1. Accessibility Directorate
  2. Employment Standard Development Committee

Employment Standard Development Committee

The Employment Standard Development Committee helped the Accessibility Advisory Board make recommendations to the Minister of Justice on a proposed standard for preventing and removing barriers to accessibility in employment.

Recommendations to the Minister of Justice

An important part of our goal of creating an accessible Nova Scotia by 2030 is the development of accessibility standards. The employment accessibility standard is intended to prevent and remove barriers to accessibility in employment. The employment standard will help make sure that persons with disabilities have equitable access to employment and help them find, maintain and advance in meaningful employment.

The Accessibility Advisory Board established a committee of persons with disabilities and other experts to develop recommendations on an accessibility standard for employment. The Accessibility Advisory Board submitted the recommendations to the Minister of Justice.

These recommendations are being used to prepare Nova Scotia’s accessibility standard for employment.

About the committee

The majority of committee members identify as having a disability. Committee members include:

  • persons with disabilities
  • representatives from organizations that provide services to persons with disabilities
  • representatives from sectors impacted by the standards, like the human resources and business sectors
  • representatives from the Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration, the Department of Community Services and the Public Service Commission

Committee members

Charlie MacDonald, Chair – Retired Nova Scotia Public Servant and former Executive Director NS Disabled Persons Commission, Halifax

Alice Evans, Vice-Chair – Executive Director, Prescott Group, Halifax

Nick Beynon – CEO, Chartered Professionals in Human Resources Nova Scotia, Halifax

Carla Bezanson – Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Consultant, Nova Scotia Public Service Commission, Halifax

Cynthia Carroll – Executive Director, Autism Nova Scotia

Marcilyn Cianfarani – Disability Advocate/Disaster and Emergency Management Specialist, Cleveland

Brittany Davidson – Manager, Employment Support Services, Department of Community Services, Enfield

Emily Duffett – Coordinator, Work Integrated Learning, Accessible Learning Services, Acadia University, Port Williams

Pele Gallant – Coordinator of Service Development, Summer Street, Trenton

Ryan Gannon – Employment Program Facilitator, reachAbility Association, Halifax

Melissa Myers – Accessibility Advisor, Halifax Regional Municipality, Head of Jeddore

Steve Noel – Employment Advisor, Fred Smithers Centre of Support for Students with Disabilities, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax

Jeff Overmars – Communications Advisor, Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, Dartmouth

Tyler Roy – NSCC Business Administration graduate, Liverpool

Gordie Snook – General Manager, Facilities and Operations, Town of Port Hawkesbury, Port Hawksbury

Hannah Stegen – Co-Founder, CultureAlly, Dartmouth

Jennifer Thorne – Corporate Strategist, Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration

Jennifer Wagg – Manager, Strategic Initiatives, Employment Nova Scotia

Leslie Yorke – Student Advisor, NSCC, Marconi Campus