Stephanie Cadieux, Chief Accessibility Officer
In May 2022, Stephanie Cadieux began a 4-year term as Canada’s first Chief Accessibility Officer (CAO).
Before her appointment, Ms. Cadieux was a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 2009 to 2022. Between 2010 and 2012, she held various positions, including:
- Minister of Social Development
- Minister of Labour, Citizens’ Services and Open Government, and
- Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development
As Minister of Social Development, she served as lead social policymaker and introduced a breakthrough approach to remove policy barriers for people living with severe disabilities. From 2012 to 2017, she served as Minister of Children and Family Development. In this role, she focused on increasing adoption levels and support for young people before they aged out of foster care. She also championed an initiative that led to thousands of single parents being able to move into the labour market in jobs that would have otherwise been inaccessible due to lack of training and childcare support.
Before her work in provincial politics, she was the Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the BC Paraplegic Association.
Ms. Cadieux is a member of the disability community. She has used a wheelchair since the age of 18. Her lived experience gives her a deep understanding of the unnecessary barriers faced by people with disabilities. She recognizes the cost of these barriers to our collective wellbeing.
She is an enthusiastic change leader, and a strong advocate for diversity, accessibility, and disability and gender inclusion. She is passionate about creating environments where everyone is welcome and diverse talents are embraced. She is a firm believer that as a society, we can no longer afford to accommodate inaccessibility and must challenge outdated mindsets and unconscious bias at every opportunity.
Throughout her career, she has been a tireless advocate for increased accessibility. Her volunteer activities have included serving as Director for Disability Alliance BC, as an Ambassador with the Rick Hansen Foundation, and as President of the Realwheels Theatre in Vancouver. She has also volunteered as mentor with the YWCA.
She brings a forward-thinking outlook and extensive experience in strategic policy development to her role as CAO. She is dedicated to driving results that create real, positive changes in the lives of people with disabilities and empower us, as a society, to make better decisions and find innovative solutions that will benefit everyone.