$5.8 million investment to help Canadians with disabilities fully participate in the digital economy
November 7, 2022 - Ottawa, Ontario
All Canadians deserve the opportunity to find good jobs, contribute to their community and build a better life for themselves and their family. Yet even today, many Canadians with disabilities still face barriers to fully participating in the digital economy. That's why the Government of Canada continues to push the envelope to find new and innovative ways of helping remove barriers to accessibility and inclusion.
Today, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, launched the second phase of the Accessible Technology Program (ATP) and highlighted a $5.8 million federal investment in the program. The ATP is seeking applications for projects to develop new assistive and adaptive digital devices and technologies to make it easier for Canadians with disabilities to participate fully in the digital economy.
Given the unique needs of Canadians with disabilities, the current level of support for the development of accessible technologies is insufficient. While mainstream technologies typically decrease in price and become more readily available, the opposite is true for assistive and adaptive devices, since they must be customized to the unique needs of their users.
The ATP will help overcome these barriers, reduce the costs associated with developing assistive and adaptive technologies, and address the employment challenges persons with disabilities face. This will help ensure that they can be more independent and get the well-paying middle-class jobs they want. This program is part of the Government of Canada's Innovation and Skills Plan, a multi-year strategy to create well-paying jobs for the middle class.
All Canadian organizations that are developing new assistive and adaptive digital devices and technologies are invited to verify their eligibility for the program and submit an application on the ATP website.
The deadline to submit an application is December 9, 2022, at 11:59:59 pm (ET). If you have any questions about the program, please visit the Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada Contact Centre web page.
