Tom MacDonald Trucking Ltd. Accessibility Plan
General:
At Tom MacDonald Trucking we are committed to building a culture of inclusivity and accessibility. Not only is this part of our company culture but opening access to all is imperative to our continued growth and competitiveness as an employer in the trucking sector. We will contribute to a barrier-free Canada for everyone by building an accessibility framework that will support employees and the public we serve have the best experience possible with our services, products and facilities.
We know creating a barrier-free environment takes time and we are dedicated to the ongoing identification, removal and prevention of barriers. Tom MacDonald Trucking will build on our current efforts through the development of our initial Accessibility Plan as required under the Accessible Canada Act. This Accessibility Plan will guide our organization in meeting our accessibility commitments and in building an accessibility-confident culture.
To address gaps in these areas, it is important to recognize and understand the needs of those with disabilities. For this reason, this plan was developed in consultation with employees who identify as having a disability as well as personal experience with having a disability.
Executive Summary:
At Tom MacDonald Trucking we are committed to improving the attraction of persons with disabilities to jobs in our company. As well, we are committed to opening more options for accommodation, for drivers, shop, and office staff. We strive to better prepare ourselves to provide information in accessible formats when requested. We will continue to initiate processes where there is a more in depth review to the assessment of our building, recruitment processes, company programs and events, etc.
Feedback:
At Tom MacDonald Trucking we welcome feedback on our Accessibility Plan from the public, employees and our stakeholders. This feedback is valuable to us as it helps us break down accessibility barriers and build on our commitment to accessibility and inclusion.
If you have an inquiry or feedback, please use one of the contact methods below. We will respond to all feedback in a timely manner. If you require support while providing feedback let us know and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.
Contact: Dale Landry, HR and Safety Manager
Mailing Address: 527 Keltic Drive
Sydney, Nova Scotia
B1L-1B6
Email: safety@tmdtrucking.com
Phone: 902-562-5620
Website: www.tommacdonaldtrucking.com
Statement of commitment:
At Tom MacDonald Trucking we are committed to making our organization and the services we provide accessible to all, including persons with disabilities. All Canadians have the right to benefit from our services equally and those who work with us have the right to perform their jobs free of barriers.
Reporting our plan:
As required by the Accessible Canada Act, we will publish a status report every year that measures our progress against our commitments. We will also review and update our Accessibility Plan every three years. Progress Reports and updates to our Accessibility Plan will be shaped by consultation with persons with disabilities.
Employment:
Barrier #1:
There is a need to expand our understanding of the variety of accommodation options available to people with disabilities interested in becoming truck drivers.
Actions:
• Help managers understand their responsibilities in the accommodation process and in turn helps them in supporting their employees and implement suitable workplace adjustments that our financially feesible.
Barrier #2:
We as a company continue to face competition from other employers and not attracting enough applicants from people with disabilities.
Actions:
• By enhancing the career section of our website to attract people with disabilities and inform them of the various jobs available in the trucking industry.
• Educate hiring managers on accessibility and how they can ensure a barrier-free hiring, selection and accommodation process.
Built Environment:
Barrier #3:
Some spaces in our office and yare may limit the mobility of employees and visitors with disabilities.
Actions:
• We currently do not have a ramp for wheelchair access, however in the process of creating a plan to make our building wheelchair accessible.
• Providing individual accommodation to support the needs of employees with disabilities.
• The process of accommodating individuals will take a consultative approach and is a shared obligation of the company.
Barrier #4:
No safety signage in our office or yard and what we do have is not accessible for people with vision problems.
Actions:
• Speak with shop and office employees regarding the safety concerns and what kind of signs and precautions we can add.
• Improve illumination of current yard signs regarding safety.
Information and Communication Technologies
Barrier #5:
Our IT team is not well versed in accessibility technology and does not know how to assist persons with disabilities in the workplace.
Actions:
• Provide training when possible, to increase their accessibility knowledge and better understand persons with disabilities.
• Develop and promote guidance and training documents for persons with disabilities (e.g., making items larger on a screen, activating reader on MS Word, activating closed captioning on MS Teams, etc.)
• Creating an accessibility guidance checklists and documents for employees that are building or procuring information technology.
Communication other than ICT:
Barrier #6:
Our company does not have a consistent process to ensure alternate formats of communication that it issues to employees and other stakeholders are available and provided in a timely manner.
Actions:
• Identify service providers and develop contracts or agreements to create alternate formats, where appropriate and when needed.
• Prepare standard resources and commonly issued company communication in alternative formats so that they are ready to be distributed upon request.
• When asked, we commit to providing these alternate formats as soon as possible and within time frames listed in the Accessible Canada Regulations
o Print
o Large print
o Braille
o Audio format
o An electronic format that is compatible with adaptive technology meant to help people with disabilities.
Procurement of Goods, Services, and Facilities:
Barrier #7:
Tom MacDonald Trucking’s procurement procedures and practices do not take in consideration accessibility requirements.
Actions:
• Update the procurement procedures to include accessibility checks when buying goods and services.
• Include accessibility considerations into procurement templates (e.g., requests for proposals) so that they inform the selection of external vendors, products and services and confirms that they will abide by the requirements of the Accessible Canada Act.
Design and Delivery of Programs and Services:
Barrier #8:
Currently there is no standard approach to ensuring all programs, processes and services have taken accessibility into account.
Actions:
• Develop and promote guidelines on how to apply the accessibility lens when reviewing company policies, programs and services
• Create an Accessibility Checklist to help ensure key accessibility considerations are considered.
• Provide training on the Accessible Canada Act and Accessible Canada Regulations for those whose role is to develop programs, processes and procedures.
Transportation:
Tom MacDonald Trucking does not coordinate a transportation system, or a fleet of transportation vehicles as defined in the Accessible Canada Act. This means that standards for transportation are not in the scope of this plan.
Consultations:
To align with Tom MacDonald Trucking’s commitment to make our workplace accessible to all, we have developed our Accessibility Plan in consultation with our employees, including those with disabilities.
We will continue to survey employees, including those with disabilities and any working groups that have been developed as part of this Accessibility Plan, to measure progress and ensure that we realize the changes we’ve set out to achieve.
Definitions:
Accessibility:
Refers to the needs of persons with disabilities being intentionally and thoughtfully considered when products, services and facilities are built or modified so they can be used and enjoyed by persons of all abilities.
Barrier:
The Accessible Canada Act defines a barrier as “anything—including anything physical, architectural, technological or attitudinal, anything that is based on information or communications or anything that is the result of a policy or a practice—that hinders the full and equal participation in society of persons with an impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment or a functional limitation.”
Disability:
The Accessible Canada Act defines a disability as “any impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment—or a functional limitation— whether permanent, temporary or episodic in nature, or evident or not, that, interaction with a barrier, hinders a person’s full and equal participation in society.”
To view our Accessibility Progress Report please click the link: https://tommacdonaldtrucking.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Accessibilityprogressreport2025.pdf
Resources:
Nova Scotia Legislature – Accessibility Act
Government of Nova Scotia Accessibility Plan (2018–2021) – Government of Nova Scotia, Canada
Guidance on the Accessible Canada Regulations – Canada.ca
Guidance on the Accessible Canada Regulations: Sample Accessibility Plan Template