Accessibility plan

1. Easy Read Summary

Introduction

This Accessibility Plan is about accessibility at the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation. We want to be more accessible to people with disabilities. This Plan forms part of CDIC’s compliance with the Accessible Canada Act (ACA). The ACA is a new law that will help make all of Canada more accessible for people with disabilities.

Feedback

You can give us feedback on our Accessibility Plan. You can also tell us about any barriers you find when dealing with CDIC. If you want to give us feedback that includes your personal or financial information, please contact us by telephone. Our contact information is below.

Different Formats of This Accessibility Plan

If you need a copy of this Plan in a different format to make it easier to read, ask us and we will give it to you. We can give you this Plan in one of the following formats:

• Braille (Dots on paper that a person who is blind can feel, instead of seeing words.)
• Audio (A voice will read the text out loud.)

If you want a copy of this plan in a different format, you can contact the following person to ask for it:

Our Plan

The Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation has an Accessibility Plan to help make our information and services, and our workplace more accessible for people with disabilities. This Plan is for the next 3 years (2023-2025). After that, we will make a new Plan.

Our accessibility goals are:

1. We will make a plan to help people with disabilities exit our offices if there is an emergency.
2. We will make sure that our office has quiet spaces for people to work with less noise and activity around them.
3. We will draft a new policy about accommodations (changes that help someone do their job) for our staff.
4. We will look at the way we find and hire new staff to make sure there are no barriers for people with disabilities.
5. We will look at our job postings to make sure there are no barriers for people with disabilities.
6. We will look at the platform that people use to apply for jobs to make sure there are no barriers for people with disabilities.
7. We will look at the intranet site that our staff uses to make sure that there are no barriers for staff with disabilities.
8. We will give training to all our staff about accessibility.
9. We will make changes to our website to make it more accessible for people with disabilities.
10. We will write guidelines about accessibility when we are buying things, to make sure that new things we buy are accessible to people with disabilities.

Getting Feedback from People with Disabilities

To help us make this Accessibility Plan, we talked to people with disabilities. We talked to our staff who have disabilities, staff from our member institutions who have disabilities, and a group of Canadians who have disabilities. They told us what they think about accessibility at CDIC and about this Accessibility Plan (‘the Plan’). We used what they told us to help create this Plan.

2. General

2.1 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. Wherever possible, we will address barriers as soon as we become aware of them even if they are not scheduled in our Accessibility Plan.

2.2 Description of CDIC

CDIC is a federal Crown corporation that contributes to the stability of Canada’s financial system by providing deposit insurance against the loss of eligible deposits at member institutions. Our members include banks, federally regulated credit unions, as well as loan and trust companies and associations governed by the Cooperative Credit Associations Act that take deposits.

We are not a bank. We are not a private insurance company. We are funded by insurance premiums paid by our member institutions. We do not receive taxpayer funds to operate.

Parliament established the CDIC in 1967. Our purpose is to:

• Provide deposit insurance for Canadians;
• Contribute to the stability of the financial system in Canada; and
• Resolve member institutions for the benefit of Canadians.

As an organization here to serve Canadians, accessibility has always been a core value that guides our ongoing efforts at inclusion.

2.3 Contact Information & Feedback Process

CDIC welcomes all feedback, including anonymous feedback, about this 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 to collect and keep any feedback we receive is:

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 get about accessibility in one document and will save it for at least 7 years. We will use the feedback we get to help us measure the progress of our accessibility goals, learn about accessibility barriers we were not aware of before, and to help us refine our Plan in the future.

2.4 Alternative Formats

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

An electronic version of this Plan that works with assistive technology is available on our public website at https://www.cdic.ca/accessibility.

CDIC will provide this Plan in print within 15 days of a request.

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

2.5 Definitions

This plan uses these definitions:

Disability: An impairment, or difference in physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, or communication ability. Disabilities can be permanent, temporary, or can change over time.

Barrier: Anything that might prevent people with disabilities full and equal participation in society. Barriers can be based in attitudes, the built environment, technology, in how information is communicated, or can be the result of a policy or procedure.

Accessibility: Greater accessibility is achieved through the design of products, devices, services, environments, technologies, policies, and rules in a way that allows all people, including people with a variety of disabilities, to access and use them, as independently as the person wishes.

3. Areas Described under Section 5 of the ACA

3.1 Built Environment

Overview

CDIC has office spaces in Ottawa and Toronto. Members of the public rarely visit these office spaces. The office spaces have some accessibility features, including step-free entry. We are planning upgrades to improve the accessibility of the office spaces. Our goals are described in the next section.

Accessibility Goals 

• By March 2023, CDIC will set up “quiet workspace” areas in our offices. Employees can work in a quiet workspace if they need a break from the open-plan office.
• By June 2023, CDIC will review and update our emergency evacuation plans for people with disabilities in both offices. 
• By December 2023, CDIC will review our offices in Ottawa and in Toronto to assess the need for further accessibility features.

3.2 Employment

Overview

CDIC has approximately 220 employees. Most employees hold jobs that are office-based in Toronto or Ottawa. Since 2020, most employees have worked from home or both in the office and at home. 

We strive to be reflective of Canada’s diversity and report on our employees with disability data annually through Employment Equity reporting. We recently expanded our Workforce Survey to gain a better understanding of the range of disabilities, both visible and invisible, of our employees. The goals outlined below will help us to improve accessibility for our current and future employees with disabilities.

Accessibility Goals

• 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.
• By the end of 2023, CDIC will develop a corporate policy about accommodations for employees and candidates with disabilities.
• By the end of 2023, CDIC will conduct a review of hiring processes to look for barriers. We will make plans to remove those barriers.
• By the end of 2024, CDIC will conduct a review of the accessibility of the platform where we post jobs. Once this review is complete, we will plan to remove any barriers.

3.3 Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

Overview

CDIC uses many different technologies. This includes our public website (www.cdic.ca), web portals social media platforms, and programs that only our employees use. Our public website has many accessibility features. However, improvements can be made. We can also make our social media posts more accessible. The technology used by our employees has not been reviewed for accessibility. Our plans are outlined in the goals below.

Accessibility Goals

• By the end of 2023, CDIC will conduct a website accessibility audit that includes user testing by persons with disabilities. We will remove the minor website barriers found through our consultations and others that are discovered. These include:
  • Changes to text contrast and size; 
  • Improvements to structure and formatting; and 
  • Improving navigation of the website for people who are using a screen reader.
• By the end of 2024, CDIC will conduct a review of the accessibility of the intranet site that employees use, called Connexions. After that review, we will plan to remove any barriers in our control.
• By the end of 2024, CDIC will provide web accessibility training for all employees who create or edit webpages or content for the web.

3.4 Communication, other than ICT

Overview

We write information about deposit insurance and what would happen if a bank were to fail. We share this information on our website, in print documents, in videos, and through social media. We answer questions through our contact centre by phone, email, or online chat. When someone opens a bank account at one of our member institutions, they are given a CDIC brochure called “Protecting Your Deposits”.

Accessibility Goals

• By end of 2023, key documents for the public will be available in alternative formats.
• By the end of 2023 we will increase the accessibility of our social media by doing the following:
  • Making our contact information and website address visible on platforms; 
  • Writing posts in plain language and without acronyms;
  • Capitalizing the first letter of each word in hashtags and placing hashtags at the end of captions;
  • Adding alt-text for images;
  • Making sure photos have sharp colour contrast; and
  • Using timed closed captions for videos and Descriptive Transcripts, where possible.
• By the end of 2023, CDIC will ensure that captions for all videos are available and easily accessible.
• 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.
• By the end of 2024, CDIC will provide accessibility training for all employees who work on communication activities.

3.5 Procurement

Overview

CDIC buys products and services that support our activities. Currently, accessibility is only considered for some products and services.

Accessibility Goals

• By the end of 2024, CDIC will develop rules for accessibility in procurement. These rules will include:
  • When and how accessibility should be considered; and 
  • Reviewing all templates to identify areas where accessibility can/should be considered.

3.6 Design and Delivery of Programs and Services

Overview

CDIC’s main role is to protect the savings of Canadians and contribute to the stability of the financial system. We automatically provide insurance on eligible deposits.

CDIC also responds if a member institution fails.

We keep an eye on risks and issues that could affect member institutions and CDIC, develop plans and processes to mitigate or resolve these risks, and make sure our members maintain the information that will allow the quick reimbursement of deposits in the event of a failure.

Most of the ways that Canadians and representatives from member institutions interact with us is through our information and communication technology (our website and member institution portals) and other forms of communication (brochures, videos, etc.). Because of this, many of the goals contained in the previous sections of this plan will help make the design and delivery of our programs and services more accessible. We did not identify any additional barriers related to design and delivery of programs and services.

3.7 Transportation

Overview

CDIC does not run any transportation services. Therefore, this priority areas is not applicable to CDIC.

3.8 Organization-wide Initiatives

Overview

CDIC is committing to organization-wide training, as outlined by the following goal.

Training

• By the end of 2024, CDIC will train all employees on disability and accessibility awareness.

4. Consultations

4.1 Consultation Overview

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 this Plan.

The following sections of this Plan outline how people with disabilities were consulted in the preparation of this Plan. We recognize that consultations need to continue. We are dedicated to building relationships of trust with people with disabilities to engage in effective consultations going forward.

For this Plan, we consulted employees with disabilities, member institutions, and a focus group of people with disabilities.

4.2 Consultations with Employees Who Have Disabilities

We consulted with employees with disabilities through an anonymous, electronic survey. We sent the survey to all employees. The survey asked employees to share their accessibility experiences working for CDIC. It also asked them to share any barriers that they have noticed at CDIC. Nine employees with disabilities completed the survey and 42 employees who do not have disabilities but wanted to give feedback about accessibility also completed the survey. The most common feedback from employees was about our office spaces, website, and about workplace accommodations related to mental health.

4.3 Consultations with Other People Who Have Disabilities

CDIC works on behalf of all Canadians. While CDIC conducts public awareness campaigns, many Canadians would only interact with CDIC if their bank or trust company (a CDIC member institution) were to fail. The people who do regularly interact with us are mostly employees of member institutions. We developed two different strategies to access employees of member institutions and the public.

We gathered feedback from member institution employees who interact with CDIC through an anonymous, electronic survey. Ten people filled out this survey, but they did not identify any barriers. We believe that this is not because there are no barriers. Instead, it is because of how little they interact with CDIC.

We also wanted to hear from Canadians with disabilities but, apart from public awareness efforts, we do not regularly interact with the public. Instead, we held a focus group for people with disabilities. The group included people with physical disabilities, vision disabilities, hearing disabilities, mental health disabilities, cognitive disabilities, chronic health conditions, and people who are neurodiverse. We asked them to look at our website, social media, brochures, and to contact us by phone or online chat. We asked them to share feedback or barriers they experienced. They also shared more general feedback about their experiences with employment, office spaces, and interacting with financial institutions. They gave substantive feedback about the accessibility of our website and job application process. Their feedback was incorporated into the goals contained in this Plan.

We met with the same focus group a second time to review a first draft of this Plan. Common feedback received from the group is that the Plan is very long, and they would appreciate a summary. Based on this feedback, we chose to include an “Easy Read” Summary in Section 1 of this Plan.

5. Conclusion

CDIC is committed to improving accessibility by implementing this Accessibility Plan. We are committed to making sure that we are accessible to everyone. We will continue examining our practices and operations to address barriers. CDIC pledges to continue to improve our accessibility by consulting with and listening to the feedback of people who have disabilities.