2024 Accessibility Progress Report

1. General

Statement of Commitment

The Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation (CDIC) is dedicated to being accessible to everyone. This includes making our workplace, activities, and services accessible to people with disabilities. We understand that accessibility needs evolve over time and that people with disabilities are the experts in their own experience and accessibility. We commit to listening to people who have disabilities and to keep improving accessibility at CDIC for all our stakeholders (which includes all the people who are interested in what we do: our employees, members of the public, and member institutions). Wherever possible, we will address barriers as soon as we become aware of them even if they are not scheduled in our Accessibility Plan.

Summary of Progress

Since we published our first Progress Report last year, we have worked hard to accomplish the remaining goals we listed in our Accessibility Plan. Our 2023 Progress Report is available on our website.

This year, some of our accessibility successes include:

• We completed second reviews of both our Ottawa and Toronto offices to assess the accessibility of these spaces. The assessments were completed ahead schedule, and they will help us develop goals for our next Accessibility Plan.
• In 2024, we developed an Accessibility Passport to make it easier for employees with disabilities to document their accessibility needs and to help CDIC provide accommodations.
• We developed a CDIC Style Guide for all our written communications, which includes guidance on using plain language and best practices for accessibility.

Contact Information & Feedback Process

CDIC welcomes all feedback, including anonymous feedback, about this Progress Report and our Accessibility Plan. We also welcome any feedback about accessibility at CDIC. We are committed to reviewing the feedback we receive in good faith and taking steps to address barriers identified through this feedback.

The person responsible for collecting and keeping any feedback we receive is:

Information about how to give feedback to CDIC is also available on our public website.

If you give us feedback, we will respond to you within one (1) week to let you know that we received your feedback (unless your feedback was anonymous). We will collect and store all the feedback we receive about accessibility in one document and will save it for at least seven years. We will use the feedback we get to help us measure our progress toward our accessibility goals, learn about accessibility barriers we were not aware of before, and refine our Accessibility Plans and Progress Reports in the future.

Alternative Formats

You can request alternative formats of this Progress Report, our Accessibility Plan, and a description of our feedback process by contacting:

An electronic version of this Report can be downloaded from our website here. This electronic version works with assistive technology.

CDIC will provide this Report in print or larger print within 15 days of a request.

CDIC will also provide this Report in braille or audio format within 45 days of a request.

2. Areas Described under Section 5 of the ACA

Built Environment

In our first Accessibility Plan, we set three goals related to our built environments. We achieved two of these goals in 2023. This left us with one remaining goal for 2024. The following section shows the progress we have made toward this goal. For more information on the goals we met in 2023, see our 2023 Progress Report.

Goal progress in 2024:

1. Goal: By December 2023, CDIC will review our offices in Ottawa and in Toronto to assess the need for further accessibility features.
   
   Progress: As a response to the first review, we removed the accessibility barriers identified. CDIC hired an external expert in 2024 to do a second review of our Ottawa and Toronto office spaces. These assessments had been planned for our second Accessibility Plan in 2025 however they were completed ahead of schedule in the summer of 2024. No major issues were noted, but we are working continuously to make the physical space more accessible. This goal is now complete.

Employment

In our first Accessibility Plan, we set 4 goals related to employment. The following section shows the progress we made toward them in 2024. For more information on the progress we made in 2023, please see our 2023 Progress Report.

Goal progress in 2024:

1. Goal: By June 2023, CDIC will develop and publish an alternative process for job applications for individuals with disabilities who experience barriers to the online system.
   
   Progress: The online system upgrade was delayed due to scheduling and resourcing constraints. Changes that improve accessibility are anticipated in early 2025.
   
   Currently, on the platform, we let job applicants know that they can ask for accommodations during the application and hiring process. Once applicants have created a profile on the platform, we let them know again that they can ask for accommodations, and we give them contact information to do so by email.
   
   We work with all candidates to provide them with the accommodations they need.
   
2. Goal: By the end of 2023, CDIC will develop a corporate policy about accommodations for employees and candidates with disabilities.
   
   Progress: In 2024, we developed an Accessibility Passport to make it easier for employees with disabilities to document their accessibility needs and to help CDIC provide the accommodations they need. The Accessibility Passport builds off our Accommodation Policy, which we completed in 2023. The Policy describes how employees with disabilities can request accommodations and the process they can expect. It also applies to job applicants. This goal is now complete.
   
3. Goal: By the end of 2023, CDIC will review its hiring processes to look for barriers. We will make plans to remove those barriers.
   
   Progress: CDIC completed the review of our hiring processes in 2023. Since then, we have received positive feedback from job applicants about our accommodations process during hiring and recruitment. Based on the results of the review, we decided to review and revise our job descriptions to make them even more accessible and inclusive. In particular, we revised all job descriptions to focus only on essential skills and to use plain and inclusive language. We started this process last year and completed it this year. CDIC’s Accommodation Policy, which we implemented in 2023, applies to both job applicants and employees. We continue to train and coach hiring managers on skills and strategies to make our workplace more accessible. This goal is now complete.
   
4. Goal: By the end of 2024, CDIC will conduct an accessibility review of the platform where we post jobs. Once this review is complete, we will plan to remove any barriers.
   
   Progress: The online system upgrade was delayed due to scheduling and resourcing constraints. Changes that improve accessibility are anticipated for early 2025. Our work to remove potential barriers on our online platforms is ongoing.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

In our first Accessibility Plan, we set three goals related to our information and communication technologies (ICT). We achieved one of these goals in 2023. This left us with 2 remaining goals for 2024. The following section shows the progress we have made toward these goals. For more information on what we achieved in 2023, see our 2023 Progress Report.

Goal progress in 2024:

1. Goal: By the end of 2024, CDIC will conduct a review of the accessibility of the internal website that only our employees use (which we call the Intranet). After that review, we will plan to remove any barriers in our control.
   
   Progress: A new version of CDIC’s Intranet was launched in October 2024. This new version ensures increased accessibility through the use of the additional Microsoft accessibility features. We will continue to research and review these features, as well as potential limitations of the platform. This goal is complete.
   
2. Goal: By the end of 2024, CDIC will provide web accessibility training for all employees who create or edit webpages or content for the web.
   
   Progress: Last year, CDIC’s Webmaster (who is the main person in charge of our website) completed an extensive training course in web accessibility. The Webmaster took refesher training in 2024 and will continue to do so regularly.
   
   In 2024, our Communications and Reporting team developed a Style Guide for written communications. The Guide provides information on the use of plain language and best writing practices and guidelines to encourage greater accessibility for all audiences.
   
   The Communications and Reporting team also hosted Lunch and Learn sessions for CDIC employees to introduce and encourage use of the Style Guide. This goal is now complete.

Communication, other than ICT

In our first Accessibility Plan, we set five goals related to our communications, other than ICT. We achieved 1 of these goals in 2023. This left us with four remaining goals for 2024. The following section shows the progress we have made toward these goals. For more information on the goal we achieved in 2023, see our 2023 Progress Report.

1. Goal: By the end of 2023, key documents for the public will be available in alternative formats.
   
   Progress: CDIC has partnered with an external supplier who can render documents in alternative, accessible formats. This supplier is on standby so they can respond quickly to any requests that are received. This goal is now complete.
   
2. Goal: By the end of 2023, CDIC will ensure that captions for all videos are available and easily accessible.
   
   Progress: We audited all our older videos and confirmed they have updated and accessible transcripts. This goal is now complete.
   
3. Goal: By the end of 2024, CDIC will publish transcripts of all videos so that individuals who cannot access the videos are still able to receive the information.
   
   Progress: We audited all our older videos and confirmed they have accessible captions. This goal is now complete.
   
4. Goal: By the end of 2024, CDIC will provide accessibility training for all employees who work on communication activities.
   
   Progress: In 2024, CDIC developed a Style Guide for all written communications. The Style Guide provides information on the use of plain language, and best writing practices and guidelines for accessibility. We want to ensure that all CDIC’s communications are written clearly and simply and as easy as possible to understand. Our Communications and Reporting team hosted Lunch and Learn sessions for CDIC employees to introduce and encourage the use of the Style Guide. This goal is now complete.

Procurement

In our first Accessibility Plan, we set one goal related to procurement. The following section will show that goal, and the progress we have made towards it.

1. Goal: By the end of 2024, CDIC will develop accessibility rules for procurement. These rules will include:
   
   
   
   • When and how accessibility should be considered.
   
   
   • A review of all templates to identify areas where accessibility can/should be considered.
   
   
   Progress: We have completed our research of best practices for accessible procurement. We are developing guidelines based on these best practices. We are on track to complete this goal by the end of 2024.

Design and Delivery of Programs and Services

In our first Accessibility Plan, CDIC did not identify any specific goals related to our programs and services. This is because our main service is to provide information to the public and this is primarily done through our Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and forms of communication (other than ICT). Therefore, the goals that we have set in those sections of our accessibility plan will help improve our programs and services.

CDIC will continue to look for ways to improve the accessibility of our programs and services. If any additional barriers are discovered within our programs and services, we will address them in our future Accessibility Plans and Progress Reports.

Transportation

CDIC does not run any transportation services, so this priority area is not applicable to CDIC. We did not set any goals under this heading.

3. Training

In our first Accessibility Plan, we committed to training all our employees on disability and accessibility awareness by the end of 2024. We have been working on achieving this goal throughout 2023 and 2024. For more information on the progress we made in 2023, see our 2023 Progress Report.

In 2024, we have continued to promote knowledge of disability and accessibility by bringing in guest speakers and creating in-house materials about the subject. To mark National Accessibility Awareness Week in May, we hosted two events with guest speakers. We also invited two guest speakers for Mental Health Week. These speakers led discussions on topics like preventing burnout, improving mental health, and improving resilience. For National Disability Employment Month in October, we shared accessible materials on our Intranet about disability in the workplace.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities in December 2024 will mark the launch of online disability and accessibility awareness training for all employees, a milestone for CDIC. This training will be accompanied by materials on the Intranet highlighting our Accessibility Plan and our second Progress Report.

4. Consultations

CDIC is committed to listening to and learning from people with disabilities. To uphold this commitment, CDIC will consult people with disabilities in all aspects of our Accessibility Plans and Progress Reports. For this Progress Report, we again consulted both with our employees who have disabilities, and a focus group of people with disabilities.

We sent a survey to all our employees asking them to share their feedback about our progress over the last year. Sixteen (16) employees responded to this survey, and two (2) of them self-identified as employees with disabilities. The survey responses included some specific feedback about accessibility, such as suggesting more sit-to-stand desks and adjustable seating options in meeting spaces. Employees also requested more training to raise awareness of disability and neurodivergence. We will be addressing this with our online disability and accessibility awareness training for all employees, which we will be launching on December 3, 2024. Overall, our employees report they are happy with the progress we are making. We will take this feedback into consideration as we plan for our future accessibility initiatives and our next Accessibility Plan in 2025.

We also held a focus group of people with disabilities from across Canada. This group represents members of the public who have disabilities and who might one day need to interact with CDIC. We sent them a draft of this Progress Report and then held a virtual meeting where we asked for their feedback. We used it when writing and formatting this report. They told us that they felt this report clearly describes CDIC’s progress toward our accessibility goals, and our overall commitment to becoming a more accessible organization. They also said that our feedback mechanisms were easy to use. They encouraged us to continue working on the accessibility of our online job application portal. They also encouraged us to look for more specific and measurable ways to mark our progress when we set goals in our next Accessibility Plan. Overall, they said they were impressed with the progress we made in 2024, and they told us to keep up the good work.

5. Feedback

This year, CDIC received one request through our official feedback mechanism asking for a copy of our Accessibility Plan in French and in an accessible PDF format. We responded to this request promptly.

CDIC does not receive much feedback even though we work to protect depositors’ money. We believe this is because deposit insurance is free and automatic to depositors at CDIC’s member institutions. We don’t have direct interaction with depositors on a day-to-day basis and because of this they do not have feedback for us.

We have received feedback from our employees with disabilities through our outreach and consultation activities. For more information, see the section above called Consultations. We will continue to be open to receiving feedback about accessibility at CDIC and about our Accessibility Plan and this Progress Report.

6. Conclusion

CDIC is committed to improving accessibility by continuously monitoring and updating our progress. We are proud of the progress we have made so far toward making CDIC more accessible and inclusive of people with disabilities.

Over the next year, we will continue working on fulfilling our accessibility commitments. We will also be looking to the future as we put together our next Accessibility Plan. We will always look for new opportunities to improve accessibility at CDIC.