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Strategy to Implement the Postsecondary Education Accessibility Standards

Currently, there are no AODA education standards. However, two AODA standards development committees have drafted recommendations of guidelines that AODA education standards should include. One committee has recommended guidelines for the kindergarten to grade twelve (K-12) education system. In contrast, the other committee has recommended guidelines for the university and college education system. In this article, we outline the Postsecondary Committee’s recommendations for a strategy to implement the Postsecondary Education Accessibility Standards.

The committee’s mandate from the Ontario government requires recommendations focused on publicly-funded colleges and universities. However, students and educators with disabilities also face barriers in other education settings, including:

  • Privately-funded colleges and universities
  • Transitional job training programs

Therefore, all these settings should comply with the forthcoming postsecondary education standards.

A Strategy to Implement the Postsecondary Education Accessibility Standards

The Committee recommends that each publicly-funded college and university should develop a strategy to implement the Standards. Each school’s daily activities and larger decisions should consider the needs of students, faculty, staff, and visitors with disabilities.

For example, each school should choose one person to lead implementation of the standards. Moreover, each school should plan to involve senior leadership, and use resources to make changes that will enhance accessibility. In addition, these senior leaders should create and implement a yearly communication plan to publicize their commitment to the standards. The plan should also reinforce each school’s values for supporting people with disabilities. Furthermore, the plan should point out connections between the AODA and the Ontario Human Rights Code (the Code). Under the AODA and the Code, schools have collective responsibility to provide accommodations in environments free from discrimination. For instance, the plan should recognize the rights of students with disabilities to accommodation in:

The plan should hold all members of the school community accountable for creating and maintaining this rights-respecting environment.

Finally, the plan should include a statement about how the school will ensure accessibility in all learning environments, such as:

  • Classrooms
  • In-person, online, formal, and informal learning
  • Labs
  • Fieldwork
  • Practicum
  • Apprenticeship
  • Academic programs, including:
    • College diplomas
    • Bachelor’s programs
    • Master’s programs
    • Doctoral programs
    • First- and second-entry programs
    • Post-graduate certificates and diplomas

All these types of learning should easily adapt to the various ways that students take in, understand, and express what they know. Likewise, all faculty should ensure that their course expectations, syllabi, and teaching approaches meet the needs of students who learn in various ways.

Every year, each school should report its progress in meeting these commitments. Schools should update their statements of commitment every three (3) years.

Resources to Support the Strategy

The Committee also recommends that the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, as well as each school, allocate resources to implement the postsecondary education accessibility standards. For example, schools should have adequate resources to:

These resources will help schools actively demonstrate their commitments to identifying, preventing, and removing the accessibility barriers their students face.

Colleges and universities’ senior leadership should develop ways to fund these resources, support the Standards, and reduce ableism. For instance, they should offer scholarships for low-income students who have disabilities, and for disability studies programs. Likewise, they should encourage faculty to research disability-related fields, including faculty in different disciplines working together.

Finally, colleges and universities should publicly acknowledge the importance of accessibility, as well as support for other forms of diversity in their communities. For instance, schools should recognize efforts to improve accessibility during public events, such as awards ceremonies. When they choose faculty to receive awards for teaching, they should consider the accessibility of faculty members’ teaching methods. Accessible teaching should also be a factor when selecting faculty to receive research grants or other funding. Similarly, senior leadership can publish letters of support for these efforts, implementing the Standards, and changes in attitude toward accessibility. Likewise, leadership can acknowledge occasions that celebrate accessibility, such as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and National AccessAbility Week.

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