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.
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 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 refers to the conversion of printed text, audio or video files into formats more easily accessed by persons with disabilities.
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.
A barrier is anything that prevents someone from participating fully in society because of their disability.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
The duty to accommodate relates to the legal responsibility to provide appropriate accommodations to persons with disabilities.
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.
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.
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 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.
Ensuring people are able to do things on their own without unnecessary help, or interference from others.
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.
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.
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 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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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 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.
People(s) & Culture, Humber College
205 Humber College Blvd.
Toronto, ON M9W 5L7
Main Line: 416 675-6622