Policy 

Community of Practice

Institutions and businesses need expert guidance to embed accessibility in their organizational and policy frameworks. CAN works with governments, public and private sectors provincially and nationally, to assist with development and evaluation of accessibility-related policies and procedures.

The Role of Community of Practice Members, Meetings and Time Commitment

Anyone that is a member of CAN Collaborator Organization, or an approved CAN Collaborator Individual, can join this CoP if they have an interest in learning more about, and/or meeting with other experts in the field.  Members are involved in enacting the business of the Network, as it relates to the priorities of the working group (as noted above).

CoP meetings happen bi-monthly (approximately 6 times per year) for up to 1.5 hours at each meeting – see current meeting schedule.

01

Download Meeting Schedule DOCX

02

Download Meeting Schedule PDF

In addition to these meetings, members who volunteer to get involved in an approved project can anticipate that there will be an additional two to three hours a month (approx.) commitment that is outside of required meeting times that is dedicated to contributing towards the work the project they are supporting, depending on their agreed upon role with the project. This time is dependant on the agreed upon work plan for the operating year and may fluctuate.

 

Please see Terms of Reference for the Policy Community of Practice for more information on the governance of this Committee.

01

Download Terms of Reference DOCX

02

Download Terms of Reference PDF

Community of Practice Leadership

The Policy CoP lead provides leadership to the Policy CoP by:

  • Planning, facilitating and supporting the CoP meetings 
  • Collating ideas and proposing strategic priorities to be considered by the Governing Council as they relate to accessibility in education and training
  • Ensuring the successful completion of approved projects for the CoP
  • Providing updates of CoP activities to the Governing Council at designated times of the operating year
 
Meet the Lead for the Policy Community of Practice
Lucille Berlinguette-Saumure

Policy Lead

Lucille Berlinguette-Saumure

Lucille is a bilingual, Métis woman who has lived experience with concurrent and episodic non-visible disabilities in the areas of hearing loss, mental health conditions and environmental sensitivities. This, coupled with her experience working with people of various intersectionality, provides her with a unique perspective. Lucille believes that the inclusion of people with a variety of disabilities eliminates barriers, creating inclusive, virtual and built spaces for everyone.

With her background in Social Work, Lucille has dedicated the last 33 years to the City of Ottawa, serving equity deserving groups, by creating policies and programs that increase supports, promote inclusivity, and decrease discrimination.

Here, Lucille has worked to increase accessibility for residents, visitors and employees who identify as persons with disabilities and older adults. She has been instrumental in creating an accessibility confident culture, achieved through relationship-building with the disability community, assisting the corporation in developing foundational accessibility tools such as the City’s Accessibility Design Standards, and creating older adult and accessibility events to celebrate successes. She encourages everyone to be accessibility champions and view all their work through an accessibility lens.

In addition to leading the City in the implementation of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Lucille has been part of development committees of the AODA’s Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulations, has been a coordinating member of the Ontario Network of Accessibility Professionals, and is an International Association of Accessibility Professional (IAAP) Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC).

Current Priorities for the Policy Community of Practice

The CoP is currently working on three key projects:

01

Review of Canada’s Disability Inclusion Action Plan

This project is focused on assisting the Government of Canada (ESDC) to implement the Canada Disability Inclusion Action Plan, by conducting a thorough review and facilitating feedback by CAN members on the Plan’s implementation.

02

Creation of an Inclusive Governance Tool

The CoP will create a tool for the Network (and greater community) to provide guidance on creating inclusive governance structures, to ensure the voice of people with disabilities is reflected in accessibility work in CAN and throughout Canada. This initiative lays the groundwork to ensure that people with disabilities are included in discussions and decisions that affect them.

03

Review of Accessibility Legislation Across Canada

In this initiative, the CoP will review and do a gap analysis of existing Accessibility Legislation across Canada with the goal of communicating with Provinces to encourage them to adopt legislation where they have none and encourage those who do have legislation to harmonize with Federal legislation. This will open a customised dialogue with all provincial governments and the federal government on the need for accessibility legislation that is harmonized with Federal legislation to ensure Canadians with disabilities receive consistent accessible services.

 

If you would like to get involved with this initiative, or have a suggestion for a project, we invite you to connect with us at can@carleton.ca and we will introduce you to the Project Leads.

Now Recruiting Volunteers!

The Policy Community of Practice is always open to recruiting new members who are passionate about advancing accessibility and who feel that their background and expertise could support the work of the Policy CoP.

 

If you are interested, please contact can@carleton.ca and we will coordinate a time to speak with you about becoming a member of the CoP.