Accessibility Plan and Feedback Process 2023-2026
General
As part of our commitment to meeting our requirements under the Accessible Canada Act (ACA) and the Accessible Transportation Planning and Reporting Regulations (ATPRR), and as part of our goal to increase accessibility, Emirates has prepared this Accessibility Plan.
To identify accessibility barriers and goals, and prepare this Accessibility Plan, Emirates has consulted with relevant stakeholders, including those with lived experience as persons with disabilities. The Plan was shared for review with senior management as part of our own commitment to accessibility and disability inclusion goals.
This Accessibility Plan and additional information about Emirates accessibility travel is available online at https://emirat.es/accessibility
To provide feedback, or to request this document in an alternate format, contact Emirates at:
Mailing Address
Office of Accessibility
Customer Affairs & Service Audit
Emirates Group Headquarters
Box 686
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Phone
Canada +18007629775
United Arab Emirates +971600555555
Online form
An online feedback form is also available to submit comments regarding accessibility which may be completed anonymously.Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
Emirates is committed to making information and communications accessible to the broadest possible audience. To this end, we are working constantly to improve the overall usability of the emirates.com, using Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA success criteria.
Emirates is committed to providing information in alternate formats requested by people with disabilities.
| Action | Target completion |
| Continuously enhance the overall usability of emirates.com using WCAG 2.0 Level AA success criteria. | June 2026 |
Communication, other than ICT
Emirates has rolled out a new hospitality strategy that touches on all aspects of service design, development, and learning, and will empower customer facing colleagues to deliver a consistent experience.
| Action | Target completion |
| Ensure all customer-facing colleagues complete the specialized training on hidden disabilities and autism to recognize autism, to understand the practical tips on how to assist passengers with hidden disabilities, to respond with empathy, and to inform on the support systems to help passengers in the airport. | Ongoing |
| Expand the provision of hidden disabilities and autism-friendly products, services, and solutions to include a) recognition of visual identifier like sunflower lanyard; b) autism-friendly travel planner; c) autism-friendly sensory guide for Emirates terminal; d) travel rehearsal program etc. | June 2024 |
| Upon request, Emirates will provide its accessibility plan in an alternate format for persons with disabilities in the stipulated time. | June 2024 |
| Mainstream disability across the organization through awareness, education, and participation campaigns. | Ongoing |
| Review and introduce assistive interaction tools (such as Be My Eyes, video for sign language) for people with low vision or blind and people who are hard of hearing or deaf. | June 2025 |
Procurement of goods, services, and facilities
Emirates is committed to ensuring, wherever possible, accessibility of services, equipment, and facilities are considered when procuring services. Accessibility requirements shall be included in Emirates service agreements and contracts related to procurement.
| Action | Target completion |
| Include Accessibility requirements, where needed, as part of the Procurement and RFP process for physical and digital products, services, and facilities. | June 2025 |
| Ensure equipment and items procured by Ground Service Providers for people with disabilities meet accessibility requirements. | June 2025 |
| Ensure that new software purchases include accessibility requirements where possible. | June 2025 |
Design and delivery of programs and services
| Action | Target completion |
| Formalize the establishment of advisory council with disability communities and associations representing the various disabilities, including annual consultations with Emirates customer-facing colleagues and frequent flyer members. | June 2024 June 2025 June 2026 |
| Provide ACA progress reports based on stated deadlines and notify the ACA regulators when updated accessibility progress reports are published. |
June 1, 2024
June 1, 2025 |
| Update Emirates Accessibility Plan a minimum of every three years and notify the ACA regulators when updated accessibility plans are published. | June 1, 2026 |
Transportation
Emirates is committed to ensuring any transportation it manages and controls will be accessible or provide equivalent service.
Transportation services within Dubai Airports including inter-terminal transfers, trains, buses etc have accessibility features and accommodations.
Built environment
Emirates is committed to ensuring built environments it manages and controls will be accessible or provide reasonable accommodation.
Provisions of CTA Accessibility-related regulations
As a large carrier under Canadian Transportation Agency regulations, Emirates must abide by all provisions of the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations (SOR/2019-244) contained in parts 1, 2, 3, and 7 applicable to foreign carriers.
Consultations
Emirates has worked with several organizations, including the American Foundation for the Blind and the Royal National Institute for the Blind, to test the usability of our site and to enhance and improve upon the user experience.
Using a variety of access tools and user profiles, the Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind Accessibility Assurance team asked a group of fifteen (15) users to perform several tasks including booking a trip using cash as well as booking using cash and reward miles, locating the status of a flight, identifying what amenities are on a specific flight.
They found that the overall experience of the participants was positive and deemed the site highly usable and highly functional. They claimed there has been significant attention given to developing a site that not only meets WCAG 2.0 guidelines, but a site that is highly usable as well.
In addition to this there were similar sessions held in Arlington Virginia in November 2015 with the American Institute of the Blind (AIB) which was then observed and reviewed by the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB). Both these sessions were conducted by a third party (User Vision).
Earlier this year there was a series of audits undertaken by Hassle Inclusion in the UK on behalf of the CAA regarding accessibility from which the website was rated as good.
Additionally, to support the movement of athletes from 199 countries participating at global events in the UAE, Emirates consulted with Special Olympics World Games, International Paralympic Committee, and the local organizing committees (LOCs) of World Para Athletics Championship and IWBF’s Wheelchair Basketball World Championships, to ensure a seamless experience.
We worked with Dubai Government’s Community Development Authority, Dubai Autism Centre and held workshops with parents and therapists to inform the development of autism-friendly travel planner for Dubai Airport, and training for hidden disabilities and autism program.