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Before you can get into the nuance of accessibility, you need to understand disability. Disability is defined as a condition that hinders one’s physical or mental function, which can manifest in many ways. Disability is a multifaceted aspect of identity, dependent on one’s ability to access the world around them. Disabilities can be visual or invisible, and symptoms can be constant or spontaneous, and there is no visual indicator if a person identifies as disabled. Students have the right to keep their identification to themselves. If a student identifies with a disability, there is no debate or right to know what they have; the only thing you should ask is how you can help with your class.

Disability is a broad topic that impacts more people than you think.  In 2022, statistics Canada shared that 27% of people experience disability, and this only encompasses those who self-report. This means that even more people are experiencing disability than this and are too afraid to share, or don’t have the support to share because of the inaccessible systems in place. Disability has a huge spectrum of identification through physical disabilities, mental illness, neurodivergence, Madness, cognitive disabilities, learning disabilities, temporary disabilities, D/deafness, blindness, and more. And by educating yourself, you can make you classrooms a safe for all students. At McMaster, about 15% of students receive accommodations through SAS, which is something to keep in mind when considering course design and the resources you plan on making available for students.

For a more formal definition of disability we encourage you to read section 4 of the Ontario human rights commission: policy on accessible education for students with disability’s which is titled “what is disability” If you want to explore other academic resources on what disability means and the various ways we understand disability, we highly recommend these sources:

Cameron, C. (Ed.). (2016). Disability Studies : A Student’s Guide. SAGE.

Clare, E. (2017). Brilliant Imperfection : Grappling With Cure. Duke University Press.