CBC/Radio-Canada has launched a three-year national accessibility plan to serve as a framework for the public broadcaster to better support and represent Canadians with disabilities.

The 2023-25 plan, announced with the title of “Breaking Barriers,” includes seven objectives created through a consultation process held from November 2022 to January 2023 on how CBC/Radio-Canada can improve its accessibility. The consultations reached 954 people across eight cities, according to a news release.

The plan will also help CBC/Radio-Canada meet its responsibilities under the Accessible Canada Act, which has the larger goal of making Canada barrier-free by 2040.

The objectives include the creation and promotion of “content that reflects the diversity of people with disabilities living in Canada,” increasing the accessibility of content, as well as providing more “opportunities for creators with disabilities in the media industry.”

Internally, CBC/Radio-Canada plans to increase the “recruitment, retention and promotion of people with disabilities in our workforce,” make its workplace more accessible, and “develop accessibility knowledge and skills” through training. The pubcaster also aims to improve the accessibility of its “technology and infrastructure.”

CBC aired the factual series Push (Fenix Film & Television, Small Army Entertainment) earlier this year – about a group of wheelchair users known as the “Wheelie Peeps” – which the producers said was the first time a major Canadian network aired a series with a lead cast of people with disabilities in a primetime slot.

Catherine Tait, president and CEO of Canada/Radio-Canada, said in a statement that she is “confident that with this plan, we will uphold the trust placed in us by all Canadians, and most importantly those with disabilities, to become a barrier-free CBC/Radio-Canada.”

Rachel Desjourdy, manager, accessibility at CBC/Radio-Canada, said that “people with disabilities have shaped every step of this process.”

“As someone living with a disability, it’s been incredible for me to see CBC/Radio-Canada tackle accessibility issues head-on and embrace the change that’s necessary for us to become a barrier-free public broadcaster,” added Desjourdy.

Image of Push courtesy of CBC. A version of this story previously appeared on Playback.