2024 AODA annual status update

Vision and commitment

We're committed to meeting the requirements outlined in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA), and to:

• treating all people in a way that supports the maintenance of their dignity and abilities
• supporting integration and equal opportunity
• meeting accessibility needs in a timely manner by identifying, preventing and removing barriers to accessibility and meeting accessibility requirements under the AODA and the Integrated Accessibility Standard Regulation (IASR)
• working together to promote a culture of respect and acceptance for accessibility in Ontario

The AODA is intended to enable the development, implementation and enforcement of accessibility standards to achieve accessibility for Ontarians with disabilities. The IASR establishes the accessibility standards for the following areas:

• information and communication
• employment
• design of public spaces
• customer service
• transportation

We’re committed to customer service excellence. Our programs and services are delivered in ways that reflect our values:

• accountability
• collaboration
• empathy
• integrity

Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation

We’ve completed the following actions in accordance with the standards in the IASR.

Part one – general

Actions taken

• Continued our quarterly and annual reporting to the WSIB Governance Committee, covering key accessibility metrics and compliance findings
• Continued providing accessibility recommendations, requirements and best practices relating to procurement to our staff and vendors, and enhanced the vendor submission questionnaire and vendor contract language
• Conducted ongoing consultations with internal stakeholders and the WSIB’s contracted vendors on projects and contracts to incorporate accessibility requirements and considerations
• Updated and enhanced our corporate Accessibility Policy
• Explored and discussed adding policies and procedures related to accessibility, including a customer facing accommodation policy and a more detailed digital accessibility roadmap
• Consulted employees who live with a disability on projects and new initiatives to understand their experience using WSIB employment tools
• Partnered with the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Council to raise awareness about neurodiversity, disability within Indigenous populations and equity frameworks

Part two – information and communication standard

Accessible formats and communication supports.

Actions taken

• Produced and published an on-demand Microsoft Power BI document showing employees how to use accessibility features in the application
• Shared this resource across Canada via our partnership with the Canadian Accessibility Network
• Expanded our accessibility resources and updated our internal SharePoint site
• Continued supporting the provision of accessible and alternate formats
• Provided our customers communication supports such as captioning, transcripts and sign language interpretation
• Maintained and monitored our feedback process relating to accessibility
• Partnered with our internal Research and Design teams to create and socialize WSIB customer personas
• Continued supporting the development of online services by providing W3C’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) requirements, reviewing wireframes and fixing errors and gaps
• Tested the 10 most-visited pages on wsib.ca in 2024 and identified defects that are being fixed to continue meeting WCAG compliance

Part three – employment standard

The Accessibility Office continued working with Human Resources and business leaders on inclusive recruitment, employment and talent management practices.

Actions taken

• Offered accessibility testing for internal communications, learning materials and software that WSIB employees use
• Helped create an accessible new learning module for employees
• Shared the 2023 Physical space guide to over 200 organizations across Canada
• Worked with internal partners to develop resources and tip sheets for assistive software users, working with new software and applications that have usability gaps
• Continued consulting employees with lived experiences of disability to understand and remove usability barriers they experience
• Organized and partnered with senior leadership to raise awareness about National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) and highlight the important contributions that employees with disabilities have made to our organization
• Co-developed an “Introduction to neurodiversity” presentation with employees with lived experiences of neurodivergence, which has received positive evaluations from employee audiences
• Continued raising awareness about the importance of accessibility through internal and external communication initiatives
• Continued working with partners to ensure hearing loops are installed in spaces that have microphones
• Continued striving for consistent closed captioning and Communication Access in Real Time (CART) at live and virtual events

Part four – customer service standard

Actions taken

• Updated our mandatory employee learning modules to the updated Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Access Forward modules
• Continued promoting and monitoring completion rates of AODA and human rights training courses for all WSIB employees, volunteers and Board members
• Continued to partner with internal divisions on providing alternate formats and support for complex document requests
• Maintained and hosted monthly Accessibility “Help Bar” sessions for all internal employees to build skills in creating accessible documents, reports and presentations
• Documented best practices for effective communication strategies for people with disabilities in in-person and virtual environments
• Responded to over 300 accessibility and accommodation-related customer enquiries

Accessibility feedback

We’re committed to improving our services for people with disabilities. Your feedback is important to help us identify barriers that limit or prevent you from interacting with us or receiving our services in an accessible format.

You can provide your feedback by filling out an alternate format and feedback request form, emailing us at accessibility@wsib.on.ca or calling 1-800-387-0750, Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

You can also mail your feedback to us at:

WSIB
Accessibility Office
200 Front Street West
Toronto, Ontario M5V 3J1