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Accessibility at NIC

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The Accessible British Columbia Act was passed on June 17, 2021. This legislation is designed to support over 926,000 people living with some sort of disability in B.C. and ensure meaningful participation in their communities. The Accessible BC Regulation came into effect on September 1, 2022. The Regulation requires covered organizations (including BC post-secondary institutions) meet the requirements of the Accessible BC Act by September 2023. These requirements include the establishment of an accessibility committee, plan, and a tool to receive feedback on accessibility at NIC.

The Accessibility Committee and Plan
In February 2023, NIC established its first Accessibility Advisory Committee comprised of students and employees who reflect the diversity of the institution including persons with disabilities and those who directly support students and employees with disabilities.

One of the first priorities for the Accessibility Advisory Committee is to advise on the development of an Accessibility Plan. The plan will recognize the work that has already been done (or is in the works) to help make NIC more accessible, identify existing barriers, and establish an action plan to remove those barriers.

The plan is available on the NIC website.

Consultation took place from February to March 31, 2023 and included key stakeholders, students, employees and the broader community. Thank you to everyone who took the time to provide ideas, input and feedback on accessibility at NIC.

While the plan represents a point-in-time analysis of accessibility at NIC, the work of removing barriers and improving accessibility is on-going. If you have suggestions, feedback or comments, please reach out to us: accessibility@nic.bc.ca.

The Accessible British Columbia Act was passed on June 17, 2021. This legislation is designed to support over 926,000 people living with some sort of disability in B.C. and ensure meaningful participation in their communities. The Accessible BC Regulation came into effect on September 1, 2022. The Regulation requires covered organizations (including BC post-secondary institutions) meet the requirements of the Accessible BC Act by September 2023. These requirements include the establishment of an accessibility committee, plan, and a tool to receive feedback on accessibility at NIC.

The Accessibility Committee and Plan
In February 2023, NIC established its first Accessibility Advisory Committee comprised of students and employees who reflect the diversity of the institution including persons with disabilities and those who directly support students and employees with disabilities.

One of the first priorities for the Accessibility Advisory Committee is to advise on the development of an Accessibility Plan. The plan will recognize the work that has already been done (or is in the works) to help make NIC more accessible, identify existing barriers, and establish an action plan to remove those barriers.

The plan is available on the NIC website.

Consultation took place from February to March 31, 2023 and included key stakeholders, students, employees and the broader community. Thank you to everyone who took the time to provide ideas, input and feedback on accessibility at NIC.

While the plan represents a point-in-time analysis of accessibility at NIC, the work of removing barriers and improving accessibility is on-going. If you have suggestions, feedback or comments, please reach out to us: accessibility@nic.bc.ca.

  • What is accessibility?

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    Accessibility:

    • means that all people can take part in their communities through work, play and other daily activities
    • is important for everyone, especially people with disabilities
    • is about removing barriers and increasing inclusion and independence for everyone


  • What is a barrier to accessibility?

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    A barrier is anything that hinders the full and equal participation in society of a person with a disability.

    Examples of barriers
    The following is taken from Accessibility in the BC Public Service


    Attitudinal barriers

    When people without disabilities think and act based on false assumptions, such as:

    • making decisions about people with disabilities without including them
    • not believing that a person with a disability can contribute to the workforce


    Physical barriers

    When obstacles in an environment make it difficult to access, such as:

    • hosting inaccessible events or meeting spaces
    • a washroom with an accessible stall, but no automatic door opener


    Information or communication barriers

    When people with disabilities use different ways to communicate than people who do not have disabilities, such as:

    • using small print or not providing large-print versions of materials
    • videos, events or meetings that do not have closed captions


    Systemic barriers

    When an organization's policies, practices or procedures result in exclusion, such as:

    • not providing American Sign Language interpreter or closed captioning
    • requiring a driver's license for a job that could be reorganized to use another form of transportation


    Technology barriers

    When technology can't be accessed by people with disabilities, such as:

    • websites, documents or databases are not accessible for screen readers
    • website graphs and charts are posted without text to explain them


    Sensory barriers

    When sensory information such as lights, sounds, smells, etc. impede people with disabilities to participate in the environment, such as:

    • co-workers wearing perfume in the workplace
    • use of fluorescent lighting in the workplace
Page last updated: 15 Nov 2024, 02:19 PM