Earnscliffe Strategies

Accessibility policy

Multi-year accessibility plan requirement – background

Regulation 191/11: Integrated Accessibility Standards under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 requires organizations to create multi-year accessibility plans, update them at least once every five years and post them on their websites if they have one. An accessibility plan outlines what steps an organization will take to prevent and remove barriers to accessibility and when it will do so

The law is flexible, so you can develop your accessibility plan in a way that works best for your organization. There is no right or wrong way.

This section applies to the Government of Ontario, Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Designated Public Sector organizations as well as business/non-profit organizations with 50 or more employees.

Message from Earnscliffe CEO Craig Robinson

Accessibility is not just a compliance requirement; it is a core value that shapes our approach to both the client service we offer and the internal workplace culture we strive to create.

 Embracing accessibility means embracing the unique perspectives and needs of all our clients and team members. Our team is working actively to create a workplace that allows for all of our colleagues and clients to feel welcomed, safe and respected, and that strives to go beyond the baseline compliance requirements by focusing on the learning and development of our team members and empowering them to be in the workplace as their authentic selves. 

 We are committed to continuous improvement, and reviewing our policies and procedures to ensure they align with best practices. We welcome feedback from all our team members to continue to make our workplace and our services as accessible as possible

Introduction and overview

Founded in 1989, Earnscliffe is Canada’s longest standing, independent public affairs firm with over three decades of experience serving clients across Canada. In that time, we have developed into a market leader in each of the fields in which we offer services: government relations, communications and digital, opinion research, and public relations. Our corporate leadership team includes former government policymakers, business leaders, academics, award-winning journalists and opinion researchers. In fact, our team is comprised of some of Canada’s most recognized and respected researchers, strategists and communicators.

Earnscliffe is a Partner owned, Principal led firm with team members personally invested in the success of our clients and our firm. Our expanded network of professionals across Canada allows us to deliver results across local, regional, and international settings.

Earnscliffe has grown to over 110 employees across multiple sites and provinces, and as our team continues to evolve, so too has our commitment to ensuring that Earnscliffe is a supportive, flexible, and accessible place to work. We understand that accessibility is nuanced, and we are committed to ongoing learning and improvement to ensure our workplace is one where our team members are safe, respected, and able to voice their

Our internal policies and procedures are designed with accessibility at the forefront. We are committed to creating a workplace that is accessible and safe, both physically and emotionally.

We have invested significantly in our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts, and have worked collaboratively with external experts to ensure our approach is one that represents all employees.

Our approach to hybrid work has had flexibility at the core throughout it’s implementation. We believe that an accessible workplace is one that understands the important of balance, and have implemented an approach to hybrid work that we feel balances the benefits an flexibility that can be realized working from anywhere, with the team building and mentorship offered in person.

We have Joint Health and Safety teams as required across our offices. These committees are committed to evaluating safety and ensuring compliance across the organization, and ensure consistent expectations across our offices.

We also strive to support accessibility within our communities more broadly, and have aligned our recent charitable efforts around these efforts. We have volunteered and provided support to many accessibility-related causes, including Easter Seals, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital,Villa Medica Rehabilitation Hospital, Centennial Infany and Child Centre, Autism Dogs, Access Now, CIVA (Centre d’intégration à la vie active), Period Promise, and local food banks.

Statement of accessibility

Earnscliffe Strategies (Earnscliffe) strives to meet the needs of its employees and customers with disabilities and is working hard to remove and prevent barriers to accessibility. Earnscliffe is committed to fulfilling our requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. This accessibility plan outlines the steps we are taking to meet those requirements and to improve opportunities for people with disabilities.

Our plan shows how we will play our role in making Ontario an accessible province for all Ontarians. The Plan is reviewed and updated at least once every 5 years.

We train every person as soon as practicable after being hired and provide training in respect of any changes to the policies.

We maintain records of the training provided including the dates on which the training was provided and the number of individuals to whom it was provided.

Section 1: Past achievements to remove and prevent barriers

Earnscliffe Strategies has completed the following accessibility initiatives:

Employment
  • Inclusive Hiring Practices – We prioritize equitable hiring by actively removing barriers for candidates with disabilities. This includes offering accommodations during interviews and ensuring job postings are accessible to a wide audience.
  • Workplace Accommodations – We are committed to creating an inclusive work environment by providing individualized accommodations, such as workstations at home, flexible schedules, and assistive technologies, to meet the diverse needs of our employees.
  • DEI Initiatives and Training – Earnscliffe fosters a culture of inclusion by conducting DEI training on ADP for employees and leaders, which includes raising awareness about accessibility and understanding unconscious bias.
  • Physical Accessibility – Our offices and workspaces are designed to be physically accessible where possible, with features like step-free access, accessible restrooms, and clear signage to ensure inclusivity for all team members.
Information and communications

All of our templates have been adjusted to use black text on white background as the default. This increases contrast and accessibility.

We are able to submit proposals to our clients in the official language of their choice.

We have plans to audit our website for enhanced accessibility (see Section 2 below)

Training

We have undertaken significant training on accessibility, both to ensure we are in line with provincial requirements and expectations, and to equip our team with supplementary training, on topics such as 2SLGBTQI+ inclusion in the workplace & Indigenous history.

Our Human Capital Team revises Earnscliffe’s policies bi-annually, with a view to ensuring employee wellbeing, and Earnscliffe’s Culture & Community committee (a committee made up of internal regional leaders) works against our “Days of Significance” Framework, to ensure that all of our regional offices recognize important moments in the year (including, but not necessarily limited to Pride, International Women’s Day, Black History Month, and Truth and Reconciliation Day). Training is one of the pillars of the Days of Significance Framework.

Design and physical accommodation

Earnscliffe is located in several different office spaces across the country:

  • Our office in Ottawa is located in a heritage building, which presents some accessibility concerns. While we are moderately limited by the status of the building, we have undertaken to make the space as easy to navigate as possible, by removing obstacles (eg. filing cabinets) in the hallways.
  • Our office in Toronto is a new space, purpose-built for our team. The space is on one floor, open, easily navigable, and wheelchair accessible. It was designed to current building standards, and is managed by GWL realty.
  • Our office in Vancouver is also on one floor, navigable and wheelchair accessible. The building is managed by SDM Realty Advisors Ltd. I
  • Our space in Montreal is a co-working space (We Work) that is also up to accessibility standards.

Section 2: Planned strategies and actions

Earnscliffe Strategies commits to undertaking the following through 2030:

Employment

Ongoing review and updating of policies

  • Regularly assess and update accessibility policies to align with evolving standards and best practices.
  • Ensure policies address both digital and physical accessibility requirements.
  • Integrate accessibility best practices into all organizational processes and frameworks.

Ongoing accommodation to support individuals

  • Continue providing necessary accommodations to support individuals in their roles.
  • Regularly assess accommodation requests to ensure they are relevant and effective as organizational practices evolve.
  • Update workplace and systems to be more inclusive, ensuring that accommodations are seamlessly integrated into day-to-day operations.

Determine DEI goals for 2025

  • Set clear Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goals for 2025.
  • Design and implement DEI programs that promote accessibility and encourage participation from all employees.
  • Track progress toward DEI goals and make adjustments as needed to ensure an inclusive and equitable work environment for individuals with diverse needs.

Continue and provide more training around accessibility

  • Expand accessibility training across all levels of the organization, ensuring everyone understands the importance of accessibility in the workplace.
  • Offer specialized training for leadership, HR, and people leaders on best practices in accessibility.
  • Foster a culture of continuous learning by providing regular updates and training opportunities on new accessibility tools, guidelines, and resources.
Information and Communications

We are in the process of determining a best practice for translating our internal communications. While we can currently produce many of our client-facing materials in both official languages, in 2025 we will work towards translating our suite of internal policies and procedures, and determine a standard for translating general communiques.

Improving our website’s WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) compliance will involve adopting a proactive approach to accessibility. We will aim to conduct an accessibility audit to identify areas of non-compliance, such as missing alternative text for images, improper heading structures, or insufficient color contrast, and ensuring that all interactive elements, like forms and buttons, are keyboard-navigable and have descriptive labels. We will make it a priority to regularly test our site for accessibility.

A few ways we plan to improve our site’s accessibility are as follows:

  • Review all images for “alt” tags – add alt text for any images missing this
  • Increase colour contrast (web developer is working on this already – white text on orange back, like some of our buttons, does not provide enough contrast; the orange will be darkened to meet the requirements)
  • Warn the user of any new tab or window that will open
Training

See “Employment” above.

Design and physical accommodation

We will continue to evaluate ways in which our physical workspace’s accessibility could be enhanced. Our Joint Health and Safety teams are continually evaluating compliance and best practices from a safety perspective. We will also continue to work with impacted team members, to ensure physical barriers are removed and/or adapted to ensure the physical space in all our offices is welcoming and safe.

For more information

For more information on this accessibility plan, please contact:

Sophie Laghi
613-563-4455
sophie@earnscliffe.ca

Standard and accessible formats of this document are free on request from:

Sarah West
613-563-4455
sarah@earnscliffe.ca