Empowering employees
By Christianna Scott, Director, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Employee Accessibility at Air Canada.
When we launched enhanced accessibility and disability‑awareness training for airport employees, I assumed the biggest gains would be in skills. What surprised me was the sound of the room afterward: quieter where it needed to be, clearer where it mattered. People told us the training gave them confidence to slow down, ask better questions and act with intention under pressure. The real breakthrough was that moment when capability became culture.
Integral to empowering our employees was the role played by Air Canada’s Diverse Abilities employee resource group (ERG). It has become a key consultative partner across the organization, a sounding board that surfaces pain points and helps strengthen policies. Rather than reacting to challenges, the ERG co‑creates solutions. When Air Canada developed the “Guidelines on Inclusive Meetings and the Guidelines on Inclusive Events,” the ERG shaped the documents alongside us, ensuring a wide range of accessibility needs were meaningfully addressed.
This collaborative approach has made the ERG a trusted space for employees to raise barriers and influence improvements. As Hans Dupuis, DE&I Support Administrator, shared, participating in the group gives employees a place to “express the challenges we face.” That openness fuels better decision‑making across the company.
For Matt, Nadeau, Analyst, IT Quality Assurance – Accessibility at Air Canada, participating in the Diverse Abilities ERG gives him an immense sense of belonging: “As someone living with both physical and visual challenges and someone newly joining as a co‑chair of this ERG, I take great pride both personally and professionally. I believe everyone in this group has something unique and special to offer. Through this group, we are empowered and driven to create change in daily employment life through discussions and dialogue around accessibility resources. We help each other improve based on experience, remove concerns and barriers, and make the workplace more inclusive across different roles. Our differences, individually or collectively, can unite us to affect needed change and create growth, recognition, and awareness for this group.”
These contributions show how Diverse Abilities ERG has become not only a community of support but also a strategic partner in helping shape more inclusive practices, policies and everyday experiences across the organization.
Employees recalled moments when pausing to ask questions stopped stressful situations from snowballing. That simple check‑in, bolstered by an extra beat of curiosity and care, has since become a core part of how he approaches every shift, shaping a more accessible and supportive environment for everyone he works with. Others asked for short, timely refreshers aligned with peak travel seasons. Such requests pushed us to evolve our approach, effectively building in follow‑ups, tracking actual completion and gathering real‑time feedback instead of relying solely on attendance. That’s how we made learning stick.
The stories that came back were everyday signals of change: a smoother handoff on a busy morning; a teammate speaking up earlier because the culture now expects it; and a customer who felt seen, not singled out. Training wasn’t an add‑on; it was an operating choice that improves the human experience. And scale mattered. The story of training 10,000 people underscored that capability building is how culture moves, one interaction at a time.
We’ll keep iterating, tightening content, refreshing scenarios and closing gaps we hear about from the field. Because when employees feel confident and supported, they’re better equipped to support our customers. That’s where accessibility becomes the way we work, not just the way we talk about work.
Thanks for connecting. We’re proud of our journey.