1 / 28

Michele Chittenden Library Services for Students with Disabilities Queen’s University, Canada

Creating An Accessible Learning Environment Under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. Michele Chittenden Library Services for Students with Disabilities Queen’s University, Canada July 2010. Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).

tolla
Download Presentation

Michele Chittenden Library Services for Students with Disabilities Queen’s University, Canada

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Creating An Accessible Learning Environment Under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Michele Chittenden Library Services for Students with Disabilities Queen’s University, Canada July 2010

  2. Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) The AODA, which became law in 2005, provides a framework to create a more inclusive society for persons with disabilities.

  3. AODA • The purpose of the legislation is to make Ontario accessible by 2025 through the development, implementation and enforcement of accessibility standards. • The AODA accessibility standards address diverse areas that pose major barriers for persons with disabilities, including physical, architectural, attitudinal, technological, policy, information and communications barriers.

  4. Legislative Framework • Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, 1982 • Ontario Human Rights Code, 1990 • Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001 • Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), 2005

  5. Standards Development Process • The cornerstone of the AODA is the development of accessibility standards through an inclusive process. • Involves the disability community, private and not-for-profit sectors and the provincial government. • Public review and feedback process. • Government adopts proposed standard as a regulation.

  6. AODA Standards • The following standards will become law by January, 2025 • Customer Service (2008) • Transportation • Employment • Built Environment • Information and Communications

  7. Implementing the Standards • Organizations must file accessibility reports as specified in the regulations. • Non-compliance may result in inspections, orders to make changes or fines.

  8. Impact of the AODA on Universities • Universities must ensure that their policies and practices promote accessibility in the learning environment, including access to programmes, services and facilities for students, faculty staff and community users who have disabilities. • Universities must provide simultaneous access to environments, services, lectures and research materials.

  9. Customer Service Standard: Requirements • To achieve compliance with the Customer Service Standard universities must do the following: • Train anyone who interacts with the public on behalf of the university on accessible customer service. • Develop a policy concerning the use of assistive devices and on the use of service animals. • Establish and make publicly available a process for receiving and responding to feedback about accessible customer service, specifying the actions to be taken if a complaint is received. • Provide notice of temporary disruption to facilities or services that persons with disabilities may use or access.

  10. Accessible Customer Service: Training • To ensure that the University achieves regulatory compliance with the AODA everyone who interacts on its behalf with the public must be trained in accessible customer service.  • Applies to all faculty, staff, student leaders, managers, department heads and senior administrators.  • To fulfill its reporting obligations, the University is required to track all employees who complete the training. 

  11. Accessible Customer Service: Training • Queen’s University developed an online, interactive training course to be used by all universities in Ontario. • The course consists of three modules. Module 1: Understanding the AODA and the Accessibility Standards for Customer ServiceModule 2: Communicating with Customers with DisabilitiesModule 3: Serving Customers with Disabilities

  12. Accessible Customer Service: Policies

  13. Accessible Customer Service: Policies • To meet compliance the University developed the following policies: • Customer Service to Persons who use Service Animals • Customer Service to Persons who use Assistive Devices • http://www.queensu.ca/equity/content.php?page=customerservice • Managing Notifications of Temporary Disruptions

  14. Accessibility Feedback Queen's recognizes that feedback is critical to the process of identifying and removing barriers to participation as well as improving how we deliver our services to persons with disabilities.  • Accessibility Feedback online form • https://www.queensu.ca/forms/index.php/accessibility/add

  15. Information and Communications Standard • Vision It is the Committee’s vision that by 2025, all information and methods of communication to and from an individual will be designed to be accessible to persons with disabilities consistent with human rights law, the French Language Services Act (1990) (where applicable) and inclusive design principles.

  16. Information and Communications Standard • The proposed Accessible Information and Communicationstandard outlines how businesses and organizations may be required to create, provide and receive accessible information and communications in various formats such as electronic, verbal, audio and written. • This standard will have a profound effect on universities because it regulates the provision, dissemination and facilitation of access to print and electronic information.

  17. Information and Communications Standard • All information and methods of communication to and from an individual will be designed to be accessible to persons with disabilities. • Lectures • Online course materials • Library resources • Web sites • Academic and administrative communications, forms, etc.

  18. Strategies for Creating an Accessible Learning Environment • Employ Universal Instructional Design (UID) principles when creating and delivering course materials. • The Centre for Teaching and Learning offers workshops on UID. • Adaptive Technology Centre (ATC) staff: • Provide instruction on ensuring that online course materials, web pages, PowerPoint slides, multimedia files and other information resources are accessible to students with disabilities. • Test web pages using a screen reader and/or accessibility testing software.

  19. Strategies for Creating an Accessible Learning Environment • Marketing and Communications created a campus Web Standards and Accessibility Guide. • Marketing and Communications and ITServices collaborated to create a web content management system called WebPublish that meets current web accessibility standards. • ITServices offers a series of courses for university staff: Accessibility Overview Accessible PDFs Accessible Web Pages Accessible Videos

  20. Strategies for Creating an Accessible Learning Environment • If a product, service, or information page is not accessible the Library has created policies and procedures to ensure accessibility. • This summer the Library is offering workshops on: • Employing universal design principles for library research classes. • Creating accessible research guides for library instruction materials, tutorials, etc. • Accessibility awareness training is ongoing and delivered to all library staff including student assistants.

  21. Strategies for Creating an Accessible Learning Environment • To ensure that the purchase of web-based software applications, multimedia or electronic materials incorporate accessibility considerations the Library has (or is in the process of ): • Including in the Library’s collection development and procurement policies, a statement about product accessibility. • Developing an accessibility checklist to inform the Library’s decision to purchase. • Evaluating new products for their accessibility. • Investigating ways of acquiring e-book licences that include the ability to create alternate, accessible formats.

  22. Adaptive Technology • Under the standard, the University’s electronic information resources such as web pages, course management systems, library databases, e-books, etc. can be accessed by a variety of adaptive technologies and devices.

  23. The Adaptive Technology Centre (ATC) provides a range of services, specialized software programmes, computers, assistive devices and workshops that enable students with disabilities to read, write, research and study more effectively.

  24. Questions?

  25. Resources • Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/mcss/english/pillars/accessibilityOntario/accesson/act.htm • Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 http://www. e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_05a11_e.htm • Accessible Information and Communications Standard http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/mcss/english/pillars/accessibilityOntario/accesson/business/information/ • Ontario Human Rights Code http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_90h19_e.htm

  26. Michele Chittenden Coordinator, Library Services for Students with Disabilities Queen’s University, Canada chittend@queensu.ca http://library.queensu.ca/websrs/

More Related