Nova Scotia Accessibility Act
In 2017, the Nova Scotia Accessibility Act was passed and proclaimed, demonstrating a commitment to a more equitable and barrier-free province for all Nova Scotians.
The Act recognizes accessibility as a human right and sets a goal of an accessible Nova Scotia by 2030. This legislation outlines what is needed to improve accessibility and ensure that every Nova Scotian can participate in our society.
Included in the Act is a requirement for all post-secondary institutions to develop and make publicly available an accessibility plan that addresses focus areas, in addition to providing information about how the post-secondary institution will:
identify, remove, and prevent barriers to accessibility;
assess how proposed policies, programs, practices, and services will impact accessibility; and
assess how proposed enactments or by-laws will impact accessibility.
Government of Nova Scotia Accessibility Plan
In September 2018, the province released the Government of Nova Scotia Accessibility Plan, which outlines specific actions for achieving an inclusive, responsive, and accessible workplace for Nova Scotia public servants, ensuring services are accessible to all.
Nova Scotia Post-Secondary Accessibility Framework
In 2019, Nova Scotia’s post-secondary institutions collaborated to develop the Nova Scotia Post-Secondary Accessibility Framework [PDF-276 KB] the first of its kind in Canada. The final report was released in June 2020.
The provincial framework provides a shared vision for accessibility in post-secondary education and establishes collaborative commitments for advancing accessibility at Nova Scotia’s universities and Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC), and addresses six specific areas of focus.
The framework also addresses strategies and approaches for awareness and capacity building and monitoring and evaluation, ensuring that accessibility planning across institutions is integrated, consistent, and compliant with provincial requirements.