Workplace Accessibility

Most but not all Canadian Provinces (and the Federal jurisdiction) maintain laws requiring workplaces to take specific measures to ensure accessibility and remove barriers for people with disabilities.

In Ontario, workplace accessibility requirements for provincially-regulated employers are set out in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and the Integrated Accessibility Standards.

Key points on the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 include:

Employers are required to maintain policies and practices consistent with ensuring accessibility to persons with mental and physical disabilities.

The focus of accessibility is to proactively identify and remove barriers to access to services, information, employment, transportation, and public spaces for individuals with disabilities.

Accessibility requirements complement requirements under the Human Rights Code to provide for appropriate and proactive measures to accommodate individuals with disabilities.

Both public-sector and private-sector organizations are required to comply with accessibility laws.

Large private-sector organizations with 50 or more employees are required to meet more extensive accessibility-related requirements than small private-sector organizations composing 1 to 49 employees.

Employment-related accessibility standards generally apply with respect to an organization’s employees, but not its volunteers.

Highlights of the requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 include:

Employers recruiting for an open position must notify job candidates about the availability of accommodations for people with disabilities in the recruitment process.

Accessible formats and communications supports for information required to perform work or information generally available to employees in the workplace must be arranged where requested by an employee.

Individualized workplace emergency response information must be prepared and provided to any employee with a disability who requires an accommodation when it comes to any workplace emergency procedure.

Large organizations having 50 or more employees must ensure that individualized accommodation plans and return-to-work processes are in place for employees with disabilities.

Training related to accessibility standards requirements and the Human Rights Code must be regularly provided to an organization’s employees and volunteers, with training dates and details regularly recorded and updated by the organization.

The contents of this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice.