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  1. About Us
  2. Accessibility
  3. Accessibility plan progress report

Accessibility plan progress report

2023-2025

General

 
CWB Head office
3000 10303 Jasper Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB
T5J 3X6

Website: cwbank.com
Email: [email protected]
Phone number: 780-423-8888

Alternate formats

You can request alternative formats of this accessibility plan progress report, or the description of the feedback process, by contacting us from this accessibility page: cwb.com/en/about-us/accessibility.

We will provide alternative formats within these timelines: 
 
Print: 15 days 
Large print (larger text): 15 days
Electronic format that is compatible with adaptive technology to assist persons with disabilities: 15 days
Braille: 45 days 
Audio (a recording of someone reading the text aloud): 45 days  

Feedback from our clients and the community 

We welcome your feedback on our Accessibility Plan, Accessibility Progress Reports, our feedback process and any other feedback you’d like to provide regarding the accessibility of our products and services. 
 
Contact: Accessibility Officer
Online: Feedback form on this accessibility page cwb.com/en/about-us/accessibility
Email: [email protected]
Mail: The Accessibility Office, Suite 3000, 10303 Jasper Avenue Edmonton, Alberta T5J 3X6
Social media: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram
Phone: 1-780-423-8888 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., MST, Monday to Friday excluding statutory holidays. 

Introduction

In 2023, CWB Financial Group (CWB) published its three-year accessibility plan (Plan) in continuation of our journey to achieve the Accessible Canada Act goal of a Canada without barriers by 2040.  In the Plan, we set out specific Action Items we proposed to work toward between 2023 and 2025.  

This Accessibility Plan (2023-2025) Progress Report provides an update on how we are doing. 

Employment - Supporting our employees and candidates

Action items 2023-2025

  • Continue to develop and enhance our partnerships with community organizations supporting candidates with disabilities (2023)
  • Review employee survey results in 2023 and use them to inform decisions around prioritization of accessibility actions (2023)
  • Audit our recruitment and role documentation tools and practices and identify opportunities to enhance them to deliver a better candidate and employee experience for individuals with disabilities (2024)
  • Research and enhance leadership and people and culture team accessibility training as appropriate to support individuals with disabilities (2025)  

Progress made in 2023
We have made strides with our diversity development hiring program, run in tandem with our partners Disability Solutions and CanWIN to support candidates with disabilities. Through this partnership we have enhanced our introductory interview guides to better facilitate accommodation requests during the interview process. We have also made significant progress on guides to support leadership engaging candidates with disabilities. Our recent transition to a new pre-employment background check vendor reduced barriers for new employees with disabilities.

In 2023 and into 2024 we incorporated Inclusion and Diversity-related feedback from employee surveys into our strategy. We are in the process of gaining more feedback from employees with disabilities. CWB continues to research opportunities for and enhancements to our leadership and people and culture team training to support individuals with disabilities.

Built environment - Designing our accessible spaces

Action items 2023-2025

  • Create a multi-year plan to develop and enhance accessibility support across all our locations, including further build out of review processes for audio-visual equipment and ATMs specifically, as well as new locations generally (2023)      
  • Enhance processes for collecting and handling location-specific accessibility feedback, and notifying clients of any accessibility issues (2024) 
  • Enhance the frequency and depth of reviews which maintain our building accessibility aids and systems, and which ensure incorporation of updated accessibility requirements within our building designs (2024)   
  • Research and enhance corporate services team accessibility training as appropriate to support individuals with disabilities (2025)

Progress made in 2023
In 2023 we reviewed pending regulations and legislation and gathered points to develop and enhance accessibility support across our locations. This will be reviewed each year, and we will prepare a formal plan in early 2025. We have also created an accessibility checklist for third party handyman contractors and property management employees to check the functionality and condition of accessibility aids during location visits. 

We track client and employee feedback on our building facilities across Canada to ensure that appropriate actions are taken to assist those with disabilities. Facility services employees who design and maintain our locations are offered the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification™ (RHFAC) program to understand the needs of people with disabilities and how our physical spaces can be made more accessible. We continue to research other training and education opportunities. 

Information and communication technologies (ICT) – Leveraging our technology


Action items 2023-2025

  • Formalize governance and enhance ICT-related procedures to support accessibility (2023)
  • Continue website optimization to improve accessibility (2023 – ongoing)   
  • Continue investigation and rollout of enhanced accessibility-focused systems for webpage maintenance and website monitoring (2023)
  • Enhance processes for handling and tracking any accessibility issues identified using new systems, including documentation of solutions and best practices. Also enhance website support materials. (2024)   
  • Research and enhance digital and marketing team accessibility training as appropriate to support individuals with disabilities (2025)

Progress made in 2023
We launched new software in 2023 to check our public websites for accessibility issues and flag potential issues before website content is published. Combined with a second accessibility software to scan our online banking platform, we are taking a proactive approach to addressing website accessibility barriers. Any issues are documented so they can be improved. Continuous accessibility tools and software training are being enhanced and completed by the digital and marketing team.

In 2023 we also completed a digital client onboarding accessibility scan to find areas of improvement. We are tracking these items and working to improve them.

Communication other than ICT – Enhancing our tools 


Action items 2023-2025

  • Create a multi-year plan to further research and adopt accessibility best practices for both web and print content, including support to those with hearing issues (2023)
  • Enhance processes for managing storage of alternative format documents (2024)
  • Research and enhance creative services team accessibility training as appropriate to support individuals with disabilities (2025)

Progress made in 2023
We have established a process to fulfill custom requests for large font and accessible screen reader-compliant bank statements and are exploring ways to store alternative format documents for use between departments.

Our creative team has taken document accessibility training, and we are mindful of using accessible colours and other best practices in all aspects of our communication channels. We continue to look at further training.  

Procurement of goods, services and facilities – Extending our reach 


Action items 2023-2025

  • Create a multi-year plan to enhance identification and handling of accessibility considerations within CWB commodities and contracts (2023)
  • Audit our procurement and third-party risk management processes to enhance assessment of accessibility considerations (2024)
  • Research and enhance procurement team accessibility training as appropriate to support individuals with disabilities (2025)

Progress made in 2023

  • We now include accessibility discussions in our vendor screening process, and continuously engage with CWB’s Accessibility Officer for all assessments that require accessibility considerations. The Accessibility Officer also provides feedback for improvement on criteria and questions. 
  • CWB’s Accessibility Officer is engaged for all for all Third-Party Risk Assessments which require accessibility considerations. The Accessibility Officer also provides feedback and recommendation for improvement on due diligence criteria and questions.
  • We worked on our formalized plan throughout 2023 and will be continuing work on this plan in 2024 to enhance identification and handling of accessibility considerations. 

 
Design and delivery of programs and services – Building our practices 


Action items 2023-2025

  • Develop and maintain accessibility guidance for product development, including coordination with procurement and third-party risk management processes (2024)
  • Research and enhance product development team accessibility training as appropriate to support individuals with disabilities. (2025)

Progress made in 2023
We currently include CWB’s Accessibility Officer in our third-party risk management process for accessibility considerations and process feedback. Research on enhanced product team accessibility training is in progress. Over the next year we will continue to develop and maintain accessibility guidance for product development.

Transportation 

We do not address transportation, as CWB does not run any transportation services, therefore this priority is not relevant.

Consultations

We continue to reach out to our employees who identify as persons as either having an invisible or visible disability for feedback via surveys. 

Members of Visible and Invisible Disability Advocates (VIDA), a CWB Employee Represented Group, continue to be a source of valuable information and feedback to increase our understanding of the barriers to inclusion our employees may face. 

We acknowledge the necessity of ongoing consultations and CWB is committed to fostering meaningful connections with individuals with disabilities and the organizations that support them.  

Feedback 

We have not received feedback from clients or employees on the implementation of our Accessibility Plan since it was published in June 2023.

During the reporting period from June 1, 2023, to June 1, 2024, the accessibility office received feedback from one client on alternate forms of communication. The feedback was examined and addressed and will be considered as we continue to enhance accessibility at CWB.