Federal Post
Ottawa Releases Technical Guide for Accessibility Awareness Training
Date: October 22, 2026
On October 15, 2026, Accessibility Standards Canada published a Technical Guide, Accessibility Awareness Training (Guide) to help Government of Canada departments, agencies, and federally regulated entities create or improve accessibility awareness training. It is written mainly for training providers and is scalable to organizations of any size. The Guide is a benchmark for program design, delivery and evaluation.
The Guide is a reference document for voluntary use and does not replace existing legal obligations. Following it does not automatically mean those obligations are met. Employers must still comply with all applicable laws, including any provincial or territorial training requirements. However, the Guide gives organizations a structured way to assess existing training, identify potential gaps and involve people with disabilities in training design. It can also be used as a reference point for forming a committee, providing training, tailoring training to employees’ roles, scheduling training, and making the training accessible.
How Does It Fit with the Accessible Canada Act?
The Guide supports the Accessible Canada Act, which provides a framework for the “proactive identification, removal, and prevention of barriers wherever Canadians interact with areas under federal jurisdiction,” with the goal of a barrier-free Canada by January 1, 2040. Throughout, the Guide applies the principle of “nothing without us”: people with disabilities should be directly involved in removing barriers, including in designing training.
Four Phases
The Guide has four phases to be followed in order, although organizations are encouraged to revisit steps as needed to refine their programs:
Phase 1: How to use this Technical Guide, including forming a committee that includes, among others, people with disabilities, to develop accessibility awareness training
Phase 2: Pre-development planning, such as deciding who to train, format, length, and learning objectives
Phase 3: Developing accessibility awareness training content that covers all seven priority areas of the Act: employment; built environment; information and communication technologies; other communication; procurement; programs and services; and transportation
Phase 4: Delivering accessibility awareness training, accessibly, and evaluating it.
To give context, the Guide includes a case study of a fictional company (ABC Banking Corporation) creating and delivering accessibility awareness training.
Key Takeaways
Government of Canada departments, agencies, and federally regulated entities that are developing or reviewing accessibility awareness training can use the Guide as a benchmark creating or improving accessibility awareness training, and for forming a committee, tailoring training to employees’ roles, scheduling training, and making the training accessible.
If you have questions about how to use the Guide in your workplace, please contact your Hicks Morley lawyer.
The article in this client update provides general information and should not be relied on as legal advice or opinion. This publication is copyrighted by Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP and may not be photocopied or reproduced in any form, in whole or in part, without the express permission of Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP. ©