Beyond barriers: Promoting accessibility for all
As a health system partner striving for better health and care for everyone, we recognize the important role accessibility plays in meeting the needs of all who call Saskatchewan home.
According to Statistics Canada, nearly 30% of Saskatchewan residents self-identify as having a disability. As our population ages, this number is only expected to increase, which is why it’s important to us to address barriers to accessibility now.
In alignment with The Accessibility Saskatchewan Act, we embarked on a journey to build a plan to identify and prevent accessibility barriers for those who work with us and interact with our programs and services.
To ensure our strategies are meaningful and inclusive, we gathered feedback from our employees, Board of Directors, Cultural Advisory Committee, and a wide variety of community and system partners to guide the development of our three-year accessibility plan, an ongoing roadmap dedicated to promoting inclusivity and preventing accessibility barriers. We surveyed a total of 400 people, including persons with lived experiences of disability, and received a response rate of 24%. For wide-spread data collection efforts such as this, a response rate of 20% is considered successful in cultivating viable data for accurate analysis.
Through this engagement, we learned about some of the barriers impacting folks’ experiences at the Health Quality Council – obstacles we are committed to addressing.
Types of Accessibility Barriers
Physical barriers
When spaces are designed in a way that limits mobility or access
Informational & Technological Barriers
When information is shared in a way that’s not accessible to all people
Attitudinal Barriers
When people think or act based on false assumptions
Key tactics to improving accessibility
While we’ve taken steps to improve accessibility throughout our programs and services, we recognize inclusivity is an ongoing process. Over the next three years, we’ll prioritize the following tactics to help alleviate accessibility barriers people with disabilities may face:
Enhance the physical accessibility of our office and the spaces we host events
- Advocate for accessibility improvements with our property owner, Innovation Saskatchewan, including:
- Clear, visible, and high-contrast signage throughout the building
- Functional and easy-to-reach automatic door buttons
- Easily accessible parking spaces, pathways, and curb cuts – free from snow, ice, and other obstructions
- Ensure all meeting rooms are accessible by allocating adequate space for mobility aids, designating seating for those with mobility challenges, ensuring pathways are clear from wires or other obstacles, and accommodating service animals
- Configure our staff kitchen to be accessibility-friendly
- Create standard accessibility guidelines for all in-person events, including pre-emptively inquiring about accessibility requirements, providing accessibility information in advance (i.e. entrance accessibility, washroom locations, parking availability, etc.), designating accessible seating for those with mobility challenges, and collaborating with audio-visual teams to optimize presentation equipment for improved visibility
- Provide alternative participation options, such as virtual attendance, for those unable to join in-person, where possible
- Incorporate accessibility-related questions into program and event evaluations to promote a continuous feedback-loop
How we’re already putting this into practice:
As a seasoned convenor of system partners, we often host events to bring people together to share ideas, learn of innovative strategies, and accelerate change throughout our health system. To help minimize barriers, we consider accessibility accommodations when selecting venues and offer additional support to those needing it as part of our registration process.
Enhance digital accessibility to ensure online and virtual content is available to everyone
- Establish standards for digital accessibility to ensure all Health Quality Council events, webinars, and online content are easily accessible, including closed captioning and live transcription for all meetings and video content
- Conduct a website accessibility review to ensure alignment with the Canadian Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, prioritizing enhancements based on the results of the review
- Minimize jargon and opt for clear, straightforward language to support neurodiverse individuals who may struggle with dense or technical terminology, incorporating visual aids and step-by-step explanations where possible
- Incorporate accessibility accommodations into our website, including how to request additional support
How we’re already putting this into practice:
Recognizing our website can be difficult to navigate, we’ve begun making incremental updates, focusing on simplifying our menu navigation, re-organizing content, and reducing jargon to make the information on our website easier to find and understand.
Foster an inclusive, supportive workplace culture where everyone feels welcome and included
- Deliver accessibility awareness training to all employees, incorporating into our onboarding process for future employees
- Improve our onboarding process by pre-emptively asking new employees about their accessibility needs, so we can provide support from day one
- Raise awareness of our existing accessibility accommodation request process so employees understand their options and our organizational policies, while normalizing flexible working arrangements to minimize stigma and foster a supportive environment where employees feel safe to request accommodations without fear of judgement
How we’re already putting this into practice:
To help eliminate any involuntary bias, we’ve overhauled our recruitment practices and policies to ensure equal opportunities for all candidates. Now, a member of our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee sits in on interviews with prospective employees to reinforce our commitment to cultivating a diverse and inclusive workplace while ensuring all hiring decisions are made with equity in mind.
Inclusion matters
We’re committed to enhancing accessibility, so people of all abilities can participate fully and equally in our programs, services, and communities across Saskatchewan. By promoting a culture of inclusivity and collaboration, we aim to empower individuals with disabilities, ensuring their voices are heard and their needs prioritized.
If you have questions about our plans to enhance accessibility or require this information in an alternative format, please contact us.