News and Updates

• Participate in Light It Up! for Disability Employment Awareness Month. Light It Up! is a national lighting event being held on October 17. Learn more about this on the Access includes Everyone website under the Awareness Events Page or go directly to the National Disability Employment Awareness Month 2024 website. If you have a local landmark that you can light up in purple and blue for this event, you can submit your location. The website also includes resources, such as postcards and recommended hashtags for social media - #LightItUpForNDEAM and more.
   
• Accessibility First Voice Experts Roster
  The Accessibility Directorate is seeking Nova Scotians with disabilities who are interested in reviewing and providing input on Government’s future projects on accessibility. Participants will be provided honoraria for each project they provide input on. Nova Scotians with disabilities can learn more and sign up for the First Voice Roster on the what you can do to improve accessibility page on this website.
   
• Updating Your Accessibility Plan: A Toolkit for Prescribed Public Sector Bodies.
  The Accessibility Directorate recently distributed the Updating Your Accessibility Plan: A Toolkit for Prescribed Public Sector Bodies to provide guidance and support to PPSBs as they begin to update their accessibility plans. These resources are now available on the Accessibility Directorate website (en francais).

  For more information on the Updating Your Accessibility Plan: A Toolkit for Prescribed Public Sector Bodies please visit the Resources and Training section on this page.

• Accessibility Confident Employers (ACE) training by Sea Change CoLab
  Sea Change CoLab is offering free training on accessibility for employers, through their Accessibility Confident Employers initiative. This free training is open t a range of sectors in Nova Scotia including businesses, public service organizations and non-profit sector.
  
  To register for upcoming training, please visit the Resources and Training section on this page.

• Information and Communication Standard Development Committee.
  Membership of the Information and Communication Standard Development Committee (SDC) was announced on August 20, 2024.

• Public Transportation Standard Development Committee.
  Membership of the Public Transportation Standard Development Committee (SDC) was announced on Wednesday, June 26.
  
  For more information on the Standard Development Committees, please visit the Accessibility Standards Development Updates section on this page.

• Community Network Grant- Applications Open.
  The Office of Equity and Anti-Racism’s (OEA) second offering of the Community Network Grant launched this week, the application deadline is October 31, 2024. Grants of up to $40,000 are available for community-based (non-profit, charities) organizations to undertake projects that aim to address systemic hate, inequity and racism in Nova Scotia. Disability organizations and organizations that seek to advance equity, diversity and inclusion of people with disabilities are eligible to apply. Grant guidelines and application forms can be found on the For more information, please email oeaengagement@novascotia.ca.

Updating your Accessibility Plan: A Toolkit for Prescribed Public Sector Bodies

The Accessibility Directorate recently distributed the Updating Your Accessibility Plan: A Toolkit for Prescribed Public Sector Bodies to provide guidance and support to PPSBs as they begin to update their accessibility plans.

This toolkit is designed to help PPSBs update their accessibility plans. As required under the Accessibility Act, PPSBs must update their accessibility plans every three years. The Toolkit provides PPSBs with a 10-step guide, providing them with information to help update their plans. In addition to the main Toolkit, the Accessibility Directorate has also released three new accompanying resources to give additional guidance and support the process of updating accessibility plans. These resources include:

• The Role of your Accessibility Advisory Committee
• Community Engagement
• Additional Resources for Updating Accessibility Plans

All resources are available in both English and French and available on the Accessibility Directorate website (en francais).

Video recordings of the Updating your Accessibility Plan resource and an accessibility plan template is currently being finalized. These resources will be available on the Directorate website once they are completed.

Accessibility Confident Employers (ACE) training by Sea Change CoLab

Sea Change CoLab is offering free training on accessibility for employers. These courses include online skill builders, Self pace and on demand courses and in person training,

For more information on these learning opportunities, please visit Ace Trainings

Up Coming ACE Training!

Skill Builders
Register for: Recruitment and Hiring
November 6th, 2024 | Time: 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm | Location: Online
During this skill builder we will:

• Create accessible job postings
• Conduct accessibility-friendly interviews
• Provide reasonable accommodations in the recruitment and hiring process
• Reflect on your organizational readiness and values alignment
• Learn about the fundamentals of accessible job postings and application processes

In-Person- Truro NSCC Campus
Register for : 360 Accessibility: From Audits to Impact
October 30th, 2024
The 360 Accessibility Event will focus on Mi’kmaw perspectives and lived experiences of disability and accessibility, accessibility audit and planning tools, organization-wide equity and accessibility plans, and more!