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Understanding Disabilities and the AODA

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (2005) exists to counter the historical and systemic discrimination people with disabilities face and lay a crucial role in "developing, implementing and enforcing accessibility standards in order to achieve accessibility for Ontarians with disabilities with respect to goods, services, facilities, accommodation, employment, buildings, structures and premises on or before January 1, 2025" ().

 defines disability as "a physical or mental condition that limits a person’s movements, senses, or activities." At times, a disability may be non-visible or invisible and include "mental health difficulties, chronic health conditions... learning disabilities or attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder" (, University of Toronto Mississauga). This definition is explored in greater detail in  and is clearly articulated on page 6 of, published by the Office of Vice-Provost, Students at the University of Toronto. 

• View the 5-part 2022 video recordings of the National Dialogues and Action for Inclusive Higher Education and Communities - Addressing Ableism, Disability, and Accessibility 
• The Council of Ontario Universities has a  with topics ranging from interacting with persons with disabilities, and information on creating accessible learning environments, to understanding the barriers to accessibility. 
• , "under the leadership of the Accessibility Institute at Carleton University, is a national collaboration to advance accessibility for persons with disabilities through Research and Innovation, Education and Training, Policy, Employment, and Community Engagement."
• , or the National Educational Association of Disabled Students "has had the mandate to support full access to education and employment for post-secondary students and graduates with disabilities across Canada." The organization has a well-developed supporting "Student experience in class and on campus," one of the three Strategic Program areas of NEADS.

Ableism and the Mitigating Role of Universal Design for Learning

For institutions of higher learning to be truly inclusive for all learners, there must be an acknowledgment and understanding of what Ableism is and how it works. According to the , it is a belief system which underlies "negative attitudes, stereotypes and stigma toward people with disabilities." Just as anti-Indigenous and Anti-Black racism exist, Ableism operates, according to the , as cited on the , in a manner  

analogous to racism, sexism or ageism, that sees persons with disabilities as being less worthy of

respect and consideration, less able to contribute and participate, or of less inherent value than

others. Ableism may be conscious or unconscious, and may be embedded in institutions, systems

or the broader culture of a society. It can limit the opportunities of persons with disabilities and

reduce their inclusion in the life of their communities.

Employing Universal Design for Learning's (UDL) framework promotes the idea that persons with disabilities are entitled to and worthy of participation in the teaching and learning process; UDL provides a means of "flexible curricular materials and activities that provide alternatives for students with differing abilities" (.  The qualifying phrase used in UDL, "," acknowledges that there are many ways to engage students, the curricular material, and how students demonstrate and express their knowledge and understanding. The inclusionary nature of UDL creates a more accessible landscape for teaching and learning and, as was previously mentioned, the foundation for supporting students who may require specific accommodations in order to fully participate with dignity and respect in their learning classes. 

• Video from the  [3:27]
•  (2021) by the International Disability Alliance
•  is the resource section from the, developed by the Council of Ontario Universities, in partnership with the University of Guelph, the University of Toronto, York University, and the Government of Ontario to ensure that universities are inclusive, accessible, and compliant with the AODA. 

In "," The University of Toronto explains that "Academic accommodations are provided when students experience disability-related barriers in demonstrating their knowledge and skills" (p.6). For example, if a student has challenges related to attention, memory, or hearing, a recording of the lecture with closed captioning provides . Also, with a recording, a student may return to the class content in manageable chunks to assist with the processing and  of information. If a student is required to respond to a particular text and has challenges with written expression, they can be provided with  and assistive technology options through AccessAbility services. 

At the University of Toronto, there are many resources that can assist faculty and staff with the accommodations process to meet the university's commitment to supporting students with disabilities:

2. : Office of the Vice-Provost, Students

Video Length: 1:30

• is a "Critical Disability Studies scholar whose research examines disabled and mad students’ experiences in higher education" in the Pauline Jewett Institute of Women's and Gender Studies and a researcher at . In an article from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Shanouda explains why he does not require student accommodation letters for his students.
• View a dramatization from . [Video Length: 2:11]
• View a video discussing from JD Aragón, a digital media activist who has Nystagmus, a visual disability. [Video Length: 7:07]
• "" by Rory Kraft Jr. and Kevin Hermberg in Teaching Through Challenges for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) (2020), presents some possible accommodations that can be made for neurodiverse learners. Citing the work of  (2016), Kraft and Hermberg explain that neurodiversity "is the label used to denote acceptance of those whose cognitive and perceptual processes differ from the "normal" (p. 18).
• "" (2023) by Patrick Dwyer et al. in Autism in Adulthood "was written by neurodivergent students and researchers, and their allies, who suggest a system-wide approach [detailed through 13 recommendations] is needed  to  promote  inclusion  of  neurodivergent  students,  staff,  and  faculty  on  postsecondary  campuses" (p.1). Related Reading: "" (2019) by Amy Accardo et al. in Autism. 

eCampusOntario 

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA)

(2022) was a collaborative project between 10 colleges and universities across Ontario. It features six modules to help educators understand and incorporate the principles of UDL, EDI, and Indigenous Pedagogies into their course material:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Universal Design for Learning: Inspiring Equity and Inclusion in Higher Education

was developed by George Brown educators Mandy Bonisteel, Ravinder Brar,  Joanna Friend, and Jessica Paterson. The modules look at how “the principles of universal design, equity and inclusion, decolonization, and digital fluency are woven together to create flexible online learning environments that honour learner variability, diversity, and lived experience.” 

is the first module and includes sections on  and . To participate in the modules and complete the certificate course, you must.

• Nicola Dove is the former Anti-racist Pedagogies Educational Developer in the Centre for Teaching and Learning. Nicola developed the  module which provides resources and guidance for integrating anti-racist curriculum and pedagogical approaches.  
• "" (2021) by Anamika Twyman-Ghoshal and Daniele Carkin Lacorazza

The Centre for Global Disability Studies (CGDS)

The  was developed in 2020 at the �������ϲʿ����ӿ� and "serves a catalyst to bring together faculty members, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and others conducting anti-ableist, intersectional, and interdisciplinary social science and humanities disability studies research from across all three University of Toronto (U of T) campuses and [sic] broader community."

• "" (2020) by Nicole Ineese-Nash in the Canadian Journal of Disability Studies "explores the concept of disability through a critical disability lens to understand how Indigenous ontologies are positioned within the dominant discourse of disabled peoples in Canada." (p.26).
• The champions a world where " people with disabilities are free to be" by building "a just and accessible Ontario."​
• (2018) by Madeline C. Burhardt. The book examines the political, social, historical, and economic factors of institutionalization and "the construction of difference" as it relates to disability and, more specifically, intellectual disabilities (p.5).
• , edited by Liat Ben-Moshe et al. "seek to identify points of convergence of race, gender, class, sexuality, and disability within the framework of historically developing modes of incarceration ... [and] point out that carceral practices are so deeply embedded in the history of disability that it is effectively impossible to understand incarceration without attending to the confinement of disabled people" (p. vii).
• , (2019) by Moya Bailey and Izetta Autumn Mobley in Gender and Society argues that "Disability Studies must adopt a comprehensively intersectional approach to disability and non-normative bodies and minds" (p.19). 
• Watch "," a video produced by the Disability Services Center at the University of California Irvine.
• Read "" (2020) by Hyun Uk Kim in  purposes "to challenge and to dismantle the persistent negative conceptualization of disability so as to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion for all through pedagogical strategies useful not only for teacher educators but also for faculty across the disciplines" (p.7)."
• "Thinking about Mental Health and Spirituality from the Indigenous Knowledge Systems Frame of Reference" (2021) by Lieketseng Ned et al. in Disabilities Studies Quarterly looks at "case material ... to demonstrate the importance of including an African Indigenous worldview for understanding disability issues" (para. 3).
• was developed by , a “disability justice based performance project that incubates and celebrates artists with disabilities, centralizing artists of color and LGBTQ / gender-variant artists as communities who have been historically marginalized.”

In January 2020, the  (NILOA) published a paper entitled "," exploring the "intersections of assessment and equity related [sic] work." The article looks at three assessment models, which will be summarized in this section, and how it relates to components of the . 

Culturally Responsive Assessment

Based on the work of Gloria Ladson-Billings, this type of assessment "calls for practices which respond to the need of the contexts in which we teach and learn, including the needs of the students we serve" (p.6). Checkpoint 7.2,  suggests that instructors offer a variety of "activities and sources of information" that consider the layers of student identities. Related viewing: Review the Sylvia Duckworth image on    

Socially Just Assessment

The  (NILOA) explains that "there must be an understanding that learning and assessment operate under dynamics of power and oppression" acknowledging that assessment "is not an apolitical process" (p.2). Often, students are not involved in the assessment process and are seen as "objects of the assessment" rather than participants (p.8). Checkpoint 8.1,  asks instructors to "engage learners in assessment discussions of what constitutes excellence and generate relevant examples that connect to their cultural background and interests." Creating dialogue around the learning goals and how they relate to assessment welcomes students into another layer of learning and engagement that values the knowledges and experiences they bring to the classroom.

Critical Assessment

One of the components of critical assessment is the need to vary "the types of evidence used to assess learning outcomes" (p.9). This is consistent with the of providing "options for expression & communication." Although posted in a previous FAQ section on "real life" UDL examples, Professor John Lee demonstrated how students are still able to meet the assigned goals of a chemistry lab and are able to employ different media forms to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding (see , under the Benefits section). 

• "" was developed by the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching at Tufts University. While not directly connected to the , there are points connected to:

Providing "" and enhancing ""

Creating opportunities for ""

Developing ""

Ensuring the "" is clear for the class 

• "" is a specific example of , developed by the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching at Tufts University. Using a chart, it models how assessment is "generally" done and the possible "considerations or enhancements" to make it more inclusive and enhance student learning and engagement.