Take part in improving accessibility by completing the 2025 Defence Team Accessibility Online Consultation Questionnaire

June 9, 2025 - Defence Stories

Estimated read time - 2:00

It is time for the annual Defence Team Accessibility Online Consultation (formerly the Defence Team Accessibility Survey), and the Defence Team Accessibility Office (DTAO) wants to hear from you.

This consultation, in the form of an online questionnaire, is an important step in identifying, understanding, and eliminating the barriers to accessibility and promoting inclusion at the Department of National Defence and in the Canadian Armed Forces. Ultimately, it’s a tool to help measure progress on accessibility and identify future commitments to help build a workplace which allows everyone to participate fully.

It is not necessary to have self-identified as a person with a disability to participate - accessibility concerns everyone.

To model best practices in accessibility and to remove barriers to participating in the consultation, two consultation questionnaires are available to you: a long-form questionnaire (49 questions taking approximately 45 minutes to complete) or a focused short-form questionnaire (21 core questions and 34 optional questions taking approximately 15 minutes to complete).

Topics covered include:

• accommodations
• accessible communications and events
• culture
• prioritization of barriers to accessibility

• available support and information

Results will inform progress to date and be reflected in future accessibility plans, reports, and efforts. If you would like to learn more about accessibility plans and progress to date, read the 2024 Defence Team Accessibility Plan Progress Report.

Your privacy and confidentiality are paramount. The DTAO recognizes not everyone who may wish to participate in this consultation has disclosed to their colleagues or managers if they are a person with a disability. Individual responses will be anonymized and made available only to the team doing the analysis. Individual responses will be compiled with others to expand on major themes and takeaways before being shared more broadly.

What you need to know:

• Deadline: Please complete the consultation questionnaire by Friday, July 18
• Who can participate: Defence Team members, including both DND public service employees and CAF members, with or without disabilities
• Where:  Online

Questions about the 2025 Defence Team Accessibility Online Consultation can be addressed to the DTAO positional inbox.

Thank you for taking the time to help the DND/CAF better understand barriers to accessibility for the Defence Team.