The Right to Accessible Information

View point, Canadian Human Rights Reporter, August 12, 2020
One in five Canadians lives with one or more disabilities. Everyday these 6.2 million individuals encounter various barriers. These barriers prevent persons with disabilities from participating fully in all aspects of society. It is thus not surprising that 60 percent of complaints received by the Canadian Human Rights Commission relate to disability. High proportions of disability-related complaints can be seen in all jurisdictions in Canada. The barriers faced by persons with disabilities are as varied as they are numerous. Communication, attitudinal, environmental and organizational barriers cause people with disabilities to be excluded from equal participation in many opportunities and activities of society. Inaccessible websites can prevent persons with disabilities from working and having equal access to vital information about their health. The consequences can be grave. As noted by one disability rights groups, Persons with disabilities may also be at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 because information about the disease, including the symptoms and prevention, are not provided in accessible formats. In light of this, accessibility advocacy groups have argued that it is now more than ever that companies and Public Administrations must prioritize accessibility in their pages, and therefore, their services in order to ensure that people with disabilities are not deprived of lifesaving information. Despite the increased importance during the pandemic of ensuring that information on the internet is accessible, the Government of Canada has lagged behind. Rather than being a forerunner for inclusion, it has continued the longstanding practice of discriminating against persons with visual impairments in the design of its websites. In fact, it is fighting a human rights complaint lodged by the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians (AEBC) against Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), regarding its inaccessible website. Because of the barriers in ESCD’s website and online application form, the AEBC was not able to submit a complete grant application and did not obtain funding.