Our Accessibility Plan
2023-2026

What's on this page

About Coast Capital

Coast Capital Savings Federal Credit Union (“Coast Capital”)¹ is a member-owned federal financial co-operative. We help our 600,000 members with their real financial goals. We offer personal and business banking and investment services across Canada digitally, by phone and through our branches. We have 45 branches in the Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island and Okanagan regions of British Columbia. We are headquartered in Surrey, British Columbia.

Coast Capital is committed to upholding the values of equity, diversity and inclusion. We are a Certified B Corporation. This means that Coast Capital holds itself to high standards in social and environmental performance. Accessibility is a key part of living our values and maintaining these standards.

Coast Capital has long been committed to the inclusion of people who face economic and social barriers. Coast Capital understands that we have a responsibility and commitment to address systemic inequities. We want to help unlock financial opportunities so that no person or community is left behind.

We are on a journey of learning. This journey first began in 2018 when Coast formed its Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Council and employee resource groups. That same year, we also began offering EDI training for our employees. In 2020, we became a social purpose organization on a mission to help those we impact achieve their better future.

Additionally, we give back 10% of our budgeted bottom-line to our communities each year. We continue to look for ways we can include racial equity and social justice in the work we undertake within communities.

The principles of the Accessible Canada Act align very closely with our own values. We are committed to helping create a barrier-free Canada for all. Coast Capital’s aspiration is to be a fully accessible and inclusive organization. This Accessibility Plan outlines steps for us to champion accessibility for our employees and our members.

Areas Described Under the Act

There are seven priority areas described under Section 5 of the Accessible Canada Act, which are as follows:

1. Employment
2. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
3. The Built Environment
4. Communication, Other than ICT
5. The Design and Delivery of Programs and Services
6. The Procurement of Goods, Services and Facilities
7. Transportation

Coast Capital believes that culture and governance also play a strong role in creating an accessible organization. Because of this, we have added an additional priority area titled Culture and Governance. As transportation is not currently relevant to the work at Coast Capital, there are no barriers and actions in this priority area. Each priority area section will include:

Culture & Governance

It is important to have a strong culture that is inclusive of persons with disabilities. It is also crucial to have governance and organizational structures that underpin accessibility. Coast Capital believes in the importance of focusing on these areas. We want to create an accessible and inclusive culture.

What We Are Doing Well

At Coast Capital, we have an Abilities Affinity Network, a Mental Health Network, and an Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Council. These groups spread awareness of accessibility, disabilities, and mental health across our organization. Additionally, our Social Purpose Office is focused on supporting our members, employees, and broader communities - equity, diversity, and accessibility are essential to this focus.

Barriers

• There are opportunities for us to build upon our culture of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion to develop more accessibility awareness and understanding that accessibility is everyone’s responsibility at Coast.
• Coast Capital currently does not have any positions that include responsibility for accessibility.

Actions

• We need to review current roles and resources to determine where responsibility for each of the ACA priority areas will be defined.
• We will properly articulate accessibility in our Equity, Diversity & Inclusion shared accountability model to improve disability awareness.
• We will hold events and activities during specific times of the year to promote accessibility. The times of the year may include:
  • National AccessAbility Week
  • International Day of Persons with Disabilities
  • Disability Employment Awareness Month
• We will work to achieve accessibility in training, events, and activities for all types of disabilities.
• We will highlight the ways in which Coast Capital is inclusive of persons with disabilities. We will socialize the Coast definition of disability and share how Coast’s values are different and are working to promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities.

Employment

The Employment priority area covers an employee’s entire experience at Coast Capital. It starts from the recruitment and onboarding process and ends when the individual leaves the organization. It also includes accommodation and short and long-term disability absences from work. Within Employment, Coast Capital will first focus its efforts on:

• Hiring
• Accommodations
• Ergonomics
• Emergency Response
• Data
• Training
  

What We Are Doing Well

Our employees are at the core of what we do. There are several practices in place that support creating an accessible work environment for them. Our accommodations policy and process allow employees to request accommodations and accessible IT equipment. MyWork, our flexible work program, gives employees flexibility in where they work based on their roles. Our Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, and Anti-Racism Action Plan also helps ensure that all are welcomed at Coast Capital.

Hiring

Barriers Related to Hiring

• The job posting template does not currently include information about the accommodations process or Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at Coast Capital. This may pose as a barrier to persons with disabilities interested in applying for a position at Coast Capital.
• A documented process is not in place to support accommodations during the interview phase of recruitment.
• Coast Capital shares its job postings on traditional job search engines but should also share job postings on accessibility-based organizations’ job boards or websites.
• We need to ensure that our employment offers are in plain language and accessible fonts.

Actions Related to Hiring

• We need to include a statement in our job postings that invites applications from persons with disabilities.
• We need to include an accommodation process for the recruitment and onboarding phases that includes clear guidelines on the process and key contacts in case questions or concerns arise. To meet different needs, we need to make multiple methods of communication available.
• We will aim to partner with organizations or hiring programs for persons with disabilities. This will help make our available positions more visible to individuals with disabilities.
• We will review our offer letter templates to ensure they are in plain language and accessible fonts. We will include information about the accommodation policy and process.

Accommodations

Barriers Related to Accommodations

We need to ensure that both accommodation requests and accommodation plans are reviewed on a consistent basis.

Actions Related to Accommodations

• We will review our process for individual accommodation plans. We will ensure that it includes the regular review of accommodations plans.
• We will designate an accommodations manager. This person will be knowledgeable and responsible for accommodations. They will have specific skills and expertise in disability management, accommodations, and accessibility.
• We will centralize an accommodation budget. This will allow managers and leaders to provide a consistent experience across our various departments.

Ergonomics

Barriers Related to Ergonomics

Employees do not always know who to contact for an ergonomic assessment or what the process entails.

Actions Related to Ergonomics

We will conduct a review of our ergonomic assessment process and ensure it is available on our employee intranet site.

Emergency Response

Barriers Related to Emergency Response

Our workplace emergency response plans need to specifically reference the safe evacuation of employees with disabilities.

Actions Related to Emergency Response

We will work with employees with disabilities to develop individualized emergency response plans. We will incorporate information about individualized emergency response plans into our onboarding process and regular health and safety inspections.

Data

Barriers Related to Data

• We do not know enough about our employees with disabilities.
• We do not track specific metrics related to the recruitment of persons with disabilities.

Actions Related to Data

• We will establish mechanisms for collecting and analyzing data regarding persons with disabilities. This includes implementing a separate category for persons with disabilities within our equity-deserving group audits and data collection processes. We will implement and track metrics on the number of employees who identify as a person with a disability.
• We will develop a multi-year communication plan to explain the benefits of self-identification to employees.
• We will implement and track metrics on the number of people applying for positions from different equity-deserving groups. We will also track the drop-off rates for persons with disabilities at different steps of the recruitment process. We will establish goals and targets for hiring persons with disabilities.

Training

Barriers Related to Training

We need further training in creating accessible environments for persons with disabilities.

Actions Related to Training

We will provide accessibility training to all Coast Capital employees. This will include bias awareness training for recruiters and hiring managers. We will also offer training and resources regarding accommodations.

The Built Environment

The Built Environment priority area considers the physical accessibility of offices and branches. It includes the accessibility of doors and washrooms. The built environment also considers proper lighting and clear signage. This priority area includes work-from-home spaces.

What We Are Doing Well

At Coast Capital, all buildings and branches have occupational health & safety representatives. In newer branches, accessibility was considered from the design phase. We offer adjustable desks for both members and employees. We also have larger offices to accommodate those using assistive devices for mobility.

Barriers

• Coast Capital’s Facilities teams need to have further education on accessibility beyond just meeting minimum building code requirements for accessibility.
• The website needs to be updated to list Accessible branches so members can locate their nearest accessible branch.
• We provide height-adjustable desks and member service counters in our branches. But desks and counters are not always at the appropriate height for wheelchair users.

Actions

• We will provide training to our employees who work in Facilities through the Rick Hansen Foundation. This will help these employees build their awareness of accessibility factors into the built environment.
• We will identify branches that are accessible. We will work to implement a filter on our website and mobile app to help members easily identify the accessibility features of each branch.
• We will work to ensure there is at least one desk and private office for wheelchair users in each branch.
• We will work to ensure that persons with disabilities are notified of any disruptions that will impact their ability to access facilities or services.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

The ICT priority area relates to all aspects of the virtual environment. This includes hardware, software, systems, assistive devices, and all other aspects of technology.

What We Are Doing Well

At Coast Capital, we want everyone to be able to access our digital platforms. We have guidelines on how to create accessible digital content. We have also partnered with experts such as Cognizant, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind and BDO Canada to review our platforms for accessibility. We recently began using Microsoft Office 365, which could offer many accessibility features for our employees.

Barriers

• Three organizations have audited Coast Capital’s digital environments for accessibility in recent years. We need to create a consistent process for ongoing web and application audits.
• The ICT Team needs additional training to enhance their Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) compliance expertise.
• Microsoft Office 365 accessibility features need to be enabled for all employees.
• The website needs to be updated to list accessible ABMs so members can locate their nearest accessible ABMs.

Actions

• We will formalize a plan for website accessibility improvements. This will include timelines for ongoing audits of our external websites. It will also offer a mechanism for persons with disabilities to provide feedback.
• ICT Teams will take training on WCAG standards.
• We will make the accessibility features that are built into Microsoft Office available to all employees.
• We will identify accessibility features of our ABMs on our website.

Communication other than Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

The Communications priority area addresses the accessibility of how we communicate with each other. This includes print materials and publications. It also includes websites, digital materials, and e-newsletters. All aspects of internal and external communication are a part of this area.

What We Are Doing Well

At Coast, we represent people with varying abilities in our communications. We also have established accessible marketing guidelines and plain language guidelines. All Coast Capital employees have access to these resources.

Barriers

• We need to include standards for accessibility in our brand guidelines. 
• We need to develop an enhanced process to ensure all internal communication is accessible.

Actions

• We will update our Brand Book to include accessibility standards. This will provide clarity on plain language, acronyms, colour contrast, font type, and size for our branding.
• We will develop communication training to increase awareness and understanding of accessible communications.
• We will develop a process and procedure to request document remediation and the ability to provide materials in alternative formats.

The Design and Delivery of Programs and Services

This priority area ensures that Coast Capital’s programs and services are accessible to all employees and members. It includes proactively considering accessibility while programs and services are being designed. It also holds us accountable for reviewing and updating our programs and services. It helps us make changes based on feedback from persons with disabilities.

What We Are Doing Well

We offer our members a variety of financial products and services that support accessible banking. We have taken steps to promote these products and services within our communities. Members are offered multiple ways to access services so that they can choose the option that best meets their needs.

Barriers

Coast Capital does not have a defined mechanism in place to receive feedback from members about their experiences related to accessibility.

Actions

We will add questions about accessibility to member surveys and review other opportunities for additional feedback mechanisms.

The Procurement of Goods, Services, and Facilities

The Procurement priority area considers how accessibility is built into procurement processes, policies and practices at Coast Capital.

What We Are Doing Well

Coast Capital is developing a process to work with organizations that can support us in identifying diverse suppliers.

Barriers

• We are working towards ensuring that accessibility is fully considered in our procurement process.
• Accessible procurement training needs to be provided to our procurement team so they understand the steps necessary to procure goods and services in an accessible manner.

Actions

• We will be implementing a procurement checklist that will facilitate accessible procurement decisions. We will include accessibility clauses in our contractual agreements where applicable.
• We will ensure that our procurement teams receive training related to accessibility in procurement.

Transportation

Coast Capital has limited involvement with transportation. We do not coordinate a transportation system or a fleet of transportation vehicles. If Coast Capital becomes more involved with transportation, we will identify barriers and actions in this priority area.

Reporting and Implementation

This Accessibility Plan is an important step for Coast Capital to create a more accessible environment for our employees and members. Throughout this Plan, we have stated the actions we will take to address barriers to accessibility.

Coast Capital will publish annual progress reports in the coming years. This is required by the Accessible Canada Act. These progress reports will track the work we are doing to remove and reduce barriers for employees and members with disabilities.