Guidance on the Accessible Canada Regulations: Descriptions of feedback processes
Overview
These guidance modules will help federally regulated entities understand the planning and reporting requirements set by the Accessible Canada Regulations. They also contain additional tips, best practices, and resources that may inspire entities to go farther in eliminating barriers to accessibility.
This guidance focuses on how entities should prepare and publish a description of that feedback process.
Additional guidance modules and resources include:
Important notice
The regulations set different deadlines by which different federally regulated entities must publish their first accessibility plans. These deadlines depend on the entities’ function and size. Entities should keep these deadlines in mind as they plan their consultations.
- Government entities – including departments, agencies, Crown corporations, or government-related entities such as the Canadian Forces or Parliamentary entities – must publish their first accessibility plans by December 31, 2022
- Large federally regulated private sector entities with an average of 100 or more employees must publish their first accessibility plans by June 1, 2023
- Small federally regulated private sector entities with an average of between 10 and 99 employees must publish their first accessibility plans by June 1, 2024
Read sections 1, 2 and 3 of the Accessible Canada Regulations to learn which entities may be exempt from these requirements.
Who this guide is for
These guidance modules are intended for those to whom the Accessible Canada Act applies, including:
- Government of Canada entities, including departments and agencies
- Crown corporations
- every portion of the federal public administration designated under subsection 7(3) of the ACA
- the Canadian Forces
- parliamentary entities
- federally regulated private sector entities
In this guide
- Introduction
- Overview
- Regulatory and enforcement authorities
- Basic principles
- Feedback processes and descriptions: key concepts
- Feedback
- Consultation input versus feedback
- Feedback processes
- Feedback process descriptions
- Feedback
- Establishing a feedback process: receiving feedback
- Overview
- Designating a person to receive feedback
- Means of receiving feedback: overview
- Receiving feedback by mail
- Receiving feedback by telephone
- Receiving feedback by email
- Receiving feedback by other means an organization uses to communicate with the public
- Receiving anonymous feedback
- Establishing a feedback process: dealing with feedback
- Overview
- Acknowledging feedback
- Preserving copies of feedback
- Organizing and analyzing feedback
- Taking feedback into consideration
- Publishing and handling your feedback process description
- Overview
- Simple, clear, and concise language
- Conformance to WCAG 2.1 at Level AA
- Where to publish your feedback process descriptions
- When to publish your feedback process descriptions
- Exemptions
- Notifying the Accessibility Commissioner and other authorities
- Amending the feedback process
- Requests for alternate formats of your feedback process description
- Looking ahead: feedback and the planning and reporting cycle
- Overview
- Accessibility plans
- Progress reports
- Amending your feedback process and publishing a new description
Alternate formats
Guidance on the Accessible Canada Regulations: Descriptions of feedback processes [PDF - 506.3 KB]
Large print, braille, MP3 (audio), e-text and DAISY formats are available on demand by ordering online or calling 1 800 O-Canada (1-800-622-6232). If you use a teletypewriter (TTY), call 1-800-926-9105.
Details and history
Published: August 2022
For assistance
If you have questions or comments about the Accessible Canada Regulations, including about how they will be enforced, please contact the office of the Accessibility Commissioner. The Commissioner’s office is open Monday to Friday, 8:00AM to 8:00PM (Eastern Time). You can contact the Commissioner’s office by the following means:
- telephone
- toll free: 1-888-214-1090
- TTY: 1-888-643-3304
- Canada Video Relay Service (VRS)
- fax
- 1-613-996-9661