Communications accessibility features are not common among organizations and businesses in the arts, heritage, and entertainment in Canada
Also: Reasons why organizations don’t incorporate accessibility features
Communicating with the public is an important part of what many organizations and businesses in the arts, heritage, and entertainment do. However, my analysis shows that relatively few organizations and businesses incorporate accessibility features into their public communications.
The article is based on a Statistics Canada survey of organizations and businesses across the economy. The survey was conducted between October 1 and November 5, 2025, and the data were released on November 25.
Survey questions
Here is the wording of the questions asked in this iteration of the Canadian Survey on Business Conditions.
Forms of communication
“Over the last 12 months, has this business or organization used any of the following forms of communication with customers or the public?
Forms of communication refers to the different ways information is provided, such as in person, over the phone, virtually, or printed materials with customers or the public.
Select all that apply.
Printed materials distributed by this business or organization (e.g., advertising materials, menus, forms, magazines, pamphlets)
Virtual communication (Include communication through email, websites, virtual meetings (e.g., Zoom, Microsoft Teams) or chat bots. Exclude social media posts.)
Social media (e.g., promoting or branding on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Snapchat)
Communication in person or over the phone (Include text messages.)”
Accessibility features
Follow-up questions were only asked to respondents who indicated that they engaged in that form of communication. Each follow-up question started with: “Over the last 12 months, did this business or organization provide any accessibility features when communicating [via this form of communication]? Accessibility refers to ensuring that persons with disabilities can easily use and understand things like websites, documents, and services.”
Examples were given for each form of communication:
Via printed materials: “e.g., alternate formats, large print versions, accessible file formats or audio formats”
Virtually: “e.g., live captions, screen display options such as dark mode or high contrast, screen reader support”
Through social media platforms: “e.g., alternate text descriptions, videos with sound and captioning, closed captioning, plain language”
In person or over the phone: “e.g., visual aids, volume controllers, video relay service (VRS), speech-to-text services”