SUpport For Accessibility Reports

I. Executive Summary

Company Name: Rayova Logistics Inc.
Report Period: Year 2 Progress Report (2025) – reflecting on the second year of our 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan.

Rayova Logistics Inc. is committed to building a culture of inclusivity and accessibility. This inaugural Progress Report highlights the steps we have taken in the past year to remove barriers and improve accessibility in our operations, in compliance with the Accessible Canada Act. Overall, implementation of our Accessibility Plan is on track. We achieved several early successes, laid important groundwork for long-term initiatives, and identified areas that need further effort. Key progress highlights include:

• Workplace Inclusion: Launched an accessibility training program for all employees and leaders to raise awareness about disability inclusion and etiquette.
• Recruitment: Reviewed and updated our hiring practices – for example, every job posting now includes an equal opportunity statement inviting candidates to request accommodations, and our recruiting team received training on accessible interview techniques.
• Employee Accommodation: Introduced a streamlined workplace accommodation process, resulting in faster provision of assistive equipment (average request fulfillment time improved from 4 weeks to 2 weeks).
• Digital Accessibility: Improved the accessibility of our customer-facing website and shipping portal (achieving WCAG 2.1 AA compliance on key pages) and added captions to all new corporate videos.
• Facilities: Completed accessibility audits at 50% of our warehouses and distribution centers, fixing immediate issues (such as installing ramps at main entrances) and scheduling further upgrades.

We recognize that becoming fully accessible is a journey. Challenges remain, such as increasing the accessibility of some legacy IT systems and reaching more persons with disabilities in our talent pipeline. However, the progress made in this second year demonstrates our strong commitment to a barrier-free workplace. This report provides a detailed account of our actions in each priority area, the feedback we received through consultations, and our plans for continuous improvement.

II. Introduction

About Rayova Logistics Inc.: Rayova Logistics is a national freight transportation company with 200 employees, providing trucking and warehousing services across multiple provinces. We published our first Accessibility Plan (2023–2025) in June 2023, outlining our commitments to removing barriers in areas ranging from employment practices to the built environment.

Purpose of this Progress Report: This 2025 Progress Report describes what we have done in the second year of our Accessibility Plan to fulfill those commitments. It is prepared in accordance with the Accessible Canada Act’s requirements for federally regulated employers. The report covers progress in each of the Act’s priority areas, summarizes consultation with persons with disabilities, and notes how feedback has shaped our actions. It also reaffirms our ongoing dedication to creating an inclusive workplace for employees and an accessible service experience for clients.

Our Accessibility Vision: Rayova Logistics is dedicated to becoming an accessibility-confident organization. We envision a workplace where physical, technological, systemic, and attitudinal barriers are continually identified and removed. By 2040 (the goal year for a barrier-free Canada), we aim to have embedded accessibility into all aspects of our operations and culture. This vision drives the efforts documented in this report.

III. Progress by Priority Area

In our Accessibility Plan, we identified actions across seven key priority areas defined by the ACA. The following sections detail our progress in each area over the past year. For each priority area, we recap the relevant goals from our plan, describe measures taken, and note any outcomes or ongoing efforts.

General

Feedback Process & Contact Information: We have established a dedicated Accessibility Officer to receive feedback on our Accessibility Plan and its implementation. The officer’s title and contact information are provided below. This information is published on our website and in this report to encourage input from employees, customers, and the public.

• Designated Feedback Contact: Jane Doe, Accessibility Officer
• Contact Methods for Feedback:
  • Mailing address: 1234 Logistics Lane, Calgary, AB T1X 1A1
  • Telephone: 1-800-123-4567 ext. 101 (TTY available)
  • Email: accessibility@rayova.com
  • Online: Feedback form on our accessibility webpage

Individuals can use the above channels to request this Progress Report, our full Accessibility Plan, or our feedback process description in alternate formats. As of this publication, we have prepared alternate formats including large-print and audio versions, available upon request within 15 business days.

Overview of Year 2: In this General section of our plan, we committed to foundational steps such as adopting an official accessibility policy, setting up an internal accessibility working group, and allocating budget for accessibility initiatives. By July 2024, we successfully established an Accessibility Working Group with representatives from each department. This group meets monthly to oversee implementation of the Accessibility Plan. We also formalized our Accessibility Policy, which was approved by senior management and communicated to all staff in March 2025. Additionally, an initial budget of $15,000 was earmarked for accessibility projects (e.g. facility upgrades, assistive technologies). These general measures have built a strong governance framework to guide improvements in the specific priority areas outlined below.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

Planned Goal: Ensure that all digital tools and systems used by our employees and customers are accessible, in compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA standards for web content and relevant accessibility guidelines for software.

Actions & Progress: Our IT department conducted an audit of the company’s public website and internal employee portal for accessibility issues. By November 2024, we remediated most of the issues identified on our website: we improved color contrast on text and icons, added descriptive alt text to all images, and enabled keyboard navigability on interactive elements. We’re proud to report that our main customer-facing website is now WCAG 2.1 AA compliant. On the employee intranet, we launched a new accessible template for pages and documents. We upgraded our freight tracking software to be compatible with screen readers, making it easier for employees with visual impairments to use. One remaining task is an accessibility review of our mobile app used by drivers for deliveries; this is scheduled for Q2 2025 once the app’s current update cycle is complete.

Notable Improvement: We implemented a text-to-speech assistive plugin on our internal employee portal, which allows any user to have page content read aloud or converted into an audio file. This benefits employees with visual impairments or learning disabilities and has been positively received in our feedback survey.

Communication (Other Than ICT)

Planned Goal: Make all organizational communications clear and accessible to employees, drivers, and customers, including non-digital communications.

Actions & Progress: This year, we focused on adopting plain language across our written materials. Our communications team received training in writing accessible, easy-to-understand content. We updated standard templates for company memos, policy documents, and newsletters to use larger font sizes and high-contrast formatting for readability. We ensured that all new videos we produce (such as safety training videos for drivers and marketing materials) include closed captions and transcripts. We also began providing American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation for major company meetings and announcements (we piloted this in our annual town hall meeting in October 2024). Additionally, we have reviewed signage at our facilities: critical signs (like emergency exits, washrooms, and directional signs in our warehouses) were redesigned with a clear font and pictograms to aid comprehension. Going forward, we plan to create an official Communication Accessibility Policy to maintain these practices, including guidelines for accessible social media posts and phone communications for customers who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing.

Procurement of Goods, Services, and Facilities

Planned Goal: Integrate accessibility criteria into our procurement processes to ensure the goods, services, and facilities we purchase or lease are accessible.

Actions & Progress: In the past year, our procurement team added new accessibility clauses to supplier contracts and RFP (Request for Proposal) templates. For example, when sourcing office equipment and software, we now include requirements that vendors demonstrate their product’s accessibility features. One immediate result is that our latest purchase of office printers included models with tactile buttons and audio feedback for employees with vision impairments. For services, we updated the catering contract for our cafeteria to ensure menus are available in Braille and large print. Regarding facilities, any new lease agreements for offices or terminals now explicitly require the spaces to meet accessible design standards (such as having elevators, accessible washrooms, and barrier-free entrances). We have also educated our procurement staff through a workshop on accessible procurement practices, using guidelines from the Accessible Procurement Resource Centre. By embedding accessibility into procurement, we are proactively preventing new barriers from entering our workplaces and services.

Design and Delivery of Programs and Services

Planned Goal: Ensure that all programs and services we offer (both internally to employees and externally to clients) are designed and delivered in an accessible manner.

Actions & Progress: Rayova Logistics primarily provides transportation and warehousing services to businesses. While we do not have public-facing programs in the way a government service provider might, we looked at how our core services can be made more accessible. Internally, we examined our employee programs (like training, professional development, and health benefits enrollment). We found and fixed several issues: the Learning Management System for employee training is now updated to an accessible version that supports screen readers and keyboard navigation. We’ve also added alternative text descriptions to images in our online training modules. Externally, for our clients, we introduced an Accessible Customer Service Policy this year. This policy ensures that any client with a disability can request accommodations in how we deliver our services. For example, if a client with a hearing disability needs to communicate with our dispatch, we provide a text-based communication option. Additionally, at our customer service counters (e.g., freight drop-off/pick-up locations), we have trained staff on assisting customers who use mobility aids or who may have difficulty communicating. These steps help ensure that both our internal programs and external services are considerate of accessibility needs.

Transportation (Accessible Transportation Operations)

Planned Goal: Improve the accessibility of our transportation services and related infrastructure, aligning with best practices in the transportation sector.

Actions & Progress: As a freight carrier, our primary “passengers” are shipments rather than people. However, we identified several areas where accessibility applies in our transportation operations:

• Customer Shipping Locations: Our shipping depots and offices serve customers and drivers who may have disabilities. In 2024, we installed wheelchair ramps and automatic door openers at the entrances of our five busiest depots. We also designated priority parking spots for persons with disabilities at all our facilities.
• Driver Facilities: We operate a fleet of trucks and need to accommodate our drivers, including those who may develop disabilities or injuries. We invested in a pilot project to modify two of our long-haul trucks with ergonomic seats and hand control adaptations. Feedback from one driver who has a mobility impairment was positive – they reported reduced fatigue and easier vehicle control with these adaptations.
• Emergency Procedures: We updated our transportation emergency protocols to account for passengers with disabilities in case we ever transport them (e.g., in rare cases of customer ride-alongs or facility tours). While such situations are infrequent, we now have a procedure to ensure their safety (such as providing accessible evacuation equipment on site).

In summary, within our transportation operations we focused on making our physical locations more accessible and piloting accessible equipment for our workforce. In the next year, we plan to explore partnerships with organizations that specialize in accessible vehicle modifications to further enhance our fleet options.

Built Environment (Buildings and Public Spaces)

Planned Goal: Eliminate physical barriers in our buildings, warehouses, and yards to ensure they are fully accessible to employees and visitors with disabilities.

Actions & Progress: We conducted accessibility audits at several of our facilities as mentioned. Common barriers found included heavy doors without automatic openers, a lack of tactile signage, and some areas (like mezzanines in warehouses) only reachable by stairs. We have begun addressing these systematically. By the end of 2024, we installed automatic door openers at 10 of our offices and added tactile/Braille signs for room numbers and elevators in our headquarters. We also renovated two washrooms at our Calgary warehouse to be universal accessible washrooms (with widened doorways, grab bars, lower sinks, and emergency call buttons). The table below summarizes a couple of key barrier removal projects undertaken this year in the built environment:

Through these modifications, we have improved safety and accessibility in our built environments. We will continue this work in year 2, with plans to address elevator access in our older buildings and create tactile floor indicators for people with visual disabilities. We have also scheduled a professional accessibility assessment for all remaining facilities in mid-2025 to guide further renovations.

IV. Consultations and Feedback

Rayova Logistics understands that listening to those with lived experience of disabilities is crucial for meaningful progress. We approached consultations and feedback collection as ongoing processes, not one-time tasks. Below we describe how we gathered input and how it influenced our actions.

Consultations with Employees and Stakeholders

In preparing this report, we consulted people with disabilities both within and outside our organization:

• Employee Survey: In September 2024, we added specific questions about accessibility to our annual Employee Engagement Survey. We invited all employees to share any barriers they encounter in their day-to-day work. 85% of our workforce responded. Of those, about 10% (170 employees) self-identified as having a disability or ongoing health condition, and their feedback was particularly insightful. They highlighted issues such as difficulty with certain software and the need for more ergonomic workstations.
• Focus Group: We held a virtual focus group in October 2024 with 8 employees who had requested accommodations in the past year (with different disabilities represented). This session allowed for in-depth discussion. Participants praised improvements like the new automatic doors, and also pointed out remaining pain points, e.g., one employee with hearing loss noted that in some team meetings speakers forget to use the microphone system – a reminder for us to reinforce inclusive meeting practices.
• External Consultation: We reached out to a local disability advocacy organization (Inclusive Workplaces Alberta) for an external perspective. In November 2024, their accessibility specialist reviewed our year-1 initiatives and gave feedback, commending our training efforts and suggesting we set more measurable targets for hiring persons with disabilities. We plan to incorporate their advice in our future plans.

These consultations were invaluable. They not only fulfill the ACA requirement to consult persons with disabilities, but also helped us gauge the real-world impact of our actions. We have summarized the consultation findings and shared them with senior management and the Accessibility Working Group to inform decision-making.

Feedback Received and Our Responses

We received feedback through our established channels (email, phone line, and the survey mentioned above). Below are some common themes of feedback and how we have responded:

• Feedback: “We need clearer communication about available accommodations.” – Some employees weren’t aware of how to request certain accommodations or whom to ask.
  Our Response: We realized our internal communications on this could improve. In October, HR sent out a memo (in accessible format) detailing the accommodation request process and introduced the Accessibility Officer as a point of contact. We also updated the HR portal with a prominent “Accessibility & Accommodation” page that outlines available support and FAQs.
• Feedback: “The new warehouse ramps are great, but a few loading areas are still hard to access.” – An employee with a mobility impairment noted that while front entrances were now accessible, the loading docks had stairs-only access to certain platforms.
  Our Response: We acknowledged this gap. Our facilities team has added interim solutions (portable ramps) where feasible and included permanent fixes for those loading areas in next year’s capital improvement budget. Safety protocols have been adjusted to ensure alternative means to perform those loading tasks until permanent solutions are in place.
• Feedback: “Can the company provide ASL interpretation more often?” – A Deaf employee appreciated the interpreted town hall and requested that important team meetings also have interpreters or captioning.
  Our Response: We agree that important communications should be accessible. We are now expanding our use of CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) captioning for all-hands meetings and offering managers guidance on arranging interpreters or live captioning for team meetings when needed. Our goal is to ensure no employee misses information due to a hearing barrier.

All formal feedback received about our Accessibility Plan or accessibility in general is logged by the Accessibility Officer. This year, we received 25 distinct pieces of feedback (via email or phone). Common topics included the above issues and positive comments about changes like the new ergonomic equipment. We have taken each feedback into consideration: either addressing it immediately when possible, or including it as an action item for the next phase of our plan. We will continue to keep feedback channels open and highly visible, as they guide our improvement efforts.

V. Accessibility-Related Regulations

Rayova Logistics operates under federal jurisdiction, so we adhere to the Accessible Canada Act and its regulations, as well as any sector-specific accessibility rules. In the transportation sector, the Accessible Transportation Planning and Reporting Regulations (ATPRR) apply to certain providers. As a trucking company focused on freight (not passenger) services, many provisions of transportation accessibility regulations (which often focus on passenger carriers like airlines, rail, and bus operators) do not directly apply to our operations. However, we have reviewed the relevant regulations to ensure we meet all applicable requirements. For example, the Canadian Transportation Agency’s accessibility guidelines were consulted to inform our facility upgrades and customer service training.

We also comply with general employment and accessibility standards under federal law. This includes the Accessible Canada Regulations, which set out how we must prepare and publish accessibility plans, progress reports, and feedback processes. We confirm that this Progress Report contains all mandated content and headings as required. Additionally, where provincial accessibility legislation is relevant (for instance, some of our warehouses in Ontario fall under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act standards), we strive to align with those standards as well. By monitoring accessibility-related regulations and best practices, we ensure our initiatives not only fulfill legal obligations but also reflect the leading edge of accessibility in the industry.

VI. Future Plans

The progress achieved in 2024 lays a strong foundation, but Rayova Logistics recognizes there is much more work ahead to reach full accessibility. In the coming year (2025), we plan to build on our momentum:

• Complete Remaining Year-2 Actions: Our Accessibility Plan outlines additional targets for the second year. This includes finishing accessibility audits of all remaining facilities, rolling out the accessible intranet features company-wide, and meeting our hiring goals for employees with disabilities (we aim to increase representation by 1-2% through focused recruitment).
• Develop the Next Accessibility Plan (2026–2028): By late 2025, we will begin consulting and planning for our next multi-year Accessibility Plan, as the current plan concludes in 2025. Lessons learned and feedback from this progress cycle will directly inform the new plan. For example, areas where we faced challenges (like retrofitting older infrastructure or updating legacy software) will get special focus and more granular action plans in the next cycle.
• Continuous Training and Awareness: We intend to expand our training programs. In 2025, every new employee will receive accessibility orientation within their first month, and managers will undergo advanced training on creating inclusive teams. We will also observe the National Accessibility Week with events and workshops to keep awareness high.
• Implement New Initiatives: Some ideas that emerged from consultations are slated to begin soon. One is a “Technology Accessibility Ambassador” program where volunteer employees test new IT tools for accessibility before deployment. Another is partnering with a non-profit to create an internship program for youth with disabilities interested in logistics careers – this would support community inclusion and potentially bring talent into our workforce.

Looking further ahead, Rayova Logistics is committed to staying proactive. We will keep tracking developments in accessibility standards (such as new CSA accessibility standards or updates to web guidelines) and update our practices accordingly. Our ultimate goal is not just to meet regulatory requirements, but to exceed them, making accessibility a competitive strength of our company. Future progress reports will continue to transparently communicate our journey toward a barrier-free workplace.

VII. Conclusion

In this second annual Accessibility Progress Report, Rayova Logistics Inc. has documented meaningful steps toward our vision of an inclusive, accessible organization. The report outlined our efforts across all priority areas – from employment and ICT to the built environment – and demonstrated a company-wide commitment to eliminating barriers. We have engaged with our employees and stakeholders throughout this process, and their voices have been instrumental in shaping our actions.

Accessibility is an ongoing commitment. We acknowledge that while progress has been positive, our work is not done. The company’s leadership remains fully supportive of the initiatives underway and those planned for the future. We will continue to allocate resources, both human and financial, to meet our accessibility goals. Additionally, we will maintain open lines of communication for feedback. If you have any comments or suggestions regarding this report or our accessibility efforts, we encourage you to reach out to our Accessibility Officer (contact information in the General section above). Alternate formats of this report are available upon request.

Rayova Logistics Inc. is proud to contribute to the broader goal of a barrier-free Canada. By sharing our progress transparently, we hold ourselves accountable and hopefully inspire other organizations in the trucking and logistics sector to advance their own accessibility journeys. We look forward to reporting further progress in our next update. Together, through sustained effort and collaboration, we will move closer to a fully accessible workplace and society.