Canadian Paralympic Committee – Building an Accessible Website

The Challenge

A Website That Couldn’t Keep Up With the Mission
As the Canadian Paralympic Committee prepared for their rebrand and the launch of a new strategic plan ahead of Paris 2024, their digital presence had become a critical barrier to growth.

The existing website—hundreds and hundreds of pages accumulated over years—was difficult to navigate, inaccessible to many users, impossible for the internal team to update efficiently, and failed to showcase the power and excellence of Paralympic sport. For an organization whose mission centres on building a more inclusive world through sport, the website itself wasn’t inclusive.

The goals were ambitious:

• Create one of the most accessible websites on the internet
• Launch before Paris 2024 to support record-breaking viewership goals
• Migrate and organize 10,000+ pieces of content (athletes, articles, publications, images)
• Build enhanced athlete profiles that tell compelling stories
• Create dynamic Games Hub experiences for Paris 2024 and beyond
• Develop innovative ways to showcase corporate partners and stakeholders
• Empower internal team to manage content independently
• Integrate fundraising capabilities directly into the site

The timeline: Aggressive. Industry standard for a project of this scope and complexity: 18+ months. We had 6.

 

Our Approach: Strategic Partnership from Vision to Launch

Finding the Right Partner
Our first critical decision: selecting a website design and development firm that aligned with CPC’s values and could deliver the accessibility requirements the mission demanded.

After a rigorous evaluation process, we partnered with Rain Digital—a team whose commitment to accessibility, technical excellence, and collaborative approach matched what CPC needed. This wasn’t just a vendor relationship; it was a true partnership where both teams brought expertise and shared ownership.

Discovery & Strategy
Before a single page was designed, we conducted comprehensive research:

• Jobs to Be Done Audit: Analyzed how different user groups—athletes, fans, media, corporate partners, funders, members—were trying to use the website and where the current experience was failing them.
  
  
• Internal Stakeholder Interviews: Conducted in-depth interviews across CPC departments to understand needs, identify gaps, surface opportunities, and ensure every team had a voice in shaping the new digital experience.
  
  
• Content Audit & Migration Strategy: Reviewed all existing pages to determine what to keep, what to update, what to consolidate, and what to sunset—creating a migration plan that would preserve valuable content while dramatically improving organization and findability.
  
  
• User Experience Design: Mapped user journeys for each audience segment, designing navigation, information architecture, and interaction patterns that would serve diverse needs without overwhelming any single user.
  
  
• Stakeholder Management: With multiple internal departments, external partners, member organizations, and corporate sponsors all having legitimate interests in the website, we developed a governance structure and decision-making framework that kept the project moving while ensuring key voices were heard.

 

The Work We Did

Project Management & Coordination
We managed the entire project from kickoff through launch and beyond:

• Strategic direction: Ensured every decision aligned with CPC’s rebrand and strategic plan
• Timeline management: Coordinated aggressive schedule across teams to meet pre-Paris 2024 deadline
• Stakeholder coordination: Managed input and approvals across multiple internal departments and external partners
• Partner management: Day-to-day coordination with Rain Digital throughout design, development, and testing
• Quality control: Rigorous review at every phase to ensure accessibility, brand alignment, and user experience standards
• Risk mitigation: Identified and addressed potential blockers before they derailed timeline

Content Strategy & Migration
The most complex element: working with Rain Digital to transform 10,000+ pieces of content into a coherent, accessible, user-friendly structure.

What this involved:

• Content audit and categorization of existing pages
• Updating and rewriting content to match new brand voice
• Training internal team on content management system

Enhanced Athlete Experiences
Worked with Rain Digital to create athlete bio pages that go beyond stats—telling the remarkable stories of high-performance athletes with disabilities in ways that celebrate their excellence, showcase their personalities, and connect fans to their journeys.

Games Hub Development
Designed and implemented media and content-rich Games Hub experiences allowing Canadians to follow, engage with, and cheer on Paralympic teams—for Paris 2024 and all future Games.

Innovative Partner Integration
Developed creative solutions for showcasing corporate partners, member organizations, and stakeholders throughout the site in ways that provided value to partners while maintaining user experience for visitors.

 

The Launch & The Impact

Delivered on Time, Above Standard
We launched the new Paralympic.ca well in advance of Paris 2024, giving CPC time to build momentum leading into the Games.

Technical Excellence:

• 99% WCAG accessibility score at launch—one of the highest accessibility ratings for sports organizations globally
• 10,000+ pieces of content successfully migrated and organized
• Modern, streamlined user experience that works seamlessly across devices
• Content Management System that empowers CPC team to update independently
• Integrated fundraising platform with real-time visualization

Strategic Alignment:

• Perfect timing: launched as foundation for “Greatness Moves Us” campaign
• Embodied refreshed brand identity throughout
• Supported record-breaking Paris 2024 viewership (11M+ Canadians, ↑119% from Tokyo 2020)
• Created platform for ongoing engagement through Milano Cortina 2026 and beyond

 

What Made It Work

Strategic Partnership Selection
Choosing Rain Digital as development partner was critical—their technical excellence, accessibility commitment, and collaborative approach aligned perfectly with CPC’s needs and values.

Comprehensive Discovery
Jobs to be done audit and stakeholder interviews ensured the new site solved real problems for real users rather than just looking modern.

Ruthless Prioritization
With aggressive timeline and multiple stakeholder needs, we had to make hard decisions about what was essential for launch versus what could come later—while never compromising on accessibility.

Content Transformation, Not Just Migration
Rather than simply moving old content to a new platform, we used migration as an opportunity to reorganize, update, and improve—setting CPC up for long-term success.

User-Centered Throughout
Every decision came back to user needs—whether that was an athlete looking for their profile, a fan trying to watch a Game, or a person using assistive technology to navigate the site.

Why This Matters

This project demonstrates what’s possible when mission-driven organizations invest in digital infrastructure that matches their values.

For CPC, the website isn’t just a marketing tool—it’s a platform for building the more inclusive world they envision. By prioritizing accessibility from day one, managing complexity without compromising quality, and launching on an aggressive timeline, we created digital foundation that supports everything from athlete storytelling to fundraising to Games coverage.

The 99% accessibility score isn’t just a technical achievement—it’s a statement of values. It proves that world-class digital experiences can and should be accessible to everyone.

 

Partners

• Differly Inc. (Willow Grey fulfills Differly’s fractional marketing leadership contract with the CPC)
• Canadian Paralympic Committee (internal marketing, communications and brand team)
• Rain Digital — Website design, development, and technical implementation