The AODA does not yet have an education standard. Two committees are making recommendations about what an education standard should include. One issue that a standard should address is access to information. For instance, under the Information and Communications Standards, schools and school boards must make information available to students using accessible formats. This mandate should mean accessible schooling for all students.
All posts by Lisa Kovac
A Call for Stronger Information and Communications Standards in Education
Our last article explored how information standards in education make information accessible to some students, parents, and educators with disabilities. In this article, we discuss how stronger information standards in education are needed to fully support students with disabilities.
Accessible Information in Education
The AODA does not yet have an education standard. Two committees are making recommendations about what an education standard should include. In the meantime, however, there are still AODA requirements for educational institutions to follow. Educational institutions must follow the regulations in the Information and Communications Standards that apply to other organizations. In addition, there are also regulations especially for educational institutions. Accessible information in education makes school settings welcoming to students, parents, and workers with disabilities. Educational institutions that need to make information accessible are:
AODA Requirements for Educational Institutions
Currently, the AODA only has five standards that Ontario organizations must follow to become more accessible. Committees are making more standards to prevent or remove barriers that current standards do not address. One of the standards that does not exist yet is an education standard. Two committees have been created to recommend what an education standard should include. One committee will identify barriers facing students from kindergarten to grade twelve. It will then recommend how an education standard should remove those barriers. In contrast, the other committee will identify barriers facing students in university and college. It will then recommend how a standard can support these students. In the meantime, however, there are still AODA requirements for educational institutions to follow.
Disability Guidelines for Insurance Companies
Currently, the AODA does not have a healthcare standard. A committee is making recommendations about what a healthcare standard should include. Our recent articles have considered how the healthcare standards can build on requirements from the AODA’s existing standards. Now, we will explore new mandates that the healthcare standards could create. One mandate could implement guidelines for insurance companies assessing applications from candidates with disabilities. Disability guidelines for insurance companies would give more people opportunities for insurance.