2026-2029 Accessibility Plan

At Scotiabank, we believe that inclusion creates opportunities. Our commitment to fostering an environment where everyone can thrive is how we win as one team. There are many ways we support Employees with Disabilities, inclusive of neurodivergent employees.

The Bank has a dedicated Workplace Accommodations team, an IT Accommodations Program, and a strong focus on accessibility and inclusion through our Global Inclusion team. We provide American Sign Language (ASL) and Langue des Signes Québécoise (LSQ) interpretation for employees, document accessibility services, and accessibility standards and features across communications, meetings, and learning programs.

Scotiabank has a Return-to-Work Policy and established, documented processes to support employees returning to work following an absence due to disability including those who may require disability-related accommodations to resume their duties. These processes are designed to facilitate a safe and effective return to work and outline the steps we will take, including involvement of the Workplace Accommodation team where required, as well as the development of documented, individualized accommodation plans.

Together, these efforts support a workplace where barriers are reduced, diverse needs are recognized, and all Scotiabankers can contribute fully.

Employee Listening and Consultation

Scotiabank launched the Employee Accessibility Feedback Survey to continually improve the Bank’s accessibility tools, processes, resources, and culture. The survey invites Canadian employees to share feedback about:

• Barriers they may experience at Scotiabank related to accessibility, and
• The implementation of the Bank’s Accessibility Plan, as it relates to employment.

By providing input, employees can drive change and directly support the Bank in creating a more accessible and inclusive work environment, where everyone feels they belong.

• Launched the Employee Accessibility Advisory Committee, a cross functional advisory committee of employees with lived experience as people with disabilities. The committee provides insight, feedback, and consultation on accessibility related programs, policies, and initiatives, helping to ensure employee voices and lived experience inform decisions and design.

Inclusive Hiring

• Launched quarterly workshops for Talent Acquisition Consultants focused on inclusive hiring, disability awareness, workplace accommodations, accessibility, and assistive technology, including direct learning from our community partners.
• Developed reference materials to support inclusive candidate interactions, including guidance on accessibility related questions throughout interviews, assessments, and recruitment events.
• Maintained and updated the Talent Acquisition Inclusion Playbook annually to provide current resources, tools, and best practices for accessible and inclusive recruitment.
• Began development of AI-powered learning videos that use real-life scenarios to improve inclusive interviewing skills and increase awareness of diverse candidate experiences.

Workplace Accommodation

• Launched Individual Accommodation Plan Details within employees’ internal profiles, securely recording supported medical and disability related accommodations.
• Individual Accommodation Plan Details are visible only to the employee and their direct manager, improving transparency while ensuring accommodation follows employees across roles, performance cycles, and career development.
• Introduced the Assistive Technology Solutions Catalogue, consolidating approved assistive software and communication tools.
• Increased visibility and understanding of assistive technology options, supporting more effective and timely accommodation solutions.

Learning and Awareness

• Launched an online Neurodiversity Learning Program - made up of a collection of e-learnings, book abstracts, and courses - designed to increase awareness, reduce stigma, and build understanding of neurodiversity at Scotiabank. The learning program supports employees and leaders in fostering inclusive behaviours, accessible practices, and psychologically safe teams.

Scotiabank is committed to providing accessible spaces for clients and employees. We achieve this by following Canadian legislation and building codes. Scotiabank complies with accessibility laws and regulations when building or making major changes to public spaces. The Bank considers accessibility when we design, procure, or acquire self-service kiosks, including ABMs. We also make sure that accessibility features in our buildings are kept in good working order. If an accessibility feature or public space is temporarily unavailable, we let clients know why, how long the disruption will last, and what alternatives are available.

We are committed to creating and maintaining accessible websites, applications, and documents. The Bank’s dedicated digital accessibility teams support the accessible design, development, and launch of our technologies. We design, build, and test with accessibility in mind, and offer a range of features and services to support diverse user needs.

Our digital accessibility features help ensure that clients with varying abilities can use our platforms effectively. Our public websites support adjustable text sizes through browser zoom, compatibility with screen readers, and full keyboard navigation. The Scotiabank Help Centre also offers American Sign Language support videos.

Our mobile app features large buttons with strong colour contrast to make them easy to identify and use. We support device accessibility features like font scaling, screen magnification, and dark mode to enhance readability. For clients who need to hear the screen content, we support VoiceOver (iOS) and TalkBack (Android) screen readers. It also includes secure live chat capabilities for clients who require or prefer text-based interactions.

All Scotiabank Automated Banking Machines (ABMs) include accessibility features such as audio navigation. Clients can plug standard headphones into the ABM’s headphone jack and follow spoken instructions to complete their transactions independently.

• Expanded digital accessibility training to help employees create more accessible digital technologies.
  • Released four on-demand digital accessibility courses on our internal learning platform.
  • Published a step-by-step guide on creating accessible digital documents, including instructions for Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. 
  • Launched a Digital Accessibility playlist, featuring short, practical videos to teach employees how to create accessible websites, apps, and documents. 
• Updated the accessibility content in our Help Centre to better inform our clients about accessibility features they can use with our mobile banking apps.  
• Expanded the digital accessibility toolkit to include updated, role-based offerings that included browser-based testing tools and updated methodologies. 
• Conducted multiple user research studies with people with disabilities, generating valuable insights that directly influenced the design of our banking apps and websites. 

At Scotiabank we believe that everyone should receive efficient, accessible and equal access to barrier-free information.

The Bank provides a wide range of communication services to support accessible interactions with clients. Clients can contact the Bank using relay services, which are accepted at all general inquiry numbers, ensuring individuals who are Deaf, deafened, hard of hearing, or speech impaired can communicate effectively. The Bank also offers secure live chat through the mobile app, which supports clients who prefer text-based communication or have communication related disabilities. Email support is available through a dedicated accessibility address (clientaccessibility@scotiabank.com), and clients may also provide feedback or request assistance through telephone or social media.

Scotiabank additionally provides sign language interpretation upon request at no cost, allowing clients who use American Sign Language (ASL) or Langue des Signes Quebecoise (LSQ) to engage in conversations in their preferred language. To make banking information accessible, the Bank offers a variety of alternative formats upon request, including large print, accessible PDFs, Braille documents, and more.

• Introduced Canadian Hearing Services (CHS) Quick Access, an on-demand sign language interpretation application in all Scotiabank retail branches. CHS Quick Access supports clients with American Sign Language (ASL) and Langue des Signes Quebecoise (LSQ) interpretation.
• Created PDF conformance guidelines to define accessible document standards.
• Simplified the internal process for alternate format documents requests for clients and employees.

Scotiabank is committed to designing and delivering programs and services that provide accessible, barrier free banking across all service channels. This includes digital services, the Client Experience Centre, and in person interactions.

We support our clients by offering accessible communication options, including sign language interpretation, and by providing documents in alternative formats at no cost and in a timely way. The Bank follows inclusive design principles and works directly with clients with disabilities and community partners to improve how our products and services are designed and delivered. This work is informed through advisory groups, user research, and other consultations.

Scotiabank provides accessibility training to all employees and anyone delivering services on our behalf. The training meets AODA requirements and offers a practical overview of accessibility, common barriers, and how to serve clients with disabilities respectfully. We update the training as responsibilities evolve and offer additional learning based on role.

Scotiabank’s policies support dignity, independence, and equal opportunity. We do this by allowing service animals, assistive devices, and support persons, and by communicating in ways that meet each client’s accessibility needs. We provide clients with notice as soon as possible if a service or facility is not available. For planned outages, we explain why, how long it will last, and what other options are available. We post these notices where people can easily see them at the affected location.

• Increased accessibility awareness across the Bank, with more than 50,000 employees completing the Accessibility Training eLearning course.
• Created and shared an Accessibility Playbook to improve the accessibility of digital learning.
• Updated the internal accessibility resource site to provide better tools, resources, and best practices for supporting clients with disabilities.
• Improved the process for requesting accessible client documents by simplifying internal process and expanding support to all document types.
• Developed an accessibility accommodation framework based on feedback from clients with disabilities. This framework explains our duty to accommodate, how accommodation is delivered, and where employees can find support.
• Updated and introduced business processes, such as wet signature and alternate format processes, to improve accommodation delivery.

Global Procurement practices are guided by Bank Standards, which outline the processes for evaluating and selecting suppliers and service providers. These standards include sustainable procurement considerations aligned with the Bank’s broader environmental and social objectives.

The Bank’s Global Procurement team is responsible for sourcing products and services and overseeing suppliers worldwide, with a focus on responsible procurement, including accessibility.  The team aims to factor accessibility into purchasing decisions for goods, services, and facilities.

Responsible procurement helps the Bank to assess suppliers on Sustainable principles which involves reviewing third party vendors for sustainability during the Request for Proposal process and promoting supplier inclusion. These efforts help create a supply chain that better reflects the clients, employees, and communities we serve.

Policy Procedures & Guidelines

• Conducted a current state study (gap analysis) to find out how to integrate accessibility requirements into existing end-to-end procurement processes.  

• Disability:IN ProcureAccess Partnership in ProcureAccess,  a cross-industry initiative, facilitated by Disability:IN, a non-profit organization focused on disability inclusion, to advance the procurement of accessible digital technology.  

Strategic Sourcing

• A standard accessibility clause exists in the Bank’s standard Master Services Agreement (MSA) template. When a supplier makes or recommends changes to the standard clause, the Accessibility team is engaged as part of the review to ensure Bank expectations and standards are upheld.  

Scotiabank is committed to the identification and removal of barriers associated with transportation. This includes reviewing the Bank’s travel and transportation policies and procedures to ensure they align with accessibility standards.

Currently, information about accommodations for employees with disabilities who require accessible transportation for work‑related purposes is primarily anecdotal.