Why Alberta’s Accessibility Report Was Hidden — and What’s Inside
How a FOIP request revealed a $14B opportunity, a roadmap for equity, and a story that demands attention
You shouldn’t need a legal form to access a public report about your own rights.
💬 Transparency First
I didn’t write the Accessible Alberta Report.
But I’ve read it cover to cover (all 140 pages) — and I believe Albertans with disabilities have a right to know what’s inside it.
So I’m doing what I can: breaking it down, making it public, and sharing the full report with anyone who wants to read it.
Because transparency is the first step toward real inclusion.
📘 What Is the Accessible Alberta Report?
The report was commissioned by the Government of Alberta and authored by Gregory A. McMeekin, J.D., Alberta’s Advocate for Persons with Disabilities. It was designed to guide the development of accessibility legislation in our province.
Alberta is currently one of only two provinces in Canada without accessibility legislation.
The report:
Recommends legislation within 18 months
Identifies 7 core areas for accessibility standards
Shows a $14.1B opportunity in untapped labour and GDP
Calls for legislation co-developed with disabled Albertans
It’s bold, practical, and long overdue.
🔒 Why Was the Report Hidden?
Despite being referenced in the Alberta Legislature by Minister Jason Nixon, the Accessible Alberta Report was never released to the public.
No press release.
No website.
No mention to the very community it was created for.
The only way it became available? A FOIP (Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy) request.
That means advocates — and the public — had to use a legal mechanism just to read a report about their own rights.
Was it forgotten? Delayed? Intentionally withheld? We don’t know. But here’s what we do know:
When a government commissions a report about people with disabilities and doesn’t release it, it sends a message — whether they mean to or not.
And that message is: “You don’t need to see this. We’ll talk to you when it’s politically convenient.”
That’s not inclusion. That’s erasure by omission.
“It’s curious, isn’t it? A government-commissioned accessibility report, repeatedly publicly referenced in the legislature, somehow never found its way into the hands of the very community it was written for — until someone filed a FOIP request. If transparency is a value, it shouldn’t require a legal form.”
🧱 What the Report Actually Says
The 7 Areas Alberta Needs to Fix
Here are the seven priority domains for accessibility legislation, as outlined in the report:
📚 1. Education
Inaccessible learning environments
Lack of supports for diverse needs
Disconnected accommodations across school systems
“Every student deserves a classroom that works for them — not just the average.”
💼 2. Employment
Barriers to hiring and advancement
Inaccessible application processes
Few incentives for inclusive workplaces
“Work isn’t just income — it’s belonging.”
🏥 3. Healthcare
Clinics that aren’t physically accessible
Providers lacking disability-informed training
Systemic ableism in treatment pathways
“Healthcare should heal — not exclude.”
🚌 4. Transportation
Unreliable paratransit
Limited rural options
Poor snow removal and design standards
“If you can’t get there, you can’t be part of it.”
🌐 5. Information & Tech
Websites not screen-reader friendly
No alt text or accessible kiosk options
No ASL or multi-format government communication
“The digital world should work for everyone.”
🏗️ 6. Built Environment
Inaccessible public and private spaces
No province-wide building code for accessibility
Lack of tactile signage and universal design
“Accessibility isn’t a luxury. It’s infrastructure.”
⚖️ 7. Procurement & Justice
Public funds used for inaccessible programs
Overrepresentation of disabled people in the justice system
Lack of legal and procedural safeguards
“Public dollars should reflect public values — and public access.”
💰 The Real Cost of Exclusion — and a $14 Billion Opportunity
The report includes data from Alberta Treasury Board and Finance that shows:
390,000 Albertans with disabilities are employed
They contribute $48 billion to Alberta’s GDP
We’re missing out on an additional $14.1 billion in GDP by not addressing underemployment and workplace barriers
Accessibility is not a cost — it’s an economic strategy Alberta is ignoring.
🧩 When Economic Framing Hijacks Legislative Intent
One of the most important — and concerning — shifts revealed in the Accessible Alberta Report is how the original intent behind an economic analysis was quietly redirected.
The Advocate for Persons with Disabilities had requested an economic impact study from Treasury Board and Finance (TBF) to explore how accessibility legislation could benefit Alberta — socially and financially.
But partway through that process, the focus changed.
“As TBF undertook the economic analysis... TBF’s analysis was shifted to the economic contributions of workers with disabilities in the province, and the potential economic gain if all Albertans with disabilities with the 'potential to work' obtained employment.”
(Accessible Alberta Report, pg. 33)
Instead of focusing on the benefits of inclusive policy, the Treasury report emphasized:
The current GDP contributions of disabled Albertans
The potential boost if more disabled people joined the workforce
“Workforce potential” — without analyzing systemic accessibility barriers
This change of scope disregards the original request, and more critically, hijacks the intention behind it.
🗣️ Who Was Excluded From Alberta’s Accessibility Consultations?
While the engagement process was extensive, the Advocate admits that certain voices were underrepresented due to tight timelines, election cycles, and systemic access gaps.
Those left out include:
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities
Rural and remote communities
First-language non-English speakers
Some Indigenous groups (especially those affected by jurisdictional overlaps)
If accessibility legislation is meant to serve everyone, the process must include everyone.
🔄 Alberta Isn’t Starting From Scratch — We’re Catching Up
The report builds on what other jurisdictions are already doing — including:
The Accessible Canada Act
B.C., Nova Scotia, Manitoba, and Ontario accessibility frameworks
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
This is not about reinventing the wheel. It’s about catching up to our responsibility.
⚠️ What’s at Stake If We Wait
Every month we delay legislation is another month someone misses a job, a class, or a medical appointment — not because they couldn’t succeed, but because the system wasn’t designed to include them.
This isn’t theoretical. It’s happening right now.
✅ What Needs to Happen Now
The government must introduce the Accessible Alberta Act
The disability community must co-develop regulations
We need real enforcement, not symbolic promises
We must commit to cultural and institutional change
Accessibility isn’t charity. It’s justice. And it’s time Alberta caught up.
📥 Read the Report for Yourself
In the spirit of transparency, here’s the full report so you can see what’s being proposed — no filters, no gatekeeping.
📄 Download the Accessible Alberta Report (PDF)
📢 Take Action
Contact your MLA and ask: “What are you doing to advance the Accessible Alberta Act?”
Share this post
Join the conversation using #AccessibleAlberta
Support Barrier Free Alberta Inclusion Alberta, VAD, and other advocacy groups
Tell your story. Visibility creates change.
💬 Final Word
I’m not sharing this for attention. I’m sharing it because Albertans with disabilities deserve clarity — and a future that includes them by design, not by exception.
If this helped you understand what’s really going on — and you or someone you know is impacted — share it. Visibility becomes accountability.
If you’ve faced accessibility barriers, I’d love to hear your story.
If you believe in inclusion, help amplify this conversation.
We all deserve to be in the room when decisions are made. Nothing about us, without us.
