News and Updates

• New Minister of Justice: The Honourable Becky Druhan has been appointed as the new Minister of Justice and Attorney General for Nova Scotia. Minister Druhan also becomes the Provincial Secretary and the Minister responsible for the Accessibility Act, and Office of Equity and Anti-Racism. Druhan’s biography is also available online.

For more information and registration details, please visit the Resources and Training section on this page.

• Accessibility Confident Employers (ACE) training by Sea Change CoLab
• Sea Change CoLab is offering free training on accessibility for employers, through their Accessibility Confident Employers initiative. This free training is open to a range of sectors in Nova Scotia including businesses, public service organizations and non-profit sector.

For more information and registration details, please visit the Resources and Training section on this page.

• Updating Your Accessibility Plan: A Toolkit for Prescribed Public Sector Bodies.

The Accessibility Directorate distributed the Updating Your Accessibility Plan: A Toolkit for Prescribed Public Sector Bodies to provide guidance and support to PPSBs as they begin to update their accessibility plans. These resources are now available on the Accessibility Directorate website (en français).

For more information on the Updating Your Accessibility Plan: A Toolkit for Prescribed Public Sector Bodies, please visit the Resources and Training section on this page.

• Funding opportunities: Several provincial grant programs are currently open for applications, with deadlines fast approaching!
  • Community Access-ability Grant Program
    • Application deadline – February 14, 2025
    • This grant covers up to $50,000 (two-thirds) of accessibility improvements, with the organization responsible for the remaining funding. Eligible projects include improvements to the built environment, transportation, communications, assistive devices, and more.
    • Eligible applicants include Municipalities, Towns, Villages and First Nations communities. Public institutions, such as libraries, museums, schools, and hospitals.
  • Business Access-ability Grant Program
    • Application deadline – February 14, 2025
    • Businesses can apply for a cost-shared grant to improve accessibility for clients, employees, or both. Categories include the built environment, communications, assistive devices, universal design, and accessible transportation.
    • Connect2 Program
      • Application deadline – February 14, 2025
      • Funding is available for active transportation projects that enhance connectivity, reduce emissions, and promote physical activity. It can be used for planning, feasibility studies, public engagement, promotion, and demonstration projects.
      • Eligible applications include Municipalities, Post Secondary Education Institutions, Community Groups, and more.
• Accessibility Quality of Life Index: The Nova Scotia League for Equal Opportunities (NSLEO) announced the launch of the Quality-of-Life Index (QoLI) for persons with disabilities on November 28. The Index was developed with $140,000 in funding from the Accessibility Directorate (AD) and will be used to evaluate progress on the Access by Design plan. The index is already available online and includes indicators for the six accessibility standards being developed. It also measures well-being in relation to the Human Rights Review and Remedy for the Finding of Systemic Discrimination Against Nova Scotians with Disabilities technical report. NSLEO plans to release a baseline report in Spring 2025.

For more information visit Quality of Life Index | NSLEO

• Accessibility First Voice Experts Roster

The Accessibility Directorate is seeking Nova Scotians with disabilities who are interested in reviewing and providing input on Government’s future projects on accessibility. Participants will be provided honoraria for each project they provide input on. Nova Scotians with disabilities can learn more and sign up for the First Voice Roster on the what you can do to improve accessibility page on this website.

Sea Change CoLab
Sea Change CoLab offers a variety of online and in-person training for employers and leaders.

Accessibility Confident Employers (ACE) Training: This series of training targets a range of sectors in Nova Scotia including businesses, public service organizations, and the impact (non-profit) sector.

Upcoming online training includes:

• AI for Accessibility and Social Impact - February 26, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
• Accessibility Confident Retention and Promotion - March 27, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
• Access Achieved: Learning from our Plans and Practices - April 23, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
• Accessibility in Action: Adapting for seasonal and Summer Staff - June 12, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Organizational Skill Builders: Sea Change CoLab is offering 90-minute in-person and online skill builders! For more information on topics, pricing, and availability, please visit Sea Change CoLab’s Organizational Skill Builders.

Updating Your Accessibility Plan: A Toolkit for Prescribed Public Sector Bodies

The Accessibility Directorate recently distributed the Updating Your Accessibility Plan: A Toolkit for Prescribed Public Sector Bodies to provide guidance and support to PPSBs as they begin to update their accessibility plans.

This toolkit is designed to help PPSBs update their accessibility plans. As required under the Accessibility Act, PPSBs must update their accessibility plans every three years. The Toolkit provides PPSBs with a 10-step guide, providing them with information to help update their plans. In addition to the main Toolkit, the Accessibility Directorate has also released three new accompanying resources to give additional guidance and support the process of updating accessibility plans. These resources include:

• The Role of your Accessibility Advisory Committee
• Community Engagement
• Additional Resources for Updating Accessibility Plans

All resources are available in both English and French and available on the Accessibility Directorate website (en français).

Video recordings of the Updating your Accessibility Plan resource and an accessibility plan template are currently being finalized. These resources will be available on the Directorate website once they are completed.