Message from Bruno Suppa, CEO
At BDO Canada, we strive to bend the arc of possibility for our people, our clients and our firm through an environment that is inclusive, accessible, and barrier-free.
This commitment is core to our values.
We published our Accessibility Plan in 2023. Since then, we have worked tirelessly to improve accessibility at BDO Canada and ensure that we are promoting a workplace that is supportive and welcoming of people of all abilities.
While we have accomplished many great things over the past year, there is still more to be done.
Continuous improvement begins with listening to—and learning from—those who have lived experiences with disability and accessibility.
This is why, over the past year, we have prioritized giving persons with disabilities a platform to share their experiences and provide feedback on accessibility at BDO Canada.
We’ve sparked conversations with employees, clients and stakeholders through surveys, consultations, and firm-wide initiatives. Their feedback will have a direct impact on our Accessibility Awareness Training and overall accessibility strategy.
We are also aligning our Accessibility Plan and Progress Reports with the Accessible Canada Act (ACA). This ensures that we are not only meeting, but surpassing standards, and setting a benchmark for others to follow.
We are committed to being a leader in accessibility and creating a barrier-free BDO Canada.
Bruno Suppa
CEO, BDO Canada LLP
About BDO Canada
BDO Canada LLP (“BDO Canada”) is a member of BDO International Limited, which is a network of independent member firms. BDO Canada is a Canadian limited liability partnership, while BDO International Limited is a UK company limited by guarantee. BDO Canada provides accounting, tax, consulting, and business advisory services across Canada. The firm is made up of 484 partners and 4,882 staff.
Accessibility at BDO Canada
BDO Canada is on a journey to become fully accessible by 2040. While the firm has many promising practices in place, we recognize that fostering an inclusive and accessible workplace is an ongoing journey. We consistently strive to stay up to date with best practices and are compliant with laws such as the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and other relevant legislation.
BDO Canada’s strategy focuses on demonstrating a commitment to diversity and this includes ensuring diversity within senior roles. Additionally, our commitment to accessibility is aligned with our diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and sustainability frameworks. By embracing accessibility and inclusivity, we create an environment that fosters innovation and collaboration. This environment better serves the needs of our people, our clients, and the communities we serve.
Our commitment to accessibility is also demonstrated through the work that is completed by our highly skilled Accessibility Consulting Team (“ACT”). ACT is a leader in accessibility consulting and has become a trusted partner and ally to organizations nationwide. ACT completed accessibility assessments for over 40 Canadian organizations in 2022 and 2023. This included consulting with well over 1,000 individuals, including many persons with lived experience of disability across the country.
Contact information
BDO Canada values and appreciates feedback regarding our Accessibility Plan. If you require an alternative format of this plan or would like to provide feedback, we invite you to contact us through the following channels:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 416-865-0111 (National Head Office)
Mail:
BDO Canada LLP
Accessibility Team
180 Kent Street, Suite 1700
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 0B6
We are pleased to offer alternative formats upon request, including:
- Large Print
- Braille
- Other electronic formats that are compatible with adaptive technologies
What we learned in 2024
We are proud of the continued work we have done over the last year to make our organization more inclusive and accessible. Our Sustainability Services Team works closely with the Persons with Disability Pillar and the Accessibility Consulting Team (ACT) on our commitments. Over the last year, we have identified several key themes.
First, we are investing in additional accessibility training to ensure our people are familiar with foundational concepts related to accessibility and disability. Our education will focus on what disability means, the various types of disabilities, and the barriers associated with them.
We also recognize that there are complexities with various terminologies used and what is considered ‘accepted’ or ‘correct’ terminology. We strive to improve our collective understanding of what accessibility and inclusivity mean at BDO for persons with disabilities. We are working to create a deeper understanding of the social model of disability across the firm.
We have also identified the need to give neurodiverse employees more opportunities to join our Employee Resource Groups and share their experiences. We have heard from employees that we can and should do more to promote a safe and inclusive workplace for employees who are neurodiverse.
We understand that becoming more inclusive and accessible is a journey, and it requires ongoing effort and dedication. This transformation won’t happen overnight. But we are committed to continuing our focus and putting in the work necessary to achieve our goals.
Culture
Commitments
We will continue to build accessibility into our positions, structures, and metrics.
Status: Started – On Track
Progress: We created the role of Senior Manager – Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility in 2024. The manager is responsible for continuing to foster an accessibility-centric mindset across all areas of the firm. This is one example of how we are bringing the importance of accessibility to the forefront of our firm.
We will establish more opportunities for input and feedback from partners and staff with disabilities.
Status: Started – On Track
Progress: We conducted an accessibility consultation feedback period. This included soliciting feedback from both employees and clients. The feedback helped inform our plans for the following year and validated that the actions we are taking are moving the firm forward.
We will build accessibility awareness and expertise across the firm.
Status: Started – On Track
Progress: Our Learning & Development team is in the final stages of creating firm-wide accessibility awareness training. This training was developed in consultation with employees with disabilities. The training, which is scheduled to launch in Q1 of 2025, will be mandatory for all employees. Additionally, several members of our HR team have set a goal to complete the Certified Disability Management Professional certificate. Before taking the exam, they will be taking some additional courses in accessibility and disability management to further enhance their knowledge of the topic.
We will work to enhance the accessibility of our firm’s policies.
Status: Ongoing
Progress: Throughout 2024, initial conversations have taken place with key stakeholders to identify areas of opportunity to improve the accessibility of our policies on our internal website. As we look to 2025, we will continue these discussions and begin actioning some of the areas to improve the ease of access and accessibility of key content.
Employment
Commitments
We will improve our data collection processes, metrics, and key performance indicators related to disability.
Status: Started – On Track
Progress: A cross-functional group of employees began developing an accommodation feedback process that will provide a better understanding of the employee experience of the accommodation process. It will also help us identify opportunities for future improvement. This process will also allow our HR teams to collect feedback on the effectiveness of those accommodations over time and adjust as needed.
We are also updating our accommodations follow-up forms to better understand any challenges that employees currently face throughout the accommodations process. This feedback will allow us to improve our processes to better meet our employees’ needs.
We will continue to enhance the effectiveness of our accommodations processes.
Status: Started – On Track
Progress: With the launch of our updated accommodations feedback process, we aim to identify any challenges in the accommodations provided to employees and explore ways to improve them.
We will continue to make our hiring, recruitment, and onboarding processes more inclusive of persons with disabilities.
Status: Started – On Track
Progress: Our talent acquisition team has formed a sub-committee of employees who are working to evaluate and improve the accessibility of our recruitment and onboarding processes. This year, the group participated in an accessible recruitment training session offered by Wilfred Laurier University.
We will ensure that all internal training is accessible.
Status: Started – On Track
Progress: Currently, all internal training provided by our Learning & Development team has been created so it is fully accessible to those with a physical disability. There will be ongoing discussions in 2025 to help continue to make additional training offered by other departments fully accessible to complete this commitment.
The built environment
Commitments
We will update and refresh our emergency response information and procedures for persons with disabilities.
Status: Ongoing
Progress: We have begun the initial discovery phase of this initiative through several initial conversations with key stakeholders this year. As we look to 2025, we will continue to work towards achieving this commitment.
We will create a plan to regularly assess the accessibility of our office spaces.
Status: Not Started
Progress: We aim to begin working on these commitments in the coming years.
We will develop mechanisms to communicate with our people and clients about the accessibility of our physical spaces.
Status: Not Started
Progress: We aim to begin working on this commitment in the coming years.
Information and communication technologies (ICT)
Commitments
We will look for ways to incorporate feedback from our people and clients with disabilities into the web accessibility process.
Status: Ongoing
Progress: This year, we launched an accessible feedback form on our website where clients and members of the public can provide feedback about our services, including their experience with the site. We will consider how we can implement the feedback provided in order to continue improving the online experience.
We will improve communications about accessibility-related tools available to our people.
Status: Not Started
Progress: Through a number of discussions with key stakeholders in 2024, we laid the groundwork to begin working on this commitment in the coming years.
We will further embed accessibility in our IT strategies and processes.
Status: In Progress
Progress: We initiated conversations about the accessibility of our internal tools and sites as part of our IT strategy. These discussions will continue into 2025 as we work to align our efforts, identify a path forward, and improve the accessibility of our internal tools and resources in line with our IT strategies and processes.
Communication other than information and communication technologies
Commitments
We will expand our consideration of accessibility within communication guidelines.
Status: Ongoing
Progress: Through a number of discussions with key stakeholders in 2024, we laid the groundwork to begin working on this commitment in the coming years.
We will continue to enhance the accessibility of our templates.
Status: Started – On Track
Progress: With a focus on improving accessibility for individuals with visual disabilities, our Brand Resource Centre now contains additional information for creating accessible presentations using the BDO template. This includes an accessible colour palette that provides users with multiple combinations of approved colour combinations to ensure graphics and text are legible for users.
We will improve processes for providing documents, events and social media posts that are accessible.
Status: Started – On Track
Progress: This year, our design team launched a video accessibility hub. It provides employees with resources and examples of how to create accessible media that can be shared both internally and externally.
There have also been ongoing conversations with the design team and our Accessibility Consulting Team to better understand how they can further make documents and social media posts accessible for persons with disabilities. The design team will look to implement this feedback in the coming years.
The design and delivery of programs and services
Commitments
We will seek feedback from our clients on the accessibility of our programs and services.
Status: Completed – June 2024
Progress: We established a feedback form on our website that is available to clients and members of the public. The feedback form is designed to gather input on the public’s experiences with the accessibility of our programs and services. This forum has provided us with valuable insight into areas for improvement. We will continue to monitor and solicit feedback as we progress in our accessibility journey.
We will ensure that our clients with disabilities are aware of available accommodation.
Status: Ongoing
Progress: On an ongoing basis, our partners work with their clients to identify accommodation needs should they arise. We will begin formalizing an awareness initiative of available accommodations for clients starting in 2025.
The procurement of goods, services, and facilities
Commitments
We will continue to develop our knowledge and expertise into best practices in accessible procurement.
Status: Not Started
Progress: We aim to begin working on these commitments in the coming years.
We will consider how we can better incorporate supplier diversity into our process for choosing vendors.
Status: Not Started
Progress: We aim to begin working on these commitments in the coming years.
Consultations
The Sustainability Services Team, the Accessibility Consulting Team (ACT), and the Disability Pillar conducted consultations and interview sessions with persons with disabilities, allies, managers, leaders, and others who contribute to accessibility at BDO. An accessibility survey was created to provide all firm partners and staff the opportunity to provide feedback. The survey ran from May to June 2024. Partners and staff also had the opportunity to reach out to set up one-on-one confidential interviews.
We are proud of the progress we have made over the past year thanks to the valuable feedback we have received from both our employees and clients. Through open conversations, surveys, forms, and focus groups, we have gained a deeper understanding of the challenges we face and the opportunities for growth. While we recognize there is still work to be done, we are confident that we have a solid plan in place and the right people leading our efforts to ensure we continue advancing accessibility across the firm. Together, we are committed to making meaningful, lasting improvements.