NAAW 2025, May 25 – 31

National Accessibility Week (NAAW) improves understanding and knowledge of Canadians on accessibility and disability inclusion, reduces stigma and attitudinal barriers towards persons with disabilities, and shares best practices and lessons learned related to NAAW activities within the disability community. 2025 May 25 to 31

National AccessAbility Week (NAAW) takes place every year starting on the last Sunday in May. It is an opportunity to celebrate the valuable contributions of Canadians with disabilities. It is also a time to recognize the efforts of individuals, communities and workplaces that are actively working to remove barriers to accessibility and inclusion.

Purpose:

Organizations will increase awareness through National AccessAbility Week (NAAW) activities that:

Accessible and inclusive services

Accessible services are effective services designed and delivered for persons with disabilities. These services avoid barriers so that everyone can use them. For example, offering sign language or captions for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Inclusive services make everyone feel like they belong, no matter who they are or where they come from. They are made to feel welcome, valued, and respected. For example, providing services that treat people of all gender- identities equally and with respect.

Attitudinal barriers

Attitudinal barriers are unfair or negative opinions about others because of disability, race, gender, or age, or intersectionalities. These attitudes develop over time and come from both inside and outside experiences. They can make it hard to communicate well, understand and connect with others.

Community

A group of people who share something in common. A community can be formed from:

geographic location

identity factors

shared experiences, or

other attributes

These attribute(s) create a sense of belonging or interpersonal connection among its members.

Disability

The Accessible Canada Act defines disability as: “Any impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment — or a functional limitation — whether permanent, temporary or episodic in nature, or evident or not, that, in interaction with a barrier, hinders a person’s full and equal participation in society”.

This definition is based on the social model of disability.

Disability community

The disability community is a group of people who share a common experience of living with disabilities.

Disability organization

An organization whose primary mandate promotes or contributes to the social inclusion of persons with disabilities.

Disability supports

Disability supports are things that help people with disabilities live their lives. This can include a range of services, devices and accommodations designed to enhance the quality of life and independence of individuals with disabilities. For example, this can include;

tools such as wheelchairs or hearing aids,

people who assist with daily tasks, or

changes in schools or workplaces to make them easier to use

Diverse groups/organizations

These include:

small to medium-sized disability organizations

organizations supporting different types of disabilities

organizations supporting persons at the intersection of disability and other identities. This can include:

Official Language Minority Communities (for example, Francophones living outside the province of Quebec and Anglophones living in the province of Quebec)

2SLGBTQIA+ persons/groups

Indigenous (First Nations, Métis and Inuit)

Visible minority communities including Black and other racialized groups

Intersectional identities

There are multiple and diverse intersecting identity factors that shape our perspectives and experiences. Examples of intersecting identity factors that may intersect include but are not limited to:

gender identity

sexual orientation

living with or have lived with a disability

racial or ethnic background

Outcomes answer the question, “how do the project activities make things better for clients?

Outputs are direct products, services, or partnerships that may be created to generate the desired outcomes. Several activities can contribute to one output. Outputs answer the question, “what will the funding produce?”

Stigma is when people have bad attitudes, beliefs or behaviours about a group of people because of their life situation. It makes them feel alone or left out.

Underrepresented communities Include, but are not limited to:

2SLGBTQIA+ persons/groups

Official Language Minority Communities

persons residing in rural and remote areas

Indigenous communities (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit)

minority communities including Black and other racialized groups, etc.

What are you doing for NAAW?

Voice of Albertans with Disabilities will be hosting a NAAW Wrap Up Community BBQ on May 31, 2025.

Members, volunteers, general public, stakeholders, and government officials are all invited to join us in Borden Park for this event to wrap up National AccessAbility Week.  We will provide food, refreshments, and networking opportunities for everyone attending.

Watch for the registration and event information to come out in April. Please send your organizations’ NAAW plans to VAD to promote to our membership for participation, email vad@vadsociety.ca.