51±¾É«

About the 51±¾É« Accessibility Plan

This plan is intended to be a guiding document that outlines 51±¾É«’s strategies, goals, and initiatives toward becoming a barrier-free university.

The contents of this document were developed with input from 51±¾É«’s Accessibility Advisory Committee, the University Employment Equity Advisory Committee, feedback gathered from persons with disabilities through 51±¾É«'s formal and informal feedback processes, best practices in accessibility and guided by the requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR),

The people at 51±¾É« play many different roles that make up the organization; we are educators, service providers, employers, employees and students. Acknowledging that accessibility is everyone’s responsibility, this plan aims to clarify how people in each of these roles are working to make 51±¾É« a more accessible place.

Key sections of this document include:

• Information about the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), and 51±¾É«’s compliance with the legislation.
• A summary of 51±¾É«’s policies that are related to accessibility.
• Goals and strategies for compliance with the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation.
• Information about resources available at 51±¾É« and in our communities.

Framework

This plan uses the social model of disability to address accessibility issues and initiatives. In the social model there is a distinction made between disability and impairment; impairment refers to a physical, sensory, or intellectual difference and disability refers to the limits people with differences face because of the structures in our society. Though the social model simplifies some of the complex issues around disability, it remains an effective tool because it calls attention to the way in which barriers in society can be disabling, therefore emphasizing the idea that accessibility is everyone’s responsibility.

51±¾É« Policies

51±¾É« has a number of policies that promote accessibility, including: 

• Policy 8.10: Accessible Service Policy for Persons with Disabilities
• Policy 2.3: Academic Accommodation Policy
• Policy 8.4: Employment Equity Policy
• Policy 8.7: Employment Accommodation Policy
• Policy 6.1: Harassment and Discrimination Policy
• Policy 7.2: Animals on Campus

These policies emphasize:

• 51±¾É«'s commitments towards accessibility
• the duty to accommodate
• confidentiality
• individualisation
• partnerships
  • for students: between the student requiring accommodations, Accessible Learning, program directors, instructors
  • for employees: between the employee requiring accommodations, administrators, managers and union

The AODA at 51±¾É«

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (2005) was created to develop, implement, and enforce accessibility standards. Through the standards outlined in the IASR, specific focused is paid to these five key areas: customer service (2010), employment (2012-2016), information and communications (2013-2021), transportation (2011), and the built environment (2015). The goal of the Act is to make the province of Ontario fully accessible by 2025.

Customer Service Training

51±¾É« has been offering training on how to provide strong customer service to persons with disabilities since 2010. Since this time, thousands of 51±¾É« staff, faculty, student staff and volunteers have participated in the training. The training is offered through interactive online modules, as well as in-depth in-person training by request. The training is based on the Council of Ontario Universities training program, which was customized to fit the 51±¾É« environment. The training content includes:

• Myths, misconceptions, and stereotypes about persons with disabilities
• How to communicate with persons with various types of disabilities
• Information about assistive technology, support persons, and service animals
• How the Ontario Human Rights Code works in partnership with the Integrated Accessibility Standard Regulation

The training has challenged departments to re-evaluate how they offer services, and has broadened the institutional knowledge on what it means to be accessible.

Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation

The information and communications, employment and transportation standards have been streamlined into the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR). The IASR came into effect in June 2011. The following is an update on the progress of our goals.

Accessibility in Action: Moving Beyond the AODA

Notable Accomplishments (2013-2019)

51±¾É« Library

The faculty at the library go above and beyond AODA requirements to help make 51±¾É« a barrier-free University. Here are a few highlights from the library:

• The library has a permanent accessibility committee with membership across a variety of library departments including references, collections, systems, Brantford, and text services
• Individual quiet study rooms in the library are available for students registered with the ALC
• The library has initiated a project to identify vendor’s accessibility statements for the library’s online databases to determine how each database interfaces with adaptive technology
• The library has a wide variety of video tutorials with closed captions online to explain how to get started at the library, how to find books, journals, and articles, how to evaluate sources and improve searches, and how to properly use and cite sources
• Students registered with the ALC may receive extended loan periods if required
• They have developed a policy to supplement University Policy 8.10 (Providing Goods and Services to People with Disabilities) for situations that are library-specific
• A variety of workshops were given to staff and librarians,  i.e. ‘How to make library instruction accessible’ and ‘Creating accessible documents’
• The library’s newly hired User Experience Librarian has been actively consulting with students registered at the ALC
• The Accessibility committee has helped make new processes easier to implement for staff by creating aids for staff use (e.g. templates, checklists, guidelines, document accessibility toolkit).
• Library Reserve items are scanned with OCR so that they are accessible right away
• The Library culture is dedicated to accessibility, with the priority on getting it right with library space planning and renovations even if it delays implementation

Supporting Mental Health

Circle of Care Support: The Student Wellness Centre uses a circle of care philosophy in providing health and wellness services and support. This was achieved through the creation of a new Student Wellness Centre which incorporates a shared electronic records system, multi-disciplinary, coordinated care, communication and case-sharing.

Stigma Reduction and Awareness:  Intentional efforts are made to reduce stigma, and maximize awareness of mental health, and related supports and services. This is achieved through a variety of student groups engaged in programming and awareness initiatives, campus-wide events (e.g. Orientation presentations), and educational opportunities (e.g. Mental Health First Aid).

Student-led Mental Health Programming:  The Centre for Student Life and Engagement provides coordination and centralization of Peer Mental Health teams to ensure better use of resources, and professional oversight of mental health programming/peer education.  Recent examples include annual campaigns such as Roostock-Student Mental Health Summit, Love My Life: A Walk for Mental Health, and anti-stigma/mental health awareness videos.

Training and Education:   Significant funding has been secured over the past few years to augment opportunities to help support mental health and awareness-training programs for faculty, staff and students. These include Mental Health First Aid, safeTALK, ASIST and the Blue Folder Initiative.

Community Building and Suicide Prevention: Mental Health Student Support Coordinator participates in community development initiatives such as Waterloo Region Suicide Prevention Council to advocate for the needs of students in our community. Ongoing LHIN funding for Skills for Safer Living Group, a service provided by the local Canadian Mental Health Association  that aims to build protective factors/skills of students with suicidal behavior.

Accessible Learning

The Accessible Learning Centres (ALC) on the Waterloo and Brantford campuses continue to ensure students with disabilities have access to required academic accommodations to support their learning and participation within their academic program(s).  The ALC continues to examine and refine processes to ensure seamless access for students, and to engage staff in campus wide initiatives designed to educate the community and improve campus accessibility.  The following are some highlights:

• A new online express registration system for returning students was launched in 2014.  This new system enables returning ALC students to reactivate their accommodations at the start of each academic year preventing any delays with their access to needed supports and services. 
• The Accessible Learning Centre launched a Sept 2015.  ALC staff worked closely with CPAM to update and create a fully accessible web site.
• The Accessible Learning Centre created an Adaptive Technology Working Group.  Participants include the library, Employment Equity and AODA Officer, Human Resources, Information, Communication and Technology, and Procurement Services.  This group came together to discuss access to adaptive technology for all users, from a multi-campus perspective.  Accessible Learning has held site licenses for Kurzweil, Jaws and Zoomtext since 2007, all required updating.  Conversations began with campus partners to discuss funding options, to discuss the means to broaden access to adaptive technology to meet AODA requirements, and to ensure campus awareness of accessibility guidelines when purchasing goods and services.  Funding was provided by the Student’s Union through the Student Life Levy to upgrade site licenses for Kurzweil version 14, Zoom Text 10.1 and Jaws version 16 and, to facilitate a two day training session for campus partners on the use of adaptive software.  In addition, by the fall of 2015, all computers located in campus public labs were re-imaged to facilitate access to the upgraded software.
• Accessible Learning Centre staff created and have made available a workshop on the creation of accessible documents. 
• The Accessible Learning Centre continues to dialogue and meet with publishers and faculty regarding the accessibility of course and textbook materials.  Following the legislated guidelines within the AODA, the ALC strives to ensure awareness of accessible procurement guidelines and timelines to ensure accessibility of all course materials.  An accessibility checklist that offers guidelines to determine levels of accessibility of materials has been created and is currently being disseminated across the campus.  ALC students, publishers and 51±¾É« faculty who have worked proactively with the ALC to determine alternatives for ALC students as broader systems development efforts are underway. 
• Accessible Learning Centre staff and the ALC Peer Support Volunteers facilitate annual accessibility awareness week events on both campuses.  Raising awareness of accessibility issues in a thought provoking manner and profiling services from within 51±¾É« and from our community based partners are noted outcomes.
• Educational panels and presentations designed to share information regarding accommodation, legislation and associated obligations have been facilitated along with the support of campus partners.

Notable Accomplishments (2020-2022)

The Library has conducted an internal review of services to promote accessibility and support users with disabilities. The Associate University Librarian met with key staff (Accessibility and User Services Associate, Head of User Services, Instructional Technology Librarian and Chair, Online Instruction Functional Team, Web Accessibility and User Experience Librarian) as well as the Library Accessibility Committee to develop this report. The report covers the period of 2018 to present. Below are the highlights of current services and initiatives in direct support of accessibility provided by the Library.

Notable highlights on ways the 51±¾É« Library have priorities accessibility include:

• Resources
  • Delivery of accessible media resources (streaming media/films) with addition of captioning and described video for assigned course materials on request
  • Provision of accessible text resources (print books to ebook format) through OCUL ACE service and new HathiTrust Accessible Text
• Services
  • Individual Study Rooms – Targeted support through online booking system for individual study rooms for ALC students with extended time period
  • Provided frameworks to ensure accessibility of online instruction and learning objects (ensured video players are accessible and that all instruction videos are captioned)
  • Tag on Demand feature - Developed procedure to provide document tagging service to the new book chapter digitization service through Omni
• Websites and Databases
  • Library website - Accessibility testing and web architecture design review
  • Omni search system – thorough web accessibility review, testing and follow up on system enhancement requests to vendor
  • RLAG and Cultural Programming online events - ensured new online gallery and "Love-in the time of Covid" production built with accessibility features
• Accessibility Committee Activities
  • Reviewed, updated and revised Terms of Reference for Library Accessibility Committee
  • Promoting library staff awareness and training – delivered session on Universal Design to all staff in April 2021
  • Acting as a resource to ensure accessibility is considered when developing new services, especially in the pandemic modified operations context
• Staffing
  • Reviewed and updated Accessibility and User Services Associate position to better support users and work of Accessibility Committee
  • UX and Web Accessibility Librarian - JAWS certification and Web Accessibility Specialist, certified through the International Association of Accessibility Professions (IAAP)
• Space Accessibility
  • Reviewing accessibility of key entrances for accessibility (first floor and RLAG Gallery doors) – beyond basic code compliance

Future Goals

• Identify and develop procedures and resources for:
  • enhanced tagging of accessible text (print to ebook) resources
  • make reserve readings as accessible as possible
• Develop approach for accessibility review to be included in development of any new or existing Library service/project
• Increase staff awareness and skills related to accessibility, especially related to Universal Design
• Improve library protocols for reporting and tracking identified barriers in library resources and platforms
• (Action, support, provide leadership and champion) OCUL CFDUX accessibility working group to move forward
• Developing guidelines for accessibility for Library's physical space
• Ensure all licensing and external agreements meet accessibility requirements; act, whenever needed, as an ombudsperson / spokesperson / advocate for user accessibility needs
• Create inventory of physical space accessibility needs for Library spaces

Identification of issues for further review:

• Improved coordination with Accessible Learning Centre
• Improved outreach and communications with students
• Ensuring necessary budgetary requirements in place

The Built Environment

51±¾É« is building a more accessible built environment by embedding accessibility into our foundational plans. This includes the Capital Plan, Campus Master Plan, Landscape Master Plan, Signage Guidelines and Parking Plan. Through the , 51±¾É« employees have been trained to be Accessibility Assessors and to audit the current built environment.

Notable highlights on some ways 51±¾É« is building a more accessible built environment include:

• Capital Plan - In the process of completing the first Capital Plan which lays out constructing history and existing conditions. It also provides a list of the significant future capital projects. The Capital Plan provides a list of existing condition as it relates to accessibility and need for improvements.
• Campus Master Plan – Both the Waterloo and Brantford campus master plans highlight areas where accessibility needs to be addressed in future development. This includes the design of corridors, paths of travel, building entrances and connection between buildings. In developing the new Waterloo Campus Master Plan, stakeholder engagement meetings included the perspective of persons with disabilities and best practices in accessible built environments.
• Landscape Master Plan – in developing the Landscape Master Plan, stakeholder engagement meetings were conducted which included the perspective of persons with disabilities. Accessibility, Indigenization and equity are key principles in the vision of the plan.
• Signage Guidelines – developed in 2017, 51±¾É«’s signage guidelines take into consideration best practices in accessibility and compliance with the updated building code regulations. Products which allow for accessible signage have been sourced and are available and emphasis on improved directional and wayfinding signage is a priority of the plan.
• Upskilling: To support internal knowledge and competency in building accessible built environments, 51±¾É« has supported 3 employees in the facilities team to complete the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification to become Accessibility Assessors which plans to train more employees in the future.

In good faith, 51±¾É« has made significant efforts going back to 2012 to ensure it is in compliance with WCAG 2.0 Level A and Level AA. As our public web properties include thousands of pages, web apps, and micro-sites which are constantly being updated by hundreds of web editors, no website can ever fully meet the WCAG 2.0 Level AA requirement in all aspects, at all times. Here are highlights for how 51±¾É« ensures accessible web properties and communication:

• 51±¾É«’s official web policy prioritizes accessibility
• Web editors are required to complete accessibility training before they are granted access to a university website.
• Through permissions and governance, 51±¾É« limits the use of PDFs and other downloadable documents and require web editors to sign off that uploaded documents have been reviewed and are in compliance with AODA.
• All video content incorporated onto the university website must also follow central processes that require closed captioning to be available before the videos can be distributed.
• Active auditing of webpages through a manual auditing rotation and use of SiteImprove, an automated accessibility assessment tool, help flag any accessibility issues that arise.
• All development for the main websites is centralized, allowing new templates and components to undergo thorough accessibility testing prior to being launched.
• An annual web governance survey also requires website managers to submit a summary of the status of their website’s accessibility status, known issues, action plans, staff training, and auditing systems.
• All social media accounts must comply with our social media guidelines which take into account WCAG 2.0 Level AA and best practices in accessibility.
• For both web and social media, accessibility resources (how-to guides, tips, and links to in-depth resources) have been developed and made available through 51±¾É«’s intranet.
• Going back to 2014, 51±¾É«’s ongoing efforts to come into compliance with Level A are outlined in the Enabling Access for Web Renewal Handbook, published in partnership with the Government of Ontario.

51±¾É« has engaged instructors in enhancing accessibility in their classrooms by providing a number of resources to instructors. With a focus on University Design for Learning, instructors are encouraged to create environments where all students can thrive, including those with disabilities. With more inclusive classrooms becomes less need for individual accommodations.

Notable highlights on ways 51±¾É« has supported accessible education include:

• Development of extensive teaching related resources such as the Remote Teaching Hub which has educates instructors about AODA, accessibility, and UDL principles and practices
• Multiple webinars have been delivered that address UDL, AODA, and accessibility needs. These have incorporated the perspective of students with disabilities. Webinars and workshops are recorded and made available through 51±¾É«’s intranet.
• All webinars and teaching resources are accessible so they can be accessed and used by instructors with disabilities.
• Clear procedural plans have been developed to ensure all resources, content, and programming is inconsistent with, and promotes accessibility, and UDL so that those resources and content which does not specifically address accessibility have accessibility principles embedded throughout.
• In partnership with ICT, promote the various accessibility features on our learning content systems such as MyLS, Zoom and Teams to ensure instructors are considering their use when designing and delivering course instruction. These includes things like auto-transcription, alt-text for all media/images, captions for videos, accessible documents…
• Ensure all online courses are developed with best practices in accessibility, the accessibility of these online course are then verified through quality control measures.
• Reviewing back catalog of online learning course to improve accessibility and navigation by apply accessible templates to legacy content.

Accessible Employment

51±¾É« continues to make many improvements to support accessible employment. This includes improvements throughout the employee life cycle from recruitment to promotion.

Notable highlights on how 51±¾É« is prioritizing accessible education include:

• Improvements in our applicant tracking system so it is easier for persons with disabilities to apply to 51±¾É«
• Rolling out a new and enhanced recruitment model which better supports manager education on how to how to create inclusive interviews
• Improved process for offering accommodations through the recruitment and onboarding process
• The University Employment Equity Advisory Committee’s Persons with Disabilities Working Group identified the need to refresh and enhance the resources and information relating to accessibility at 51±¾É« through its core web properties. The goal of the enhanced web presence was to include more resources for persons working towards creating an accessible 51±¾É« but also to recognize that there are people with disabilities within our community already. This has included increasing the profile of those with disabilities and their lived experience at 51±¾É« as well as resources specifically developed for employees with disabilities.