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Accessibility Plan 2024-2027

Download our accessibility plan (PDF)

General

Introduction: About Terrestar Solutions Inc.

Terrestar Solutions Inc. (Terrestar) is a Canadian company with extensive experience and a solid track record of delivering value and innovative wireless telecommunication products and services to Canadians.

Terrestar was founded in 2008 by the Québec business leaders who built Fido (Microcell), thereby turning the dream of democratizing Canadian wireless into an everyday reality. Then, backed by a seasoned leadership team, they broadened their horizons and began charting the future of Canadian telecommunications by integrating Terrestar’s MSS spectrum into the cellular ecosystem to extend cellular ground networks, and by providing satellite services across the country through the launch of the Strigo service in 2020.

Today, at Terrestar, we’re harnessing revolutionary new technologies to enable seamless directto-mobile satellite services for everyday devices and the Internet of Things (IoT). More than ever, thanks to our open-network architecture, we’re working hand-in-hand with leading mobile network operators (MNOs) and committed partners to extend ground networks and bring connectivity to life for all Canadians like never before.

Requirements

As a federally regulated company in the telecommunications sector, Terrestar, and the services it provides such as the Strigo MSS service, are governed by the Accessible Canada Act (ACA). The ACA is a federal law enacted by the Canadian government in 2019 to promote and ensure equal access and inclusion for persons with disabilities. The ACA applies to all federally regulated entities, including companies, organizations, and government agencies.

Per the ACA, all federally regulated entities must:

  • Prepare and publish an initial Accessibility Plan
  • Establish an accessibility feedback process
  • Report annually on the progress towards the plan and address any feedback received

Our Accessibility Plan must be reviewed in its entirety and published every three years.

The Accessible Canada Act marks a significant advancement in creating a more inclusive and accessible society for all Canadians, including those with disabilities. Through compliance with regulations set by the ACA, Terrestar will help ensure that we are providing equal access and opportunities to all members of society. We welcome this chance to assess and modify our business practices to support accessibility through a barrier-free workplace.

Executive Summary

We are dedicated to contributing to a barrier-free Canada where all individuals, including those with disabilities, can thrive and access equal employment opportunities. We are committed to actively identifying, preventing, and eliminating obstacles faced by individuals with disabilities. Our Accessibility Plan demonstrates our commitment and was created by thoroughly assessing barriers in each of the following Priority Areas specified under the ACA and by consulting with the Action Committee for People Living with Disabilities (Comité d’action des personnes vivant des situations de handicap – CAPVISH), an organization that represents persons with disabilities:

  • Employment
  • Built Environment
  • Information & Communication Technology (ICT)
  • Communication (other than ICT)
  • Procurement of Goods, Services, & Facilities
  • Design & Delivery of Programs & Services
  • Transportation

Our commitments are intended to create a workplace that is more accessible and inclusive, especially for individuals who are often excluded from full participation in workplaces across Canada due to unaddressed barriers. The list below summarizes our accessibility commitments under each Priority Area.

Executive Summary: Terrestar’s Accessibility Plan

  1. Employment

    Commitment 1: Emphasize our ability and willingness to provide accommodations during the recruitment and onboarding process.

    Commitment 2: Ensure fair and equal access to employment and career progression by providing a thorough understanding and nonbiased approach to performance management.

  2. Built environment

    Commitment 1: Enhance accessibility in our workplace by integrating accessible design in our planned renovations.

  3. Information & Communication Technology (ICT)

    Commitment 1: Enhance accessibility in our workplace by integrating accessible design in our planned renovations.

    Commitment 2: Increase accessibility across our social media platforms.

    Commitment 3: Ensure that our websites are compliant with the current WCAG standards.

  4. Communication (other than ICT)

    Commitment 1: Incorporate principles of accessible design into our formal communication and brand standards.

  5. Procurement of Goods, Services, & Facilities

    Commitment 1: Ensure good accessibility governance by implementing a formal procurement policy that integrates accessibility standards into the procurement process.

  6. Design & Delivery of Programs & Services

    Commitment 1: Provide guidance and support related to removing barriers in customer engagement through the delivery of programs and services.

  7. Transportation

    Terrestar does not provide transportation to employees or to members of the public. The standards for transportation under the ACA are beyond the scope of our accessibility plan. Accordingly, we have not identified any barriers related to transportation.

Terrestar’s Accessibility Statement

We are committed to adopting a proactive approach to identifying, preventing, and eliminating obstacles faced by people with disabilities in all spheres of our business. We aspire to create an environment where all Canadians, regardless of their abilities, can communicate freely with each other and with the world around them, without hindrance or barriers.

Thus, in preparing our plan, we have been guided by the fundamental principles outlined in the Accessible Canada Act (ACA):

  • Respect for the dignity of every individual, regardless of their disability, by ensuring fair and respectful treatment;
  • Ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their disabilities, have equal opportunities to thrive fully;
  • Commitment to providing barrier-free access and promoting full and equal participation in all aspects of society for every individual, without distinction;
  • Recognition of the right for every person, with or without assistance, to make decisions for themselves autonomously and meaningfully;
  • Integration of the needs and experiences of people with disabilities in the creation and implementation of laws, policies, programs, services, and structures;
  • The importance of enabling the active participation of people with disabilities in the development and design of laws, policies, programs, services, and structures.

By committing to upholding these principles, we strive to create an inclusive environment where everyone can contribute fully and benefit from all the opportunities offered by our society.

Accessibility Committee

The members of Terrestar’s Accessibility Committee, which is responsible for the preparation and execution of this Accessibility Plan, are:

Feedback

Terrestar is committed to providing an accessible, receptive, and transparent feedback process. Our feedback process and anonymous feedback form are hosted on our website following Level AA Web Content Accessibility Guide (WCAG) guidelines. We are committed to ensuring that all feedback submissions receive a timely response, unless feedback is provided anonymously.

We have a designated person and established feedback process to receive and deal with any feedback you may have for us about accessibility:

By using this contact information, employees, customers, and members of the public can send us:

  • A request to receive this plan in an alternative format (see Alternative Formats)
  • A request to receive the description of our accessibility feedback process

Your feedback on accessibility

We actively encourage feedback and suggestions from our community, including those with disabilities, on the accessibility of our documents and services. We are committed to incorporating these insights into our ongoing efforts to enhance accessibility and meet the diverse needs of our audience.

Together, we can create an environment where everyone feels valued and included, where obstacles are minimized, and where opportunities are open to all, regardless of their abilities.

Alternative Formats

Terrestar’s Accessibility Plan and a description of our accessibility feedback process will be made available in the alternative formats, including:

  • Print
  • Large print
  • Electronic format
  • Braille
  • Audio format
  • Other formats compatible with adaptive technology that are intended to assist persons with disabilities

Requests for print, large print, and electronic formats will be fulfilled within 20 days from the date of a request and requests for Braille and audio formats will be fulfilled within 45 days.

Alternative formats of Terrestar’s Accessibility Plan can be requested by email at accessible@strigo.ca, by phone at 514-843-0679, or through our online submission forms:

For more information, please visit our website: https://terrestarsolutions.ca/en/.

Priority areas

Area 1: Employment

Our Accessibility Goal

By removing barriers to employment, our goal is to offer equal opportunities to all our employees, including persons with disabilities. We are dedicated to fostering a culture that values diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging while providing a secure and supportive work environment.

We are committed to providing appropriate resources and training to raise awareness among all our staff about the challenges and specific needs of people with disabilities. By fostering increased understanding and appreciation of diversity, we aim to create an environment where all individuals feel respected and supported in their professional journey.

We will also aim to work closely with external organizations that specialize in employing people with disabilities to leverage their expertise to achieve our accessibility and inclusion goals. By adopting a collaborative and results-oriented approach, we are confident that we can create fair opportunities for all members of our team, thus fostering a culture of excellence and innovation.

Current level of Accessibility

Terrestar takes a human-centric approach by recognizing each individual for their unique qualities and needs with a focus on providing access for everyone.

  • Current policies include workplace accommodations, anti-harassment and violence prevention, and respectful workplace guidelines as part of our code of conduct to ensure a supportive environment for our team.
  • Workplace harassment and violence prevention training is provided to new employees within their first three months of employment and all employees receive re-training every three years.
  • We adhere to Duty to Accommodate legislation and our policy includes the process for requesting accommodation(s) as an employee.
  • To meet the diverse needs of our team, we provide a benefits plan that includes paramedical, virtual health, long-term disability coverage, counselling services, an annual private medical exam, and a health care spending account.
  • Development of a new performance management program is underway that will focus on providing individual growth and development plans for each employee.
  • We utilize Greenhouse, an applicant tracking system, that meets the web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standards, among other programs.

Actions

Commitment 1: Emphasize our ability and willingness to provide accommodations during the recruitment and onboarding process by:

  • Integrating the accommodation request process into recruitment and onboarding to make the option explicitly available to candidates and new employees.
  • Developing and publishing a public-facing anti-discrimination policy to be included in all job ads.

Commitment 2: Ensure fair and equal access to employment and career progression by providing a thorough understanding and non-biased approach to performance management by:

  • Researching and creating a plan to provide training for managers and employees with a focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion that informs on accessibility and the removal of barriers in the workplace.

Area 2: Built Environment

Our Accessibility Goal

The removal of barriers related to the built environment will allow people who identify with disabilities to freely access and use our offices, buildings, and facilities. We endeavour to improve our offices, buildings, and facilities by ensuring they are barrier-free and accessible to persons with disabilities. We will seek to collaborate with internal members and external advisors or professionals with the appropriate knowledge of accessible design to better understand and remove barriers faced by people with disabilities.

We are committed to investing in physical modifications and specialized equipment to ensure that our spaces are open and welcoming to all.

By working closely with our employees, external advisors, and community members, we are determined to create inclusive physical environments that enable everyone to thrive and contribute fully to our mission and goals.

Current level of Accessibility

The majority of Terrestar’s workforce works remotely. For employees in and around Montréal, Terrestar maintains office space for which we have an established renovation budget. The office building has ramp access at the main entrance and ramps throughout the facility.

  • The offices are accessible by elevators that have braille signage.
  • There are handrails on all staircases.
  • The facility is equipped with ergonomic workstations.
  • Some offices can be used as quiet spaces and there are several seating options, including spaces for wheelchairs.
  • There are accessible changing facilities.

Actions

Commitment 1: Enhance accessibility in our workplace by integrating accessible design requirements in our planned renovations by:

  • Ensuring that contractors follow applicable accessibility guidelines.
  • Establishing accessibility criteria for office renovations.
  • Completing office renovations with accessible design where possible.

Area 3: Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

Our Accessibility Goal

One way to achieve our accessibility goals is to remove barriers to ICT. To do so, we will identify and address barriers in our ICT systems, such as on our websites, networks, telecommunication systems, computer systems, and other technologies used in our business.

We are committed to ensuring the accessibility of our ICT systems, including our websites, networks, telecommunications systems, and computer systems, to ensure an inclusive experience for all users, including people with disabilities. To achieve this, we will seek to identify potential accessibility barriers. Based on these findings, we will implement corrective measures to eliminate these barriers and ensure technologies are accessible to all.

Furthermore, we are committed to integrating accessibility principles from the outset in the development of new technologies and updates to our existing systems. By removing barriers related to ICT, we aim to create an inclusive digital environment that enables everyone to fully participate in our business and services, regardless of their disability.

Current level of Accessibility

Terrestar is in the process of updating our ICT and systems for enhanced accessibility and enabling technology:

  • Terrestar uses Microsoft Office Suite, including Teams and SharePoint for all internal and external communications.
  • Terrestar has an employee dedicated to managing our Microsoft Office products to stay informed on advancements in accessible and enabling technology.
  • Terrestar has recently updated the design of its websites (www.terrestarsolutions.ca and www.strigo.ca) to incorporate WCAG 2.2 AA and will always ensure that its websites remain compliant with WCAG standards.

Actions

Develop an anonymous feedback form accessible through our website.

Commitment 1: Ensure employees are aware of accessibility features available to them through the various internal ICT systems and tools by:

  • Creating an “Accessibility Tools” guide for employees to be shared during onboarding and orientation.

Commitment 2: Increase accessibility across our social media platforms by:

  • Following accessibility standards on social media platforms and continuing to ensure our social media content can be accessed by all.

Commitment 3: Ensure that our websites are compliant with the current WCAG standards by:

  • Working with an external firm to assess the upgrade requirements needed for our website to be compliant with WCAG 2.2 AA.

Area 4: Communication, other than ICT

Our Accessibility Goal

Identifying and addressing barriers in all our communications, not just information and communication technologies, is important to achieving a barrier-free workplace. We will implement plans to ensure that our commercial documents, advertising materials, and documents related to our products and services meet accessibility needs.

We are committed to expanding our accessibility initiative beyond just the areas of information and communication technologies to include all of our communications. This includes our business documentation, advertising materials, and any materials related to our products and services.

To achieve this, we will seek to identify and eliminate potential barriers in our communications. This may involve reviewing our documents to ensure they are written in clear and easy-tounderstand language, using accessible formats such as enlarged text or braille when necessary, and integrating audio descriptions for visual content in our advertising and promotional materials.

By incorporating accessibility practices into all of our communications, we aim to ensure that every individual, including those with disabilities, can access information fairly and efficiently, thereby contributing to creating a barrier-free work environment where all members of our community can thrive.

Current level of Accessibility

Terrestar aims to ensure that communications use plain language as much as possible, particularly when communicating with non-technical audiences. This is particularly relevant given the prevalence of technical jargon within our industry. The terms and conditions which apply to customers of Terrestar’s Strigo service are written in simple, clear, and concise language. For communications other than ICT, Terrestar worked with a designer to ensure that all branding was designed with high contrast to ensure readability.

Actions

Commitment 1: Incorporate principles of accessible design into our formal communication and brand standards.

  • Revising Terrestar’s Communication and Brand Guidelines to improve accessibility standards such as plain language wherever possible.

Area 5: Procurement of Goods, Services, and Facilities

Our Accessibility Goal

We are committed to addressing accessibility barriers in the procurement of goods, services, and facilities. As such, we will endeavour to communicate our accessibility needs to our current and future suppliers, so they understand our accessibility objectives and requirements. By working with suppliers and vendors that are aligned with our accessibility objectives, we can help remove accessibility barriers experienced by persons with disabilities.

We are committed to extending our accessibility efforts to our supply chain for goods, services, and facilities. With this in mind, we will seek to communicate our accessibility needs to our current and future suppliers. By raising awareness of our accessibility goals and requirements, we create essential collaboration to eliminate barriers faced by people with disabilities.

By working with suppliers who share our commitment to accessibility, we contribute to creating a more inclusive ecosystem. Together, we can integrate accessible practices and solutions at every stage of our supply chain, from design to delivery. This strengthened collaboration not only promotes the accessibility of the products and services we offer but also helps to foster a more inclusive culture within our network of business partners.

Current level of Accessibility

Terrestar has not yet implemented accessibility standards regarding the procurement of goods, services, and facilities. We use contract lifecycle management software, DocuSign, that meets WCAG 2.2 AA standards; this software can offer vendors an accessible digital contract fulfillment process.

Actions

Commitment 1: Ensure good accessibility governance by implementing a formal procurement policy that integrates accessibility standards into the procurement process by:

  • Developing and publishing a new Procurement Policy that prioritizes the selection of goods, services, and facilities that offer barrier-free options or promote accessibility.
  • Providing all employees responsible for procurement with training on the new policy and how to identify accessible design.

Area 6: Design and Delivery of Programs and Services

Our Accessibility Goal

We strive to ensure that our programs and services are equally accessible to all by addressing barriers that may be preventing our services’ accessibility. To achieve this goal, we will endeavour to make accessibility improvements to our systems, network, programs, and services, to meet accessibility requirements.

To achieve this goal, we commit to undertaking specific measures to improve the accessibility of our systems, network, programs, and services. This involves implementing technologies and practices that meet established accessibility standards, as well as training our staff to ensure inclusive service delivery.

We will also strive to identify and eliminate potential barriers to accessing our programs and services by gathering feedback from users, including those with disabilities. By integrating these perspectives into our continuous improvement processes, we aim to create environments and services accessible to all, thereby fostering equitable and meaningful participation from our entire community.

Current level of Accessibility

Many of Terrestar’s customers are companies in the telecommunications space; these companies are subject to the same standards as Terrestar under the ACA. Our goal is that this joint commitment to accessibility, shared with our customers, facilitates updates to the design and delivery of Terrestar’s programs and services to ensure that they are accessible to all. On this note, Terrestar is in the process of developing an application that will be made available to consumers by way of Terrestar’s customers, which is being developed according to applicable accessibility standards.

Actions

Commitment 1: Provide guidance and support related to removing barriers in customer engagement through the delivery of programs and services by:

  • Researching and creating a plan to provide training focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion that informs on accessibility and the removal of barriers in the workplace for all customer-facing employees.

Area 7: Transportation

Terrestar does not provide transport for employees or members of the public. The standards for transportation under the ACA are beyond the scope of our accessibility plan. Accordingly, we have not identified any barriers related to transportation.

Therefore, our accessibility plan primarily focuses on aspects of our business that are directly under our control, such as our physical facilities, communications, technologies, and services. Although we do not currently transport staff or members of the public, we remain committed to eliminating barriers to accessibility in all aspects of our operations, per the ACA. If our business ever expands its activities to include the transportation of staff or the public, we will then review our accessibility plan to incorporate these new areas per ACA standards.

Consultations

Summary

The concept of “Nothing About Us, Without Us” emphasizes that persons with disabilities must be involved in the development of new policies, processes, and systems. We consulted with the Action Committee for People Living with Disabilities (Comité d’action des personnes vivant des situations de handicap – "CAPVISH”), in the development of our Accessibility Plan to support us in identifying opportunities to progress accessibility in the work that we do at Terrestar.

Consultation Process

A copy of Terrestar’s Plan was shared with CAPVISH in both English and French as an MS Word document to allow font sizes to be adjusted and ensure screen reader compatibility. We provided CAPVISH with the flexibility to provide their own timeline for reviewing the Plan and returning their feedback to us.

Results

CAPVISH’s feedback highlighted the importance of continuously refining and expanding our accessibility plan in collaboration with people with disabilities, seeing it as crucial to creating a barrier-free Canada. They also made the suggestion to include collaborating with individuals with disabilities throughout the plan as it is vital to ensuring that the accessibility plan effectively contributes to creating a more inclusive society and economy, allowing all individuals, regardless of disability, to actively participate.

We have added their feedback to our overarching Accessibility Statement, as well as to the individual Accessibility Goals for each of the seven key areas identified in the ACA.

Conclusion

Terrestar is dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment where all individuals can fully participate in all facets of our organization without barriers, including persons with disabilities. We firmly believe that implementing the initiatives outlined in our Accessibility Plan will enhance the experience of persons with disabilities who engage with us, including our employees and customers.

Our commitment to accessibility is an evolving journey. We are steadfast in our resolve to collaborate with individuals with disabilities to continuously refine and expand our Accessibility Plan, ensuring that we contribute effectively to the realization of a barrier-free Canada.

Terrestar recognizes and fully commits to complying with the Accessible Canada Act (ACA). We are determined to foster an inclusive environment where every individual, including those with disabilities, has the opportunity to participate fully in all facets of our business. We firmly believe that implementing our initiatives will enhance the experience of individuals with disabilities with whom we interact, whether they are members of our team, our clientele, or our community.

Our commitment to accessibility is an ongoing journey. We are resolved to collaborate with people with disabilities to continuously refine and expand our Accessibility Plan, ensuring that it effectively contributes to creating a Canada free of barriers. By working together, we can create an environment where all individuals, regardless of their disability status, can actively participate in our society and economy, thus realizing the full potential of inclusion.

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