CRTC Accessibility Plan

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This page is no longer accepting comments as of October 7, 2022, 8:00 PM EDT. Thank you.


Person signing in front of computer screen.

Are you a person living with a disability? We want your feedback!

The CRTC is currently developing its Accessibility Plan under the Accessible Canada Act (ACA) and the Accessible Canada Regulations. This plan will set a roadmap to improve accessibility at the CRTC. The CRTC is therefore consulting on the experience of Canadians in their interaction with our organization including participating in public hearings, browsing our website, or filing a complaint. The accessibility of telephone, TV or Internet services is out of scope for the CRTC’s Accessibility Plan. Those matters will be dealt with in the Accessibility Plans of the specific service providers.

The CRTC has undertaken a preliminary accessibility assessment, with the goal of identifying current or potential barriers and to proposing initiatives to remove or reduce these barriers to accessibility. The barriers identified and the proposed initiatives are presented here, under "Documents", and will inform the CRTC’s first Accessibility Plan.

To ensure that our accessibility plan leads to meaningful improvements and reflects the perspectives of persons living with a disability, we are asking for your crucial feedback on the barriers identified and the proposed initiatives to help reduce, eliminate or prevent them.

You can participate in this consultation via our tools below or by attending one of our virtual roundtables for which you can register by filling out the form below. 

Information on this consultation is also available in French.

If you have questions or would like to provide your feedback in an alternate format, please email consultations@ltrt.ca or call 1-855-249-5665.

Are you a person living with a disability? We want your feedback!

The CRTC is currently developing its Accessibility Plan under the Accessible Canada Act (ACA) and the Accessible Canada Regulations. This plan will set a roadmap to improve accessibility at the CRTC. The CRTC is therefore consulting on the experience of Canadians in their interaction with our organization including participating in public hearings, browsing our website, or filing a complaint. The accessibility of telephone, TV or Internet services is out of scope for the CRTC’s Accessibility Plan. Those matters will be dealt with in the Accessibility Plans of the specific service providers.

The CRTC has undertaken a preliminary accessibility assessment, with the goal of identifying current or potential barriers and to proposing initiatives to remove or reduce these barriers to accessibility. The barriers identified and the proposed initiatives are presented here, under "Documents", and will inform the CRTC’s first Accessibility Plan.

To ensure that our accessibility plan leads to meaningful improvements and reflects the perspectives of persons living with a disability, we are asking for your crucial feedback on the barriers identified and the proposed initiatives to help reduce, eliminate or prevent them.

You can participate in this consultation via our tools below or by attending one of our virtual roundtables for which you can register by filling out the form below. 

Information on this consultation is also available in French.

If you have questions or would like to provide your feedback in an alternate format, please email consultations@ltrt.ca or call 1-855-249-5665.

Your Feedback

The CRTC has identified barriers, successes, and opportunities related to the accessibility of our organization. These lists are provided in the CRTC Accessibility Assessment Summary which can be  found in PDF and Word formats under the Documents tab of this webpage (on the right).

Do these lists accurately reflect your experience interacting with the CRTC? What did we get right? What are we missing?

Prefer to share your feedback in an alternative format?

The CRTC will be hosting virtual roundtables, where ASL and LSQ interpretation will be provided. Join us for a live discussion where we can continue this important conversation. Register for this open event in the Virtual Roundtables tab.

This page is no longer accepting comments as of October 7, 2022, 8:00 PM EDT. Thank you.


CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.

To:
Claude Doucet, Secretary General
Kay Saicheua, Accessibility Champion Director, Consumer, Research and Communications


Link to ASL - https://youtu.be/YIE2c0m8txg

Dear Mr. Doucet, Ms. Saicheua:
Subject: CRTC accessibility consultation
The Canadian Administrator of VRS (CAV), Inc. is pleased to provide comments in the context of a consultation launched by the Commission on 20 September 2022 as the Commission develops its Accessibility Plan under the Accessible Canada Act and the Accessible Canada Regulations. In this consultation, the Commission has invited participants’ comments regarding their experience interacting with the Commission. CAV has been an active participant in Commission proceedings focused on telecommunications accessibility for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Canadians since CAV’s establishment in 2014.
CAV appreciates the Accessibility Assessment Summary the Commission published in conjunction with this consultation process for candidly putting forward challenges as well as opportunities the Commission is addressing, or intends to address, in order to make its processes and procedures more accessible to Canadians, including to users of American Sign Language (ASL) and the Langue des signes québécoise (LSQ).
CAV acknowledges recent steps taken by the Commission to make its proceedings more accessible to ASL and LSQ users, including, for example, providing on its website links to ASL and LSQ videos produced by the Commission in the TNC CRTC 2021-102 and CRTC 2021-191 proceedings.
The production of ASL and LSQ videos represents a substantial commitment. Videos require advance planning, notably for studio facilities and to secure suitable production and interpretation resources. When videos are required, CAV must produce material for filing with the Commission in 4 languages: first, written French and written English, which then must be adapted for sign language presentation and then produced in ASL and LSQ video format. The Commission referenced in its Accessibility Assessment Summary challenges it faces in relation to the supply of facilities and interpreters. CAV also faces similar challenges.
As such, CAV encourages the Commission to provide greater –and more timely-- clarity regarding participants’ obligations concerning the filing of submissions in ASL and LSQ. Additionally, the timeframes set for the filing of information or submissions should reflect the additional steps needed to produce and file videos.
CAV also notes that the Commission’s current practice does not include providing a platform facility to upload videos, and to make them accessible. CAV has developed and utilizes a YouTube channel to post its ASL and LSQ videos in Commission proceedings. The implementation by the Commission of a platform for filing and accessing videos from the Commission’s website would be more consistent with the Commission’s objective of providing as much information in ASL and LSQ as possible, than reliance on third party platforms such as YouTube.
************************************************************
Lien pour LSQ - https://youtu.be/L_ChIxsi9sA

Monsieur, Madame,
L’ Administrateur canadien du SRV inc. (ACS) est heureux de fournir ses commentaires dans le cadre de la consultation lancée par le Conseil le 20 septembre 2022 alors que la Conseil élabore son plan sur l'accessibilité en vertu de la Loi canadienne sur l'accessibilité et du Règlement canadien sur l’accessibilité. Dans cette consultation, le Conseil a invité les participants à commenter leur expérience d'interaction avec le Conseil. L’ACS a participé activement aux instances du Conseil relativement à l'accessibilité des télécommunications pour les Canadiens sourds et malentendants depuis la création de l’ACS en 2014.
L'ACS apprécie le Résumé de l’évaluation de l’accessibilité du CRTC que le Conseil a publié dans le cadre de ce processus de consultation pour avoir franchement mis en avant les défis ainsi que les opportunités que le Conseil aborde, ou a l'intention d'aborder, afin de rendre ses processus et procédures plus accessibles aux Canadiens, y compris aux utilisateurs de l'American Sign Language (ASL) et de la Langue des signes québécoise (LSQ).
L'ACS reconnaît les récentes mesures prises par le Conseil pour rendre ses instances plus accessibles aux utilisateurs de l'ASL et de la LSQ, y compris, par exemple, en fournissant sur son site Web des liens vers des vidéos en ASL et en LSQ produites par le Conseil dans les instances réglementaires reliées aux ACT CRTC 2021-102 et CRTC 2021- 191.
La production de vidéos ASL et LSQ représente un engagement important. Les vidéos nécessitent une planification préalable, notamment pour les installations studio et pour garantir la disponibilité de ressources de production et d'interprétation appropriées. Lorsque des vidéos sont requises, CAV doit produire les informations qui seront déposées auprès du Conseil en 4 langues : d'abord en français écrit et en anglais écrit, ces textes doivent ensuite être adaptés pour la présentation en langue des signes et ensuite produits en format vidéo ASL et LSQ. Le Conseil a fait référence dans son résumé d'évaluation de l'accessibilité aux défis auxquels celui-ci est confronté en ce qui concerne la fourniture d'installations et d'interprètes. L’ACS fait également face à des défis similaires.
À ce titre, l’ACS encourage le Conseil à fournir une plus grande clarté – et plus opportune – concernant les obligations des participants concernant le dépôt de communications en ASL et en LSQ. De plus, les délais fixés pour le dépôt d'informations ou de mémoires doivent refléter les étapes supplémentaires nécessaires pour produire et déposer des vidéos.
L’ACS note également que la pratique actuelle suivie par le Conseil n'inclut pas la fourniture d'une plate-forme pour télécharger des vidéos et les rendre accessibles. L'ACS a développé et utilise une chaîne YouTube pour publier ses vidéos en ASL et en LSQ dans les instances du Conseil. La mise en place par le Conseil d'une plateforme de dépôt et d'accès aux vidéos à partir du site Internet du Conseil serait plus conforme à l'objectif du Conseil de fournir le plus d'informations possible en ASL et en LSQ, que le recours à des plateformes tierces telles que YouTube.

Sue Decker
CEO and Executive Director/Chef de la direction et directrice générale
Canadian Administrator of VRS (CAV)/Administrateur canadien du SRV (ACS)

CAV about 2 years ago

I am the President and CEO of Accessible Media Inc, we operate a Canadian Broadcasting Service that falls under the 9(1)(H) category. The biggest accessibility issue that we as a broadcaster experience is the inaccessibility of the CRTC website most notable the inability of clients to submit an intervention during the license renewal process. The website is note accessible and therefore we are forced to have our supporters file their submissions directly to us and we then re-post the interventions on the CRTC website on their behalf. It is our belief that it is imperative that all government websites meet or exceed the minimum accessibility requirements especially on important issues such as their ability to voice their support on licensing issues and the broadcasting system as a whole. Please reach out if you require greater clarity or have any further questions.
David Errington
President CEO
Accessible Media Inc.

David Errington about 2 years ago