Accommodation Policy for Members of the Public

1. Introduction

The Canadian Human Rights Commission aims to make its processes and activities as inclusive and accessible as possible from the start, in line with the Accessible Canada Act. We know that good accessible design can help eliminate or remove barriers to everyone can participate. Even with our commitment to accessibility, we recognize that at times it is necessary to accommodate people's individual needs. This is important so everyone can participate fully and equally in all aspects of our work.

This policy explains the Commission's accommodation process and is guided by the principles set out in applicable legislation.

2. Who does this policy apply to?

This policy applies to individuals who participate in the Commission's processes and activities. This includes our processes and activities under the:

For example, this policy applies to individuals who:

  • participate in our complaints processes
  • participate in our activities, like inspections and audits
  • participate in our events
  • send us questions or ask us for information

3. What are accommodations of individual needs?

Accommodations are changes we make to our processes so that individuals can fully participate in our work. We accommodate the needs of individuals that are related to one of the prohibited grounds of discrimination in the Canadian Human Rights Act. This means we accommodate needs that are based on an individual's:

  • race
  • national or ethnic origin
  • colour
  • religion
  • age
  • sex (including pregnancy)
  • sexual orientation
  • marital status
  • genetic characteristics
  • gender identity or expression
  • family status
  • disability
  • conviction for an offence for which a pardon has been granted or a record suspension has been ordered

Most accommodation requests are related to disabilities. Here are examples of accommodations:

  • sending documents in different formats, like Word instead of PDF
  • scheduling interviews at a specific time of day
  • providing summaries of phone calls
  • providing a sign language interpreter
  • using different communication options or supports such as video relay service (VRS) closed captioning services or other relay services.

4. Our accommodation process

  1. a) How and when to ask for accommodations

    You can ask for an accommodation at any time. Please let us know as soon as possible if you need an accommodation. We may also ask you if you need an accommodation.

    Please communication with a Commission employee to ask for accommodation measures. Our contact information is listed at the end of this document.

    • If you are participating in our complaints process under the Canadian Human Rights Act, please email: complaint.plainte@chrc-ccdp.gc.ca.
    • If you are a complainant in one of our complaint processes, you can also ask for an accommodation in your complaint form or ask a Commission employee.

    Please tell us if your needs change and we will work with you to update your accommodation.

  2. b) What happens next

    If this is your first time asking the Commission for an accommodation, we will ask for relevant information about your individual needs. You are welcomed to suggest ways we can best accommodate you. To make sure we understand your situation, please share enough information about your needs so that we can work with you to identify reasonable accommodations.

    If your needs change, please send us relevant information so we can suggest accommodations.

    Sometimes we may ask for additional information or input from a professional of your choice, to help us identify the most suitable accommodations.

  3. c) Limits to accommodations

    We may not be able to provide the accommodation you need without your participation in the process. If we are unable to provide the specific accommodation you requested, we will explain our decision in writing. We are committed to working with you to identify a reasonable accommodation.

    Commission employees will work with you to meet your individual needs, whenever possible. We must make sure our processes are fair. This is called “procedural fairness.” We can't give accommodations that would make our processes unfair. For example, we may not be able to give an accommodation that would cause a long delay in our process or if it would limit the other party's ability to fairly participate in the process.

5. Privacy

We protect the privacy and confidentiality of your personal information under the Privacy Act. We save your personal information. We keep this information safe.

The accommodation information is collected under the authority of the Canadian Human Rights Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-6), the Accessible Canada Act (S.C. 2019, c. 10), the Pay Equity Act (S.C. 2018, c. 27, s. 416), the Employment Equity Act (S.C. 1995, c. 44) and/or the National Housing Strategy Act (S.C. 2019, c. 29, s. 313).

We will use this information to accommodate you in a Commission process or Commission activities.

We will not otherwise disclose your information, except in the limited situations described in subsection 8(2) of the Privacy Act. In such a case, we will only disclose the least amount of information required and will inform you as soon as possible.

The Privacy Act provides you with a right of access to your personal information, and to request changes to that information if it contains errors. If you are unhappy with how we handle your personal information, you can file a complaint with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at 30 Victoria Street, Gatineau, QC, K1A 1H3.

6. Other important information

You may want to read:

7. Reviewing this policy

We will review this policy once a year, or as needed. We want to make sure our accommodation process follows best practices and the principles of the applicable acts. We will collect information to make sure this policy is applied in a way that doesn't create barriers for people who participate in our processes.

8. Contact us

Please contact us if you have questions, feedback or complaints about this policy. You can also ask for this policy in another format.

We accept VRS and other relay calls.

We take calls on Monday to Friday from 8 am to 8 pm Eastern time.

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