting persons with disabilities inside and outside of government were key to developing the activities in this plan.

The PSPC accessibility plan calls for an equitable and more accessible department for persons with disabilities. The plan also aligns with PSPC's 2021 to 2025 Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP). The DIAP supports all equity-seeking groups by calling for the removal of barriers, promoting the mental health and well-being of all employees, and advocating for equity and inclusion across PSPC's diverse workforce.

The PSPC accessibility plan has 8 priorities which will help advance these core values. These priorities are:

• culture
• employment
• built environment
• information and communication technologies (ICT)
• communication (other than ICT)
• procurement of goods, services and facilities
• design and delivery of programs and services
• transportation

The activities in this plan will help us achieve the following 8 desired objectives:

• strengthen a culture of accessibility and disability inclusion in all areas of PSPC's work
• through accessible and inclusive human resource practices, create conditions to support: recruitment; onboarding; retention; career development; and accommodation of employees with disabilities
• be a leader for the government by removing barriers in the PSPC built environment
• improve access to technology for all employees in order to do their job
• provide equitable access to information for PSPC employees, partners and the public
• modernize procurement practices so that goods, services and facilities procured by the government are accessible and inclusive for all
• strive to offer programs and services that are easily accessible to all
• support accessible transportation for employees and members of the public by removing known barriers at PSPC buildings

Each of the objectives, and related activities listed under the 8 priority areas of this plan have their own associated sub-activities and branch leads responsible for the activities.

Tracking our progress on accessibility activities will be key to our success. PSPC will collect performance indicators to measure the activities which support the 8 accessibility priorities within this plan. These performance indicators will help the department to track data on accessibility over time.

Every one of us can make a difference in the ways we support accessibility and inclusion. This involves creating a culture where no one is left behind, to offering services and programs where accessibility is built-in from the start. Together, each one of us can support the Government of Canada to build the most accessible and inclusive public service in the world.