Inclusion Infusions: Why You Should Care About Accessibility at Work

Posted on Friday, October 11th, 2019

The primary dimensions of diversity that define each of us is by-and-large fixed e.g. our race, gender, sexual orientation, age. However this is not the case with physical ability. Although some of us are born with a disability, any one of us may become disabled at some point in our lives. That means that addressing the barriers faced by people with disabilities – including attitudinal, systemic, physical, communication and technology based – should be top of mind for everyone. It’s a very self-interested reason we should all be working to make our workplaces inclusive and accessible for everyone – because it could mean inclusion for you or your family members if it doesn’t already.

The Rick Hansen foundation and Angus Reid have just completed some research to understand this very phenomenon; that Accessibility is a source of future anxiety and a significant consideration for Canadian consumers today. Here are some key findings:

  • Approximately one-quarter of Canadians (24%) self-identify as having a mobility, vision or hearing disability or challenge; further, 47 per cent say they spend time with or help someone who is dealing with these difficulties.
  • Accessibility is an issue Canadians anticipate will have a growing presence in their lives in the coming years. The research found that more than two-thirds of Canadians express concern that someone in their lives, or themselves, will face accessibility challenges over the next decade or so.
  • Three-in-ten Canadians – the equivalent of roughly 9 million adults – say that accessibility is a consideration for them when they’re thinking about which places they will go to and which they will avoid.

 


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