The number of Ontarians living with a disability is climbing – with an average of one in four people facing daily accessibility challenges^[1]. Providing a barrier-free accessible environment is key to reaching our shared goal in providing all individuals with the opportunity to participate actively and fully.

When we think about accessible environments, we often envision physical interventions such as curb cuts in sidewalks that facilitate ease of movement for wheelchairs, walkers, and other assistive devices. However, we also need to provide barrier free access to virtual spaces.

Increased recognition of the value and importance of accessibility has led to the development of various laws, guidelines, standards, and recommendations. Ontario has adopted the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (also known as the AODA) that requires organizations to use accessible practices to better meet the needs of people with disabilities. The purpose of the AODA is to develop and implement accessibility standards for use in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors to make services, programs, spaces, and employment accessible to all Ontarians.

Although there are currently no AODA standards specific to the education sector, two committees were established to draft accessibility standards with this focus:

1. The Post-Secondary Education Standards Development Committee has been specifically tasked with developing recommended guidelines for the university and college communities. Their final recommendations address barriers such as attitudes, behaviors, instruction, as well as social, physical, and financial barriers.
2. McMaster’s Accessibility Hub is dedicated to promoting accessibility and disability inclusion, providing asynchronous training on accessibility and AODA-related topics among several other resources and initiatives. 

Activity: Basics of the AODA

Assess your basic understanding of the AODA by completing this H5P activity.