About eCampusOntario
eCampusOntario is a provincially funded non-profit organization that leads a consortium of the province’s publicly funded colleges, universities, and Indigenous institutes. We develop the platforms, tools, and research that advance the use of education technology and digital learning environments in support of lifelong learning.
Accessible Educational Technology
The use of technology has expanded access to education and has given educators new teaching methods and tools. However, the increasing use of technology can create barriers for people with disabilities. It is essential to make sure that technology used for education is accessible to all users, including people with disabilities.
Identifying and removing barriers proactively and providing equitable teaching and learning practices ensures that people with a range of abilities and disabilities benefit without judgement. Following these best practices is the right thing to do. Educators and post-secondary institutions also have legal obligations to accessibility under the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.
eCampusOntario developed this toolkit on accessible educational technology as a first step towards supporting the sector to enhance how accessibility is considered in educational technology.
A high level overview of this toolkit can be found in the Knowledge translation tool
This toolkit covers :
- What is accessible technology, and how can technology create barriers for people with disabilities.
- Legal requirements and international guidance on accessible digital technology.
- Incorporating accessibility considerations into development and procurement processes.
- Testing for accessibility.
- Additional resources.
Anything that might hinder people with disabilities’ full and equal participation. Barriers can be architectural, technological, attitudinal, based on information or communications, or can be the result of a policy or procedure. Barriers can be financial, knowledge based, or directly related to an individual’s disability (e.g., no descriptive alternative text accompanying a photo would be a barrier for someone with a vision impairment).
