What you need to know to meet the ACA Phase 1 ICT deadlines
Event description
The Accessible Canada Act’s regulations for digital ICT (information and communication technologies) were published on December 17, 2025, including deadlines for training and EN 301 549 conformance in 2027 and 2028. Obligated organizations must prepare to meet the WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 AA standard across digital platforms to ensure content is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities.
In 2018, our team helped strengthen and clarify the Act’s wording. In 2024, David Berman served on the standards committee that advocated for the adoption of EN 301 549 as a Canadian standard for digital accessibility.
In 2025, we were rated #1 nationally by the federal government for digital accessibility conformance testing. We’ve been helping strategize accessibility for over two decades, and now we’re poised to help you unpack this challenging opportunity.
In this event, we provide in-depth insight into the new compliance requirements for the Accessible Canada Act. In this compelling course material, David Berman has put the latest ICT regulations into the perspective of Canada’s remarkable history of leadership in creating a more accessible world. We’ll cover the details of what you must do, by when, and how to choose your next steps.
“A wonderful, delightfully informative, and engaging session: our objective of learning WCAG 2.1 was definitely met … we look forward to more events with your team in the future.”
-Statistics Canada
Not only will you leave with ideas you can use right away, but you may also gain a whole new attitude toward how technology can improve lives. By the end of this event, you will not only be aware of why accessibility and standards affect everyone, but also be equipped with a thorough understanding of the best strategies for approaching what needs to be done and how.
What’s wrong
The latest ACA ICT regs are now live. However, the regulations can be confusing to those not familiar with interpreting complex regulations or with the global digital accessibility ecosystem they are part of. Furthermore, all enthusiasm aside, a lack of experience implementing a mature model can lead to unnecessary spending and stress, as well as mediocre outcomes.
What makes this event unique
Our lead subject matter expert, David Berman, is a government consultant and an invited expert to the W3C on conformance with EN 301 549, WCAG, and other digital accessibility standards. He was hired as a consultant specifically related to the development of the Accessible Canada Act, performed committee work on the adoption of EN 301 549 as a national standard for Canada, and his suggestions on how to improve the regulations are visible in the final regs. He has developed training on this topic and related topics for the Canadian federal government, Agriculture Canada, American Psychological Association (APA), Canada School of Public Service, Carleton University, IPL, Internet Institute, LCBO, University of Tampa, and Yardstick. He has completed online accessibility projects for many large organizations, including Statistics Canada, the National Research Council, and IBM. He has been the project manager of numerous accessible online products and has developed strategy and design for CFIA, CRA, CMHC, Health Canada, Canadian Heritage, Industry Canada, and the International Space Station … as well as many private sector and non-profit organizations.
What you will learn
You will learn the best ways to ensure that your organization meets or exceeds compliance with every aspect of the ACA ICT regulations, in advance of the deadlines.
Specifically, you will learn:
-
- Precisely what you must do vs. what you could and should do
- What the 2027 and 2028 deadlines mean for your organization … and all Canadians
- The distinction between the “ICT Standard“, EN 301 549, and WCAG 2.1 AA (as well as 2.0 vs. 2.1 vs 2.2!)
- How to align your compliance strategy with your size, budget, and jurisdiction … while reaping the “accessibility dividend”
“David really knows his topics. Very well done: got the point across in a way that can be applied to everyone.”
– Sean Strasbourg, CFIA
Objectives
At the end of this event, you will have the tools to:
- Know techniques you can apply right away
- Have a comprehensive understanding of the ACA ICT regulations, as well as familiarity with related accessibility regulations and standards
- Be able to make informed decisions as to what parts of the regulations apply to your organization
“Very eye-opening and thought-provoking.”
– Anonymous
What every attendee gets
When David Berman Communications hosts this as a course*, regular ticket holders receive:
- a complimentary, comprehensive learning guide, detailing every applicable accessibility standard (also
available separately for $89, with optional 1-on-1 distance coaching) - a thirty-minute one-on-one personal coaching tele-session with David within a month
- the option to attend this course again in the future, should there be a public event, as a refresher, at no additional cost
- the option to attend the first half on one date and the second half at a future date
- a money-back guarantee: if, after coaching, you don’t think you’ve got your money’s worth, we’ll refund your entire fee
(*If you are attending one of our courses hosted by another organization, confirm which of these items apply.)
Contact us: Email courses@davidberman.com, call +1-613-728-6777 or contact us your fave way to book this event online or at your site: for a keynote, webinar, lunch-and-learn, half-day, or full-day event, customized for your group.
Accessible events: We are committed to creating inclusive and accessible events that delight all participants. We invite accommodation requests in advance, providing support such as live captioning and ASL interpretation as needed. For questions about other accommodations or preferences (or if you need expert advice on anything that can’t wait until then!), contact courses@davidberman.com or call 613-728-6777.
Prerequisites
None (and no nerdy experience required!)
“This will make us better communicators.”
– Luc Bergeron, SSHRC
“Perfect.”
– Jean Leclair, Environment Canada
About the lead course developer
David Berman is the principal of David Berman Communications. He has over 25 years of experience in graphic design and strategic communications. He has worked extensively in adapting the printed word for electronic distribution, including software interface development.
David was appointed a high-level advisor to the United Nations on how design and accessible IT can help fulfill the Millennium Development Goals more rapidly.
In 2013, The World Wide Web Foundation had David personally audit the accessibility of benchmark Web sites from over 40 countries for their global report on the state of the Web.
He is an Invited Expert to W3C (the authors of WCAG) and a member of the ISO standards committee on accessible PDF documents.
His book (Do Good Design, Pearson/Peachpit) about how design can be used to create a more just world speaks about universal design and accessibility, and is now available in 6 languages, as well as braille.
He has extensive experience as a senior consultant in applying accessibility and standards to government websites, as well as to private sector clients such as IBM, both as a strategist and compliance testing leader. He regularly teaches accessibility principles as part of his professional development workshops, and developed a custom two-day workshop for the National Research Council on common look and feel. His plain writing, design, and accessibility work include award-winning projects for the City of Ottawa, the Ontario government, and Canada’s federal government.
Clients include IBM, Justice Canada, HRDC, Canada Revenue Agency, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the Region of Ottawa-Carleton and the Ontario Literacy Coalition.
David has been featured in the Financial Post, the Globe and Mail, the Ottawa Citizen, the Montreal Gazette, Marketing, Applied Arts, HOW, and Communication Arts magazines, as well as ABC and CBC.
In addition to operating as one of the leading design strategists in Canada’s capital, David ranks #1 on speakerwiki.org on this topic for a reason. His arc as an internationally-celebrated expert speaker has brought him to over 30 countries. David is a National Professional Member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS) and the Global Speakers Federation (GSF).
David has served as Ethics Chair of the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada, was named a Fellow (the highest professional honour for graphic designers in Canada) in 1999, and has served as a director and sustainability chair of Icograda, the world body for graphic and communications design.
Who should attend
This course is targeted to everyone who touches digital accessibility at entities that either support or have obligations under the ACA ICT regulations, including:
- chief information officers
- website managers
- legal teams
- everyone in the Canadian federal government and large Canadian businesses who are obligated under the ACA ICT regulations to take training on digital accessibility
- software developers who license or develop products for the Canadian federal government
- software developers who license or develop products for large federally regulated businesses
- procurement officers
- writers, content owners and editors of course material
- UX designers
- quality control team members
- everyone involved in the development of websites, browser-based apps, mobile apps, and digital documents for the federal government or large federally regulated businesses
Language and location
English or French available on-site, online, or hybrid event.
Duration
One-day course (optionally split into two half-days), half-day course, or keynote/webinar/lunch-and-learn presentation.
“Makes you feel you are part of the course.”
– Arup Ghosh, BMO Financial Group
“Excellent, eye-opening, and not preachy!”
– Carrie Walker-Boyd, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Reviewed January 20, 2026