Accessibility Standards Canada–Towards a Barrier-Free Canada

Date & Time

Tuesday, March 19, 2024 - 1:20 PM PDT  

Location

Grand GH  

Description

The mandate of Accessibility Standards Canada (ASC) under the Accessible Canada Act, 2019 (Act) is to contribute to a barrier-free Canada by 2040. ASC is at the forefront in implementing the Act by supporting accessibility research and developing standards in multiple areas. Canada is a global leader with the introduction of an Act focused on accessibility along with the European Union. ASC is an accredited standards development organization and its standards will be national standards of Canada. ASC is working with researchers and stakeholders across Canada and other levels of government to promote the harmonization of standards. ASC undertakes standards development in new ways and sets a new bar for accessibility research and standards, striving to be a leader in developing research- and equity-based standards. This includes taking novel approaches to equity and inclusion through its work. In this session, the Chief Executive Officer of ASC, Philip Rizcallah, will talk about the Act that set up ASC as well as an Accessibility Commissioner and a Chief Accessibility Officer in Canada. He will outline the ASC’s mandate and priority areas, and describe its accessibility research and standards development process. This will be followed by a fireside chat led by Sambhavi Chandrashekar, Global Accessibility Lead of D2L Corporation, to offer participants a closer look into the novel work that Canada is doing for advancing accessibility. The session will conclude with audience Q&A.  

Audience

• Information & Communications Technology
• Government
• Research & Development
• Legal

Audience Level

Intermediate  

Session Summary (Abstract)

Join Canadian leaders in accessibility for a presentation and discussion to learn about Canada’s innovative approaches to implementing legislative and regulatory frameworks for facilitating a barrier-free Canada for people with disabilities by 2040.  

Primary Topic

Law, Compliance, and Policy  

Secondary Topics

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (ML)
• Employment & Workplace
• Information & Communications Technology (ICT)
• Leadership & Strategy

 

Session Type

General Track  

Presenters

• Philip Rizcallah
  Accessibility Standards Canada
• Sambhavi Chandrashekar
  D2L Corporation

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