Workplace Accessibility and Inclusion Centre
Transforming work cultures across Canada
At the Workplace Accessibility and Inclusion Centre (WAIC), we provide customized consulting and contract services to employers across Canada seeking to hire, retain, and support neurodiverse employees and employees with disabilities.
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Gain access to highly qualified consultants and accessibility professionals.
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Get the training and resources you need to comply with the Accessible Canada Act.
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Create meaningful opportunities for underrepresented job seekers.
Services
According to Statistics Canada, one in four Canadians live with a disability that can impact their work. Create an inclusive and accessible workplace for all team members through our custom service offerings.
Research projects
Research drives advancements in our understanding of accessible workplaces and how to best support those with disabilities. By starting a research project with our team, you’ll explore and solve workplace inclusion issues through community-led approaches.
Start a research project with us
Accessible to you
While we help you build an accessible workplace, we also ensure our consulting services are accessible to you and your organization.
- In person, hybrid, or online meeting options
- Digital resources for easy sharing
- Ability to adapt our service model to meet your accessibility requirements
WAIC Consulting helped our organization create an accessibility strategy and action plan that aligns with our organization’s business goals. Because of the high quality of the work and deliverables, I’m confident in the capabilities and strongly recommend WAIC Consulting for projects requiring a team that’s skilled at community engagement, creating products that are actionable, and meets organizational needs to move forward.
— Explore Edmonton
WAIC conducted a series of virtual workshops for EA team members ranging from individual contributors to senior managers in Canada, the US, and the UK. These workshops created a psychologically safe place and offered practical tools and techniques to make our workplace more inclusive and accessible.
— Electronic Arts/Bioware
Frequently asked questions
What is accessibility?
Accessibility is creating barrier-free spaces where neurodivergent people and people with disabilities have equal access to what they need in order to participate fully and independently in various aspects of their lives alongside neurotypical people and people who do not have disabilities.
Who benefits from accessibility?
Accessibility benefits people who are…
- born with any type of disability
- born neurodivergent and do not identify as having a disability.
- veterans, first responders, or law enforcement personnel who have acquired a temporary or permanent disability, including PTSD, due to their work.
- workers who have experienced a workplace injury
- elderly
- parents
- children
- workplace supervisors, managers, and colleagues
- business owners
- customers
- internet users
…essentially, accessibility benefits EVERYONE.
What does neurodiversity/neurodivergent/neurodiverse mean?
Neurodiversity is a naturally occurring diversity in thinking and seeing the world, caused by genes and environment.
Neurodivergent is a term that can often be used to describe an individual person.
Neurodiverse is often used to describe a group of people that includes both neurodivergent and non-neurodivergent people. However, neurodiverse can also be used to describe an individual person.
People can be born neurodivergent:
- Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia, and/or Tourette’s Syndrome
Also, just like with many disabilities, some people can become neurodiverse throughout their lifetime through a variety of ways, such as:
Will becoming accessible truly impact my organization?
Great question! Not only will accessibility allow for your company’s workforce to flourish, but research also shows that organizations who hire folks with disabilities and properly embed accessibility best-practices outperform organizations that do not.
*Based on research findings of a 2018 study by Accenture in partnership with the American Association of People with Disabilities and Disability
What industries do you provide services for?
We offer accessibility and inclusion services for all industries and organizations across Canada.
What is the Accessible Canada Act? And how do I know if my organization is currently compliant?
The Accessible Canada Act (ACA) came into force in 2019. The overarching goal of the ACA is to realize a barrier-free Canada by 2040.
The legislation benefits all Canadians, especially persons with disabilities, through the proactive identification, removal and prevention of barriers to accessibility in 7 priority areas:
- employment
- the built environment
- information and communication technologies (ICT)
- communication other than ICT
- the design and delivery of programs and services
- the procurement of goods, services and facilities
- transportation
Who developed Canada’s Accessibility Standards?
Accessibility Standards Canada is a departmental corporation under the ACA, with the mandates of:
- Developing accessibility standards;
- Advancing accessibility research; and
- Sharing information related to accessibility.
Accessibility Standards Canada is the first Canadian federal organization majority-led by people with disabilities, practicing the principles of “Nothing about us, without us” by consulting and working closely with people with disabilities, diverse disability communities and other experts.
How do I know if my organization is currently compliant?
Throughout 2024 and beyond, the accessibility standards will be rolled out in the order that they are developed.
As of March 2024, the following versions of the 2 first standards documents can be found at the links below. (The links will be updated periodically as the standards are rolled out)
- CAN-ASC-1.1 Standard on employment: Public Review Draft
- CAN-ASC-2.1 Outdoor spaces: Public Review Draft
All WAIC services are aligned with ACA standards, and a WAIC consultant can assist your team as you work towards and beyond accessibility compliance within your organization.I don’t know anything about disability inclusion or accessibility in the workplace. Where should I start?
Reach out to the Workplace Accessibility & Inclusion Center by using the contact form below to explore how you can start your accessibility journey.
We offer a variety of services and training for individuals, teams, as well as organizations.
Key things to remember…
- Having a disability or being neurodivergent is another way of being human.
- Disability is not the same as not being capable.
- People with disabilities and who are neurodiverse are incredibly capable, and have unique personalities, strengths, interests, ideas, and skills, just like those who do not have disabilities or who are not neurodivergent do.
- Accessibility is a skillset, one that anyone can learn and practice.
- It’s never too late to learn something new!
Book a free 30-minute discovery call with our team
Are you an employer that has questions about our consulting services and would like to learn how we can help you create a culture of inclusion? Or are you a job seeker looking for meaningful career opportunities?
Fill out the form, and a member of our team will be in contact to book a call with you.