The requirements of the Customer Service Standard of the AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act) have now come into effect and more standards will be enacted soon. Information and guidance on implementing the AODA standards is more important than ever.
In an expanded, two-day format, the Aiming for Accessibility Conference is returning to offer a range of practical, theoretical and technical instruction on the AODA standards, especially where they relate to assistive, or information and communication technology. The Conference will also engage attendees to move beyond a simple focus on standards compliance and work towards the creation of a true culture of accessibility within their institutions.
Conference Mission
To raise awareness (and encourage action) among educators, IT managers and providers, web managers and content providers, course designers, and individuals who create and disseminate information regarding:
- Accessibility issues related to the use of information in a range of formats and settings
- Standards, tools and strategies for identifying and correcting information accessibility barriers
- Strategies for incorporating the issue of accessibility into the real-world environment of competing interests and limited resources
Conference Goals
- Foster a better understanding of the information needs of differently-abled members of the campus community in both academic and non-academic settings
- Bring all to recognize the shared responsibility and the need to be proactive in promoting accessibility
- Provide participants with information and strategies that will assist them in meeting obligations to ensure information accessibility
- De-emphasize the notion of disability by encouraging a universal design approach to the creation and dissemination of information
- Identify and promote implementation of practical steps and methods to contribute to making campus information accessible
- Offer participants the opportunity to network, to share ideas and strategies, to learn how others approach and address accessibility issues, to gain practical information, etc.
