Day One: Thursday, June 6, 2024
10:00 EDT
15 min
Welcome and Opening Remarks from the Chair
Max Brault, President/CEO, The Accommodation Councilors of Canada Network
10:15 EDT
45 min
Achieving a Barrier-Free Canada for People with Disabilities by 2040 – How to Get There Ahead of time!
11:00 EDT
45 min
Keys to Developing Your Accessibility Plans: Roadmap to Effective and Efficient Compliance
Max Brault, President/CEO, The Accommodation Councilors of Canada Network
- Barriers to compliance
- Content of your plan
- Length, detail, and design
- Alternate formats and simple, clear, and concise language
- Requirements for publishing your plans
11:45 EDT
45 min
Critical Take-Aways and Lessons Learned on The Accessibility Journey: Putting A Good Plan in Place
- The journey: challenges and solutions
- Key considerations in going forward
- Short- and long-term results – going the distance!
12:30 EDT
60 minBreak
13:30 EDT
45 min
Web Accessibility at Scale: from Small to Massive Organizations
- Why is EN 301 549 an important goal for Federally Regulated Organizations
- Get some quick results from a free automated scan from the open source Purple A11y tool
- Create an accessibility statement, following the model of the UK government
- Invest in fixing those errors, and then get feedback from users with disabilities
14:15 EDT
45 min
Preliminary Considerations and the Importance of Giant First Steps
Mandi Crespo, Senior Manager of Accessibility Consulting Services, BDO
- Deciding who is responsible for the plan
- Identifying barriers
- Removing barriers
- Preventing future problems
15:00 EDT
15 minBreak
15:15 EDT
45 min
Learning from Provincial Legislative Responses Across Canada
Moderator: Megan Beal, Partner, Fasken
- How are various provinces dealing with disabilities in the workplace?
- Is the federal Accessible Canada Act raising the bar for the provinces?
- What elements of the federal legislation can we expect provinces to incorporate?
16:00 EDT
30 min
Next Steps and Q & A
Max Brault, President/CEO, The Accommodation Councilors of Canada Network
16:30 EDT
End of Day One
Day Two: Friday, June 7, 2024
10:00 EDT
15 min
Welcome and Opening Remarks from the Chair
Max Brault, President/CEO, The Accommodation Councilors of Canada Network
10:15 EDT
45 min
Ensuring Accessible Design
Patrick Bouchard, Digital Accessibility Expert & Back-end Developer, Y Team
Join this engaging talk to witness the digital accessibility journey first-hand. During this session, you will:
- Learn about screen readers and see how they are used.
- Experience what it’s like to navigate an accessible website.
- Find out the painful barriers of navigating an inaccessible website.
- Discuss some specific requirements of digital accessibility compliance.
- Participate in open discussion and question period with an accessible user and developer.
11:00 EDT
45 min
Amplifying Voices: Effective Solutions to Engage Employees and Community in Workplace Accessibility Planning
- Practical insights, strategies, and resources to effectively engage employees with disabilities in the planning process.
- Operationalizing accessibility in the workplace.
- The importance of meaningful engagement and collaboration with the disabled community to create inclusive and accessible environments for all.
11:45 EDT
60 minBreak
12:45 EDT
60 min
Learning From How Municipalities Are Setting Policy to Comply with Accessibility Requirements
13:45 EDT
90 min
Panel Update on Leading Issues of the Day: Intersectional Experience, Indigenous Action, Innovation, Harassment and More
Shilpa R. Sharma, Senior Manager, Corporate Innovation, MaRS Discovery District
Meggan Van Harten, Co-CEO, Design de Plume
Melissa Egan, Manager, Episodic Disabilities and Education Initiatives, Realize
- The intersectional experiences of Black, Disabled, and Gendered Persons
- Accessibility in Action: Indigenous Communities
- Meggan Van Harten | Design de Plume
- Innovation in Action: The MaRS and CIBC Inclusive Design Challenge
- Shilpa R. Sharma, Senior Manager, Corporate Innovation, MaRS Discovery District
- The Disability Inclusion Business Council
- Gaurav Upadhya, Chair, Canadian Business Disability Network and Board Director of Amex Bank of Canada
- Episodic Disabilities Defined
- Melissa Egan, National Lead, Episodic Disabilities, Realize
15:15 EDT
15 minBreak
15:30 EDT
45 min
Panel: Expert Perspectives and Predictions: Where is the ACA Taking Us and Where Will We Be in the Next 5 Years?
Moderators: Max Brault, President/CEO, The Accommodation Councilors of Canada Network
Jason Brommet, GM, Modern Work & Surface/Commercial Accessibility Lead, Microsoft America’s
16:15 EDT
30 min
16:30 EDT
End of Day Two