In our last article, we covered how new and renovated school buildings need to be accessible to students, educators, parents, and visitors with disabilities. We also outlined why an education standard should mandate more accessibility in older school buildings. In this article, we focus on residence accessibility.
All posts by Lisa Kovac
Ontario Needs to Make More School Spaces Accessible
The AODA does not yet have an education standard. Two committees are making recommendations about what an education standard should include. In the meantime, the Design of Public Spaces Standard and the Ontario Building Code both have rules that apply to educational institutions. These rules make school spaces more accessible for students, educators, parents, and visitors with disabilities. Accessible school spaces can include:
- Public and private schools
- School board offices
Accessible Online Learning
In our last article, we explored different kinds of information that schools and school boards can post online. Now, we will discuss how educational institutions can make their online lesson content accessible to learners with disabilities. Many schools now offer courses and programs online. It is important for people who design online courses to make sure that every learner can benefit from them. Here we outline some guidelines for accessible online learning.
What School Information Should be Available Online?
The AODA does not yet have an education standard. Two committees are making recommendations about what an education standard should include. One issue that an education standard should address is access to information. Educational institutions should be required to make all information available to all students, parents, teachers, and other workers in schools. For instance, schools and school boards could post information on accessible websites. Students, parents, teachers, or visitors with disabilities can read online school information on accessible computers or phones.
Accessible Education Apps
In our last article, we outlined how educational institutions, such as schools and school boards, need accessible websites. In this article, we focus on accessible education apps.
Accessible Education Apps
Many schools and school boards now use apps in class, or to communicate with parents. For instance, teachers may use apps to help students:
- Learn subjects like reading, spelling, math, or coding
- Proofread their work