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Share Your Voice: Research and Engagement Opportunities

Members of the Canadian Accessibility Network (CAN) are regularly invited to share their lived experience, perspectives, and expertise through research studies, focus groups, consultations, and feedback sessions.

This page highlights opportunities hosted by CAN, as well as those shared by trusted partners and external organizations. Many opportunities offer an honorarium, gift card, or other token of appreciation for participation.

Unless otherwise noted, opportunities listed here are shared by CAN on behalf of external organizations, which are responsible for administering participation and any related honoraria or incentives.

Submit Research and Engagement Opportunities

Date Posted

May 21, 2026

Type

Online form

Hosted by

Accessibility Standards Canada

Who Should Participate

All Canadians and accessibility experts everywhere are invited to participate. We are especially looking for feedback from people with:

  • people with disabilities,

  • lived experience of accessibility barriers, and

  • any other form of expertise in accessible procurement.

Date/Deadline

June 23, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT).

Format

You can read the draft version of the standard on the Accessibility Standards Canada (ASC) website in various formats. Our online form allows you to comment directly on any paragraph of the standard that you wish to provide feedback for. You must create a user account to access the online feedback form.

Honorarium

None

About this Opportunity

Accessibility Standards Canada (ASC) developed a draft standard on Accessible Procurement, and it is now open to public review.

 

A public review allows individuals and organizations to review a draft standard and provide feedback before it’s finalized. The process helps our technical committees consider many perspectives. It also helps create standards that remove as many barriers as possible.

 

ASC reviews all comments from the public to create a final version of the standard.

 

The draft standard on Accessible Procurement addresses common areas where people with disabilities may face barriers to accessibility, such as:

  • buying or leasing goods and services that are not accessible,

  • inflexible procurement processes,

  • inaccessible bidding and evaluation criteria, and

  • procurement communications or documents that are not provided in accessible or alternate formats.

The standard aims to identify, remove and prevent these barriers by integrating accessibility into the procurement process from the start.  

Accessibility / Accommodation

  • Details on what a public review is and how to participate are available in HTML and sign languages.

  • Draft standard and overview available in an HTML version structured to meet WCAG 2.1 accessibility criteria

  • Word version

  • Draft standard overview available in sign language videos

  • Other alternate formats available on request

How to Participate

To provide comments on the draft standard: Start by Signing in to your account on our website or creating an account if you don’t have one. Then follow these simple steps to submit your feedback.

 

To organize a public review session: Organizations can also plan and lead their own public review sessions. You can find out more by reading our Guide to hosting a public review session for draft standards.

Files / Documents

Draft standard

Overview of the draft standard

Create account

Contact

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: 1-833-854-7628

Address:

Accessibility Standards Canada
320, Saint-Joseph Boulevard
Suite 246
Gatineau, QC  J8Y 3Y8

Date Posted

March 17, 2026

Type

Virtual Interview

Hosted by

Shared by CAN on behalf of Business + Higher Education Roundtable

Who Should Participate

Seeking to interview workers who:
– Identify as a person with a disability
– Have experience requesting or receiving workplace accommodations
– Are currently working, or have worked, in a federally regulated sector
– Are willing to share their experiences with the duty to accommodate process

Date/Deadline

Interviews will begin in April and run through to October 2026

Format

Virtual via Zoom (or another format if preferred)
45-60 minutes in length
One-on-one interview

Honorarium

Participants will receive $150 in compensation of their choice as a thank you for their time and insights

About this Opportunity

Funded by Accessibility Standards Canada, BHER is working on a project to better understand the duty to accommodate. We are exploring how workers experience requesting and receiving workplace accommodations, what supports the process, and what creates barriers. The research pays particular attention to workers with congenital and long-term disabilities who often need ongoing accommodations. What participants share will be used to develop practical recommendations to improve workplace practices, standards, and policies in federally regulated sectors.

The interviews will explore:
– Experiences requesting workplace accommodations
– What made the process clear, supportive, or effective
– Barriers or challenges encountered during the accommodation process
– Ideas for improving accommodation standards, practices, and accountability

Benefits of participation include:
– Share your lived experiences to help improve how accommodation processes function in federally regulated industries
– Contribute to clearer, fairer, and more accessible approaches to workplace accommodation
– Support recommendations that aim to strengthen workplace standards and practices

Accessibility / Accommodation

Accommodations available upon request

How to Participate

Please complete ASC Interview Eligibility Screening Form

If you have any questions, or requests for accessibility accommodations, or would like more information, please contact [email protected]

Files / Documents

Information Letter
Recruitment Email - Worker Interviews

Date Posted

March 17, 2026

Type

Online Focus Group

Hosted by

Shared by CAN on behalf of Canadian Centre for Housing Rights

Who Should Participate

Disabled people, 18 and over, living in British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and Ontario

Date/Deadline

Please contact research team for more information

Format

The anonymized online focus group will last a total of 3 hours (with breaks) and will be held on Zoom

Honorarium

Each participant will be given $150 in recognition of their time and the value of their experience

About this Opportunity

– Are you a disabled adult who is having problems finding accessible and affordable housing? Have you had challenges finding housing in the past? Have you ever been evicted or been at risk of losing your housing? Are you homeless? 

– The purpose of this research is to improve housing for people with disabilities.

Accessibility / Accomodation

Accommodations will be provided upon request

How to Participate

To apply, or for more information, please contact the Canadian Centre for Housing Rights.

Email: [email protected] | Phone: 416-944-0087 This research has been approved by University of Winnipeg’s Research Ethics Board (protocol number: HE 25740).

Files / Documents

Letter of Interest
Recruitment Poster

Date Posted

March 31, 2026

Type

Written hearing.

Hosted by

Shared by CAN on behalf of the National Housing Council and the review panel established to examine the lack of accessible housing in Canada.

Who Should Participate

Any individual or organization can make a submission. The review panel is especially interested in receiving submissions from:

o People directly affected by the lack of accessible housing;
o Service providers, housing providers and advocates; and
o Experts in housing, human rights and accessibility.

Date/Deadline

The deadline for submissions is Friday, June 5, 2026.

Deadline for submissions extended to June 22, 2026

Format

An on-line survey, with the option of uploading a separate written submission.

Honorarium

None.

About this Opportunity

– The National Housing Council is an advisory body to the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities. The Council has created a review panel to examine the lack of accessible housing in Canada.

– The review panel is holding a written hearing focussed on three questions:

o How is the lack of accessible housing affecting people in Canada?
o What system-wide gaps, and what government actions and inactions, are getting in the way of Canada’s progress on the right to housing and the rights of persons with disabilities?
o What actions and solutions should governments and communities lead to make better progress on the right to accessible housing for people with disabilities in Canada?

– The review panel will make recommendations directly to the Minister, who is required to table a response in Parliament.

Accessibility / Accomodation

Contact the review panel secretariat at [email protected] regarding accommodation needs.

How to Participate

Send your submission to Review Panel 3 – The Lack of Accessible Housing in Canada.

Files / Documents

Call for Written Submissions

Contact

Review panel secretariat at [email protected].

Date Posted

April 17, 2026

Type

Survey questionnaire

Hosted by

Shared by CAN on behalf of Amani Hitimana, a researcher from the University of Toronto

Who Should Participate

Seeking research participants who:
– Identify as a person with a disability
– are employed in a full-time, part-time, seasonal, or casual capacity

Format

No interviews needed. The completion of the questionnaire takes approximately 10 minutes

Honorarium

None.

About this Opportunity

In an increasingly diverse and multicultural society, the aspiration to include marginalized groups in the workforce at all levels is more critical than ever before. According to Canada’s 2022 data on disability, 27% of Canadians aged 15 and older have at least one disability, representing 8 million people. Over the past few years, the government of Canada has expanded its campaign to encourage employers to hire individuals with disabilities. As a result, many organizations have been turning to people with disabilities as new hires. However, these organizations face the additional challenge of ensuring that their employees with disabilities are supported in developing positive self-esteem and being deeply engaged in the workplace.

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between self-esteem and selected employment factors (pay satisfaction, work satisfaction, workload, and schedule flexibility) to determine the most important employment factors affecting the self-esteem of employees with disabilities.

This research is fully anonymous. The researcher will not know who completes the questionnaire. There are no identifiable variables.

Please note that the term ‘disability’ has been conceptualized as an impairment that limits a person’s ability to function, whether at work or in other aspects of life. Examples of types of disabilities: Physical disability, Intellectual disability, Mental disability, Learning disability, Visual disability, Hearing disability

How to Participate

Please complete the research questionnaire here:
https://redcap.utoronto.ca/surveys/?s=9N8MYFXLMKNP7D4N