Guide provided to parties and candidates

Accessibility Info Sheet for Political Parties and Candidates

To promote accessibility in every aspect of the electoral process, Elections Canada has developed this info sheet to guide political parties and candidates in making their campaigns more accessible to Canadians of all abilities.

Why does accessibility matter?

According to Statistics Canada, nearly 6.2 million adult Canadians reported having a disability – that’s close to 1 in 5 Canadians.

Voting is a right, guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Canadians with disabilities share this right equally.

Accessibility benefits everyone – using plain language, providing information in accessible formats and ensuring the physical accessibility of public meeting sites will help you reach more Canadians.

What kinds of barriers do people face?

Physical

when the features of buildings or spaces cause problems:

• stairs or high doorway thresholds
• doorknobs that are difficult to grasp; doors with no automatic openers
• parking spaces or hallways that are too narrow

Informational

when a person cannot easily read or understand the information:

• print that is too small to read or not clear
• websites that are not compatible with screen magnification or screen reader technology
• information that is too complex and not in plain language

Attitudinal

between people, when communicating, such as:

• thinking that people with disabilities are inferior and always need assistance
• assuming that a person with a disability is automatically unable to do a job or make decisions for themselves, including voting
• thinking that people with a similar disability have the same needs
• not recognizing that people with invisible disabilities might still face barriers