Project Opportunity
The Accessible Education project emerged in response to the Postsecondary Education Standards recommendations developed under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). The project was established through the Teaching Innovation Incubator (TII) to help the University of Waterloo advance accessibility within teaching and learning by moving beyond accommodation-focused approaches toward accessibility-embedded educational design.
To accomplish this goal, the Accessible Education Project team comprised three independent project teams who worked collaboratively to think through (1) instructional programs and practices, (2) learning tools and materials, and (3) policies and guidelines related to our delivery of education. The project recognized that accessibility should not be treated as an add-on to teaching and learning. Instead, accessibility should be incorporated into course design, educational technologies, policies, programs, and instructional practices from the outset.
Teaching and Learning Innovation
The project brought together faculty, staff, students, and accessibility experts from across the institution to explore how accessibility could be systematically integrated into academic practice.
Phase 1: Exploring Accessible Education at Waterloo
The project was established to advance Waterloo's response to Postsecondary Education Standards recommendations under the AODA and to identify opportunities to embed accessibility within teaching and learning. Three interdisciplinary project teams were created to focus on Policy & Guidelines, Instructional Programs & Practices, and Learning Tools & Materials.
Phase 2: Understanding Barriers and Opportunities
Faculty, staff, and students collaborated to identify barriers, promising practices, and institutional priorities related to accessible education. Research associated with the Waterloo Postsecondary Course Accessibility Guide helped establish an evidence base to inform future project decisions.
Phase 3: Developing Resources, Policies, and Processes
Project teams translated ideas into practical supports designed to improve accessibility across teaching and learning. Key initiatives included the early stages of development of Policy 19, the Accessible Teaching website, Essential Requirements processes, and instructor-facing resources.
Phase 4: Building Awareness and Capacity
The project expanded its reach through workshops, consultations, retreats, and institution-wide events. Initiatives such as Accessible Education Day helped faculty and staff explore accessible teaching practices, share experiences, and build practical skills.
Phase 5: Embedding Accessibility into Institutional Practice
Project outcomes became integrated into teaching and learning through new policies, processes, resources, and support structures. Accessibility conversations shifted from being addressed through accommodations alone to being considered proactively in educational design and delivery.
Phase 6: Sustaining and Advancing the Work
The project concluded with a long-term vision and recommendations to support continued progress. Priorities include governance, digital accessibility, instructor support, furthering processes for identifying Essential Requirements, educational technology evaluation, and ongoing assessment of accessibility initiatives.
Incubation Timeline: September 2023-April 2026
Project Goals
Advance institutional responses to relevant AODA Postsecondary Education Standards recommendations.
Embed accessibility into teaching and learning practices across faculties and academic support units.
Develop policies, processes, and resources that support instructors in creating more accessible learning environments.
Foster a culture where accessibility is recognized as an element of effective teaching and learning for all learners.
Establish sustainable structures to support ongoing accessibility work beyond the project's lifespan.
Project Team
Joyce Barlow, Associate Director, Disability Inclusion (Human Resources)
Aldo Caputo, Director (Centre for Extended Learning)
Jennifer Coghlin, Associate Registrar, Enrolment Services & Academic Policy (Registrar's Office)
David DeVidi, Professor (Philosophy) | Associate Vice-President, Academic
Donna Ellis, Director (Centre for Teaching Excellence)
Rob Hill, Associate Professor (Physics and Astronomy) | Teaching Fellow (Faculty of Science)
Diana Skrzydlo, Associate Professor, Teaching Stream (Statistics and Actuarial Science) | Teaching Fellow (Faculty of Math)
Incubator Project Team
Key Insights and Evidence
Over the past two years, faculty and staff at the University of Waterloo have worked collaboratively to advance a comprehensive, cross-Faculty, institution-wide approach to accessible education.
Who participated?
-
Over 30 faculty members and staff representing 3 cross-functional teams contributed to the three main pillars of this work: Instructional Programs & Practices, Learning Tools & Materials, and Policy & Guidelines
-
Over 240 unique attendees attended Accessible Education Day in 2024 and 2025
-
Multiple academic programs trialled facilitated processes to identify program-wide Essential Requirements
-
Students and faculty members volunteered to participate in user testing groups to review and provide feedback on created resources
-
Groups of instructors participated in the Integrated Accessibility Retreat to work on accessibility in their courses
Instructional Programs & Practices Team
Donna Ellis (Co-Lead), Director (Centre for Teaching Excellence)
Diana Skrzydlo (Co-Lead), Associate Professor, Teaching Stream (Statistics and Actuarial Science) | Teaching Fellow (Faculty of Math)
Katherine Acheson, Professor (English) | Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies (Arts)
Christine Barbeau, Associate Professor, Teaching Stream (School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability) | Associate Dean, Teaching (Environment)
Hilary Bergsieker, Associate Professor (Psychology)
Mike Chee, Librarian, Information Services and Resources (Library)
Angela Christelis, Director (Quality Assurance and Continuous Improvement)
Victoria Feth, Educational Developer, Curriculum: Accessibility and Inclusion (Centre for Teaching Excellence)
Carol Hulls, Associate Dean, Teaching (Engineering) | Associate Professor, Teaching Stream (Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering)
Laura Ingram, Associate Professor, Teaching Stream (Chemistry) | Chemistry Undergraduate Advisor
Zille Huma Kamal, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream (Computer Science)
Jennifer O'Brien, Learning Strategist (AccessAbility Services)
Christine Zaza, Online Learning Consultant (Centre for Extended Learning)
Pia Zeni, Associate Director, Digital and Online Learning (Centre for Extended Learning)
Learning Tools & Materials
Aldo Caputo (Co-Lead), Director (Centre for Extended Learning)
Rob Hill (Co-Lead), Associate Professor (Physics and Astronomy) | Teaching Fellow (Faculty of Science)
Michael Clark, Coordinator, Accessibility and Information Resources (Library)
Daspina Fefekos, Computing Consultant, Learning Environment Specialist (Instructional Technologies and Media Services)
Leeann Ferries, Associate Professor, Teaching Stream (Recreation and Leisure Studies) | Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies (Health)
Matt Justice, Associate Director, Digital Learning Systems (Centre for Extended Learning)
Jason Thompson, Liaison, Faculty of Science (Centre for Teaching Excellence)
David Vanderhorst, Adaptive Educational Technologist (AccessAbility Services)
Christine Zaza, Online Learning Consultant (Centre for Extended Learning)
Policy & Guidelines Team
Jennifer Coghlin (Co-Lead), Associate Registrar, Enrolment Services & Academic Policy (Registrar's Office)
David DeVidi (Co-Lead), Professor (Philosophy) | Associate Vice-President, Academic
Graham Brown, Associate University Secretary (Policy and Special Projects) (Secretariat)
Jay Dolmage, Professor & Chair (English Language and Literature)
Jennifer Gillies, Associate Provost, Campus Support and Accessibility
Jason Grove, Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies (Engineering) | Associate Professor, Teaching Stream (Chemical Engineering)
Geoffrey Shifflett, Director (AccessAbility Services)
Nadia Singh, Director, Policy Planning and Decision Support (Associate Vice-President, Faculty Planning and Policy)
Kari Weaver, Learning, Teaching, and Instructional Design Librarian (Library)
Tim Weber-Kraljevski, Governance Officer (Secretariat)
Kate Mercer, Liaison Librarian
What we experienced:
From this work, several key themes emerged:
The project identified a need for a permanent governance structure to coordinate and advance academic accessibility efforts across the institution.
The Accessible Teaching website and related resources require dedicated ownership to support long-term maintenance, growth, and institutional relevance.
Instructors increasingly require specialized support to create, adapt, and maintain accessible digital learning materials.
Current approaches to remediating inaccessible course content remain time-intensive and would benefit from more streamlined processes and tools
Greater institutional capacity is needed to evaluate and communicate the accessibility of educational technologies beyond vendor-provided claims.
Current mechanisms provide limited insight into the long-term adoption and impact of accessible education practices across the institution.
Institutional Impact
The Accessible Education project resulted in new policies, resources, governance structures, professional learning opportunities, and institutional processes that continue to support accessible teaching and learning across the University of Waterloo.
-
Policy 19: Student Academic Disability Accommodation Policy
-
Policy 19 established a renewed institutional framework for student academic disability accommodations, clarifying responsibilities, processes, and accountabilities while supporting a more coordinated approach to accessibility across the academic environment.
-
-
-
The Waterloo Accessible Teaching website provides instructors and staff with a centralized collection of resources, guidance, examples, and support pathways to help embed accessibility into course design and teaching practice.
-
-
Essential Requirements Processes
-
Institutional processes and guidance are being created and refined to support academic programs in identifying and documenting essential requirements, helping programs navigate accessibility considerations while maintaining academic standards and program integrity.
-
-
UWaterloo Course Accessibility Guide
-
The Waterloo Postsecondary Course Accessibility Guide offers an evidence-informed framework for evaluating and improving course accessibility. Although not a direct outcome of the Accessible Education project, research conducted through the project expanded understanding of the accessibility practices students identify as most important to their learning experience.
-
-
Accessibility Programming
-
A suite of accessibility-focused workshops, events, consultations, resources, and professional learning opportunities provides ongoing support for instructors seeking to create more accessible and inclusive learning environments. These initiatives have helped position accessibility as a core component of effective teaching and learning.
-
-
Accessible Education Day and Community Building
-
Recurring institution-wide programming now provides opportunities for faculty, staff, students, and campus partners to explore accessible teaching and learning practices, share emerging research and initiatives, and strengthen communities of practice focused on educational accessibility. Accessible Education Day and related programming helped establish visibility for accessibility work across the institution and foster ongoing conversations about accessibility in teaching and learning.
-
-
Accessibility Governance and Long-Term Planning
-
A long-term vision, institutional recommendations, and proposed governance structures provide a roadmap for the continued advancement of accessible education at Waterloo. This work established the foundation for ongoing advisory oversight, coordination, and strategic planning related to accessibility in teaching and learning.
-
-
Future Capacity for Digital Accessibility
-
Recommendations arising from the project established a framework for strengthening digital accessibility support, evaluating educational technologies for accessibility, expanding instructor-facing expertise, and exploring solutions such as D2L Accessibility+.
-
Ready to Get Started with Accessible Education?
Browse the toolkit for instructor-ready, flexible resources designed to support the integration of accessibility into your teaching and student learning
The Accessible Teaching provides resources and support for Waterloo instructors seeking to create a more accessible learning experience. Whether you are getting started or looking to ramp up to more inclusive educational practices, the Accessible Teaching website has everything you need in one place.
The UWaterloo Course Accessibility Guide (UWCAG) includes accessibility criteria based on provincial requirements and recommendations. Use the fillable Guide along with its Reference Manual to review and improve accessibility in your courses.
Know what your responsibilities are as an instructor when accommodating student learning, and what students can be expected to do to advocate for their accommodation needs.