Persons with disabilities were consulted in the preparation of this Progress Report 2024.
3.1 Internal consultations
In 2024, VAC consulted the Accessibility Network on several initiatives, including:
- developing a strategic plan for future accessibility initiatives within the Network
- participating in a Restorative Engagement Questionnaire for Networks and Organizations issued by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS)
- reviewing the format of VAC’s Accessibility Progress Report 2023
- conducting user-testing for the 2024 Employee Accessibility Survey
- developing a more accessible form for interdisciplinary clinics to become registered providers for VAC under Federal Health Claim Processing Services
- reviewing draft cover pages for the Accessibility Progress Report 2024
These internal consultations have provided valuable insights and highlighted the ongoing need for a cultural shift towards accessibility at VAC. We look forward to finding opportunities for improvement as a more accessibility-confident organization.
3.2 External consultations
Veteran members of VAC’s Ministerial Advisory Groups were invited to participate in a virtual Veterans roundtable on accessibility, which helped inform this progress report and the upcoming Accessibility Action Plan 2025-2028. On 15 May 2024, participants were invited to provide feedback on VAC’s Accessibility Action Plan 2022-2025 and VAC’s Accessibility Progress Report 2023.
Veterans were asked to identify accessibility barriers they may face when interacting with the Department and provide suggestions on how to remove and prevent them. Those barriers could be physical and/or architectural, technological, information and communications, attitudinal, or systemic. Participants also provided feedback on the language and format of the Accessibility Action Plan 2022-2025 and Accessibility Progress Report 2023.
The virtual roundtable was valuable to obtain feedback on accessibility. For example, participants said they felt a need for more plain and accessible communication from VAC.
Some feedback received goes beyond the scope of VAC’s work to identify, prevent, and remove accessibility barriers. All feedback was shared with the appropriate areas of VAC to inform the development of VAC’s Accessibility Action Plan 2025-2028.