Ensure your learning, training, and development strategy is inclusive and accessible

Ensuring that your learning, training, and development strategy is inclusive and accessible to all employees allows for a diverse and well-rounded workforce. By accommodating employees’ unique needs from different cultural backgrounds, linguistic abilities, and geographic locations, organizations can create an environment that supports inclusion, fosters collaboration, and encourages growth.

Inclusive learning: Inclusive learning is an approach that ensures all employees have equal opportunities to participate, engage, and succeed in the workplace. It involves creating learning materials and environments that accommodate the diverse needs, backgrounds, and preferences of all employees.

Accessible learning: Accessible learning refers to the design and delivery of learning materials, resources, and environments usable by people with diverse abilities, including those with disabilities. This can involve using assistive technologies, alternative formats, and flexible learning options.

Inclusive and accessible learning benefits employees through increased engagement, collaboration, retention, and personal growth. Organizations gain from a diverse workforce, higher productivity, compliance with accessibility legislation, and an enhanced reputation. Prioritizing inclusivity and accessibility promotes a supportive environment for both employees and organizations.

Tips for ensuring inclusivity and accessibility

• Cultural sensitivity training: Offer culturally sensitive training workshops or sessions to promote understanding and respect for different cultural backgrounds. Invite experts or guest speakers from various backgrounds to share their insights and experiences.
• Language support: Provide language-specific resources and translations for training materials. Offer language courses or tutoring services to help employees improve their language skills.
• Flexible learning formats: Utilize a combination of in-person, virtual, and self-paced training options to accommodate employees in different geographic locations. Make recorded training sessions available online for convenient access.
• Inclusive content: Incorporate diverse perspectives, case studies, and examples in training materials to reflect the multicultural workforce. Regularly review and update content to ensure cultural sensitivity and inclusivity.
• Accommodate different learning styles: Design training programs that cater to different learning styles, such as visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. Offer various learning methods, including presentations, discussions, hands-on activities, and multimedia resources.
• Mentoring and peer support: Foster cross-cultural understanding and collaboration through mentorship programs or peer support groups. Encourage employees to share their cultural backgrounds and experiences.
• Celebrate diversity: Organize events or activities that celebrate the organization’s cultural diversity, such as multicultural potlucks or diversity-themed workshops. Use these events to reinforce the importance of cultural sensitivity and inclusivity in the workplace.
• Create accessible training materials: Ensure all training materials, both online and offline, are accessible to employees with disabilities by following best practices in material development, accommodating various assistive technologies, and providing alternative options. Consult with accessibility experts to evaluate the organization’s learning materials for accessibility.

List of resources for cultural sensitivity training across Canada

Alberta

• Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre: Provides resources on human rights, civil liberties, and social justice issues in Alberta.
• Centre for Race and Culture: Offers training, research, and programs to address racism and promote diversity in Alberta.
• Calgary Anti-Racism Education: Provides resources and workshops to educate on and combat racism in Calgary and beyond.

British Columbia

• Challenging Racist “British Columbia”: 150 Years and Counting: Offers information on the history of racism and resistance in British Columbia.
• MOSAIC: Offers services and programs to support newcomers, refugees, and immigrants in British Columbia.

Manitoba

• Manitoba Association for Rights and Liberties: Provides resources and events related to human rights, social justice, and anti-racism in Manitoba.
• Immigrant Centre Manitoba: Offers resources, programs, and services for newcomers, promoting cultural awareness and diversity in Manitoba.

New Brunswick

• New Brunswick Multicultural Council: Offers resources, programs, and services to support cultural diversity and inclusion in New Brunswick.
• PRUDE Inc.: Provides resources and programs to promote diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism in Saint John, New Brunswick.

Newfoundland and Labrador

• Association for New Canadians: Provides resources, programs, and services to promote cultural awareness, diversity, and inclusion in Newfoundland and Labrador.
• First Light: Supports Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, with cultural programs and services.

Nova Scotia

• Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia: Offers resources, programs, and services to support newcomers and promote cultural awareness and diversity in Nova Scotia.
• African Nova Scotian Affairs: Provides resources, information, and programs to support African Nova Scotian communities and promote cultural awareness.

Ontario

• Ontario Anti-Racism Directorate: Provides resources, reports, and information on addressing systemic racism in Ontario.
• Colour of Poverty – Colour of Change Network: Works to raise public awareness and address issues of racialized poverty and inequality in Ontario.
• Across Boundaries: Provides mental health and addiction services for racialized communities in Toronto, Ontario.

Prince Edward Island

• PEI Association for Newcomers to Canada: Offers resources, services, and programs for promoting cultural awareness, diversity, and inclusion on Prince Edward Island.
• PEI Newcomers Guide: Offers resources, programs, and services to support newcomers and promote cultural awareness and diversity in Prince Edward Island.

Saskatchewan

• Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan: Offers resources and programs to promote cultural diversity, inclusivity, and anti-racism in Saskatchewan.
• Saskatoon Open Door Society: Offers resources, programs, and services to support newcomers and promote cultural awareness and diversity in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Quebec

• Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR): CRARR is a Montreal-based civil rights organization that promotes racial equality and fights against racial discrimination in Quebec. They provide resources, information, and advocacy for individuals and communities affected by racial discrimination.
• Montreal City Mission: Provides resources, programs, and services to support newcomers and promote cultural awareness and diversity in Montreal, Quebec.

Northwest Territories

• NWT Association of Communities: Offers resources, programs, and services to support cultural awareness and diversity in the Northwest Territories.
• NWT Native Women’s Association: Advocates for the rights of Indigenous women and offers resources and programs to support cultural awareness and diversity in the Northwest Territories.

Nunavut

• Nunavut Department of Culture and Heritage: Offers resources and information related to cultural preservation, diversity, and inclusion in Nunavut.
• Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami: Represents and advocates for Inuit people in Canada, offering resources and information on cultural awareness, diversity, and Inuit rights.

Yukon

• Council of Yukon First Nations: Represents and advocates for the rights of Yukon First Nations, offering resources and information on cultural awareness, diversity, and Indigenous rights.
• Multicultural Centre of the Yukon: Offers resources, programs, and services to support newcomers and promote cultural awareness and diversity in Yukon.