2026–2028 Accessibility plan
The Accessible Canada Act (ACA) and the Accessible Canada Regulations (regulations) require that federal entities prepare and publish accessibility plans. This plan was prepared for the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada and is considered an evergreen document to be reviewed and updated yearly.
Enquiries
The designated official for the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court is Andrew Le Moine, Corporate Services Sector. Any feedback on this plan or on accessibility can be addressed to the designated official by mail at 301 Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0J1 or electronically at accessibility-accessibilite@scc-csc.ca.
Definitions from the Act
Barrier
“means anything—including anything physical, architectural, technological or attitudinal, anything that is based on information or communications or anything that is the result of a policy or a practice—that hinders the full and equal participation in society of persons with an impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment or a functional limitation.”
Disability
“means any impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment—or a functional limitation—whether permanent, temporary or episodic in nature, or evident or not, that, in interaction with a barrier, hinders a person’s full and equal participation in society.”
Executive summary
Accessibility is an integral part of the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada (ORSCC) underpinning values, and is included in our organizational strategic objectives. As such, we strive to continuously improve access to the Court and its services. We have been consulting those who appear before the Court and visitors for a number of years to improve accessibility and will continue to do so. Additionally, we expanded consultations on a number of internal policies and procedures as well as communication tools, to ensure that we meet the highest standards of accessibility for all Canadians, our employees and applicants. We continue to improve on this evergreen process and welcome this opportunity to remove and prevent any barriers to accessibility which may exist.
Accessibility statement
We are committed to creating a barrier-free environment for everyone. Currently, consultations take place with lawyers who appear before the Court and visitors to ensure every consideration is given to accessing our organization. A number of important tools are used to increase accessibility to the Court, including e-filing, the publication of Cases in Brief, which are plain-language summaries of written decisions meant to be understood by the general public, the publication of an annual Year in Review to make the Court more accessible to the public, visits and e-visits with a tour guide, information material published in various languages, braille and more. Recent enhancements to our current building have helped reduce physical barriers, while proactive planning is underway to ensure our new facility meets inclusive design standards. All employees were also invited to provide input on accessibility both through written feedback and informal focus group discussions. Over the next 3 years, we will continue to refine our consultation process to identify and eliminate any remaining barriers.
Employment
In 2023, accessibility consultations took place to identify barriers within the organization. In the recent past, we provided specific training to managers on unconscious bias. Our HR advisors work one on one with hiring managers to ensure processes meet the highest standards. We continuously work on improving our evaluation tools and are committed to enhancing them to the extent possible to eliminate any barriers within the application process.
| Action | Steps | Responsibility | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offer an accessibility passport | Implement and promote the Accessibility Passport and its use | HR | March 2026 |
| Develop an onboarding program | Further develop onboarding program and integrate accessibility training into the onboarding process | HR | April 2027 |
| Collect systemic feedback on accessibility | Regularly consult employees for feedback on accessibility measures | HR | Ongoing |
| Provide training | Provide further training and tools on the accommodations process | HR | 2026–2027 |
| Integrate inclusive language | Review HR policies, plans, and procedures to improve clarity and apply plain language where possible Develop a process to ensure candidate communications, letters of offer, and notes on job posters use plain language wherever possible |
HR in collaboration with Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion | 2026–2028 |
The built environment
The Supreme Court of Canada Building (SCCB) is a Heritage Building, and is owned and maintained by the Government through Public Services and Procurement Canada. The SCCB will be undergoing major renovations over the next few years to bring it up to current accessibility standards and building code requirements. We have currently implemented various mitigating measures for employees and visitors with mobility or other impairments to address structural accessibility issues.
We will be relocating to a new facility in summer 2026. This will ensure continued and inclusive access for all. The new building is being retrofitted with accessibility as a priority and includes features that support a barrier-free experience for both employees and visitors.
| Action | Steps | Responsibility | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identify mitigation strategies to reduce or remove barriers in facilities and services | Ensure ongoing mitigation measures are adequate and periodically reviewed | Manager, Building Operations and PSPC Property and Facility Manager | Ongoing |
| Ensure rehabilitation plans consider all accessibility requirements and needs | Review rehabilitation plans and documents as they become available | Senior Project Leader and PSPC project authorities | Ongoing until completion of Building rehab |
| Following move, obtain feedback | Obtain employee and visitor feedback to ensure that new physical workspace and design continues to meet accessibility standards | Manager, Building Operations and PSPC building manager | 2026–2028 |
| Review feedback for ergonomic risks or barriers impacting employees’ health and integrate findings into hazard assessments and prevention solutions/training | Occupational Health and Safety | ||
| Identify strategic multipurpose and quiet workspaces | Continue to identify shared multipurpose spaces for focused quiet work, personal reflection, or sensory breaks | Manager, Building Operations | Ongoing |
Information and communication technologies (ICT)
The Information Technology (IT) Branch is responsible for the provision of all IT-related services at the Supreme Court of Canada. Software developed in-house makes use of the Web Experience Toolkit which ensures accessibility and usability. Beyond development activities, efforts are made, often on a case-by-case basis, to ensure that information technology resources are accessible and can be used by individuals with a wide range of abilities and disabilities. As technology evolves, approaches aimed at ensuring accessibility must be reviewed and advancements capitalized.
| Action | Steps | Responsibility | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ensure that applications developed in-house (including the Supreme Court of Canada website) are accessible and usable | Leverage accessibility and usability standards (for example, Web Experience Toolkit) for all development activities | Manager, Business Solutions | Ongoing |
| Provide users with assistive technologies as and when required | When a need for assistive technology is identified (for example, text-to-speech, dictation, closed captioning, high contrast and alternate input devices) research must be conducted and steps must be taken to acquire the required technology | Manager, Client Services and Infrastructure | Ongoing |
| Develop systems to support staff during meetings | Improve the intranet and propose options for meeting recap (or note taking) systems for inclusivity | Manager, Client Services and Infrastructure | August 2026 |
| Implement MS Teams calendar | Integrate MS Teams calendars with Outlook for better collaboration and organization | Manager, Business Solutions | March 2027 |
Communication, other than ICT
As part of our tour program, we strive to ensure all visitors have access to the building. For visitors whose mobility is impaired, access is provided through the east entrance, which is wheelchair and motorized scooter friendly and provides access to the building through an elevator. We provide a 3D rendering of the Court building for visually impaired visitors to manipulate and make sign language interpreters available for visitors who are hearing impaired when a request has been made in advance. Additionally, information about the Court is provided in 13 languages as well as braille (in French and English).
In 2023, we conducted surveys and interviews with employees with disabilities for feedback on the accessibility of our entire organization, including tools, processes and facilities. Many of the issues raised in these consultations have already been addressed, while others are still being worked on. In 2025, all staff, including persons with disabilities, were invited to take part in a focus group with open ended questions, as well as share feedback by email. This gave employees the chance to speak openly about barriers and ways to improve support, while protecting privacy in our small organization. We also continue to listen through surveys and social media, using this feedback to improve access and services. As we prepare to move to a new facility in 2026, these lessons will guide us to build accessibility in from the start.
Furthermore, measures such as visits and e-visits, Cases in Brief and our Year in Review allow all Canadians to visit our building and have easy access to information about the Court and the Court’s decisions.
| Action | Steps | Responsibility | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Integrate and promote inclusive language | Promote the use of inclusive language by regularly sharing practical tips and strategies with employees | Director, Communications | Ongoing |
| Training | Conduct information sessions to provide guidance and actively promote the use of plain language so as to simplify internal communications, especially within policies, procedures, and meetings | Director, Communications | March 2027 |
Procurement of goods, services and facilities
The ORSCC has embedded accessibility requirements within the procurement process by identifying, at the procurement request stage, whether or not the goods or services to be procured have accessibility requirements. The project authorities are responsible for assessing accessibility for all procurement actions. Procurement officers are responsible for reviewing the accessibility assessments provided by the project authorities.
| Action | Steps | Responsibility | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Training | Actively promote accessibility training opportunities to ensure procurement staff and business owners are equipped to make inclusive and informed purchasing decisions | Director, Finance | Ongoing |
| Internal collaboration | Collaborate with HR, IT and Facilities Management to develop a feedback form that gathers input on purchases and identifies required accessibility features for future equipment and technology | Director, Finance | March 2028 |
| Streamline accessibility resources | Streamline accessibility information to help business owners assess requirements and consult the necessary resources for informed decision-making | Director, Finance | March 2028 |
Consultations
Surveys are conducted with lawyers who appear before the Court as well as visitors to outline their experience in accessing our organization. The information we have received has informed many of our initiatives, including e-filing, Cases in Brief, the Year in Review, visits and e-visits with a tour guide, information material published in various languages and braille, and more.
While consultations and focus groups have been key for us to improve our accessibility, we will continue to find new ways to collect feedback to ensure better outcomes for persons with disabilities in accessing our organization in all capacities.
Training
Following the update to our Accommodation Policy, we will be providing all staff members with training and tools on the accommodations process, plain language use and the newly adopted Accessibility Passport.