Accessibility remediation roadmap template

Purpose of the accessibility remediation roadmap template

This Accessibility Remediation Roadmap (Roadmap) template has been developed by SSC to address known Information and Communication Technology (ICT) accessibility deficiencies. Government of Canada Technical Authorities / Business Owners can use this template as is, modify it, or decide not to use it.

The template outlines the essential information the Government of Canada would expect in an Accessibility Remediation Roadmap to understand and address deficiencies listed in an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR). It serves as a guide for understanding:

• The current accessibility issues and
• The timelines and plans for resolving these issues.

This Accessibility Remediation Roadmap template is designed primarily for use in procurements or projects where accessibility conformance is required. Use the template to complete all necessary sections, adding any additional details or relevant sections to the Accessibility Remediation Roadmap, as needed.

Important notes

• Testing for Conformance: Before creating an Accessibility Remediation Roadmap, the Good or Service must be tested for conformance to the target accessibility standard to identify areas of nonconformance. The results are recorded in the Accessibility Conformance Report.
• Requirements for Conformance: The requirement for conformance to the target accessibility standard and level of detail for the Accessibility Remediation Roadmap will be outlined in the solicitation and/or contract.
• Accessible Format: Both the Accessibility Conformance Report and the Accessibility Remediation Roadmap must be created in an accessible format.
• Contractual Obligations: If this template is used to fulfill contractual requirements, ensure it is adapted to provide all required information as per the contract terms.

How to use the accessibility remediation roadmap template

Inline Instructions

• Rather than providing detailed instructions here, guidance has been integrated directly into the template. Inline instructions are marked with [Action Item - square brackets].
• Follow these instructions to complete each section of the Accessibility Remediation Roadmap.
• Remove the [instructions] once the section is complete.

Refer to Annex 1 - Sample Accessibility remediation roadmap details table

Refer to the provided sample Annex 1 – Sample Accessibility Remediation Roadmap Details Table for guidance on how to structure and present known accessibility issues.

Final reminder steps (quick checklist)

1. Complete the ACR - Identify all accessibility deficiencies through conformance testing.
2. Use this Template - Populate the Accessibility Remediation Roadmap with details from the Accessibility Conformance Report.
3. Customize as Needed - Add or adjust sections to meet specific contractual or organizational requirements.
4. Finalizing the Accessibility Remediation Roadmap - Replace all placeholder text marked as “Action Item” and ensure all the information is completed accurately.
5. Make it Accessible - Ensure this Accessibility Remediation Roadmap and its associated Accessibility Conformance Report are provided in an accessible format for all stakeholders.
6. Approvals and Signatures - Submit for review and obtain signatures from all key stakeholders.

[Action Item: Delete the Accessibility Remediation Roadmap Template Instructions section, including this line, once your document is complete.]

Accessibility remediation roadmap (roadmap) [action item – good / service name and version] – [action item – company name]

Roadmap timeline

Roadmap Date - [Action Item - Enter the date the Roadmap was created on, e.g. July 01, 2024]

Remediation Timeframe - [Action Item - Enter the date by which full accessibility conformance is expected, e.g. July 2026]

Good / service description

[Action Item - Provide a brief description of the Good / Service. If any portions of the Good / Service are being excluded from this Roadmap, please make sure to indicate them and provide a justification.]

Contact information

[Action Item - Include the contact information (name, email and phone number) of the person who can speak to the content of the Roadmap. Listing the name and email is ideal. If no specific individual can be identified, provide a generic email address monitored by someone who can address questions related to this roadmap.]

Name:

Title:

Email:

Phone Number:

Target accessibility standard

As of January 2025, the Government of Canada is implementing the CAN/ASC – EN 301 549:2024 / EN 301 549 V3.2.1 (2021-03) (PDF, 2.3 MB).

The CAN/ASC - EN 301 549:2024 standard is Accessible Standards Canada’s adoption of the EN 301 549 - V3.2.1 (2021-03) (PDF, 2.3 MB) as a national standard of Canada and is identical to the official version released by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). The CAN/ASC - EN 301 549:2024 accessibility standard is available in HTML format in both English and French.

This template can be used for subsequent versions of the EN 301 549 and/or other ICT accessibility standards. The Government of Canada will advise the applicable ICT accessibility standard that conformance is requested for.

Good / service accessibility conformance overview

[Action Item - Provide a brief summary of the current accessibility status of the Good / Service. Indicate if there are any known groups of users who may experience some barriers, e.g. screen reader users.]

Accessibility inclusion plan

[Action Item - Outline your organization’s approach to improving the accessibility of the Good / Service. This generally should include:

• Plans for regular accessibility testing.
• Accessibility integration into the design and development of any new Good / Service features.
• Integration of accessibility testing into development processes.
• Any initiatives to test with users, or to facilitate gathering accessibility specific feedback from end users.
• Outline how accommodations and workarounds will be provided to users until full remediation is achieved.

The intention for this section is to clearly communicate strategies to address the conformance of the Good / Service on an ongoing basis.]

Known technical limitations

[Action Item - If applicable, indicate any key technical limitations of the current solutions implementation, such as frameworks, platforms, integrations or technologies which may limit the current solution from reaching full conformance to the target accessibility standard. Please also provide, if any, plans to address these limitations.]

Notes

[Action Item - Add any other notes or comments which the reader (the GC Functional Product Owner) should be aware of. For example:

• software upgrade options that would resolve accessibility issues;
• plans to subcontract accessibility audits and remediation.]

Accessibility issues details

Issue status definitions

Status	Description
Open	Work has not yet started on resolving this issue.
Resolved	Issue has been successfully remediated.
In Progress	Work has started but is not yet complete.
Will Not Fix	Issue will not be fixed; a justification must be provided in the Remarks and Explanations column of the Accessibility Remediation Roadmap Details table.
Blocked	Remediation is delayed by dependencies; explain why in the Remarks and Explanations column of the Accessibility Remediation Roadmap Details table.

Priority definitions

[Action Item - If this Roadmap is going to be providing priorities to determine remediation timeframes, consider using the below definition as a starting point and adjust as needed. If the Roadmap does not use a priority rating to define timelines, then this column of the Accessibility Remediation Roadmap Details table can be removed.]

Priority	Description	Timeframe
Critical	This accessibility issue results in inaccessible content or substantial barriers for individuals with disabilities. Until a solution is implemented, content will be completely inaccessible. Requires immediate remediation.	[Action Item - Remediation should be a top priority.]
High	This accessibility issue results in serious barriers for individuals with disabilities. Until a solution is implemented, some content will be inaccessible. Users relying on Assistive Technology will experience significant frustration when attempting to access content.	[Action Item - Remediation should be a priority.]
Moderate	This accessibility issue results in some barriers for individuals with disabilities but would not prevent them from accessing fundamental functionalities, elements or content. This issue must be resolved before the solution can be considered fully compliant.	[Action Item - Remediation should be a reasonable priority.]
Low	This is considered an accessibility issue that yields less impact for users than a moderate issue. For a solution to be considered fully compliant, this accessibility issue must be resolved, but can be dealt with last.	[Action Item - Remediation should be the lowest priority.]

Known issues

[Action Item - Fill out the Roadmap Details table with as much information as you can to help the reader understand the nature of each known issue and how and when it will be remediated. You can also list user issues / barriers that are not related to conformance. Depending on the number of issues that you are recording, you can consider representing this data in a separate spreadsheet as it is not uncommon for some larger products to have hundreds to thousands of known issues.]

Roadmap details table column definitions

• Related Non-conformant clause(s) - Provide the related clause from the target accessibility standard.
• Issue Title - Provide a short issue title.
• Issue Description - Provide clear details regarding the accessibility issue.
• Remediation Priority - Provide the priority as defined in the Priority Definitions.
• Remediation Timeline - Provide the anticipated date when the issue will be resolved.
• Status - Provide the status as defined in the Issue Status Definitions.
• Remarks and Explanations – List all details and information applicable for the issue listed. Enter the required justification for any issue with a status marked as “Will Not Fix” or “Blocked”.
• Temporary Workarounds - List any methods you know of that can help affected users temporarily work around the problem.

Accessibility remediation roadmap details

Related Non-conformant clause(s)	Issue Title	Issue Description	Remediation Priority	Remediation Timeline	Status	Remarks and Explanations	Temporary Workarounds

Refer to Annex 1 – Sample Accessibility Remediation Roadmap Details Table.

Approvals and signatures

[Action Item - Fill out accordingly to formalize the commitment to the Roadmap and ensure accountability. Add a quick note regarding the contractual obligations. Example Contractual Clause:

The Vendor agrees to remediate all identified ICT accessibility deficiencies outlined in this Accessibility Remediation Roadmap by the specified deadlines. Failure to meet these deadlines may result in contractual penalties or adjustments as deemed necessary by the GC Functional Product Owner. Regular status updates must be provided, and the Vendor will ensure all updates comply with the target accessibility standard.]

Stakeholder Name	Role	Digital Signature	Date
[Name]	GC Functional Product Owner		[Month DD, YYYY]
[Name]	GC Contracting Authority		[Month DD, YYYY]
[Name]	Vendor Representative		[Month DD, YYYY]
[Name]	Vendor Accessibility Auditor		[Month DD, YYYY]

Annex 1 – Sample accessibility remediation roadmap details table

[Action Item - Annex 1 – Sample Accessibility Remediation Roadmap Details Table– (Delete before issuing your template)

Notes

• The Sample Accessibility Remediation Roadmap Details Table has been prefilled with three sample issues which must be removed when you provide your Roadmap.
• EN indicates the EN 301 549 - V3.2.1 (2021-03) clause. It is recommended to link it to the proper clause in the standard. Roadmap creators can use either the reference to the EN 301 549 - V3.2.1 (2021-03) clause (e.g. EN 9.1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum)) or the equivalent reference to the CAN/ASC - EN 301 549:2024 clause (e.g. CAN/ASC 9.1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum)).

Related Non-conformant clause(s)	Issue Title	Issue Description	Remediation Priority	Remediation Timeline	Status	Remarks and Explanations	Temporary Workarounds
EN 9.1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) (PDF, 2.3 MB)	Main menu lacks sufficient contrast.	Labels in main menu fail 4.5:1 contrast ratio.	Low	Q4 FY2025-26	Open	Text labels have a contrast ratio of 3.1:1. A new background colour selection will be made to address this issue.	High contrast scheme can be used. Instructions will be provided to users.
EN 9.2.1.1 Keyboard (PDF, 2.3 MB)	Main menu not keyboard accessible.	The main menu on the page is not focusable using a keyboard.	High	Q1 FY2025-26	Open	Main menu is currently only accessible when using a mouse. It does not receive keyboard focus.	Direct links to each page found in the main menu will be provided to all users.
EN 9.2.1.1 Keyboard (PDF, 2.3 MB)	Combo box not keyboard accessible.	23 combo boxes fail keyboard accessibility and cannot be accessed by keyboard-only access users.	High	Q1 FY2025-26	In Progress	This is a priority issue and is being address ASAP. When addressed, this will resolve the 23 combo boxes failing this criterion.	No known workaround.

[End of sample.]