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The Accessible Canada Act came into force in July 2019. The goal of the Act is to achieve a barrier-free Canada by 2040. As part of the Act, federally-regulated entities, including Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC)* and the Veterans Review and Appeal Board (VRAB), must develop and publish an Accessibility Action Plan by December 2022.
The Act, together with the Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada, upholds the “Nothing Without Us” principle. This means that persons with disabilities must be consulted when identifying barriers, and in planning for how to remove and prevent them.
This consultation is a key part of our commitment to improve accessibility at VAC and VRAB. We are identifying accessibility barriers, as well as actions to prevent and remove them, with input from the people affected by these barriers.
*VAC’s Accessibility Action Plan includes the Bureau of Pensions Advocates, as well as the Office of the Veterans Ombudsman.
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Between 17 November and 14 December 2021, we asked Veterans and other external stakeholders to share their thoughts on accessibility barriers at VAC and VRAB, and how these barriers might be prevented and removed. The open-ended questions focused on:
- Physical and/or architectural barriers;
- Technological barriers;
- Information and communications barriers;
- Attitudinal barriers; and
- Systemic barriers.
The consultation was promoted through My VAC Account, email, the Salute! newsletter and social media to help us reach as many Veterans and stakeholders as possible.
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We are pleased that 209 people participated in our consultation. We received 174 submissions in English and 35 in French.
Some participants identified specific accessibility barriers they encountered at VAC and/or VRAB offices or online. These barriers included situations of:
- uncomfortable seating;
- poor ramps;
- inaccessible parking;
- accessibility issues related to online forms;
- issues experienced while logging onto VAC’s website;
- complex language;
- difficulty finding and understanding information related to VAC’s policies, procedures, and programs.
Participants also suggested ways accessibility barriers might be prevented or removed at VAC and/or VRAB. These suggestions included:
- presenting online materials in larger and better contrasting typeface/font;
- making closed captioning available where possible;
- providing more street-level entry with adequate parking/stopping spaces nearby;
- training opportunities on trauma-informed support;
- making steps and instructions on VAC’s website more clear;
- adding voice-to-text features where possible.
Also, please note that while we received feedback that was directly related to accessibility action planning, some people provided input that goes beyond the scope of our work to improve accessibility.
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A final report of the consultation results will be posted on the VAC website in fall 2022.
All feedback has been shared with the appropriate areas of VAC and/or VRAB. This feedback will be considered in current and future work as VAC and VRAB each prepare to publish their first Accessibility Action Plan by December 2022. Progress reports on these action plans will be developed every year starting in December 2023. Keep an eye on the VAC and VRAB websites to stay informed and see how work on accessibility is unfolding.
VAC and VRAB wish to thank all those who participated. Your input is important to us and will help us in our work to make VAC and VRAB more accessible.
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