Accreditation
Ability Accreditation™
National accreditation for inclusive accessibility across Canadian organizations.
Find Ability Accreditation™ Organizations →
What Ability Accreditation™ Means
Ability Accreditation™ is a national accreditation that evaluates inclusive accessibility across Canadian organizations.
The accreditation helps customers, members, clients, employees, and communities identify organizations that demonstrate a commitment to inclusive accessibility through accessible communication, accommodation practices, predictable processes, and continuous improvement.
Organizations are assessed through leadership input, staff feedback, public accessibility review, organizational evidence, and verification activities conducted by The Ability Company.
Organizations may earn one of two public accreditations:
Ability Verified™
Organizations that meet the Ability Accreditation™ verification requirements through leadership input, staff feedback, public accessibility review, organizational evidence, and verification activities.
Ability Verified Plus™
Organizations that meet the Ability Accreditation™ verification requirements and include lived experience feedback from an established membership or defined community.
Examples may include:
Chamber members
Union members
First Nation community members
Association members
Cooperative members
Advisory groups
Program participants
Organizations that do not yet meet the Ability Verified™ requirements receive an Ability Ready Plan that identifies improvement priorities and includes practical resources designed to support future verification.
Why Ability Accreditation™?
Many Canadian organizations meet accessibility requirements through legislation such as the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and other provincial accessibility standards.
Ability Accreditation™ does not replace legal accessibility requirements, compliance reporting, or government obligations.
Important: Ability Accreditation evaluates accessibility and inclusion practices and experiences. It is not a building code inspection, legal compliance audit, engineering review, occupational health and safety audit, accessibility certification, or determination of compliance with federal, provincial, territorial, or municipal legislation.
While compliance requirements focus on meeting legislative obligations, Ability Accreditation™ evaluates how accessibility and inclusion are experienced in practice by employees, customers, clients, members, participants, and communities.
Ability Accreditation™ considers:
Leadership commitment
Employee experience
Customer and client experience
Communication practices
Accommodation processes
Sensory considerations
Predictable processes
Continuous improvement
Training and awareness
Benefits of Ability Accreditation™
Ability Accreditation™ Badge: Organizations receive either the Ability Verified™ or Ability Verified Plus™ badge for one year.
Public Directory Listing: Verified organizations appear in The Ability Accreditation™ Directory with either the Ability Verified™ or Ability Verified Plus™ designation displayed.
Executive Summary Report: A leadership-focused summary highlighting key findings, strengths, opportunities for improvement, and recommended next steps.
Annual Reassessment: Accreditation is valid for 12 months. Organizations are reassessed annually to reflect current maturity and evolving inclusive accessibility practices.
Additional Opportunities: Verified organizations may be eligible for partnership opportunities, discounted services, and additional supports offered by The Ability Company.
What Ability Accreditation™ Assesses
Ability Accreditation™ evaluates inclusive accessibility through multiple assessment components that together provide a comprehensive view of organizational practices and lived experiences. Across the assessment process, Ability Accreditation™ evaluates communication, accessibility and accommodation practices, sensory considerations, predictable processes, continuous improvement, and training and awareness.
Leadership Experience: Assessed through a leadership survey exploring leadership commitment, communication, accessibility and accommodations, sensory considerations, predictable processes, continuous improvement, and training and awareness.
Staff Experience: Assessed through an anonymous staff survey exploring communication, accessibility and accommodations, sensory considerations, predictable processes, continuous improvement, training, and accessibility awareness.
Public Accessibility Review: An assessment of publicly available accessibility information, communication methods, accommodation supports, feedback opportunities, and information that helps people understand what they can expect when interacting with the organization.
Organizational Evidence: Organizations upload policies, procedures, and supporting materials that demonstrate their inclusive accessibility practices.
Verification Activities: Activities conducted by The Ability Company to validate assessment findings, clarify submitted evidence, and confirm organizational practices. Verification activities may include a verification call, email correspondence, review of supporting documentation, or other assessment-related validation activities.
Community & Member Experience (Ability Verified Plus™ only): Assesses lived experience feedback from their established membership or defined community via a survey. This feedback helps assess whether inclusive accessibility is reflected in the experiences of the people connected to the organization.
Optional Site Verification Enhancement: An optional on-site verification enhancement available to organizations participating in Ability Accreditation™. The enhancement provides an in-person review of the physical visitor experience and accessibility practices within the organization’s environment. Site Verification findings are provided as part of the organization’s assessment results.
NOTE: All survey responses are submitted directly to The Ability Company and are used as part of the assessment process.
Ability Accreditations
Ability Verified™
This organization has successfully completed The Ability Company’s verification process and meets the Ability Verified™ standard. The assessment includes leadership input, staff feedback, organizational evidence, public accessibility review, and verification activities.
Ability Verified Plus™
This organization has successfully completed The Ability Company’s verification process, meets the Ability Verified™ standard, and has included lived experience feedback from its established membership or defined community.
Ability Verified Plus™ combines organizational evidence with lived experience feedback to provide a broader picture of how inclusive accessibility is put into practice and experienced by others.
Community & Member Survey participation requirements apply.
Site Verification EnhancementThe Site Verification Enhancement is available to eligible organizations pursuing Ability Verified™ or Ability Verified Plus™.
The enhancement includes an in-person verification review conducted by The Ability Company and may include observation of visitor experience, wayfinding, accessibility supports, sensory considerations, discussion with organizational representatives, and validation of information submitted as part of the Ability Accreditation™ assessment process.
The Site Verification Enhancement is intended to support verification of visitor experiences and organizational accessibility practices within a physical environment and is not a legal compliance audit, accessibility certification, engineering assessment, or building code review. This aligns with the broader Ability Accreditation™ approach, which evaluates accessibility and inclusion practices and experiences rather than legal compliance requirements.
Organizations that complete the Site Verification enhancement receive Site Verification findings alongside their Ability Verified™ or Ability Verified Plus™ assessment results.
Site Verification is not required annually. Once an organization successfully meets the Site Verification requirements, Site Verified may continue to be displayed on its current Ability Verified™ or Ability Verified Plus™ badge as long as the organization maintains an active accreditation and there have been no major changes to the reviewed physical location. A new Site Verification may be required if the organization relocates or makes significant changes to the physical environment that could affect accessibility or the visitor experience.
*Only organizations that achieve Ability Verified™ or Ability Verified Plus™ appear in the public directory. Organizations that receive an Ability Ready Plan are not publicly listed.
Ability Accreditation™ Process
To complete the Ability Accreditation™ assessment, organizations must:
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Provide basic organizational information, declare your size category, and complete payment.
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Receive confirmation of your organization size category, assessment fee, and payment instructions.
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Submit payment to gain access to the assessment portal.
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Sent directly to the primary contact after payment.
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Anonymous link provided after payment.
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For Ability Verified Plus™ only, distribute the Lived Experience Feedback Survey to the organization’s established membership or defined community.
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Policies, communication templates, sensory-friendly practices, and accessibility materials.
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Confirm and validate culture and clarify evidence.
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An in-person verification review that may include observation of accessibility and inclusion practices, wayfinding, visitor experience, sensory considerations, and validation of information submitted during the assessment process.
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Receive your assessment decision and Executive Summary Report. Organizations that successfully complete the On-Site Verification Enhancement may also receive Site Verified™ recognition in addition to their Ability Verified™ or Ability Verified Plus™ accreditation.
Ability Verified™ Pricing
Ability Verified™ is an annual accreditation. Standard assessment pricing is based on the organization’s number of employees. Organizations pursuing Ability Verified Plus™ pay the standard Ability Verified™ assessment fee plus the applicable fee based on membership or defined community size.
Small (1–10 employees) — $299
Medium (11–50 employees) — $499
Large (51–250 employees) — $799
Enterprise (251+ employees) — $1,299
Assessment fees are non-refundable once payment has been received and access to Ability Accreditation™ assessment materials has been provided.
Ability Verified Plus™ Pricing
Ability Verified Plus™ is available to organizations with an established membership or defined community, including Chambers of Commerce, First Nations, unions, associations, cooperatives, program-based organizations, and other organizations with an identifiable group from which feedback can be collected.
Ability Verified Plus™ includes everything required for Ability Verified™, along with a lived experience survey for the organization's eligible participants within its established membership or defined community. The Ability Company provides the survey link and distribution instructions. The organization is responsible for distributing the link to its eligible membership or defined community.
Ability Verified™ fee, plus:
Up to 100 eligible participants — $200
101–500 eligible participants — $350
501–1,000 eligible participants — $500
More than 1,000 eligible participants — Custom quote
Ability Verified Plus™ pricing is added to the applicable Ability Verified™ assessment fee.
For pricing purposes, eligible participants include the members or people within the defined community who are eligible to receive the survey.
Pricing is based on the total number of eligible participants within the established membership or defined community, not the number of survey invitations sent or responses received. Organizations must accurately report the total number of eligible participants at the time of application. The Ability Company reserves the right to request supporting documentation and adjust the applicable fee if the reported size differs from the actual number of eligible participants. Any outstanding fee must be paid before an Ability Verified Plus™ designation is issued.
Community & Member Survey participation requirements must be met for Ability Verified Plus™ consideration. Minimum participation requirements are based on the size of the organization's established membership or defined community and will be provided as part of the assessment process.
Site Verification pricing is customized based on organization size, location, travel requirements, and assessment scope. A quotation will be provided before any Site Verification activities are scheduled.
Submission of an application and payment of the assessment fee does not guarantee an Ability Verified™ or Ability Verified Plus™ designation.
More Details About Ability Accreditation™
Multi‑Year Commitment (Verified Organizations Only): Organizations that achieve Ability Verified™ or Ability Verified Plus™ may commit to a three-year accreditation term and receive a 15% discount. Multi-year commitments are paid upfront. Annual reassessment still applies, and designations are reassessed annually based on assessment results and ongoing organizational practices.
Renewal Rules: Accreditation is valid for 12 months from the approval date. Annual reassessment is required. Designations are reassessed annually and may change based on current assessment results and evolving inclusive accessibility practices. Badges are not tied to calendar years, and accreditation is not prorated. Annual reassessment applies to the Ability Verified™ or Ability Verified Plus™ designation; Site Verification does not need to be repeated annually unless the organization relocates or makes significant changes to the reviewed physical environment.