Additional Resources

Accessible meeting/event guidelines

Proper planning of meetings and events is essential for the inclusion of all. There are several things to consider in the to-do list before and during meetings/events.

Accessibility overview of Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a messaging and collaboration app that lets everyone in your organization join the conversation and work together. This page contains an overview of the many accessibility features that make sure all users can have the best possible experience.

Best practices for setting up and running a Teams meeting or Live event for the deaf and hard of hearing (microsoft.com)

This page contains an overview of the many accessibility features that make sure all users can have the best possible experience, including accessibility features for a better meeting or live event experience, and best practices for setting up and running a Teams meeting or Live event for the deaf and hard of hearing.

CART services and Sign Language Interpreters (SLI)

The most common accommodations for meetings or events are Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) and interpretation services.

Official Languages (OL) recommendations

Best practices to follow for unilingual and bilingual meetings or events for both official languages (English and French).

Job aid on planning Accessible Virtual Events from the Canada School of Public Service

This job aid provides best practices on how to plan accessible and inclusive virtual events.

Planning Inclusive and Accessible Events – A Handbook for Federal Public Servants Internal link from the Office for Disability Issues at ESDC (In-person meeting)

Office for Disability Issues (ODI) is proud to present this handbook to colleagues across the Government of Canada to provide guidance on planning inclusive and accessible events.

Proposed meeting types with accessibility features

Our recommendations for choosing virtual meeting platforms based on the type of meeting or event, number of people, and content shared.

GCwiki Microsoft 365/Teams

A collection of MS Teams training products to support public servants.

Take advantage of the accessibility features in Microsoft Teams for a better meeting or live event experience - Office Support

For a better Microsoft Teams meeting or live event experience, check out the following accessibility features in Microsoft Teams.

The Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario (ATIO) Directory

Find a translator, interpreter or terminologist for meetings and events.

The Translation Bureau’s best practices for sign-language interpretation Internal link

Best practices for your conference and sign language interpretation requests

Virtual meeting platforms and accessibility features

Microsoft Teams and Zoom virtual meeting platforms offer a variety of accessibility features that meet different needs for participating in meetings and chats.

Accessibility Support

Check if your code will work with assistive technologies.

Centrally Deployed Templates Solution (CDTS)

The purpose of the CDTS is essentially to deliver the presentation layer of the Canada.ca theme or Intranet.canada.ca theme to web assets.

How to Meet WCAG (Quickref Reference) (w3.org)

A customizable quick reference to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2 requirements (success criteria) and techniques.

Web Accessibility Assessment Methodology (Level AA)

Assist with measuring conformance to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level A and Level AA Success Criteria

Web Experience Toolkit (WET)

An award-winning front-end framework for building websites that are accessible, usable, interoperable, mobile friendly and multilingual

Web Accessibility Checklist

Accessibility checklist developed by ESDC.

Canada.ca blog

Evidence and insights on improving information and services on Canada.ca

Canada.ca Content and Information Architecture Specification

Who has to use the Canada.ca design system, mandatory elements, how to organize content and design principles

Canada.ca Content Style guide

Writing principles and techniques to make content clear and accessible to all

Continuous improvement of web content

Choosing what to improve, organizing and preparing your team, research and prototyping, designing content, monitoring and measuring success

Latest changes to the Canada.ca design system

Latest changes to the design system, templates and patterns, style guide and other tools

Template and design pattern library

User-tested templates, page layouts, design patterns, guidelines, and code samples

A way with words and images

Suggestions for the portrayal of people with disabilities. People with disabilities are asking Canadians, and the media in particular, to use respectful terms when writing and speaking about them or about issues that affect their lives. They are also asking that images chosen to portray them be respectful and not reinforce outdated stereotypes.

Accessibility Courses

GitHub recommended courses, webinars, educational videos, and more, offered in web accessibility.

ESDC Accessible Documents

The core steps needed for accessibility are the same regardless of whether your document is in HTML, Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF, or another document format. We have gathered resources to assist you and ensure that everyone, including persons with disabilities, can read and understand your documents.

Apple Accessibility - YouTube

From using your iPhone without seeing the screen, to adapting gestures to your physical needs, discover how the accessibility features built into your Apple devices can help you do more.

ESDC Self-paced Web Accessibility Course - IT Accessibility office

This course is designed for designers, developers, testers, trainers, content authors, project managers and anyone who's interested in learning more about web accessibility.

Introduction to Web Accessibility

Introduction to web accessibility and additional resources provided by the W3C | Web Accessibility Initiative.

International Association of Accessibility Professionals

Accessibility professionals from around the world come together to define, promote and improve the accessibility profession through networking, education and certification.

Microsoft Windows 11 Accessibility Features

Useful resources on Microsoft Windows 11 accessibility features.

Screen reader considerations when choosing between Google at IU My Drive and Microsoft OneDrive at IU

The choice between Google at IU My Drive and Microsoft OneDrive at IU is not simple when considering screen reader accessibility. There are pros and cons to both, which can differ depending on the screen reader and browser combination used.

The structure of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1

ESDC developed resource of the WCAG 2.1 guidelines structure.

Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada

Improving accessibility, accommodations, ergonomics, data, and internships. Accessibility strategy for the public service

Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) Overview from the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)

Authoring tools are software and services that “authors” (web developers, designers, writers, etc.) use to produce web content (static web pages, dynamic web applications, etc.).

Directive on Service and Digital- Canada.ca

Articulates how Government of Canada organizations manage service delivery, information and data, information technology, and cyber security in the digital era.

Directive on the Duty to Accommodate- Canada.ca

Provides direction to managers and heads of HR on their obligations with respect to duty to accommodate, with the objective of developing an inclusive, barrier-free workplace in which all persons have equal access to opportunities in the core public administration.

Directive on the Management of Communications- Canada.ca

Provides rules for managing and coordinating communications, including procedures for advertising, public opinion research, social media and web communications.

EU EN 301 549 (Managing accessibility in the public procurement of ICT)(PDF, 2 MB)

Accessibility requirements suitable for public procurement of ICT products and services in Europe.

Guideline on Making Information Technology Usable by All

This guideline supports the Government of Canada’s direction to ensure that departments, agencies and organizations consider accessibility in the acquisition or development of information technology (IT) solutions and equipment to make IT usable by all.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 (w3.org)

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 covers a wide range of recommendations for making Web content more accessible. Following these guidelines will also often make Web content more usable to users in general.

Accessible Canada Act in Plain Language | Federal Accessibility Legislation Alliance

This document is meant to help people understand the main points of Bill C-81, an Act to ensure a barrier-free Canada.

Accessibility Glossary

This glossary contains 342 concepts and terminology related to Bill C-81 in the fields of sociology of work and technical aids for persons with disabilities.

Accessibility at Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC)

As the Government of Canada’s common service provider, PSPC works to provide excellent service to other federal departments. By aiming to improve access to its programs and services for people with disabilities, PSPC helps federal departments provide high-quality programs and services to all Canadians.