Accessibility Awareness Training for Educators

Glossary

Accessibility

Accessibility is the degree to which persons with disabilities can access a device, service or environment without barriers. Accessibility is also a process – it is the proactive identification, removal and prevention of barriers to persons with disabilities.

Accessibility standards

An accessibility standard is a rule that persons and organizations have to follow to identify, remove and prevent barriers. Each institution must ensure that its policies, practices and procedures address the requirements of Ontario’s accessible customer service standard, and ensure that they are consistent with the principles of dignity, equal opportunity, independence and integration.

Accommodation

Accommodation is an individualized and reactive adaptation or adjustment made to provide a person with a disability with equitable and non-discriminatory opportunities for participation. Appropriate and reasonable accommodation is determined based on an individualized assessment of the interaction between the student’s disability and required tasks. Accommodation is not treatment or rehabilitation.

Alternative format

Alternative format refers to the conversion of printed text, audio or video files into formats more easily accessed by persons with disabilities.

Braille
Braille is an alternative format for persons who are blind or deafblind. It is a tactile system of raised dots representing letters or a combination of letters of the alphabet. Braille is produced using Braille transcription software.
Captioning
Captioning translates the audio portion of a video presentation by way of subtitles, or captions, which usually appear on the bottom of the screen. Captioning may be closed or open. Closed captions can only be seen on a television screen that is equipped with a device called a closed caption decoder. Open captions are “burned on” a video and appear whenever the video is shown. Captioning makes television programs, films and other visual media with sound accessible to persons who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Electronic text
Electronic text is used with screen reading software that allows persons who are blind, have low vision or who have learning disabilities to hear a spoken translation of what others see on the monitor.
Large print
Large print is an alternative format for persons who have low vision. Large print materials should be prepared with a font (print) size that is 16 to 20 points or larger.

Assistive device

An assistive device is a tool, technology or mechanism that enables a person with a disability to do everyday tasks such as moving, communicating or lifting. Assistive devices help persons with disabilities maintain their independence at home, at work and in the community.

Digital audio player
An assistive device that enables a person to listen to books, directions, et cetera
FM transmitter system
An assistive device used by persons who are Deaf, deafened, oral deaf or hard of hearing to help boost sound closest to the listener while reducing background noise.
Hearing aid
An assistive device that makes sound louder and clearer for persons who are Deaf, deafened, oral deaf or hard of hearing.
Magnifier
An assistive device that makes print and images larger and easier to read.
Mobility Device
An assistive device that helps persons who have difficulty walking. Examples include wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, canes and crutches.
Personal data manager
An assistive device that helps a person store, organize and retrieve information
Portable global positioning systems (GPS)
An assistive device that helps orient people to get to specific destinations.
Speech generating device
These assistive devices are used to pass on a message using a device that “speaks” when a symbol, word, or pictures is pressed.
Teletypewriter (TTY)
An assistive device that helps persons who are unable to speak or hear to communicate by phone. The person types their message on the TTY keyboard, and the message is sent using telephone lines to someone who has a TTY, or to an operator who passes the message along to someone who does not have a TTY.
White cane
An assistive device that helps persons who are blind or have vision loss to find their way around obstacles.

Barrier

A barrier is anything that prevents someone from participating fully in society because of their disability.

Attitudinal barrier
This barrier is about what we think and how we interact with persons with disabilities. It is perhaps the most difficult barrier to overcome because our attitudes – based on our beliefs, knowledge, previous experience and education – can be hard to change. For instance, some people worry about offending someone by offering help and deal with this by ignoring or avoiding persons with disabilities.
Architectural or structural barrier
Architectural or structural barriers may result from design elements of a building such as stairs, doorways, the width of hallways and room layout. These barriers may also occur through everyday practices, such as when we store boxes or other objects in hallways, obstructing accessible pathways.
Information or communications barrier
Information or communication barriers, such as small print size, low colour contrast between text and background or not facing the person when speaking, can make it difficult to receive or convey information.
Systemic barrier
Systemic barriers can result from an organization’s policies, practices and procedures if they restrict persons with disabilities, often unintentionally, as in the case with setting requirements such as full course loads in establishing eligibility for services such as residences, scholarships and honours listing.
Technological barrier
Technology, or the lack of it, can prevent people from accessing information. Common tools like computers, telephones and other aids can all present barriers if they are not set up or designed with accessibility in mind.

Dignity

Providing service with dignity means the customer maintains his or her self-respect and the respect of other people. Dignified service means not treating persons with disabilities as an afterthought or forcing them to accept lesser service, quality or convenience.

Disability:

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, (AODA) uses the Ontario Human Rights Code definition of “disability”, which includes physical, mental health, developmental and learning disabilities.

A disability may be visible or non-visible, as follows:

any degree of physical disability, infirmity, malformation or disfigurement that is caused by bodily injury, birth defect or illness and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, includes diabetes mellitus, epilepsy, a brain injury, any degree of paralysis, amputation, lack of physical co-ordination, blindness or visual impediment, deafness or hearing impediment, muteness or speech impediment, or physical reliance on a guide dog, wheelchair, or other remedial appliance or device;
a condition of mental impairment or a developmental disability;
a learning disability or dysfunction in one or more of the processes involved in understanding or using symbols or spoken language;
a mental disorder; or
an injury or disability for which benefits were claimed or received under the insurance plan established under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997.

Deafblind

A person who is deafblind can neither see nor hear to some degree. Many persons who are deafblind are accompanied by an intervenor. Intervenors are individuals who are trained in special sign language that involves touching the person’s hands in a two-hand, manual alphabet.

Deaf

In Deaf culture, indicated by a capital “D”, the term “Deaf” is used to describe a person who has severe to profound hearing loss and who identifies with the culture, society and language of Deaf persons, which is based on Sign Language. Persons who are profoundly deaf may identify themselves as culturally Deaf or oral deaf.

Oral deaf
This term describes a person who was born deaf or became deaf before learning to speak, but is taught to speak and may not typically use American Sign Language.

Deafened

This term describes a person who has lost their hearing slowly or suddenly in adulthood. The person may use speech with visual cues such as captioning or computerized note-taking, speech reading or sign language.

Duty to accommodate

The duty to accommodate relates to the legal responsibility to provide appropriate accommodations to persons with disabilities.

Equal opportunity

Equal opportunity means having the same chances, options, benefits and results as others. In the case of services, it means that persons with disabilities have the same opportunity as others to benefit from the way you provide goods or services.

Hard of hearing

This term describes a person who uses his or her residual hearing and speech to communicate. The person may supplement communication by speech reading, hearing aids, sign language and/or communication devices.

Hearing loss

Persons who have hearing loss may be deaf or hard of hearing. Like other disabilities, hearing loss has a wide range of degrees. Persons who are partially deaf often use hearing aids to assist their hearing. Deaf persons may also use sign language to communicate. While American Sign Language and Quebec Sign Language (LSQ, or Langue des signes Québécoise) are commonly used in Ontario, not everyone with hearing loss uses them.

Inclusion

Inclusion is engaging differences to create a culture of belonging in which people are valued and honoured for the improvement of our society, world and enterprises. Inclusive behaviours are those practices and behaviours that leverage and honour the uniqueness of people’s different talents, beliefs and ways of living.

Independence

Ensuring people are able to do things on their own without unnecessary help, or interference from others.

Integration

Integration means providing service in a way that allows the person with a disability to benefit from the same services, in the same place and in the same or similar way as other customers.

Intellectual or developmental disability

Persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities may have difficulty doing many things most of us take for granted. These disabilities can mildly or profoundly limit one’s ability to learn. These disabilities are often non-visible.

Learning disability

The term “learning disabilities” refers to a range of disorders that affect how persons process information. Learning disabilities can result in reading and language-based learning problems (dyslexia), problems with mathematics (dyscalculia), or problems with writing (dysgraphia). Learning disabilities affect people from all backgrounds and are not a result of culture, language or lack of motivation. Persons with learning disabilities just learn differently, and have average to above average intelligence.

Mental health disability

Mental health disabilities (also referred to as mental illness) include schizophrenia, depression, phobias, as well as bipolar, anxiety and mood disorders. Mental illness is often episodic, so a person who has a psychological disability may not have symptoms all the time, and a person who has experienced an episode of mental illness in the past will not necessarily have a repeat experience.

Non-visible disability

Non-visible disabilities include a wide range of impairments that may not be immediately noticeable, such as a learning disability, vision or hearing loss, medical conditions like diabetes or multiple sclerosis.

Physical disability

There are many types and degrees of physical disabilities that can affect a person’s mobility. The cause of the mobility disability may be non-visible, as in the case with arthritis, heart and lung conditions.

Speech or language impairment

Some people have problems communicating. It could be the result of cerebral palsy, hearing loss or another condition that makes it difficult to pronounce words, causes slurring or stuttering, or not being able to express oneself or understand written or spoken language. Some persons who have severe difficulties may use communication boards or other assistive devices.

Service animal

An animal is a service animal if, (a) the animal can be readily identified as one that is being used by the person for reasons relating to their disability, as a result of visual indicators such as a vest or harness worn by the animal; or (b) the person provides documentation by a regulated health professional confirming that they require the animal for reasons relating to their disability.

Undue hardship

Organizations are required to accommodate someone with a disability to the point of undue hardship. There are only three factors to consider in assessing undue hardship: cost, outside sources of funding and health and safety requirements, if any.

Universal Design for Learning

Universal design is an approach to designing course instruction, materials, and content to benefit people of all learning styles without adaptation or retrofitting. Universal Design does not remove academic challenges; it removes barriers to access.

Vision loss

Vision loss reduces a person’s ability to see clearly. Few persons with vision loss are totally blind. Some have limited vision such as tunnel vision, where a person has a loss of peripheral or side vision, or a lack of central vision, which means they cannot see straight ahead. Some can see the outline of objects while others can see the direction of light. Some common causes of vision disabilities are scratched corneas, diabetes-related eye conditions, injuries and corneal grafts.

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