Accelerating Accessibility with The Canadian Accessibility Marketplace

While IWSCC connects suppliers and buyers year-round, we’re always looking for new ways to accomplish our mission. Our latest project is Canada’s guide to Accessibility Experts, launching this fall.

The Canadian Accessibility Marketplace

The Canadian Accessibility landscape is vast and rapidly changing. Starting with the “Act to secure handicapped persons in the exercise of their rights with a view to achieving social, school and workplace integration,” Quebec was the first Canadian Province to enact provincial accessibility legislation in 1981.

A few decades have gone by since then. Along with the release of the federal-level Accessible Canada Act in 2019, many provinces have their own regulations to protect the rights, freedoms, and dignity of Canadians with disabilities. Regulations like:

The Accessible British Colombia Act (2021)
The Accessibility for Manitobans Act (2013)
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (2005)
An Act Respecting Accessibility in the Province (Newfoundland & Labrador, 2021)
An Act Respecting Accessibility in Nova Scotia (2017)
The New Brunswick Accessibility Act (2024)

The names have certainly gotten shorter since the ’80s, but navigating these requirements is complex for both local and national businesses.

In our mission to promote an equitable and accessible economy in Canada, IWSCC is launching a new directory to connect you with trusted experts in accessibility, all guided by the real experience of Canadians with disabilities.

How It Works

The Canadian Accessibility Marketplace or CAM is a directory launching this fall, right here on the IWSCC website! Open to the public and free to access, the Marketplace is simple, easy-to-navigate directory to find accessibility goods and services you can trust.

Whether you’re planning with accessibility from step one, or modernizing your approach, our approach to organizing things guides you to experts in areas like:

The Built Environment
Digital Environments like the World Wide Web
Human Resources, Policies, and Processes
Education, Training, and Advocacy
Accessibility Goods and Equipment
Events & Communication

You’ll also be able to explore business by location, service area, specific goods and services, and more. In a lot of ways, the Canadian Accessibility Marketplace is just like any business directory, so what makes this one special? The business you’ll find there, of course!

Who You'll Find

If you’re new to the IWSCC, welcome! You can always learn more about our mission here, but in the meantime let us tell you about why our directory is different. As Canada’s National Certifying Body for Veteran-Owned and Disabled-Owned businesses, we work directly with Canadian business that are owned, operated, and controlled by Veterans and Persons with Disabilities. We call those businesses our Certified Suppliers and they’re the key to what makes our community special.

Our requirement for businesses to be majority-owned (what we call Veteran-Owned and Disabled-Owned) means that every IWSCC business is led by the real-life experience of the communities we were founded to support.

Certified Suppliers aren’t alone though. They’re surrounded by a national network of allies whose businesses support them, and are informed by lived experience in their own ways. This fall we’re also welcoming those allies through special invitations from IWSCC and its community members. For the Marketplace, that means that every business you’ll find contributes directly to the success of Canadians with disabilities.

IWSCC connects business owners with buyers year-round. This fall we’re making even more connections that boost business for entrepreneurs with disabilities and their allies. We can’t wait to share more with you, but if you just can’t wait to learn more you can always reach out at info@iwscc.ca.