IDRC’s Accessibility Plan 2026-2028

On this page

1. General

1.1 Statement of commitment

1.2 Contact information & feedback process

1.3 Definitions

1.4 Description of IDRC

2. IDRC’s Accessibility Plan

2.1 Built environment

2.2 Employment

2.3 Information and communication technologies (ICT)

2.4 Communications (other than ICT)

2.5 Procurement of goods, services and facilities

2.6 Design and delivery of programs and services

2.7 Transportation

3. Consultations

4. Conclusion

1. General 

1.1 Statement of commitment

At IDRC, we are committed to being inclusive and accessible. We want everyone, including people with disabilities to be able to take part in our work and access our research. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where every employee feels supported. We want our physical workplace, our processes, the tools we use, the things we buy and our communications to reflect this commitment.

We know that accessibility is an on-going process. We will build on the successes of our first plan. We will use the lessons we have learned to continue our work in identifying, removing and preventing barriers for people with disabilities.  We will also monitor new challenges that arise in our workplace. 

We will leverage existing committees, including the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, and the Health and Safety Committee to bring greater emphasis to accessibility across IDRC. These committees will provide advice and guidance on our plan.

IDRC will monitor and report on the implementation of its Accessibility Plan every year. These reports will be shared with both employees and the public. The reports will include progress on actions outlined in the Plan and details on the feedback received from employees, partners, and the public.

1.2 Contact information and feedback process 

IDRC welcomes feedback on accessibility and this plan from employees, partner institutions, and the public. We are committed to reviewing the feedback we receive in good faith and taking steps to address barriers that are identified. We will acknowledge that your feedback has been received in the same way it was received, unless it was received anonymously.

You can submit feedback about accessibility at IDRC or this plan by contacting: 

Andrée Leduc, Director, Employee Experience 

• Email: accessibility@idrc.ca
• Phone: 613-236-6163
• TTY: 613-236-1661
• Mailing Address: PO Box 8500, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1G 3H9

How to ask for alternate formats

You can request alternative formats of this plan and an alternate format description of our feedback process by contacting Andrée Leduc using the information above.

An electronic version of this plan that is compatible with assistive technology can be downloaded immediately from our website.

You can ask us to provide this plan to you in an alternate format. 

• We will provide you with a print or large print within 15 days of you asking for it.
• We will provide you a Braille version or an audio recording within 45 days of you asking for it.

1.3 Definitions

We use the following definitions in this plan:

Disability: Any impairment, or difference in physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, sensory or communication ability. Disabilities can be permanent, temporary, and/or can change over time. 

Barrier: Anything that might hinder people with disabilities’ full and equal participation. Barriers can be architectural, technological, attitudinal, based on information or communications, or can be the result of a policy or procedure. 

Accessibility: The design of products, devices, services, environments, technologies, policies and rules in a way that allows all people, including people with a variety of disabilities, to access them. 

1.4 Description of IDRC

The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) supports and funds research and innovation. We also share what we learn to help create positive change in developing regions around the world. 

Our work is part of Canada’s foreign affairs and international development efforts. We do this by: 

• Funding high-quality research in developing countries
• Sharing knowledge with researchers and decision-makers, and 
• Working with other organizations that share our goals to build a more sustainable and inclusive world.

Our head office is located in Ottawa, Canada. We also have five regional offices across the world that keep us connected to the researchers and projects we support. The regional offices are located in:

• Montevideo, Uruguay
• Nairobi, Kenya
• Dakar, Senegal
• Amman, Jordan
• New Delhi, India

Information about the projects we support is available on our website.

2. IDRC’s Accessibility Plan 

2.1 Built environment

IDRC’s office in Ottawa was built with accessibility principles in mind. It provides wide walkways, wide door openings, sliding doors to meeting rooms, varied seating in our common areas, barrier-free washrooms and showers, a universal washroom on each floor and Braille signage. Employees can also access closed meeting rooms if they need to work in a quiet space. These meeting rooms have adjustable lighting. 

As part of our previous plan, IDRC hired an expert consultant to assess the built environment of our Ottawa space. The assessors noted that our space meets a high standard of accessibility and is welcoming for most people with disabilities.

There were some recommendations that were made by the consultant that where not addressed in our previous Accessibility plan. We will address them as part of our 2026-2028 Accessibility Plan:

1. Add directional signage for workstations and meeting rooms to address barriers associated with signage and wayfinding. 
2. Make note of the accessibility of our regional offices and identify any observations that could help inform future office reviews. 
3. Remove the arms from some chairs in meeting spaces to accommodate various body types. 
4. Communicate with employees on the accessibility measures that have been taken and remind employees how to submit suggestions for increasing accessibility.

In addition to the recommendations made by the accessibility consultants, we will:

5. Share information with employees on common allergies and their potential impact.
6. Review our emergency procedures for people with disabilities and look for ways to improve them. 
7. Promote registration of employees requiring assistance as part of the Building Emergency Evacuation Plan.

IDRC commits that if there are design changes required to our workspaces, we will consult with internal stakeholders and experts in accessibility, before making any changes.

2.2 Employment

IDRC employs approximately 373 people. Most of our employees work in an office-based environment in Ottawa. IDRC has a telework policy that allows employees to work from home and from the office. Separately, our accommodation policy is grounded in the principles of respect, dignity, inclusion and individualization. The policy takes a ‘yes by default’ approach to considering accommodation requests. This means we look for ways to support the employee whenever possible. Each request is reviewed through a clear process so that we can identify the right accommodation and help create a supportive workplace.

Our goals are to continue to pro-actively seek to be more accessible by removing barriers that limit, restrict or prevent employees from fully participating in the workplace. 

To meet these goals, we will:

1. Review and centralize accessibility and accommodation resources for employees.
2. Seek employee feedback on how accommodation requests are addressed.
3. Develop a process to better track data related to workplace accommodation.
4. Promote awareness on types of disabilities. Conduct regular awareness campaigns on disability types.
5. Use targeted recruitment strategies to support accessibility, equity, diversity, and inclusion (e.g., postings limited to Persons with Disabilities or Indigenous Peoples).
6. Add a contact on job postings for alternative format requests.
7. Provide documentation that clearly explains all hiring process stages and discuss appropriate accommodation measures with job applicants.
8. Write job postings in plain language, where possible.
9. Ensure all new employees understand self-identification and self-declaration.
10. Monitor data regarding length of employment to determine if differences exist for staff who identify as persons with disabilities compared to those that do not.
11. Publish guidance on accessible meetings. 
12. Review the possibility of creating an employee accessibility forum to provide touchpoints to continue engaging and incorporating input from lived experiences.

2.3 Information and communication technologies (ICT)

This portion of the plan is intended to ensure that digital tools including hardware, software and content are designed for use by people with disabilities. 

We have made progress in this area by conducting an accessibility audit on our website and developing a plan for the remediation of the barriers that were identified. 

Our goal is for communication technologies, products and services used by IDRC are accessible to all users. 

Over the next three years, IDRC will:

1. Work with our digital solutions team to assess current technology for accessibility features, identify gaps and identify which features could be turned on. Develop a plan to turn those features on.
2. Where there are gaps, investigate ways to enhance the accessibility of existing digital tools. 
3. Work with colleagues that provide mandatory training materials for employees to find out which training materials are inaccessible and develop a plan to address the findings.
4. Develop standards for application of captioning functions for meetings key meetings and events.
5. Increase employee awareness and use of accessibility features embedded in technology and platforms used by IDRC.
6. Raise awareness of accessibility features for in-person and hybrid meetings.

2.4 Communications (other than ICT)

IDRC helps ensure that research and data is available to everyone who can use it, to build on it and to improve people’s lives. Information is available in our digital library, on our website and our social media channels. We also communicate with our staff using digital tools like email, direct messaging, an internal website and during in person conversations and meetings.

We have made progress in this area by:

1. developing a plain language standard to prioritize clarity while preserving meaning
2. developing guidelines for offering sign language for in-person or virtual events and have embedded the request in our event planning processes.
3. having a teletypewriter (TTY) number listed on our website.

Our desired results are for our communications to be accessible, inclusive, easy to understand and available in formats that meet diverse needs.

In order to meet this goal, we will:

1. Develop and share resources for employees to support accessible document creation, including guidelines for font and contrast.
2. Promote and socialize guidance on accessibility best practices for events.
3. Review our process to make sure that surveys, consultations and report designs meet accessibility requirements.
4. Review our internal norms or standards on image descriptions to guide staff.

2.5 Procurement of goods, services and facilities

IDRC buys products and services to support our work. This process is called “procurement”. When the products purchased are accessible, more people can use them easily, and it becomes less expensive to adjust them later. We have made progress in this area by working with a consultant to help us identify where we could add accessibility considerations in our procurement processes and templates. Since the publication of our last plan, standards have been published under the Accessible Canada Act. We will review this guidance document against our procurement policy and practices to identify where we can improve. 

For the 2026-28 Accessibility Plan, our desired results are for accessibility criteria to be considered in all stages of the procurement process to ensure that the goods and services we acquire meet inclusive standards.

In order to meet this goal, we will:

1. Compare our processes against ACA standards for procurement.
2. Revise our procurement policy to reinforce that accessibility must be considered when procuring goods and services.
3. Embed accessibility considerations into procurement templates (e.g., requests for proposals) so that they inform the selection of external vendors, products and services.
4. Support and guide clients to consider accessibility in procurement processes. 
5. Identify accessibility requirements in the statement of work and evaluation criteria and carefully review requests that exclude them.
6. Review the Supplier Code of Conduct to include expectation that vendors create a workplace that is free of barriers for their employees.
7. Develop and communicate a source list for required accessibility services (for example, plain language writers/editors/translators, Braille, digital, audio, captioning, descriptive video, and sign language interpretation).

2.6 Design and delivery of programs and services

IDRC funds research in five priority areas including climate-resilient food systems, global health, education and science, democratic and inclusive governance and sustainable inclusive economies. We invest in and build local expertise. We contribute subject matter expertise and technical support on research design and implementation and create opportunities to learn from peers to create opportunities for meaningful and lasting change.

Our desired results, in this plan, are to understand the barriers that may be faced by our grantees and how we could make our processes more accessible. A grantee is a person or organization that receives money (a grant) from IDRC to do a specific project or activity.

In order to meet this goal, we will:

1. Review existing information regarding accommodation and accessibility supports, guidelines for applicants and members of selection/review committees and advisory/governance board members with a view to identifying potential barriers.
2. Consult with other funders to see how they address design and delivery of programs and services and review the feasibility of adopting best practices. 
3. Collect self-identification data on applicants for grants and grantees to review whether gaps in representation exist.
4. Review accessibility and identify potential barriers in the tools used for requests for proposals.
5. Conduct engagements with grantees on common barriers, and explore potential solutions.
6. Examine the possibility of providing some flexibility around strict administrative deadlines to accommodate personal circumstances that are beyond applicants’ control, such as disability.

2.7 Transportation

While IDRC does not provide transportation, we recognize that for some employees getting to and from work is challenging. Employees who experience difficulties can request an accommodation under our policy. Our employees also travel nationally and internationally for training and work-related reasons. 

Over the next three years, IDRC will:

• Review our policies and communications related to travel and transportation to assess whether our employees are experiencing travel-related barriers
• If barriers are identified, we will assess how we can remove them, as applicable.

3. Consultations

On June 3, 2026, IDRC completed a consultation with people with disabilities to gather feedback on a draft of the 2026 – 2028 Accessibility Plan. The focus group was composed of 10 participants across Canada who have various types of disabilities. The group included people with sensory disabilities, cognitive disabilities, physical disabilities, chronic health conditions, and neurodivergence. 

The focus group participants reviewed a draft of this Accessibility Plan in advance of the session. They were asked the following questions:

• What are your general impressions of the accessibility plan? 
• What are your thoughts on the goals that the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) has set in their accessibility plan? 
• What do you think is missing from this accessibility plan? 
• Can any improvements be made regarding the flow or organization of the accessibility plan? Did you experience any accessibility barriers to understanding it? 
• What do you like about the accessibility plan? 

The focus group participants shared helpful and thoughtful feedback about the content, format, structure and overall goals. The key themes from the feedback is provided below.

The participants: 

• Liked that accessibility was written about as an ongoing process and that we are building on accessibility work already started. 
• Appreciated that the plan summary is short and concise. 
• Liked that we have adopted the “yes by default” approach regarding workplace accommodations in the employment section. 
• Liked the layout and organization of content. 

The participants suggested that:

• The goals listed could have more specific timelines.
• A few of the goals listed would be better understood if they were explained further. 
• Some of the terms used in the initial draft might not be easily understood. 

We have reviewed and considered all feedback provided. We have made changes to the final draft of the plan based on this feedback. We have changed certain words to plain language. For example, rather than use the word “benchmarking” we used the word “comparing”. We have also defined certain words to increase comprehension. For example, the terms “grantee” and “procurement” have been defined.

4. Conclusion

IDRC recognizes that accessibility is an ongoing process that requires sustained attention and collaboration. This 2026–2028 Accessibility Plan sets out concrete actions to identify, remove, and prevent barriers so that employees and partners, including people with disabilities, can fully participate in and benefit from our work.

Over the next three years, we will advance accessibility across IDRC by providing clearer guidance and resources, improved tracking and accessibility data, and increased awareness of disability and inclusive practices across the organization.

We will continue to consult and learn from people with disabilities and to welcome feedback throughout the life of this plan. We will monitor progress and report annually. We will adjust our approach as new barriers and opportunities emerge. IDRC will continue to strengthen inclusion and ensure our workplace reflects our commitment to respect, dignity, and equal access.